A day trip to Stirling from Edinburgh

Share this post:

Today, I am sharing with you some of the photos I took on my day trip to Stirling. I went on this trip with my mum, who came to visit me while I was studying in Edinburgh. The highlight of our visit was Stirling Castle, where we spent most of our time. Below you can find a map of the route we followed.

Disclosure: Please note that this post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link marked with [AD] and proceed to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Getting there

You can easily reach Stirling from Edinburgh by train. There are frequent trains from Edinburgh Waverly and Haymarket stations. The train journey usually lasts about 45 minutes. When you get off the train in Stirling, the city centre is only a few steps away.

Buy your train tickets easily and quickly using Trainline. [AD]

Things to do

Stirling is a city in Scotland with a rich history. There are many places to visit but the best-known one is Stirling Castle. The castle is one of the most important in Scotland and features different rooms and exhibitions. To visit the castle there is an entrance fee of £16 for adults (less for children under 15 years old, pensioners and unemployed). The ticket also includes Argyll’s Lodging, a townhouse next to the castle. When we visited (and at the time of writing) Argyll’s Lodging was closed but we could still see it from the outside. On your way to the castle, don’t forget to pass by Mar’s Work (an abandoned building) and see the Star Pyramid that is at the Old Town Cemetery of the Holy Rude church.


Moving a bit further from the castle, you can visit the Old Stirling Bridge which dates to the 16th century. From there you can have great views of the National Wallace Monument. The monument commemorates Sir Wallace who fought against King Edward I at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. If you want you can visit the monument, by taking bus 52 or bus UL that departs opposite the train station and stop at the monument. There is a £10.50 entrance fee for adults and £6.50 for children.

Getting back to the city centre, you can wander to the numerous shops and restaurants there and if you visit in the summer, you can join one of the (paid) public tours to the Stirling Old Town Jail. We visited in February, so there were no tours, but we still passed by the place as this is where the tourist information centre is located.

Day Trip to Stirling – Photo Diary

Argyl's Lodging, Stirling
Before getting into the castle we passed by the beautiful Argyl’s Lodging, which, unfortunately, was closed for visitors.
Star Pyramid, Stirling
From the parking of Stirling Castle, we could see the Star Pyramid and the Old Town Cemetery. The pyramid was built in 1863 in memory of civil and religious martyrs in Scotland.
Stirling Castle
We made it inside the castle grounds.
Stirling Castle
The castle is quite large and you will need between two to three hours to see everything.
Stirling Castle
The weather that day was mostly rainy, but we did enjoy some moments of dry weather to walk outside.
Royal Palace, Stirling Castle
Wandering into the Royal Palace which was redesigned to resemble the time of James V.
View from Stirling Castle
From the castle, you can enjoy some amazing views of the area including the National Wallace Monument.
View from Stirling Castle
Enjoying the view from Stirling Castle.
Walk in Stirling and Old Stirling Bridge
Walking to get to the Old Stirling bridge (left photo).
Stirling Old Bridge
Here it is the Old Stirling Bridge, which can also be known as the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
View from Stirling Old Bridge
Behind me, you can see another bridge to cross the River Forth which is mostly used by cars.
View from Stirling Old Bridge
Finishing this post with the view from the Old Bridge. You can see the National Wallace Monument at the top right-hand side of the image.

All photos were taken using the camera Sony ILCE-5100 [AD] and the 16-50mm [AD] or 55-210mm [AD] lense unless otherwise specified.


P.S. Have you checked my previous blog post about a Pentland Hills? Don’t forget to read the image captions. You can find it here.

Did you like this post? Save it for later!

Pinterest Graphic for a day trip to Stirling in Scotland

Subscribe & Get Your Free Trip Planner

Consent *
A screenshot of the Free Trip Planner

Share this post:

Elina Michaelidou

Elina is a computer science graduate and a traveller enthusiastic. Read everything about her travel experiences here.

Leave a Reply

This Post Has 12 Comments

  1. Taylor

    This sounds like such a perfect day trip! I need to make it to Scotland at some point!

  2. Margarita Steinhardt

    Looks like a fantastic spot for a day trip!

  3. Runaway Ann

    Scottland looks stunning! I was always afraid of weather there but looking on your photos I have to pack myself and just go there and enjoy these views 🙂

    1. Yeah, do it! Just remember to dress in layers and have a windproof umbrella 😉

  4. Krista

    Stirling is such a pretty city to visit in Scotland so I’m glad you wrote about it! My favourite castle is there.

  5. Zoe

    Nice post! I’ve never made a trip to Scotland, even though I’m from the UK. Hopefully when it’s safe I can plan some travel spots again. Interesting photo of that pyramid!

  6. Pia

    Wow, never heard of Stirling before but looks interesting. Seems worth a visit if I’m ever back in Edinburg.