Most Outlander filming locations in Scotland are within an hour of Edinburgh: Midhope Castle (Lallybroch), Blackness Castle (Fort William), Linlithgow Palace (Wentworth Prison), Culross (Cranesmuir), Falkland (1940s Inverness) and Doune Castle (Castle Leoch). Further north, the Highland Folk Museum played a Highland township. Two things are not what they seem: the Battle of Culloden was filmed near Cumbernauld, and the stones of Craigh na Dun were props.
Outlander filming locations near Edinburgh
The series was made in Scotland for eight seasons, the last of which aired in 2026, and most of its Outlander filming locations sit in West Lothian, Fife and Stirlingshire, within an hour of Edinburgh. What follows uses the official filming guide published by VisitScotland and Sony Pictures Television, and the opening details checked for 2026.
| Location | In the series | Visiting in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Midhope Castle, Hopetoun estate | Lallybroch | Courtyard £9.50; interior closed |
| Blackness Castle | Fort William | £7.50 online, all year |
| Linlithgow Palace | Wentworth Prison | £10 online; some areas closed |
| Doune Castle | Castle Leoch | £10 online, all year |
| Culross | Cranesmuir | Village open; palace £14, closed November to March |
| Falkland | 1940s Inverness | Village open; palace £19, closed November to February |
| Aberdour Castle | The abbey where Jamie recovers | £7.50 online; Saturday to Wednesday in winter |
| Dysart harbour | Le Havre | Public harbour |
Midhope Castle, Lallybroch
Midhope is a roofless tower house on the Hopetoun estate, west of Edinburgh. A £9.50 ticket covers the drive, the archway and the courtyard, but the interior is derelict and closed, and the estate shuts the site on some days for farming or filming. There is no public transport to it.
Blackness and Linlithgow
Blackness Castle, shaped like a ship on the Firth of Forth, was the Fort William of Black Jack Randall. Linlithgow Palace, ten minutes away, gave Wentworth Prison its entrance and corridors; note that its North Range, the King's Bed Chamber and the Court Kitchen are closed for conservation. Nearby, Hopetoun House played the Duke of Sandringham's home, but it is closed for the 2026 season and reopens at Easter 2027.
Fife: Culross, Falkland, Aberdour and Dysart
Culross, on the north shore of the Forth, is the village of Cranesmuir, where Geillis Duncan lives, and its palace garden became the herb garden of Castle Leoch. The cobbled streets are open at any time. The palace, however, costs £14 and closes from November to the end of March.
Falkland played Inverness in the 1940s. The Covenanter Hotel on the square is Mrs Baird's guest house, and the Bruce Fountain is where Frank sees the ghost of a Highlander. Falkland Palace, next door, is closed from November to February, and its royal apartments are closed until further notice, so in winter the village is the visit.
Aberdour Castle, on the coast, was the abbey where Jamie recovers at the end of the first season; in winter it opens Saturday to Wednesday. Dysart harbour, near Kirkcaldy, played Le Havre.
Doune Castle, Deanston and Drummond
Doune Castle is Castle Leoch, the seat of the MacKenzies, and its great hall is where the clan gathers in the first season. It opens all year, from £10 online, with very little parking. Five minutes away, the Deanston distillery played Jared's wine warehouse in Le Havre, and its standard tour costs £25.
Further north, the formal gardens of Drummond Castle, near Crieff, stood in for the gardens of Versailles. They open from May to October, at £12.50; the castle itself is not open. Tibbermore Church, west of Perth, was the church of the witch trial at Cranesmuir, but it keeps no fixed opening hours.
Glasgow and Ayrshire
In Glasgow, the crypt of Glasgow Cathedral became L'Hôpital des Anges in Paris, where Claire works in the second season. Entry is free, although the cathedral is a working church with frequent partial closures. Pollok Country Park, in the south of the city, played the grounds of Castle Leoch and, later, the French countryside and Pennsylvania.
Dean Castle in Kilmarnock, also free, was Beaufort Castle, home of Lord Lovat. It is an easy addition to a day in Glasgow, but a long way from the Edinburgh locations.
The Highlands: Newtonmore, Rannoch and Culloden
The Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore, a reconstructed township, played the crofts where Dougal collects the rent in the first season. Entry is free, with donations welcome, but the museum closes for the winter and reopens on 26 March 2027.
Craigh na Dun is where most fans want to go, and it does not exist. The scenes were shot near Kinloch Rannoch, on a private farm, with stones built for the series and taken away afterwards. The official guide names the Clava Cairns near Inverness as one of the inspirations: a Bronze Age site ringed with standing stones, free and open all year.
Culloden is the other surprise. The National Trust for Scotland, which cares for the battlefield, says the production recreated the battle in a field near Cumbernauld. The real moor is still the place to understand what happened in 1746: the visitor centre costs £12.50, and the clan stones, Fraser among them, stand on the field.
How to plan an Outlander trip
In one day from Edinburgh, you can see six locations: Midhope, Blackness, Linlithgow, Culross, Falkland and Doune. That is the route of our Outlander day tour, with a driver-guide, for one to eight travellers. Entry fees are paid on the day.
With a week, the story can follow the Jacobites north. Our Outlander Trail takes eight days, with two nights in Fife, Doune and Deanston, the Highland Folk Museum, Culloden and the Clava Cairns, and a day in the Scottish records in Edinburgh to look for your own family.
On your own, you handle
- Which locations open which months
- Midhope's closed days and the parking at Doune
- A route that does not zig-zag across Fife
On our Outlander trips, we handle
- The order of the locations, around their opening days
- Entry fees included on the 8-day trip
- Notes on what was filmed where, and what really happened
One word on the season. From November to March, Culross Palace, Falkland Palace and the Highland Folk Museum are closed, and Hopetoun House reopens only at Easter. April to October is when everything opens.
