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Edinburgh Hotels: 4089 Reviews - 6143 Photos
Glasgow Hotels: 1604 Reviews - 2017 Photos
Aberdeen Hotels: 604 Reviews - 907 Photos
Ayr Hotels: 166 Reviews - 239 Photos
Inverness Hotels: 322 Reviews - 668 Photos
Aviemore Hotels: 47 Reviews - 59 Photos
Fort William Hotels: 216 Reviews - 345 Photos
Oban Hotels: 186 Reviews - 309 Photos
Pitlochry Hotels: 87 Reviews - 149 Photos
Perth Hotels: 117 Reviews - 167 Photos
Stornoway Hotels: 57 Reviews - 66 Photos
Saint Andrews Hotels: 165 Reviews - 270 Photos
Dunfermline Hotels: 98 Reviews - 184 Photos
Paisley Hotels: 20 Reviews - 23 Photos
Kingussie Hotels: 0 Reviews - 2 Photos

Scotland Local Customs

Peat cuttings

by nani80

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Peat cuttings
by nani80
Peat cuttings
by nani80
Scotch Broth Soup (from my Scottish cook...
by JessH
Shopping
by kenHuocj
Shopping
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Most Viewed Local Customs in Scotland

Eating / Drinking Edinburgh

32 Reviews When I told one of my friends I was going to Edinburgh, he said "You must try haggis!" I asked him what it was, but he told me (ironically) that I'd better just ordered it in a restaurant in...

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Local people/language Glasgow

10 Reviews The presence of 43 university departments of Scots language in German Universities as opposed to zero in English universities somewhat shows up the inequalities of the United Kingdom.Glasgow...

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Men In Kilts Edinburgh

18 Reviews now you can't come to Scotland and not try the nation's second favourite drink - Irn Bru (Iron Brew). it's made fae girders (not really but it's supposed to give you super human powers - just like...

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Rangers/Celtic Glasgow

7 Reviews Football violence - between the fans of 2 teams' supporters - is not limited to Glasgow on the odd occasion when it happens. It happens in every city in Europe. All of these comments are blowing it...

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Tips For Travellers Edinburgh

11 Reviews Bus 35 will also get you into the center of Edinburgh at £1.20 instead of £3.50 the Airlink charges. Both buses can be found at their respective stops right outside the airport doors. Also, consider...

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Weather Glasgow

2 Reviews Scotland, while very scenic is famous for the weather being unpredictable. It can change very fast in a short space of time, especially in mountain and sea areas. When packing, always best to ensure...

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Festival, Tattoo, Hogmanay, Etc. Edinburgh

16 Reviews Before the festival begins, there is a Cavalcade of floats advertising the participants. It was not advertised because of security,but we heard from a friend and made our way to Prince's Street down...

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Bagpipes Glasgow

3 Reviews Highland warriors danced over the blades of two crossed swords before and after their battles. They were very careful not to touch the swords with their feet while they danced because they believed...

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Accent Edinburgh

8 Reviews Very helpful indeed. aboot - about auld - old bairn - child ben - mountain bonnie - beautiful brae - slope braw - fine cock-a-leekie - chicken and leek soup coo - cow dae - do deid - dead doon -...

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10.

New Year/Hogmanay Glasgow

1 Review This picture is of fireworks at midnight at George's Square. The Scots really enjoy New Year (Hogmany) and have some of the world's largest parties. It is considered that the first person over the...

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11.

Miscellaneous Edinburgh

11 Reviews Just outside St Giles Cathedral on the cobbles on the west side towards the castle you will find a big heart. It is the Heart of Midlothian and the custom is to spit on the centre and it is supposed...

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12.

Money Edinburgh

6 Reviews If you reside outside of the European Union, you will most likely be able to claim back the VAT (value added tax 17.5%) you have paid. Make sure you keep all your receipts. Some shops, selling more...

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13.

Shopping Edinburgh

8 Reviews Instead of going out, we opted to prepare food for ourselves with wholesome organic chicken, fresh vegetables and cheese. It's open every Saturday 2am til 2pm. First Saturday every month, slow food...

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14.

Art & Culture Edinburgh

8 Reviews Edinburgh has along history of being often at the centre of Scottish art and literary activity - in more modern times film and television have also become apart of the city and the area around...

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15.

Buildings Etc Edinburgh

9 Reviews Castle Rock is where Edinburgh began. Much damaged and often changing hands in the long and punishing wars of independence against England, Edinburgh Castle began to assume its present appearance in...

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Tours Etc Edinburgh

3 Reviews A stopover at the famous CAITHNESS GLASS FACTORY at PERTH proved to be very fruitful for me. I managed to buy a very special piece (engraved & personalised) for my cousin, Irene's wedding. The...

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Scots Slang - "havin' a wee blether with ye..."

by JessH

There's an old traveller's motto: "when in Rome..." meaning that the visitor should try to adapt, integrate and get involved with the local culture, food and language. In Scotland, most residents speak regular modern-day English - but they throw-in numerous funny slang words and colloquialisms that I just find absolutely endearing and fun :-)So, here are a few words & expressions to help you understand (and to realize whether you're being told a joke, or whether you're the butt of the joke, haha!)auld - old.auld lang syne - a long time ago. Ai Cannea - I can't.Aye - Yes.baffies - slippers, indoor shoes.bairn - child. (ye) bam pot! - You silly person!blether - (idle) chatter, gossip. bog - the toilet.bonnie - beautiful.coo - cow.crabbit - ill-tempered.(wee) dram - a small quantity of whisky.doolally - mentally unstable, very upset.dreich - miserable, cold and wet (weather). Glaswegian...

Culinary Blasphemy: the deep-fried Mars bar!

by JessH

Deep-fried Mars Bars are said to have been invented in the Haven Chip Bar in Stonehaven, on Scotland's North-East Coast. The first mention of deep-fried Mars Bars was in the summer of 1995.The chocolate needs to be chilled before being dipped in batter and tossed into the deep fryer; otherwise the whole thing comes apart in a melted gooey mess. Variations of the deep fried Mars bar have appeared throughout Scotland. Examples are deep fried Snickers bars and even deep fried cream eggs at Easter time.We may never know where this unholy and crazy culinary idea came from... maybe a Mars bar accidentally fell into a pot of batter, and instead of wasting it the Chip Shop owner thought "Argh, what the heck!"Maybe it was a late-night, alcohol-fuelled craving but some regular customer? Perhaps an even worse pregnancy-craving than pickles and ice cream? Maybe old-fashioned fish and chips, or a...

Recipe for Scottish Whisky & Ginger Truffles

by JessH

I discovered this recipe a while ago (I think it was actually a cooking programme on Scottish TV...) and everyone I have ever made these for was very happy! The truffles are really easy to make but look very impressive indeed; so these are great as a gift on Burn's Night, Christmas, a Birthday or simply as a little after-dinner treat for your guests.--> TIP: If you want the truffles to be a little sweeter, then use half dark chocolate and half milk chocolate.You will need:250g quality dark chocolate100g unsalted butter100g ginger snap biscuits1-2 tbsp malt whisky1-2 tbsp cocoa, siftedMethod:1. Gently melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water (or microwave)2. Finely crush the ginger snaps3. Tip them into the chocolate mixture with the whisky and stir well4. Pour into a shallow bowl and, once cold, refrigerate for a couple of hours to firm up5. Using a teaspoon, spoon...

Scots Gaelic - the original language of "Alba"

by JessH

It is estimated that between 60,000 - 80,000 people still speak Scots Gaelic in the United Kingdom. You will also notice that especially in the north of Scotland and the Highlands, street signs and town names are always printed in English AND in Scots Gaelic in order to preserve the original spelling and pronunciation (click on photo) During our road trip we also heard the weekly Gaelic show on BBC Radio Scotland, and on television BBC Scotland also shows various documentaries and news broadcasts in Scots Gaelic (with English subtitles)... I find it a truly fascinating language, that sounds rather complicated and difficult to pronounce though.The Scottish government are keen to support and promote the survival of the original "Scots' language" and there are numerous universities & language schools offering Gaelic classes. I hope that the language is saved from becoming extinct, and kept...

"Freeeedom!" Scottish Patriotism/National Identity

by JessH

"Scottish by birth, British by law, Highlander by the grace of God" - Anonymous.Remember the father figure (played by Michael Constantine) in the 2002 movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" He was famous for his undying patriotism & constantly talking about how "the Greeks invented everything" and "all words are derived from the beautiful Greek language", telling his children that "you should be proud to be Greek."Well, the Scots are very similar to this loveable movie character, proudly proclaiming themselves as "creators of the free world" (according to Ewan McGregor, that's why so many places around the world look like Scotland... the Scots created the world!) and creators of some of the most important inventions in modern history.In the past decade or so, there has been a rising swell of nationalism north of Hadrian's Wall, and my "adopted Scottish family" have embraced this movement just...

Low Flyer

by Sprucebeer

I’m not a Scotch drinker, but when in Scotland it is a must. We had the chance to visit the Glenlivet distillery. The tour of the distillery is interesting even for the non-drinker. It can also be included on a historical trip. We also sampled the Famous Grouse while in Scotland… the Low Flying Bird as they call it is definitely a must!

Anyone for A Scottish Wedding?

by GillianMcLaughlin

Along with whisky, haggis and wild mountain scenery, Scotland carries romantic images of marriages. Its reputation in marriages hails from the days when, thanks to Lord Hardwickes's marriage act of 1754, family law in England and Scotland varied to the extent that couples aged 16 could get married in Scotland without parental consent whereas back home they'd have to be 21 years-old. This in turn made the border town of Gretna the mecca for runaway couples. Gretna itself is far from a picturesque place and its only real point of intrest is the anvil on Grenta Green where the local blacksmith would mark the forging of 2 lives symbollically by a ring of the anvil. Gretna has since generated quite an industry from its strategic location at the border between two countries and at the frontier of 2 legal systems. There you can be carefully guided through the administrative procedures and hire...

Town Galas: Riding of the Marches

by GillianMcLaughlin

Riding of the Marches is a very common annual event in many ancient boroughs of Scotland. In truth it was widespread across the whole of Britain from Medieval times onwards, but the tradition is retained most in the southern part of Scotland.What is now a festival finds its origins in the ancient rituals of marking the boundaries of towns, particularly Royal Boroughs such as Linlithgow, Musselburgh, Hawick, Selkirk and Dumfries. The function of the Marches therefore was displaced once land ownership was subject to central registration. Before this time however it was not uncommon for neighbours to encroach by a few yards on civic territory.While the details vary from town to town the principles remain the same as they were centuries ago. Officers on horseback follow a prescribed route around the stones that mark local boundaries. These days the officers are elected from local riding...

Hogmanay: Scotland's national festival

by GillianMcLaughlin

Scotland IS the spiritual home of New Year, so much so that January 2nd is also a national holiday. In many communities Hogmanay is a more significant day than Christmas. Indeed I’ve spent many a Hogmanay in the North West Islands where the entire discussion in the week between Christmas and New Year is taken up with discussions about who is staying in and who is going out…. And therein lies the hub of Hogmanay activity: the first foot. Before I explain that, let me first make sure you understand that New Year is a time of saying goodbye to the old and preparing for the new. This has traditionally manifested itself with women like my grandmother spending days cleaning the entire house to have it spic and span before The Bells (the chimes that announce the New Year). Then starts the First Footing: a tradition whose origins are lost in the mists of time but which revolves around visiting...

Modern Day Druids - Gathering Wood Sorrel

by scotlandscotour

You may think of druids in white robes, perhaps influenced by Lord Of The Rings, but nowadays people of all sorts can be found up trees, gathering herbs and snacks!This is me, up a tree again, harvesting wood sorrel. When fresh, with new leaves, it makes a delicious, mouth watering snack.It looks like a three leaved shamrock / clover and grows all over. Eat only 2/3 leaves at a time though as the acid which gives it the delicious taste can be harsh on your kidneys.This tip isn't about eating wild plants - it's about getting to know people - the REAL people behind Scotland (or anywhere). What is interesting about foreign places isn't so much the buildings and the countryside - you can get that on Discovery Channel. Gone are the days of victorian Grand Tours (tourists) and the "looking at" places (photographs to impress on returning home). Get beneath the surface, interact with life in...

Top 3 Hotels in Scotland

The Balmoral Hotel Edinburgh

5 Reviews and 770 Opinions Two men wearing kilts (or trews) welcome you at the door and an open fire welcomes you in the lobby,...

Hotels in Edinburgh

Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens Glasgow

1 Review and 352 Opinions One Devonshire Gardens is a class of its own.Fabulous rooms with four poster beds,tubs you could...

Hotels in Glasgow

Skene House Rosemont Hotel Aberdeen

1 Review and 247 Opinions Skene House Apartments was so nice, an impressive layout , nice bedrooms !, Fantastic and modernised...

Hotels in Aberdeen

1,988 Hotels in Scotland

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Abu Dhabi Local Customs

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Reviews and photos of Scotland attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Scotland sightseeing.

Experience Scotland

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Local Customs: Cities in Scotland

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Questions and Answers

Q: Hello Lovely site indeed. Great resource. I plan on spending 11 days in Scotland and just wanted some advice. FYI: I have...

A: I can't address all your questions, but wonder if you want a full day on Loch Lomond unless you plan on boating, fishing, etc. One of the ways we dealt with not having a...

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Great Prices, Great Rooms: hotels.com We Know Hotels Inside And Out. Click or call now: 1-800-914-6835
Great Prices, Great Rooms: hotels.com We Know Hotels Inside And Out. Click or call now: 1-800-914-6835