The popular and renowned travel guide, which has printed more 150 million books since it was founded in 1973, ranked Stirling top of its list of 14 places that showcase the best of Scotland.
Experts hailed the city’s world-class attractions, including Stirling Castle, and highlighted Stirling’s stunning historic city centre, which took centre stage for the culmination of the city’s 900th birthday celebrations last weekend.
A recent study showed that visitors to Stirling Castle were up almost 15% last year, making it the second most popular paid attraction in Scotland, while the National Wallace Monument enjoyed one of its busiest years on record last year.
With the Easter break about to start, Stirling is looking forward to welcoming visitors from across the world to enjoy everything it’s got to offer.
Fantastic recognition
Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Gerry McGarvey said: “Hot on the heels of the finale of Stirling’s 900th birthday celebrations, this is fantastic recognition for the city and the wider area’s world-class tourism offering.
“The list by Lonely Plant reaffirms what we already knew – that Stirling has incredible attractions, spectacular scenery and a vibrant city centre with a wide range of cafes, restaurants, bars, shops and venues.
“We have excellent transport links and some of Scotland’s most beautiful and diverse rural communities which have more unique attractions to explore and enjoy.
“There will be lots going on during the Easter holidays across Stirling, with a packed programme of events and experiences including the return of the unicorns to Stirling Castle this weekend. More details of all of these are available on YourStirling.com.”
Research from VisitScotland shows there were a total of 686,000 overnight tourism visits to Stirling and Forth Valley in 2023 and a total overnight tourism spend of £205 million.
Of all overnight visitors to Stirling 2023, 53% were international visitors, with 24% from Europe and 28% from long-haul destinations including North America and Australasia.
The Stirling Council area also includes parts of Loch Lomond and the West Highland Way, both of which featured highly on the Lonely Planet list.
For more information on visiting Stirling, visit: YourStirling.com