Where to stay in Stirling

Stirling is a city in central Scotland, 26 miles (42 km) north-east of Glasgow and 37 miles (60 km) north-west of Edinburgh. The city is surrounded by rich farmland and had a royal citadel, the medieval old town with its merchants and tradesmen, the Old Bridge and the port are all linked in to its history.

The River Forth meanders east out of the Trossachs across a broad plain, and swells when it's joined by the River Teith - this made Stirling the lowest point that early architects could span with a bridge. A few miles downstream the river becomes tidal, and you had to cross by ferry until modern times. So if you controlled the bridge at Stirling, you controlled the all-weather route between Edinburgh and the Highlands. Better still, you got to levy tolls and taxes on everyone who needed to pass.

Getting in

Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is the nearest, and has a good range of flights domestically, within Europe and beyond. It's 29 miles (47 km) southeast of Stirling, a 30-min drive along the M9 motorway. Or take the bus or tram from the airport to Haymarket or Edinburgh Park for frequent trains to Stirling. Glasgow Airport (GLA) likewise has good domestic and European flights but fewer long-haul. It's also the wrong side of the city for Stirling. By road, follow M8 east then M74 to avoid city centre traffic, then head north on M73 to M80. Or take the airport bus into Glasgow then the train.

Getting around

The town and castle are best explored on foot. Uni-link Bus UL runs every 30 min from Stirling bus station to the University of Stirling campus. McGill's Bus 54 also runs there every 30 min via Bridge of Allan village. McGill's Bus 38 runs every 20 min from Falkirk via Larbert and Bannockburn. Bus 51 runs every 30 min from Alloa. Bus 59 runs hourly from Callander via Doune and Blair Drummond Safari Park.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.