Must-see attractions in Stirling

  • Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom – December 20, 2019: Stirling Castle is a fortified wall sitting atop Castle Hill and is part of the Stirling Sill, a quartz-dolerite formation millions of years old. Records date it back to the early 12th century and the inner grounds are home to replicas of the famous Unicorn Tapestries. The castle offers spectacular views of Stirling from the Outer Defences.

    Stirling Castle

    Stirling

    Hold Stirling and you control Scotland. This maxim has ensured that a fortress of some kind has existed here since prehistoric times. You cannot help…

  • Old Town Jail

    Stirling

    This impressive Victorian prison building lay derelict from the 1960s until 2015, when it was reopened as a visitor attraction. Costumed guides lead tours…

  • View of the Wallace monument from the castle of Stirling in Scotland.

    National Wallace Monument

    Stirling

    Perched high on a crag above the floodplain of the River Forth, this Victorian monument is so Gothic it deserves circling bats and croaking ravens. In the…

  • Bannockburn Heritage Centre

    Stirling

    Robert the Bruce's defeat of the English army on 24 June 1314 at Bannockburn established Scotland as a separate nation. The Bannockburn Heritage Centre…

  • Argyll's Lodging

    Stirling

    This elegant building is Scotland's most impressive 17th-century town house, built for a wealthy local merchant and later acquired by the Earl of Argyll…

  • Smith Art Gallery & Museum

    Stirling

    Oswald the museum cat greets visitors to this treasure trove of local history, which tells the story of Stirling from prehistoric to modern times. The…

  • Stirling Old Bridge

    Stirling

    Dating from the 15th century, this graceful arched stone bridge is one of the oldest in Scotland, now reserved for pedestrians and cyclists only. An…

  • Church of the Holy Rude

    Stirling

    The Church of the Holy Rude has been the town’s parish church for 600 years; the infant James VI was crowned here in 1567, making it the only British…

  • Beheading Stone

    Stirling

    According to legend, this lump of stone was used as a chopping block for executions during the 15th century. It is displayed beneath a canopy of iron bars…

  • Cowane's Hospital

    Stirling

    Cowane’s Hospital was built as an almshouse in 1637 by the merchant John Cowane. It has been closed since 2015, but there are plans to restore the…

  • Mar's Wark

    Stirling

    Mar's Wark (wark is an old Scots word for 'building') is the ornate facade of a Renaissance town house commissioned in 1569 by the wealthy earl of Mar,…

  • Mercat Cross

    Stirling

    The Mercat Cross is topped with a unicorn (known as the 'Puggie'), and was once the focus of a bustling market.

  • Tolbooth

    Stirling

    The Tolbooth, built in 1705 as the town's administrative centre, is now an arts venue.