Scotland world amazing tourist locations

Scotland is one of the most amazing tourist places in the world. The word Scotland comes from (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country that is piece of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland includes over 790 islands. Including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides; ranging in size from Lewis and Harris at over 200,000 to Eilean Donan.

Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centers. Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the center of the Greater Glasgow conurbation.

Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, the title of Europe's oil capital. As Scotland witnessed Shetland Islands, the third largest island of Scotland and the fifth largest island of British Isles, being ranked sixth among the top 10 tourist regions of the world, Harry Potter was doing even better to the country’s tourism in 2010.

Scotland is one of leading countries promoting movie tourism and there are many film locations like Glencoe and the Glenfinnan Viaduct where scenes from Harry Potter were shot. The famous Edinburgh cafes where J.K. Rowling wrote the books also attract tourists. Besides, Scotland is one of the top choices for skiing during winters. Cairngorm Mountain, Glenshee and The Lecht are the main ski areas in Scotland offering training as well as amazing stretch of natural skiing terrain down the hills.

British attractions build lonesome Planet's popular Travel lists

The Shetland Islands have been voted one of the top ten regions in the world for tourism by the Lonely Planet travel guide.

The islands, which are noted for their wildlife and remoteness, are described as possibly 'the last untamed corner of the UK' in the publication's Best in Travel 2011.

Its residents are described as 'a fiercely independent and self-reliant bunch' living in an area where it is easy to spot whales, otters, seals and puffins.

Shetland capital Lerwick, where a new film and music centre opens next year, is described as a 'must-include port of call for cruise ships'.

Visitors are urged to try local delicacies including seawater oatcakes, Shetland black potatoes and rhubarb with mackerel or herring.

Another British set of islands, the Orkneys, features in the '10 best things to climb' section, with the Old Man of Hoy's iconic 450ft-high sea stack an invitation to 'gather your grappling hooks'.

The publication listed the Isle of Man TT motorbike race as one of the 10 best things to do around the world.

The guide said: 'A haven for tax dodgers and outdoorsy types most of the year, the remote oddball Isle of Man transforms itself in May and June for the Tourist Trophy'.

Lonely Planet rated Edinburgh and its partner-swinging ceilidh dance as one of the 10 best places for dance fever. The Scottish capital has 'dance classes and ceilidhs for all levels of experience'.

Edinburgh is also listed as one of the top 10 cities for artistic inspiration, with mention of such literary legends as Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns.

'Scotland's literary output is phenomenal and most of its notable writers have been influenced by the capital,' said the guide.

London also makes it in to the artistic inspiration top 10, with the guide saying: 'You could plot a long, long literary pilgrimage around London, a city immortalised by writers from Charles Dickens to John Betjeman.'

Among the 10 greatest 'comeback cities' is Glasgow, where 'the once-grim River Clyde, heart of the city's post-World War Two slump, has morphed into its cultural focal point with museums replacing derelict docklands'.

The 10 world's greatest bookshops' list includes Daunt Books of London, with its Marylebone branch 'the original and best'.

London and Whitby in Yorkshire feature in the top 10 vampire-spotting places in the world.

The guide said Whitby had become a popular spot for vampire fanciers inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula novel which describes how the most famous vampire of all came ashore at Whitby following a shipwreck.

London makes the top 10 thanks to its Dracula tour which includes a trip to Highgate Cemetery in north London.

The Battle of Hastings and the International Living History Fair in Leamington Spa in Warwickshire are in the top 10 historical re-enactments.


Hastings, fought in 1066 and now restaged each year, is seen as the 'most-remembered armed conflict in British history', while those attending the fair at Leamington Spa will be 'amazed at the breadth of the products on sale'.