Skip to content
Mixroutes
Stirling
City in Scotland

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.

Plan a trip to Stirling→From Glasgow

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. Situated on the River Forth, Stirling is the administrative centre for the Stirling council area, and is traditionally the county town and historic county of Stirlingshire. Stirling's key position as the lowest bridging point of the River Forth before it broadens towards the Firth of Forth made it a focal point for travel north or south. It has been said that "Stirling, like a huge brooch clasps Highlands and Lowlands together". The city's status as "Gateway to the Highlands" also historically lent it great strategic importance—the credo "he who holds Stirling, holds Scotland" is sometimes attributed to Robert the Bruce.

Get in

Getting to Stirling

Edinburgh Airport (EDI IATA) 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 IATA) likewise has good domestic and European flights but fewer long-haul.

  1. 01
    Stirling station is central

    There's a waiting room and toilets plus a few convenience shops, but more in the shopping centre just south.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Stirling Castle

    Pocket-sized edition of Edinburgh Castle, similarly poised on a crag with steep cliffs on three sides and tail of glacial rubble.

  2. 02
    Church of the Holy Rude

    Beautiful church from 15th century with impressive stained glass; James VI of Scotland was crowned here.

  3. 03
    Smith Art Gallery and Museum

    Small art gallery, local museum and cafe.

  4. 04
    Cambuskenneth Abbey

    Ruins of an Augustinian 12th century abbey, on a loop of land far side of the meandering River Forth.

  5. 05
    Bannockburn
Do

Things to do

What's on? Tune in to Central on 103.1FM or read Stirling News. Cinema: Vue Cinema is on Forthside Way just south of the railway station. Central Scotland Documentary Film Festival is in Macrobert Arts Centre, with the next probably on 4-8 Nov 2027, tbc. Live music: Albert Halls is on Dumbarton Rd, and Tolbooth is on St John St next to the Visitor Centre. AMF Bowling Alley is on Forth St east of the railway station.

  1. 01
    Sports Village
  2. 02
    Blair Drummond Safari Park

    Blair Drummond FK9 4UR (six miles west of Stirling on A84),.

Eat

Where to eat

Fast food outlets are Greggs (various locations), McDonalds (by station) and Pizza Hut (300 yards north of station). Lots of cheap & cheerful restaurants and takeaways also. Sida Thai (formerly Poonthai), 9 Baker Street FK8 1BJ,. Tue-Sun noon-3PM & 5-10PM. Highly commended Thai restaurant. Green Gates, 2 Queen Street FK8 1HN (200 yards north of railway station),. Mon-Thu 4-10PM, Fri Sat noon-10PM, Sun 1-10PM.

How locals move

Getting around Stirling the local way

  • Get inTrains from Glasgow also run west of Loch Lomond to Crianlarich, where they branch for Oban (for ferries to the Hebrides) or Fort William (for Ben Nevis).
  • Go nextHighlands northwest bring you to Glencoe, or Oban for ferries to the Hebrides.

From Wikivoyage: Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2025-06.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.