Stirling, GB

A family-run all-day restaurant on Cowane Street that has won Stirling Business Awards' Restaurant of the Year multiple times. The menu mixes Scottish produce — venison, prime beef, fish — with stone-baked pizzas, burgers and pasta, so it works for both a special dinner and feeding a hungry group. Cocktail list is among the longest in town.

A small boutique-hotel bistro on Friar Street with a short, often-changed menu leaning on Scottish produce with Mediterranean influences. The dining room is intimate — closer to a wine bar than a hotel restaurant — and the staff know the menu and wine list cold. Locals use it for date nights.

A modern Scottish bistro on Baker Street that has been a fixture for over a decade, sourcing seafood from the West Coast and game from a few miles up the road. Menu has plenty for vegetarians and a good fixed-price lunch. Tables fill fast on Friday and Saturday nights.

A whitewashed converted farmstead in Causewayhead, on the road out toward the Wallace Monument, that has run as an informal gastropub for years. Two beer gardens, exposed brick, open fires and a menu of burgers, steaks and Scottish staples with the odd international detour. Dog-friendly throughout.

A tiny Neapolitan pizzeria on Friars Street where the dough rests 48 hours and goes into a wood oven for under a minute. Menu is short on purpose; pizzas are the headline. Bring-your-own-bottle is the standing policy, which keeps the bill very reasonable.

A long-running Indian restaurant in Burghmuir Court that has picked up Scottish curry awards and consistently sits at the top of local rankings. Menu covers the standards and a longer list of regional specials; seafood dishes are a particular strength. Reliable for a group dinner.

An Old Town Indian on King Street known locally for its naan breads and bhuna curry. The dining room was recently refurbished and the kitchen leans toward generous portions and clean spicing rather than fireworks. Vegetarian menu is unusually long.

A small family-run Thai on Baker Street that runs against the more anglicised Thai places in town — sharper flavours, fresher herbs and a kitchen that will dial the chilli up if you ask. Vegetarian and vegan options across most of the menu.

The brunch spot on Forthside Way, a short walk from the train station, and the busiest breakfast room in town for a reason. Full Scottish, French toast, eggs every way, porridge with proper toppings — nothing on the menu is trying to be clever. Coffee is good.

An Austrian-Scottish restaurant in a 17th-century townhouse on Broad Street that has been quietly excellent for years. Wiener schnitzel, kasspatzln and Cullen skink share a menu, and the dining room with its fireplace feels appropriately Alpine. Owner-run, with the same chef in the kitchen most nights.

An Italian on Spittal Street with a Puglian accent — homemade pasta, southern coastal dishes and proper pizzas in a cosy candlelit room. It is small, family-run and feels more like an Italian neighbourhood place than a tourist trattoria. Walk-ins are tough at weekends.

A fourth-generation family chippy and ice-cream parlour in Bridge of Allan, established in 1902. The fish and chips draw people from across central Scotland, and the ice cream is made on a closely guarded family recipe. Sit-in or takeaway; both are equally honest.

The pub and restaurant inside the Golden Lion Hotel on King Street, where Robert Burns dined with his Cronies in 1787. The kitchen does Scottish pub classics — fish, beef, lamb — with vegetarian and gluten-free options, and the bar is a fair fallback for a pint without food.

The westernmost summit of the Ochil Hills and the standard local hill walk, with a panorama from the top that takes in the whole Forth valley, Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. The path from Sherriffmuir is the gentler route up; the path from Logie Kirk via Yellow Craig is steeper and more dramatic.

The little crag right below the castle, threaded with public paths past an iron-age fort and the medieval Beheading Stone. It is the easiest way to get a castle-rock view without paying castle admission, and the loop down to the King's Knot from here is one of the classic local circuits.

An 18th-century walled walkway that loops the base of the castle rock, regarded as one of the oldest publicly maintained roads in Scotland. Mostly flat, shaded by old beeches and a complete circuit can be done in 45 minutes. The best urban walk in Stirling and the one to send a first-time visitor on.

The Victorian public park on the south flank of the castle rock, with a perimeter footpath round the golf course and clear views back to the castle and the Ochils. Easy underfoot, family-friendly and busy with locals doing the same loop. A good rainy-day plan B if the hills are sodden.

A small upland reservoir tucked into the Ochils above Bridge of Allan, with a forest-and-moor loop that is gentler than Dumyat but still feels properly out of town. The fuller circuit takes in Dumyat as well for a six-mile day; the short loop just round the water is under an hour.

The visitor centre is the starting point for a short, well-signed circular walk through the battlefield grounds, taking in the Bruce statue, commemorative rotunda and the open ground where the 1314 battle was fought. Easy underfoot, suitable for buggies, and free even if you skip the indoor centre.

The main arts centre for the Forth Valley, sitting on the University of Stirling campus and running over 400 events a year — drama, dance, music, comedy and an independent-leaning cinema. Cheaper tickets than commercial venues and free parking after hours.

Stirling's live music and arts venue in the Old Town, in an early 18th-century building that was once the burgh's court and jail. Capacity is around 200, which makes it one of the best small rooms for a folk, jazz or comedy gig in central Scotland. The cafe-bar in the auditorium is decent.

A free Victorian museum and gallery in King's Park with a permanent collection covering Stirling's history from the medieval burgh forward, including what is widely accepted as the world's oldest curling stone and the oldest surviving football. Rotating exhibitions in the upstairs gallery are usually worth the climb.

The grand 19th-century concert hall in Dumbarton Road, with a 500-capacity main hall that hosts touring comedy, ballet, classical, tribute acts and the occasional rock act. Balcony seating, period decor, reasonable bar prices and a garden out front for the interval.

Scotland's drive-through safari park, in the carse west of Stirling, with lions, rhino, elephants and giraffes in the drive section plus a pedestrian zoo, sea-lion shows, bird-of-prey displays and an adventure playground for kids. A full-day outing rather than a quick stop.

A working family farm near Blair Drummond converted into an outdoor play attraction — bouncy pillows, foot golf, tractor rides, animal feeding and pick-your-own strawberries and raspberries in season. One entry fee covers everything except the cafe. Best for under-10s.

The fortress on the volcanic crag at the top of the Old Town and the seat where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned as a baby. The Renaissance palace inside has been restored with its bright painted ceilings and tapestries, and the Great Hall is the largest medieval banqueting room in Scotland. Most visitors say it beats Edinburgh Castle for atmosphere and space.

The Victorian Gothic tower on the Abbey Craig that commemorates William Wallace's victory at Stirling Bridge in 1297. Inside, you climb 246 steps up a tight spiral past the Hall of Heroes and Wallace's two-handed sword, ending on a crown-shaped viewing platform with one of the best panoramas in central Scotland. It is a real climb, not a stroll.

The medieval parish church just below the castle where the infant James VI was crowned in 1567, the only church outside Westminster Abbey in Britain to have hosted a coronation. The medieval oak roof in the nave is one of very few of its kind to survive in Scotland. Entry is free and volunteers are happy to point out what to look at.

The Victorian county jail on the Back Walk, now run as a live-actor tour through the cells and yards. Costumed guides switch between hangmen, prisoners and reformers with hat-and-coat changes that work better than they should. Climb to the rooftop afterwards for a 360-degree view across the Old Town and the carse.

The roofless ruins and intact 13th-century bell tower of a once-powerful Augustinian abbey, sitting in a quiet field across the Forth from town. Robert the Bruce held a parliament here in 1326, and James III and Queen Margaret of Denmark are both buried inside. Free to wander; almost no one is ever there.

The National Trust visitor centre on the edge of the field where Robert the Bruce broke an English army in 1314. The interior is a 3D battle simulator where you command medieval units, and outside there's the famous bronze Bruce statue and the commemorative rotunda. Book a timed slot; walk-in capacity is small.

A 14th-century courtyard castle on a bend of the Teith, instantly recognisable to Outlander viewers as Castle Leoch and to older fans as the French castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The audio guide is narrated by Sam Heughan and (briefly) Terry Jones. The kitchens, great hall and lord's chamber are unusually intact for the period.

A 17th-century almshouse just below the castle, founded by a wealthy merchant for 'decayed gildbrithers' and one of the finest surviving examples of burgh architecture in Scotland. After a long restoration it reopened with a small heritage display, garden and cafe. Entry is free and it is rarely busy.