Where Is Outlander Filmed? 10 Must-Visit Filming Locations in Scotland

Outlander has no shortage of stunning sets. And if you’re a fan who is planning a trip to Scotland, there are number of filming locations you can visit. So if you’re wondering, “Where is Outlander filmed?” because you’re compiling your travel itinerary, we’ve got you covered.

And since it’s filmed in Scotland, you thankfully don’t need to travel in time to follow the path set out by Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe. Here’s our top 10 Outlander filming locations that are worth checking out on your next trip to Scotland!

Outlander Filming Locations: Where Is Outlander Filmed?

Craigh na Dun

Kinloch Rannoch

Claire becomes a time traveler when she goes through the mythical Craigh na Dun. While the standing stones rock formations aren’t real (they’re made from styrofoam), the gorgeous natural beauty of Kinloch Rannoch is genuine. 

Executive Producer Maril Davis has a love for Kinloch Rannoch. Of course, it’s where the magic of the show begins, which would make it automatically sentimental. But she told Travel + Leisure that it “lives up to the ‘four seasons in one day’ phenomenon that’s common in Scotland. While shooting up there for season two, we experienced bright blue skies, snow, rain, and gale-force winds—all in the span of one hour!”

So if you’re planning on visiting this location, make sure to pack your rain gear and dress in layers. Where is Outlander filmed? Not in a balmy, predictable climate. 

Versailles

Drummond Castle Gardens

How could a film crew possibly replicate the lavish gardens of Versailles? By using the gardens at Drummond Castle, of course. 

Unfortunately, you cannot enter the castle, as Drummond Castle itself is not available for public tour. However, you can tour the beautiful gardens outdoors.

Inverness

Falkland

Instead of actually shooting in Inverness, the cast and crew filmed in the village of Falkland. It’s located just an hour north of Edinburgh.

Visiting Falkland gives you the opportunity to experience the story for yourself. And you can even stay in the guesthouse used on the show! In real life, it’s called the Covenanter Hotel. When you stay there, you can look out the window onto the very fountain where we first see Jamie’s ghost. 

Wilmington, North Carolina

Wardpark Studios, Scotland

While the Blue Ridge Mountains were the work of green screen magic, set designers actually brought colonial North Carolina to life. Since filming takes place in Scotland, it’s easier for the crew to replicate the colonies at the Wardpark Studios.

However, it wasn’t without its fair share of challenges. Steele, one of the set designers, explained, “for quite a few years, we’ve been working exclusively with stone sets, but in colonial America, it’s all clapboard.” 

Castle Leoch

Doune Castle

Where is Outlander filmed? Apparently, at a popular and historic filming locale.

If you’re a fan of Outlander, Game of Thrones, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Doune Castle must be included on your must-travel list. 33 miles northeast of Glasgow lies this gorgeous 14th-century castle. Used as Winterfell in the Game of Thrones pilot, this real-life castle represented the home of Colum MacKenzie and clan in Outlander.

Fort William

Blackness Castle

Blackness Castle sometimes gets called “the ship that never sailed.” If you look at the castle from the outside at the right angle, it looks like a large boat. In Outlander, it’s Black Jack Randall’s Fort William. In Season 1, Jamie receives a flogging here.

Duke of Sandringham’s Residence

Hopetoun Estate

Remember the elegant rooms featured in the Duke of Sandringham’s home? That breathtaking red room is actually the Red Drawing Room within the Hopetoun House. Additionally, this setting also served a purpose in Season 2. The exterior was used as a Parisian street in the second season.

Mohawk Village

Faskally Forest, Scotland

Outlander crew painstakingly replicated the look of a Native American village in the Faskally Forest in Scotland. The location is just south of Cairngorms National Park. It’s also half an hour from the Craigh Na Dun’s Kinloch Rannoch shooting location. To fill the fictional village, the casting team flew 100 First Nations actors to the site in Scotland from Canada.

Malcolm’s Print Shop

Bakehouse Close, Scotland

Executive Producer Maril Davis admits that this location is one of her favorites from the whole series. She said, “It’s rare to find an area we can film on that’s the area that’s actually in the show…It’s always exciting when we can film on the Royal Mile.” The Bakehouse Close filming location serves as the exterior for the print shop.

The secondary location is a soundstage in Glasgow for the interior of the shop. This set actually has 2 functional printing presses to sell the authenticity.

Fraser’s Ridge

Hill of Row

Where are the scenes for Fraser’s Ridge filmed? While the cast and crew have tried their best to keep this location under lock and key, we know that the infamous Ridge resides on an undisclosed private estate on Scotland soil. It’s reported to be near Doune in a wooded area known as Hill of Row. 

Where is Outlander Filmed?

The set isn’t simply an external shell. While most of the interior filming takes place on a soundstage, the designers painstakingly created an inside set as well. It’s only in use for shooting in and out of windows. But they wanted to have that option when filming.

Designer Steele explained, “We wanted to make everything feel as rich as it could, so we hand-stained all of the wood with waxes, we added two fireplaces, and added gloss to the paint, so it felt as luxe as other Outlander sets. I looked at the one room cabin and thought, ‘I could live like this.'”

While we still don’t know “where is Outlander filmed?” when it comes to Fraser’s Ridge, there’s plenty of Claire and Jamie’s Outlander spots to explore. And who knows? Maybe someday the private estate owners will open up an Airbnb. So one day you might be able to live in Diana Gabaldon’s masterpiece for real.