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Edinburgh Castle was the top attraction in Scotland in 2015, in a year that saw seven different tourist attractions in the country bring in more than 1 million visitors.

Scotland's top paid-for tourist attraction: Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle. Image by Craig Cormack / CC BY 2.0

The top ten attractions in the country saw 5% more visitors in 2015 than the previous year according to research from Glasgow Caledonian University, and seven attractions hitting the million mark was a record.

The Edinburgh Evening News reports that 2015 saw high number even after 2014, when the country hosted the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup.

Most of the sites that brought in more than a million travellers are free to enter, except Edinburgh Castle. The castle has served as a royal residence and military stronghold since it was built in the 12th century.

National Museum of Scotland.

National Museum of Scotland. Image by glynniqua / CC BY-SA 2.0

The second most popular site was the National Museum of Scotland, followed by the National Galleries of Scotland, both of which have free admission. In 2015, a record of more than two million people visited the national galleries – the Scottish National Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and Scottish National Portrait Gallery – in Edinburgh, reports the Herald Scotland.

Read more: The Great Glen: coast to coast along Scotland’s rift valley