Stirling Castle

Hold Stirling and you control Scotland. This maxim has ensured that a fortress of some kind has existed here since prehistoric times. Commanding superb views, you cannot help drawing parallels with Edinburgh castle – but many find Stirling's fortress more atmospheric; the location, architecture and historical significance combine to make it a grand and memorable sight. This means it draws plenty of visitors, so it's advisable to visit in the afternoon; many tourists come on day-trips from Edinburgh or Glasgow, so you may have the castle to yourself by about 4pm.

Admission costs for the castle will rise once the Royal Palace opens. The mooted price was £14 for adults, which would include an audioguide.

By the castle car park, the Stirling tourist office has an audiovisual presentation and exhibition about Stirling, including the history and architecture of the castle.

The current castle dates from the late 14th to the 16th century, when it was a residence of the Stuart monarchs. The Great Hall and Gatehouse were built by James IV; observe the hammer-beam roof and huge fireplaces in the largest medieval hall in Scotland − the result of 35 years of restoration.

After a long restoration project, the Royal Palace is scheduled to reopen shortly. It'll be a sumptuous recreation of how this luxurious Renaissance palace would have looked when it was constructed by French masons under the orders of James V (in the early 16th century) to impress his (also French) bride and other crowned heads of Europe. Perhaps the most spectacular is the series of tap­estries that have been painstakingly woven. Based on originals in New York's Metropolitan Museum, they depict the hunting of a unicorn – an event ripe with Christian metaphor – and are utterly beautiful. Until the last one is complete (probably in 2013) you can watch the weavers at work in the Tapestry Studio: it's fascinating to see.

James VI (r 1567–1625) remodelled the Chapel Royal and was the last King of Scots to live at Stirling.

In the King's Old Building is the Museum of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (donations encouraged), which traces the history of this famous regiment from 1794 to the present day. It has a great collection of ornately decorated dirks (daggers). In another part of the castle, the Great Kitchens are especially interesting, bringing to life the bustle and scale of the enterprise of cooking for the King. Near the entrance, the Castle Exhibition gives good background information on the Stuart kings and updates on current archaeological investigations

Admission to the castle also includes a guided tour of Argyll's Lodging, at the top of Castle Wynd near the bastion itself. Complete with turrets, this spectacular lodge is the most impressive 17th-century town house in Scotland. It's the former home of William Alexander, Earl of Stirling and noted literary figure. It has been tastefully restored and gives an insight into lavish, 17th-century aristocratic life. There are four or five guided tours daily (you can't enter by other means).