Outlander Filming Locations Day Trip from Edinburgh

Falkland, the village that plays 1940s Inverness

Falkland is a well-kept Royal Burgh in the Howe of Fife, tucked beneath the Lomond Hills, and it is the first stop on our Outlander tour from Edinburgh. Fans know it as the stand-in for Inverness, where Claire and Frank spend their honeymoon in the show's 1940s scenes, and the stone cottages, cobbled lanes and old shopfronts are still easy to recognise.

The village is worth a look for its own story as well. Falkland Palace was a hunting lodge of the Stewart kings and of Mary, Queen of Scots, and its Renaissance front closes the view at the end of the main street. You get about twenty minutes here, enough for photographs and a short stroll, so the day starts at an easy pace before the busier castle stops.

Doune Castle, Castle Leoch in the series

Doune Castle is one of the most complete medieval fortresses in Scotland, raised in the late 14th century beside the River Teith for Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. In Outlander it plays Castle Leoch, seat of the MacKenzie clan, and the gatehouse, courtyard and great hall all appear in season one. Monty Python fans will know it too, because it featured heavily in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The default booking on this page includes entry, so you can climb the towers, walk the battlements and see the great hall and kitchens during about forty minutes on site. Doune Castle opening hours change with the season, and on occasional dates we swap this stop for Blackness Castle, which appears in the series as Fort William.

Linlithgow Palace, Wentworth Prison on screen

Linlithgow Palace stands beside a loch in the town of Linlithgow, roughly halfway between Edinburgh and Stirling. It was a favourite residence of the Stewart kings and the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1542. In Outlander the roofless ruin is Wentworth Prison, where Jamie is held and tortured by Black Jack Randall in one of the most intense episodes of the series.

You have around ninety-five minutes in Linlithgow, enough for the palace, a walk beside Linlithgow Loch and lunch on the high street. The quadrangle fountain and the great hall are the parts most visitors remember. Palace entry and lunch are paid for separately on the day, and opening hours follow the season.

Culross, the ochre village that doubles as Cranesmuir

Culross, on the Fife shore of the Firth of Forth, is one of the best-preserved 16th and 17th-century burghs in Scotland, and it appears in Outlander as Cranesmuir, mostly in season one. Ochre-washed houses with crow-stepped gables, a cobbled market square and steep lanes make it easy to see why film crews choose it, and standing in the real Culross Outlander filming location feels like walking onto the set.

The village grew rich on coal and salt, and Culross Palace, built around 1600 for the merchant George Bruce, shows what that wealth bought. We allow about forty-five minutes, enough to explore the lanes, climb to the abbey ruins on the hill or find a coffee. Wear shoes with good grip, because the cobbles are uneven and can be slippery in the rain.

Midhope Castle, the Fraser residence known as Lallybroch

Midhope Castle, on the Hopetoun estate near South Queensferry, is the exterior of Lallybroch, the Fraser family house in Outlander. The weathered 16th-century tower house is the highlight of the day for many fans, and the entrance, courtyard wall and gate are all instantly familiar. Entry to the grounds is by prior booking, which is why the default option here includes it and you do not have to arrange anything yourself.

Midhope Castle is generally open from March to November, with a few dates in December, so a winter departure may not include this stop. Plan on about twenty-five minutes for photographs. Back in Edinburgh, ask your guide for directions to Bakehouse Close on the Royal Mile, the lane used as Jamie's print shop in the third series.