I will be in Edinburgh in late September. We have 4 days there, and have one that is completely open. Do you have suggestions on day trips outside of the city?

What are you interested in? Linlithgow Palace is a short trip-wouldn't even take a day...but, if you aren't already planning on doing it, go to Stirling Castle.

If you plan on using trains, probably the three best that give you enough time to actually see things, are Stirling, Linlithgow as Ani says or St Andrews.

Trains run frequently to Stirling and Linlithgow. Trains do not go to St Andrews but, they do serve Leuchars which is 6 miles away. It is a short bus or Taxi ride over to St Andrews.

If you are driving you could see more since you would not be limited to places served by rail. But you don't need a car in Edinburgh so you may not want the hassle of renting a car for just one day. If you do have a car - then Stirling, the Lake of Menteith, Callander and Doune Castle makes an easy day trip.

Or a drive south into the Borders to visit Melrose and/or Dryburgh and/or Jedburgh Abbeys, Abbotsford and a TON of other sites.

Thanks for your feedback. Can you give me your opinion on whether it is worth the hassle of getting a car for the day. It seems that you miss the countryside without a car, but for the day, just getting a 1 day rental (most companies have a minimum 3 day rental) is a challenge too.

I would go to St. Andrews over Stirling, as Stirling feels somewhat similar to Edinburgh, with the big castle on the rock (and IMO, Edinburgh castle is a better visit), but St. Andrews feels quite different.

I would avoid the car rental unless there is just someplace you have to see and can't do it any other way. We did rent a car for one day through a local agency (very reasonable rate for an automatic) but it was very trying to get in and out of Edinburgh, plus gas is expensive also. Recommend a train trip to St. Andrews or Stirling.

When we were in Edinburgh we did one day-trip (by car). We drove east along the south shore of the Firth of Forth - stopping whenever we saw the castle sign (easy to recognize). We saw a couple of castles - Tantallon comes to mind because of its height and great views. We stopped at a lovely wild beach near Tantallon and wondererd about. My husband climbed North Berwick Law (an enormous hill with a ruin on top)- He said you could see for miles. It was a great day - very relaxing, little traffic, at most places we were the only non-British tourists, none of the castles were busy. I recommend it for someone who wants to get off the main tourist track for a day.