Scotland Family Holidays and Breaks

Take the Family is a travel agency specialising in active, adventure and luxury holidays. Your personal travel advisor will create the perfect Scotland holiday for your family, with expert advice and dedicated support throughout.

Places to visit in Scotland

Edinburgh

Scotland for family holidays

Scotland used to be all about the scenery. Yes, it was awesome, world-beating and breathtaking, but if you weren’t interested in the great outdoors, there wasn’t much to get excited about. These days, whether it’s dog-sledding in the Cairngorms, following castle ghost-trails in Aberdeenshire, climbing through a giant ear canal in a science centre in Dundee or having entrails slung at you at the Edinburgh Dungeons, there’s an incredible array of attractions. There’s also history in spades, and genning up on what happened when and where really does enrich your visit.

Book a Scotland family holiday with Take the Family and discover that this whole country, from the southern uplands to the remotest Highlands, has raised its tourism game hugely since those 1970s summer camping holidays when we parents were bitten senseless by midges. And it’s on your doorstep, which means there’s no need to set foot in a plane.

As a specialist family travel agency, we can tailor-make the perfect family break in Scotland, perhaps combining two or more destinations – how about a city break in Edinburgh then an escape into the Highlands. Contact one of our travel advisors now and let's discuss your dream trip.

For more about Scotland family holidays, scroll down.

Things to do with kids in Scotland

Check out our guide to lovely Edinburgh with kids, with its medieval streets and newer Georgian additions, set against the mountains with the Edinburgh Castle looming over everything. 

In south-west Scotland, discover the Galloway Forest Park, Britain’s biggest.

Scottish Highlands with Kids

• Experience Loch Ness and the town of Drumnadrochit that has grown up on its banks – unlike anything else in Scotland and possibly the world (save maybe Roswell in the States, where they believe – or pretend to believe, for the tourism it generates – that an alien spaceship crashed in 1947). But whereas in Roswell the X-Files style nuttiness is slightly intimidating, at Loch Ness the atmosphere is of the British kind – eccentric, jokey and much more about buying cuddly Nessie toys and caps saying ‘I saw the beast’.

• Tour the Loch Ness Centre with its seven themed rooms uncovering the truth behind the legend of the monster, from its roots in Gaelic myth to present-day ‘sightings’ and the disappointing theory that it might all be a sturgeon of above-average weight. Then go spotting on the loch – although more fun than looking for the beast is looking for the nutty spotters. The best place is Urquhart Castle, with clear views of the loch.

• Enjoy other family outings in the area, including The Clansman Centre, where kids can dress up as 17th-century clanspeople, and Culloden Battlefield.

• Discover the white sandy beaches of Nairn in Invernesshire, with gorgeous views across the Moray Firth to the Black Isle – a wonderful local secret. On a sunny day (and yes, there are many), it’s bliss to chill out on its unspoilt and uncrowded central beach and let the kids splash in the superb outdoor pool while you relax with a drink and watch a game of village cricket on the green beside the old Victorian bandstand.

Perthshire with Kids

• Dive into Scotland’s adventure playground with its mind-blowing landscapes of mountains, lakes and rivers – a haven for cyclists, anglers, hikers, bikers, rock-climbers, horse-riders and other lovers of the great outdoors, but with so much space, you’ll never feel crowded out. Remote but not too far from civilisation, Perthshire has gorgeous villages and small towns with great shopping (the craft shops are fantastic), coffee shops and pubs. Visit distilleries and museums, parks and gardens, and historic houses. Walk in any number of gorgeous glens then settle down for a picnic amidst jaw-dropping scenery.

• Head out on a Highland Safari by 4x4, spotting the likes of wild red deer, golden eagles, red grouse and elusive mountain hares.

• Marvel at the salmon making their way home at the Pitlochrd Dam Visitor Centre, with a viewing chamber and the chance to learn all about how the fish make these amazing journeys.

• Head for Glengoulandie Country Park, with fishing, a kid’s adventure park, and a working farm with trampolines and climbing frames thrown in for good measure.

• Immerse yourself in history with a stroll around iconic Scone Palace just north of Perth. This was capital of the Pictish kingdom, centre of the Celtic church, the seat of parliaments, and the crowning place of kings. It has grounds with peacocks, a great play-park, a maze, grazing Highland cattle and a smattering of rare breeds.

• Explore Perth, capital of Perthshire and a good base. Small and easy to get around, it has excellent shopping (lots of quirky specialist shops), art galleries, wonderful places to eat, theatres, grand public parks and the striking Tay Street promenade, where you can mooch away an afternoon.

• Spot at Aberfeldy Watermill, a bookshop opened by Michael Palin in a converted watermill that also sells bread. It includes a children’s room and a café.

Glasgow with Kids

• Find out how Scotland’s largest city is a great mix, its austere Victorian buildings belying the friendliness of the people. It's packed with museums and galleries, topped by vibrant nightlife and plenty of family-friendly activities.

• Try the amazing Glasgow Science Centre on Clyde side, with fun workshops, and the Riverside Museum of transport and Tall Ship Glenlee just alongside – kids love exploring this impressive vessel from top to bottom.

• Don’t miss the Mini Museum for kids within the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum; the fascinating Victorian Tenement House in Buccleuch Street; and the sweeping historical display that is the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens on Glasgow Green.

Things to do on the Northeast Coast of Scotland

• Discover Aberdeen with its stark granite face, yielding up such wonders as the cool Aberdeen Science Centre and neighbouring Codona's Amusement Park.

• Find out that Dundee teaches biology in a uniquely kid-friendly way at the Dundee Science Centre. And that Inverness provides a buzzing base from which to go Loch Ness hunting (see above).

• Tour Stirling with its fabulously child-orientated castle and town-gaol experience.

• Take children of an inquisitive nature to the rock-pools on the beaches at St Andrews for endless afternoons of poking about. The sandy stretch next to the pools was where Chariots of Fire was filmed.

Best Scottish Castles with Kids

• Don’t miss some of the castles that dot Scotland’s landscape, from barely standing moody rocks to huge impressive monuments that look pretty much the same as the day they were completed. Perched by lochs, on sheer cliffs, alone on islands and in the middle of forests, there are castles here for everyone, often with a bloody history. The barely standing ones are perfect for kids to clamber around, while the well-maintained ones often run family-friendly activities such as treasure trails, talks and gruesome tours.

• Check out Glamis Castle, Fyvie Castle and Cawdor Castle (Macbeth’s fictional home), to name but three. 

Best Scottish Islands with Kids

• Cast off from the mainland. The best Scottish islands for families include Islay for its eerie Singing Sands, whale- and shark-spotting trips and sea-kayaking,

• Alternatively, head to Arran for its rock-pooling, mountain-biking, gorge-walking and wildlife (including dolphins, seals and huge red deer), to Mull, for Tobermory and animals such as eagles, puffins and otters, and to Skye, for castles, 12 munros to bag and lots of walking.

• Venture to the Orkneys, for their beaches, Neolithic ruins and farm museums.

Cairngorms

Eating in Scotland

Most good restaurants in Scotland still offer the likes of haggis, tatties and neeps, usually with a modern, very palatable twist. Restaurants around the country – historically rather unwelcoming to children, at least in the larger cities – will now positively court your little darlings.

Scotland’s small towns and villages are full of child-friendly coffee shops and pubs offering ample scope for family dining. Farmers' markets have seen a resurgence in recent years in the UK, and Perth's, held on the first Saturday of each month, is arguably the best-known in Scotland, showcasing for local producers and growers through its fish, meat and game, baked goods, fruit wines and liqueurs, honeys and preserves, fruit and vegetables, sweets and herbs.

Arran

When to go to Scotland

The best time to go to Scotland with kids depends on what sort of break you’re after. Spring is the classic time to see Scotland because it’s not too crowded, the weather is warming up and hotel prices haven’t reached their peak. It’s also a great time for anglers as the salmon are in abundance, making their journeys upstream.

In summer expect crowds, but there’s a reason for this – Scotland is at its most gorgeous in July, August and September, especially when the purple heather swathes the country in late August and early September. Prices are at their highest and rainfall at its lowest, and the iconic Edinburgh Festival kicks in as autumn approaches. Those long balmy summer evenings have an extended twilight that will allow you to fit more into your day.

Autumn in Scotland is great for a short cosy cottage break if you don’t mind some drizzle, with the leaves putting on a show that rivals that of New England, and winter is the time to come if you are a skier and snow-sports enthusiast – Aviemore is superb at this time of year, although last-minute bookings are advised due to the unreliability of the weather.

How to get to Scotland

Driving to Scotland is often the best option for families as you’ll use your own car for exploring. You'll most likely be using the M6 for most of your journey; London to Edinburgh is 650km (about 8 hours’ straight driving).

Or getting to Scotland by train is a fantastic adventure, travelling aboard the Caledonian Sleeper from London or stops ne route. Its Highland Route splits into three separate destinations and the Lowland Route splits into two.

The Highland Route serves Inverness, capital of the Highlands, with intermediate stops including Perth, Pitlochry and Aviemore; the second serves the 'Outdoor Capital of the UK', Fort Wiliams near Ben Nevis, with stops in Dumbarton, Crianlarich and Corrour (the UK's highest railway station); the third serves the Granite City of Aberdeen on the east coast, with stops including Dundee, Leuchars (for St Andrews) and Stonehaven.

The Lowland routes train splits to serve Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Flying is a quick option for those who need to, with domestic UK flights to Scotland serving Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness from London and other destinations.

Car hire is more or less essential if you’re exploring outside the cities and don’t drive to Scotland. Loch Ness is 34km from Inverness Airport and 11km from Inverness itself.

Scotland

The Balmoral

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