7 Best Sights in Scotland

Next to the Shetland Museum, this bold and beautiful (depending on your taste) building is Shetland's adventurous and ambitious arts center. It has a live performance space attracting national and international musicians, two cinemas showing art-house and mainstream films, and a café and bar area that showcases local crafts, acoustic musicians, and some very drinkable Shetland beers.

At the striking Pier Arts Centre, a gallery in a former Stromness merchant's house and adjoining buildings, huge sheets of glass offer tranquil harborside views. They combine perfectly with the space-maximizing design to make the best use of every shard of natural light and inch of wall to display the superb permanent collection. There are more than a hundred 20th- and 21st-century paintings and sculptures here, including works by Barbara Hepworth and Douglas Gordon, while edgy temporary exhibitions showcase international contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst. A chic shop sells design products and art books.

The stripped-down, low-fi, traditional art of storytelling has had something of a resurgence in Britain since the turn of the century, and there are few places better than this to experience a master storyteller in full flow. Housed in a modern building that manages to blend seamlessly with the historic structures on either side, the center hosts a year-round program of storytelling, theater, music, and literary events. A great little café serves lunch, tea, and home-baked cakes.

The center's storytellers also hold tours of John Knox House next door. It isn't certain that the religious reformer ever lived here, but there's evidence he died here in 1572. Mementos of his life are on view inside, and the distinctive dwelling gives you a glimpse of what Old Town life was like in the 16th century—projecting upper floors were once commonplace along the Royal Mile.

Ullapool's cultural focal point is this lively venue nurturing folk music, drama, and other events all through the year (ceilidh is a Scottish social gathering with traditional music and dance). It started out as a small café, but, over the years, it has added space for local performers, an excellent bookshop specializing in Scottish writing, and a handful of comfortable rooms (as well as a basic bunkhouse with beds from £30) for those who want to spend the night.

This fabulous arts center hosts exhibitions of contemporary and traditional art and frequent traditional musical and theatrical events in the impressive auditorium. There's also a cinema, a gift shop, and a café--bar serving coffee and snacks alongside fine international and Scottish fare.

Set right on the shore in Lochmaddy, the well-run Taigh Chearsabhagh is an informative museum and arts center, complete with two exhibition spaces, a working printshop, and a permanent exhibition that reveals what life is really like on North Uist. The café serves a selection of cakes and soup, as well as excellent French-press coffee.

South of the City Centre, this innovative arts center is well worth seeking out. It hosts regular exhibitions in its two galleries, and plays—often of a very experimental nature—in its flexible theater space. The city's famed Citizens Theatre Company also currently performs here while its permanent space undergoes a major renovation. Tramway has a café and a more formal restaurant on the first floor. Don't miss the Hidden Garden, which has transformed an empty lot behind the building into a sculpture park and green space that is free to all and a lovely place for a picnic on a sunny day. To get here, take the train from Glasgow Central station to Pollokshields East (one stop).

It is also home to the fantastic Scottish Ballet, who train upstairs. Often if you ask nicely you can even pop upstairs and watch their training sessions.