The United Kingdom of Great Britain is an extremely popular vacation destination. The kingdoms are England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland with each having unique differences in architecture, culture, language, accents and much much more. The citizens of each country are both proud of their own country but also very proud to be British so a person from Scotland can declare himself both Scottish and British with the vast majority placing “Scottish” first and foremost. Scotland was a fiercely independent nation until the Act of Union in 1707 brought it into union with England. Even today there is a strong movement for independence. Even though Scotland has a devolved government with some important and influential powers, the nationalists feel that the Scottish peoples will be better served by a free and independent government with total power over the country’s destiny.

Think of Scotland and the vast majority of folk will bring to mind images of bagpipes, tartan, kilts and the likes, younger folk may think of the “Tartan Army” and the massive support for the national football club of Scotland, but all will have rather similar thoughts of what is truly Scottish. Sadly much of the quaint biscuit tin lid pictures of Scotland are little more than a very clever marketing campaign which started a long time ago when the likes of Sir Walter Scott (a famous poet and novelist) worked hard to promote Scotland as a vacation destination to the British Royal Family and the English upper classes. To discover the true Scottish culture we need to take a closer look at the country’s history but, more importantly, we can take a look at the different regions and the most important cities which often have distinctive differences.

While Sir Walter Scott took much from the Highland way of life and repackaged it, in what he considered a more suitable form for the English aristocracy, the basic elements are distinctively Highland. The tartan kilt is the traditional dress of the region and is still seen throughout the area today, though more often at weddings and in traditional pipe bands. Besides the tartan cloth, kilts and bagpipes, there is much to interest the tourist in the Highlands not least the most incredible countryside which consists of the most spectacular mountains and misty glens. Towns such as Fort William and the city of Inverness are few and far between with little more than rough open countryside, dotted with numerous tiny villages, between them. Even more remote are the islands of the Hebrides, while the Isle of Skye (Inner Hebrides) may be the most popular the islands of the Outer Hebrides are increasingly popular with tourists keen to enjoy the distinctive Gaelic culture.

The capital city of Scotland is Edinburgh and it’s roots can go back thousands of years. Surprisingly there are still some fine examples of old buildings to be found in this thoroughly modern city of culture. Of course the city is dominated by Edinburgh Castle but there is much, much more to entice the tourist not least the incredible number of festivals spread throughout the year from the Edinburgh Festival in the summer to the New Year’s Hogmanay celebrations in the winter.

Strangely Edinburgh is not the largest city in Scotland, that honor goes to the nearby city of Glasgow. Glasgow could not be more different to Edinburgh if it really tried and there is strong competition between the two cities. While Edinburgh is quiet and laid back Glasgow is fast and furious at times, especially in the evenings when the town’s nightlife explodes into life with a multitude of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Of course during the day there are plenty of architectural delights, numerous museums and galleries and absolutely amazing shopping to keep you fully entertained.

Besides the two cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow there are plenty of other towns and cities, such as Sterling, Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen, that are worth visiting as each are very different from one another. Each has it’s own tourist attractions such as St Andrews and it’s famous golf courses. One of the most popular tourist attractions is actually a modern work of engineering, the Falkirk Wheel but, in the main, most tourist attractions in Scotland are historical buildings or sites such as Stirling Castle.

Whatever your interests Scotland can provide the location for your perfect vacation. When you have chosen where to base yourselves you can investigate all of the tourist attractions but it is also well worth finding out what tours are available. One of the most popular types of tours in Scotland is the whisky tour but others are just as popular, such as Edinburgh’s many ghost tours. So, when you are next choosing a vacation destination give Scotland some thought.