Take a direct flight to Edinburgh from the United States, or an easy four-and-a-half-hour train ride from London.

Begin your trip in Edinburgh, a convenient jumping-off point for exploring the country. Check into the lively new 33-room Gleneagles Townhouse, which opened last June right on St. Andrew Square in the heart of the city. Though the hotel eschews Scottish stereotypes (kilts, haggis, bagpipes), there’s ample sense of place, especially in the communal spaces where it’s easy to settle in for some people-watching or find a perch from which to strike up a conversation.

The hospitable staff are happy to give out local recommendations for exploring the city. Don’t miss the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle and a stroll through Old Town and the Royal Mile. Or hike to the top of Arthur’s Seat for a panoramic view of the city. Plan your trip for August if you’d like to experience Fringe, a festival celebrating performance art with comedy, dance, opera and more in venues throughout the city.

A new generation of young chefs is returning home to Edinburgh, Scotland’s most sophisticated city, after working abroad in places like Denmark, France and New York City. They’re opening their own restaurants, where they take pride in cooking the best from Scottish waters, farms and fields. Our top choices for dining are Fhior, Timberyard and the Palmerston, though Gleneagles Townhouse has become a hot spot for discerning locals, thanks to chef Jonny Wright. The Spence restaurant has a healthy but indulgent menu that celebrates Scotland’s superb local larder with dishes like West Coast crab meat on a buttered homemade crumpet and langoustines with seaweed Dijonnaise.

While Edinburgh is home to notable grande-dame luxury hotels like the Balmoral and Prestonfield House, Gleneagles Townhouse is an inviting and comfortable hotel with lively public spaces, eclectic room décor and an atmosphere that constantly reminds you you’re in Edinburgh.

It’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Edinburgh to the 46-room Fife Arms, a hunting lodge that became a hotel in 1856 to cater to blue-bloods attracted to Scotland (and attracted to the royals who sometimes occupied nearby Balmoral Castle).

Enjoy the outdoors with tennis and golf or adventures in nearby Cairngorms National Park. Those interested in art and architecture can tour ancient castles or pursue their creative talents with creative writing, sketching and photography workshops. End your days with a pampering treatment in the spa cabins, where the beds are spread with green plaid blankets. We recommend the Albamhor Signature Deluxe treatment, which includes a foot scrub, massage and body scrub using organic seaweed products. Don’t miss the hotel’s guided art tour, where you’ll learn about the world-class art in the public rooms, notably a Picasso and a Louise Bourgeois.

The Flying Stag, the hotel’s pub, is a local favorite with a great lunch menu, including haggis (if you must). The beautiful Clunie Dining Room, the hotel’s main restaurant, has intriguing abstract murals and a Pieter Bruegel painting. Art is everywhere at this hotel. Look down at your well-composed plate and the view’s pretty good there, too. The bars — Elsa’s for cocktails, Bertie’s for whisky and curated tastings — are also as popular with the locals as they are with hotel guests.

The newly renovated Fife Arms is owned by Iwan and Manuela Wirth, a Swiss couple who run 18 Hauser & Wirth art galleries in Zurich, New York, Menorca, Hong Kong and elsewhere. Every bedroom is individually decorated, but all of them come with the same over-the-top interior design and superb creature comforts, often including four-poster beds, pedigreed antiques and wonderful baths.

From Braemar, it’s a slow but lovely two-hour drive through the misty Scottish countryside to the five-room Killiehuntly Farmhouse & Cottages in Kingussie, on the other side of the Cairngorms National Park. This is one of five Scottish hotels run by Wildland, a company founded by Danish retail mogul Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife, Anne. The homey guesthouse gives visitors a sincere and authentic experience of Scotland.

Killiehuntly can arrange fly-fishing lessons, bike rides, pony picnics (a local tradition Queen Victoria enjoyed), 4x4 tours and wild swimming in local lochs or rivers. We decided to go for a morning hike and then visit the nearby Dalwhinnie distillery after a pub lunch at the Old Bridge Inn in Aviemore.

Family-style communal dinners are a pleasure at Killiehuntly, and not just because of the excellent cooking and unexpectedly fine wines — you’ll have a good time getting to know the other guests.

Killiehuntly Farmhouse & Cottages is a handsome mid-19th-century farmhouse that has comfy rooms with four-poster beds made up in carefully ironed Lithuanian linens. You’ll be treated to spectacular views and cozy communal areas like the drawing room, with sheepskin-accented Danish modern furniture and a crackling fire.

Alladale Wilderness Reserve, a vast Highlands estate near Ardgay, comprises 23,000 acres in what had once been Scotland’s Caledonian Forest. The owner, Paul Lister, acquired the property with the intention of rewilding it. This means planting some 800,000 native trees and introducing Highland cattle, wild boar and elk. The reserve has four exclusive-use lodges that are ideal for couples or groups.

The estate offers a variety of on-site activities, including hiking, fishing, foraging, 4x4 tours, clay-pigeon shooting and spa treatments, plus day trips to nearby distilleries, golf, horseback riding and dolphin watching.

A private chef cooks meals for all the estate lodges. Highlights of the menu might include smoked trout from the estate or a succulent venison goulash.

Alladale is a special place that is ideal for a family reunion or a holiday with friends. The main lodge is well suited to larger groups, and Eagle’s Crag could work for a minimum of four people. Deanich Lodge can sleep up to 18, but it’s 7 miles from the main building and inaccessible except by 4x4 vehicles. Couples and solo travelers interested in spending a couple of quiet days on the property should consider Ghillie’s Rest, which has a master bedroom and a smaller bedroom upstairs. Whichever accommodation you choose will allow you to experience one of the most magnificent settings in the British Isles.

The final leg of this wonderful trip is a 90-minute drive from Ardgay to the eight-room Lundies House in Tongue, a town perched over the Kyle of Tongue, a sea loch (inlet) on the stunning north coast of Scotland. Built in 1842, the house eventually took its name from the Reverend Lundy, one of the first ministers to live there (it is adjacent to the landmarked St. Andrew’s Church).

In addition to the expected fishing and hiking, Lundies House offers surfing (the hotel has wetsuits) and guided climbs of Ben Hope, a craggy 3,000-foot peak nearby. Electric bikes are also available. Guests can also enjoy an invigorating hike to the ruins of Caisteal Bharraich (Castle Varrich), which has terrific views of the surrounding countryside and the sea.

Three meals a day — breakfast, a brown-bag lunch and dinner — are included in the room price. The evening menu changes daily but often features flawlessly fresh seafood, and much of the produce from the hotel’s own kitchen garden, and other organic vegetables and fruit are purchased from local farmers.

Lundies House offers four double rooms, plus three in an adjacent renovated farm building and an independent two-bedroom self-catering cottage rental.

It’s nearly five hours by car from Tongue back to Edinburgh, so you may choose to spend an extra night in Edinburgh before your flight home.