Outlander is one of Scotland’s most seminal TV shows at the moment. Heck, author of the books Diana Gabaldon even won a Scottish tourism award. You would think there are tons of Edinburgh Outlander filming locations, right? Considering it’s Scotland’s famously picturesque capital city?
Not as many as you might think. But that means you can easily see most (or all!) of them on your own Outlander tours of Edinburgh!
Most of the scenes from Outlander shot in Edinburgh city centre are in Season Three. This was when our flame-haired Highlander Jamie Fraser lived in the capital as a printer and where Claire returns to him after 20 years apart. But there are some more Outlander Edinburgh locations just on the outskirts of the city that feature in Season One and Season Four and are easily accessible by local buses from Edinburgh.
If you don’t have time on your trip to venture on a Scotland Outlander tour to the more well-known locations, this self-guided walking tour will satiate your Outlander thirst. All Edinburgh locations are on this Google Map and I have listed them in the order that (I think) makes sense to visit them. So, where is Outlander filmed in Edinburgh? Let’s find out!
Where Was Outlander Filmed in Edinburgh?
Every Edinburgh Outlander Location: Edinburgh City Centre
Bakehouse Close
- “Freedom & Whisky” – Episode Five, Season Three
- “A. Malcolm” – Episode Six, Season Three
- “Creme de Menthe” – Episode Seven, Season Three
We’re starting at one of the most sought-after Edinburgh Outlander locations! Just off the Royal Mile, tucked away behind the Museum of Edinburgh is Bakehouse Close in Edinburgh. It stood in as Carfax Close where Jamie Fraser lived as Alexander Malcolm, a printer-slash-smuggler-slash-anarchist. He hid his real identity for fears of his Jacobite past catching up with him and sought to live out the rest of his days as a “bachelor” in Auld Reekie.
Of course, they only used the exterior of this Outlander location for Jamie’s print shop. The stairs lead to the entrance of his print shop, and they would have set-dressed the whole street so it would more closely resemble the 1760s.
The World’s End Pub
- “A. Malcolm” – Episode Six, Season Three
I’m cheating a little with this place, as The World’s End Pub on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile was not one of the locations for Outlander. BUT it is (strongly) connected to the TV show and the time period.
In days gone by, Edinburgh was a walled city that required residents to pay a toll to leave or enter. The Flodden Wall surrounded Edinburgh from the 16th to the 18th century. The World’s End dates back to the 16th century and one of its walls formed part of the Flodden Wall, hence the ominous name.
So, there is a scene from Outlander where Jamie and Claire head into this pub (they mention it by name) to meet their pal, Mr Willoughby. And later in the same episode, Fergus and Ian celebrate selling the barrels of creme de menthe here. Of course, the real pub no longer looks as it did in the 16th century so the production team used a set for these scenes. But I still think it’s well worth a visit, considering these connections.
Tweedale Court
- “A. Malcolm” – Episode Six, Season Three
- “Creme de Menthe” – Episode Seven, Season Three
Just down a sidestreet from The World’s End is Tweeddale Court. It’s a tiny, unassuming, quiet alley off one of the busiest streets in Edinburgh. It appeared in just two Season Three episodes as the main shopping street near Carfax Close. In the Outlander scenes, it is bustling with stalls, sellers and buyers, and looks nothing like the slice of serenity it is today.
Consulate General of France
- “Of Lost Things” – Episode Four, Season Three
Wander further up the Royal Mile and you will reach Parliament Square. This is one of the brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it filming locations of Outlander. In Season Three, Bree, Claire and Roger head to the National Archives of Scotland to search for records of Jamie Fraser’s existence after the Battle of Culloden. The exterior for this Outlander scene is the Consulate General of France. I mean, it is a rather attractive and official-looking building.
The Signet Library
- “The Bakra” – Episode 12, Season Three
Turn around, and you’ll see the next Edinburgh Outlander location! At the end of Season Three, our protagonists sail across the Atlantic ocean to save Young Ian from the hands of The Bakra AKA Geillis Duncan. Claire and Jamie attend a ball at the Governor of Jamaica’s residence and the interior of his home is The Signet Library, an exquisite Georgian building. You can discover this location for yourself by booking an afternoon tea there.
Since it’s £40 and I was travelling solo in Edinburgh at the time, I decided to skip this location for now. So, this is a photo of St Giles’ Cathedral (also in Parliament Square) instead.
Summerhall Lecture Theatre
- “Surrender” – Episode Two, Season Three
The last Outlander filming location in Edinburgh’s city centre is a 20-minute walk south of the Royal Mile. Take a walk down Old Fishmarket Close and keep straight down West College Street, Potterrow and so on. Eventually, you will reach Summerhall. It is one of Edinburgh’s best arts venues, though I think it used to be a school or maybe part of the University which is how it came to be an Outlander location. One of its performance spaces stood in as the lecture theatre at Harvard University where Claire meets her BBF Joe at her first Anatomy lecture.
Every Edinburgh Outlander Location: Outskirts of Edinburgh
Craigmillar Castle
- “All Debts Paid” – Episode Three, Season Three
Though it appeared in only one episode, Craigmillar Castle is one of Outlander‘s most popular locations for visitors because of how prolific it was in that episode. Plus, it’s just a great place to visit generally! It stood in for the fictional Ardsmuir Prison where the Redcoats lock Jamie, Murtagh and many of their clansmen after the Battle of Culloden. This is where Jamie and Lord John Grey’s friendship blossoms before he transfers Jamie to Helwater Estate and Murtagh to the Colonies.
It’s a brilliant ruined castle with tons of historic connections, even some to Mary, Queen of Scots. And it also appeared as a location in Outlaw King (2018). It’s so great that I’ve written an entire guide dedicated to this location which you can read via the link below.
Read next: Craigmillar Castle Outlander Location: A Complete Ardsmuir Prison Guide
Glencorse Old Kirk
- “The Wedding” – Episode Seven, Season One
Ah, “The Wedding”. Everyone’s favourite Outlander episode of all time. While Claire and Jamie got married at a church somewhere in the Highlands on Clan MacKenzie lands, the real location was Glencorse Old Kirk. This is a disused church on the grounds of Glencorse House Wedding Venue. It is not open to the public, but I did email during my visit to Edinburgh to ask if it was possible to see the church but I received no response. You could contact the venue yourself to try your luck. Let me know if you succeed!
If you manage to book a tour, Glencorse Old Kirk is a 40-minute local bus ride from Edinburgh city centre. You can hop on the X62 service from Princes Street and alight at the Golf Club bus stop. Then, take a right down a small track (follow Google Maps) for 15 minutes. At the moment, all single bus journeys on Lothian Buses are £1.80 but check the Lothian Buses website for up-to-date ticket and timetable information.
Roslin Glen Country Park
- “The Reckoning” – Episode Nine, Season One
Roslin’s most famous filming location is not this Outlander one. It is actually Rosslyn Chapel, which appeared at the end of The Da Vinci Code (2006). But the Outlander location is worth a visit, too! In this scene, Jamie and his men have just freed Claire from the hands of Black Jack Randall. They stop to give the horses a drink, and they do so in the River North Esk in Roslin Glen Country Park. But in the world of the TV show, the setting would be somewhere in the Highlands.
The park is quite big, so instead of following directions just to Roslin Glen, follow them to Roslin Gunpowder Factory. The location is right next to this ruined building, there’s no way you’ll miss the location (the photo below is the exact location). Roslin Glen is 50-minute bus ride from Edinburgh city centre. Get on the N.37 bus to Penicuik on Princes Street and get off at Roslin Road. Then, follow Google Maps to the Gunpowder Factory which is approximately a 20-minute walk. Be mindful that you might lose phone signal the further you get into the country park.
At the moment, all single bus journeys on Lothian Buses are £1.80 but check the Lothian Buses website for up-to-date ticket and timetable information.
Read next: Visiting Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh: The Da Vinci Code Location
Flotterstone, Pentland Hills Regional Park
- “Sassenach” – Episode One, Season One
Like the Consulate General of France location earlier in this post, this is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Outlander filming location. And it’s not one I’m 100% sure on the exact location thanks to the use of CGI. During Frank and Claire’s drive through the countryside of Inverness during the pilot episode, he tells her a story about Cocknammon Rock during the 1700s. We only see this hillside location for a second, and it is in the Flotterstone region of the Pentland Hills Regional Park. The “rock” part of the hill is merely cinematic trickery.
To get to this part of the Pentlands, you will need to take a 45-minute bus ride from Edinburgh city centre. From Edinburgh Bus Station, hop on the 101 bus service to Dumfries and alight at Flotterstone Inn. This is a Stagecoach West service so check their website for up-to-date information on ticket prices and timetables.
Newhailes House & Gardens
- “America the Beautiful” – Episode One, Season Four
- “Common Ground” – Episode Four, Season Four
Hopping from Season One to Season Four where these two final Outlander locations sub-in as grand estates in the US of A! Well, almost the USA. The War of Independence hasn’t happened yet. Newhailes House & Gardens in Musselburgh stands in as Governor Tryon’s residence in North Carolina. In “America the Beautiful”, Jamie and Claire attend a dinner party in the very dining room that is pictured below. And in “Common Ground”, Jamie visits the Governor in his study.
I believe you can only see the inside of this wonderfully preserved home on an organised guided tour (which is what I did). You can find up-to-date information on opening times and ticket prices at the National Trust for Scotland’s website. Newhailes Estate is a 35-minute bus ride from Edinburgh city centre. Hop on the N.30 bus service to Musselburgh from Princes Street and alight at the Newhailes Roundabout. From there, the estate is only a 5-minute walk. There is a visitor’s centre but you likely won’t need to spend longer than 60-90 minutes here.
Arniston House
- “Wilmington” – Episode Eight, Season Four
Finally, the last Outlander location in Edinburgh is Arniston House which stood in as the exterior, entrance and lobby to the Wilmington Theatre in Season Four. This is one of the few locations I haven’t managed to visit thanks to COVID-19 restrictions during my last trip to Edinburgh.
This is one of the most difficult locations to reach from Edinburgh city centre, but only because the others are so easy! There are so many different methods to reach Arniston House but the easiest is to hop on the N.31 bus from Princes Street to Polton Mill and alight at the Park Road bus stop. From there, you can get the R5 bus to Braidwood Bridge and walk 20 minutes (following Google Maps) to Arniston House. The whole journey takes around 80-90 minutes.
Check the Lothian Buses website for up-to-date information but be mindful this journey likely won’t fall under their £1.80 single-journey fare.
Book Your Place on an Outlander Tour in Scotland
Of course, you could visit many more filming locations by booking a place on one of the Outlander tours in Scotland as I did! And there are some great Outlander tours from Edinburgh I went on the Haggis Adventures One Day Outlander Trail and it was amazing. Less than £50 and we visited Linlithgow Palace, Doune Castle, Culross, Falkland and Midhope Castle. Our guide and driver was also fun, energetic and knowledgeable about Scotland we listened to some Scottish folk music on the ride, too.
Some other great Scotland Outlander tours I’ve heard of include Rabbie’s Outlander Adventure One Day Tours from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Plus, Rabbie’s do three-day tours if you want to visit Outlander locations from the books as well as filming locations for Outlander the TV show.
Check Out My Other Outlander Filming Location Guides
Midhope Castle as Lallybroch | Hopetoun House as Helswater (& more!) | Culross as Cranesmuir
Doune Castle as Castle Leoch | Falkland as 1940s Inverness | Blackness Castle as Fort William
Linlithgow Palace as Wentworth Prison | Culloden Battlefield
Outlander Filming Locations in Glasgow | Craigmillar Castle as Ardsmuir Prison
And those are all the Edinburgh Outlander locations so you can do your own self-guided walking tour around the city! Have you watched Outlander or visited any of the filming locations? Let me know in the comments below!
Read next: Craigmillar Castle Outlander Location: A Complete Ardsmuir Prison Guide