44 Best Sights in Argyll and the Isles, Scotland

To see a little of the region's prehistoric past, start at this museum 8 miles north of Crinan and then explore some of the more than 300 ancient remnants within a 6-mile radius. Exhibits provide information about stone circles, burial mounds, and carved stones dating from the Bronze Age and earlier. After a £6.7 million expansion, the museum now displays many more of the 22,000 ancient artifacts in its care than was previously possible, spanning some 7,000 years of the region's history, including quarts blades used to carve local symbol stones, Bronze Age jewelry, and intricately carved Celtic crosses. A (free but often muddy) walk leads to a weird, sprawling cairn that marks the site of an ancient tomb, rediscovered in the 19th century.

Many malt whisky connoisseurs say the Lagavulin is the strongest-nosed of all Islay's peaty malt whiskies. You can find out why, and how, with a distillery tour and tasting here.

Arran's newest distillery (the little sister of the Isle of Arran Distillery in Lochranza) started making its distinctive, peaty single malts in 2019 and released the first batches for sale in November 2022. Tours include sniffing and sampling (with taster bottles available for drivers to sip later).

Laphroiag (say la-froig) is Islay's most distinctive malt, redolent of peat, seaweed, and iodine. You can take a tour of the distillery, then settle in for a spell of sipping at the whisky bar.

Six ancient circles of boulders and head-high sandstone pillars are scattered across Machrie Moor. These relics of a prehistoric culture are as old as Egypt's pyramids, if not quite as impressive, and the site evokes a dim and distant past.

A converted church is home to this local museum, a loveable haphazard collection of local artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia. There is also a local history archive.

One of Scotland's oldest and smallest distilleries was founded in 1794, several years before the town where it now stands. It produces a well-known 14-year-old malt which, according to those who know, has a taste somewhere between the smoky Islay whiskies and the softer, sweeter Highland varieties—a distinctive West Highland flavor.

This free museum recalls Oban's history through two World Wars (there's less emphasis on peacetime) in photographs and other exhibits including a short cinema presentation. Always a fishing harbor and a ferry port, during the Second World War the town became a key naval command center.

On the Firth of Lorne, this imaginative venture lets you get a look under the sea. Hands-on exhibits include microscopes where you can observe tiny algae and a live undersea camera where you can see what's happening below the waves. Part of a scientific research center, it's educational but also accessible and fun. There is a bright little café and a shop with books on marine science and other topics. It's 2 miles from Oban—follow the signs for nearby Dunstaffnage Castle.

This viewpoint at the highest point of the route from Loch Lomond to Inveraray is one of the few places where you can pull off the road to enjoy the spectacular panorama. It's an ideal place to take some selfies, and it's easy to imagine how it earned its name in the days when the only travelers on this trail went on foot or on horseback. Just note that traffic through the area may be delayed due to road improvement work; visit  www.traffic.gov.scot  for the latest updates.

St. Conan's may look medieval, but in fact, it's less than 100 years old. Built in 1930 from local boulders, it features modern stained glass and wood and stone carvings, including an effigy of Robert the Bruce.

A name that appears throughout the Highlands and Hebridean islands, Tarbert is the Gaelic word for "place of portage" (it literally means "isthmus") and a glance at a map tells you why that name was given to this little town and its quaint waterfront. Tarbert sits on the narrow neck of land between east and west Loch Tarbert, where long ago boats were actually carried across the land to avoid looping all the way around the peninsula until the opening of the Crinan Canal. Today, it's a cozy place, an accommodation and transportation nexus for anyone planning to explore the Mull of Kintyre or as part of an itinerary that includes Arran, sailing on to Islay, or heading north up the coast to Oban. Compared with so much of this part of the world, it hasn't been completely overrun by tourism so it retains a healthy tang of authentic local life.

Poised above Tarbert's yacht-filled harbor, the evocative ruins of Tarbert Castle, a stronghold of Scottish kings from the reign of Robert the Bruce until the 16th century, stands on a hilltop surrounded by a well-tended community sculpture garden and grassy slopes where black Hebridean sheep roam. There are superb panoramic views, and it's the northern terminus of the Kintyre Way walking trail.

A fertile, low-lying island with its own microclimate, Tiree is windswept, but has long hours of sunshine in summer. Long, rolling Atlantic swells make it a favorite with surfers, and in summer, when an influx of wealthy visitors arrives, the posh accents of southern England sometimes drown out native voices. Among Tiree's several low-key archaeological sites are a large boulder near Vaul covered with more than 50 Bronze Age cup marks, and an excavated broch (stone tower) at Dun Mor Vaul. Tiree has two hotels and an assortment of self-catering accommodations, including a hostel with shared dorm rooms. The island is served by CalMac ferry from Oban.