Edinburgh is a stately, dramatic capital built on seven hills, with Edinburgh Castle dominating a skyline of grand neoclassical buildings, gardens, and views of Arthur's Seat. Though rich in history, it is very modern too: home to major festivals, museums, the Scottish Parliament, and a strong financial sector. It mixes culture, learning, nightlife, and old legends, while the sea, Fife, and nearby hills are never far away.

Scotland's Isle of May is a Scottish Natural Heritage National Nature Reserve and a major seabird breeding site, with about 250,000 seabirds and over 40,000 occupied puffin burrows. Species include kittiwakes, shags, eiders, guillemots, razorbills, Arctic, Sandwich and Common Terns, and several gulls. It lies about 4 nautical miles off mainland Scotland and is used to survey migrating passerines and ring breeding seabirds. The island is small: 1.8 km long and under 0.5 km wide.

Kirkwall, capital of the Orkney Islands off northern Scotland, blends Viking, prehistoric, and World War history with dramatic seascapes, northern lights, beaches, cliffs, puffins, sea caves, and castles. Its centerpiece is St. Magnus Cathedral, Britain's northernmost, begun in 1137 and called the "Light of the North." Nearby are historic distilleries and Skara Brae, Europe's best-preserved Stone Age village.

Fair Isle, midway between Shetland and Orkney, is a tiny, beautiful island known for birds, knitwear and historic shipwrecks. Home to about 70 people, it offers a warm welcome and is one of Britain's most successful communities. Its dramatic Sheep Rock rises over 100m above cloudy turquoise seas. The oceanic climate brings mild but stormy winters and fast-changing summer weather. Once called the "island of peace" by Norse settlers, it has seen over 100 wrecks, including El Gran Grifon.

The Shetland Islands, Britain's northernmost point, lie between Scotland and Norway across 100 islands linked by bridges and ferries. Rich in 5,000 years of history, they offer Neolithic sites, Iron Age brochs like the Broch of Mousa, wild cliffs and beaches, abundant seals and seabirds, and hardy Shetland ponies. Lerwick, the capital, greets visitors with stone waterfront buildings.

The sandstone cliffs of the Isle of Noss are home to gannets, puffins, guillemots, shags, kittiwakes, razorbills, fulmars, and great skuas. Designated a National Nature Reserve in 1955, it has one of Europe's largest and most diverse seabird colonies. Inland hillsides have been grazed by sheep since the late 1800s, when about 20 people lived there to run the sheep farm; shaggy Shetland ponies also graze the windblown slopes.

The Faroe Islands are a remote North Atlantic archipelago of 18 islands and a self-governing part of Denmark, famed for dramatic misty mountains, ocean vistas, cliffs, fjords, waterfalls, and glacier-carved valleys. Tórshavn, one of the world's tiniest capitals, offers half-timbered houses, Viking history, local food, and a charming old town. Mykines is ideal for puffins and seabirds, and the islands are perfect for hiking and scenic exploration.

Vestmanna, on Streymoy in the Faroe Islands, lies among Hægstafjall, Økslin, Loysingafjall, and Moskurfjall on the North Atlantic coast. Home to about 1,200 people, it has small shops, cafes, local cakes, handicrafts, and seafood soup. Its main draw is the bird cliffs: nearly 700 m high and 6 km long, packed with kittiwakes, guillemots, black guillemots, and puffins. A boat trip beneath them is unforgettable.

Seydisfjordur is one of Iceland's most colorful and dramatic towns, set in a spectacular fjord in the Eastfjords. Its wooden houses cluster by glassy water beneath steep, snow-capped mountains, with puffins, seabirds, sea lions, kayaking, fishing, and fjord cruises. Founded by Norwegians in 1848 and once sustained by herring, it has a rainbow path to a pastel-blue church, contemporary art at Skaftfell, nearby hiking, a "singing" hillside sculpture, and the wild Skalanes Nature Reserve.

On Iceland's remote east coast, Bakkagerði is a tiny, welcoming village framed by dramatic mountains, fjords and wide-open Arctic scenery. Known for its colourful houses, rich birdlife and easy access to the beautiful Borgarfjörður Eystri coastline, it offers a peaceful taste of rural Iceland. Shore excursions may include scenic walks, puffin spotting in summer and time to soak up the fresh air and striking natural landscapes.

On Iceland's remote northwest coast, Hólmavík offers a windswept taste of the country's rugged beauty, with dramatic fjords, open seascapes and a welcoming small-town atmosphere. This quiet fishing village is best known for its folklore and witchcraft heritage, while the surrounding Strandir region invites scenic exploration, birdlife and a sense of untamed wilderness.

Cruise to Dynjandi and discover Iceland's most spectacular waterfalls. Book a Silversea Luxury Cruise and be inspired by Iceland.

Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, is a walkable, welcoming city of color, creativity, cafés, bars and a growing food scene. Two-thirds of Icelanders live here, and it's the best base for outdoor adventure. See Hallgrímskirkja, Harpa, the harbor, geothermal pools, geysers, waterfalls, and the northern lights.