Outlander Filming Locations Tour with Tickets from Glasgow

Doune Castle: Castle Leoch

Doune Castle stands on a grassy mound above the River Teith, a short drive from Stirling. Built in the late fourteenth century for a powerful duke who ruled Scotland as regent, it is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the country, with a towering gatehouse, a lofty great hall with a minstrels' gallery and a maze of kitchens and private chambers. Walking through it gives a vivid picture of how a Scottish noble household lived.

In Outlander, Doune plays Castle Leoch, the seat of Clan MacKenzie, and fans instantly recognise its courtyard and kitchens. Your entry ticket is included, and the audio guide covers both the castle's real history and its many appearances on screen. Allow about an hour to explore, and climb to the top of the gatehouse for views over the countryside towards the Highlands.

Falkland: 1940s Inverness

The small town of Falkland, in the heart of Fife, is a picture of old Scotland, with stone cottages, narrow wynds and the Renaissance Falkland Palace, once a favourite hunting retreat of the Stuart kings and queens. Its main square, with the ornate Bruce Fountain at its centre, was transformed for the opening episodes of Outlander into the Inverness of the 1940s.

Fans love finding the guesthouse and the fountain seen in the first scenes of the series. The stop here is also your lunch break, with time to choose from the local cafés and tea rooms and wander the streets. Look out for the palace walls and gardens just off the square, and the wooded slopes of the Lomond Hills rising behind the town.

Midhope Castle: Lallybroch

Midhope Castle is a sixteenth-century tower house on a private estate near the Firth of Forth. Its interior is a roofless ruin and cannot be entered, but its courtyard, stone archway and the steps in front of the tower are among the most iconic places in the whole series, because Midhope was chosen as Lallybroch, the Fraser family estate.

Here you can stand on the famous steps, walk through the arched gateway and take photos of the tower framed by trees, just as it appears on screen. Access to the courtyard is managed by the estate and has a small extra fee paid on site, which is not included in the ticket. The quiet countryside setting makes it a peaceful contrast to the busier castles of the day.

Blackness Castle: the ship that never sailed

Blackness Castle juts out into the Firth of Forth on a rocky point, and its long, narrow shape with a pointed tower at one end has earned it the nickname the ship that never sailed. Built in the fifteenth century, it served as a royal fortress, a state prison and an ammunition depot, and its thick walls were strengthened again and again to resist artillery.

In Outlander it became the headquarters of the redcoats at Fort William, the scene of some of the series' most dramatic moments. Your entry ticket is included, so you have time to walk the ramparts, climb the central tower and enjoy views across the water to the Forth bridges. Expect uneven floors and steep steps, and bring a windproof layer for the exposed walls.

Culross: the village of Cranesmuir

Culross on the north shore of the Forth is one of the most complete seventeenth-century burghs in Scotland. When its trade in coal and salt declined, the village was left almost untouched, so its cobbled lanes, whitewashed and ochre houses with red pantile roofs and crow-stepped gables look much as they did four centuries ago. Above them stands the mustard-yellow Culross Palace, the mansion of a wealthy merchant.

In Outlander, Culross became the village of Cranesmuir, and behind the palace you find the walled garden that served as Claire's herb garden. The stop is a relaxed break with time for photos along the Mercat Cross and up to the old abbey. It is a fitting end to the day before the drive back to Glasgow, arriving at around 18:30.