I was born and raised in Scotland. Here are the 7 biggest mistakes I see Americans make when they travel here.

Edinburgh is great — but don’t visit Scotland without a trip to its neighboring city, Glasgow.

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful places in Scotland. With its ancient cobblestone streets, a magnificent castle, and museums, who wouldn’t want to visit? 

But I kindly suggest you also stop in my home city, Glasgow, which takes less than an hour to travel to by train from Edinburgh. The two cities are famously pitted against one another, and I often see tourists neglect visiting Glasgow completely to spend more time in Edinburgh. But there’s room for both. 

Where Edinburgh has beauty, Glasgow has character. It was recently named one of the best cities in the world by Time Out, which praised its sense of community, food, music scene, and the locals themselves. 

“Plenty of cities boast world-class food, beautiful scenery and popping nightlife. Only one is full of Glaswegians,” the Time Out ranking reads. I couldn’t agree more. 

My favorite things about Glasgow are the food and nightlife. Some of my favorite restaurants include Sugo (which was mentioned in the Time Out ranking) and the East End Fox. For nightlife, I’d suggest Sloan’s Bar in the city center, which hosts a weekly Friday night ceilidh (a traditional Scottish dance).