VISITORS to Scotland are being urged to get to and from the country's main attractions by foot and public transport in a new "car-free tourism" initiative.

The guide, which can also be used by "stay-cationing" Scots or anyone organising a day out, provides directions on how to get to Scotland's top 24 visitor destinations without the need for a car.

There are also instructions for tourism operators to improve sustainable transport access to their sites across Scotland.

The Car-Free Tourism guide has been compiled by sustainable transport charity, Transform Scotland.

The website is a one-stop-shop telling visitors how to reach various attractions such as the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, Stirling Castle, and the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire without having to jump between different travel planning websites. Each page has all the information tourists require to travel to the site without spending time on lots of research.

Walking and cycling routes are provided as files that can be downloaded to smartphone apps and GPS devices.

The National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh, is the most visited attraction in Scotland with almost 1.8 million visitors in 2013.

It can be reached by train from Edinburgh Waverley, as well as by various buses, foot or on bike via cycle lanes on the Mound and George IV bridge.

Jolin Warren, Head of Research at Transform Scotland, said: "It's easy to visit most of Scotland's popular tourist attractions on foot, by bike or by public transport. Our new guide presents the best of Scotland without a car. It provides visitors with detailed but simple instructions on the nearest railway station, local buses, as well as hand-chosen walking and cycling routes.

"There are of course hundreds of other visitor destinations across Scotland. We hope that our guide will inspire those managing these sites to look at how they too can improve access by public transport, by bike, and on foot."

The project will be launched today at Glasgow's Riverside Museum - the city's new transport museum - which has been has been at the centre of various infrastructure investments, including improved off-road walk and cycle routes, the Nextbike bike hire scheme, SPT's 100 Riversider bus service from George Square, and the recently-revamped Partick Interchange.

John Lauder, National Director of Sustrans Scotland, said: "Visitors arriving by foot and on bike bring a host of benefits. They can improve their health through taking exercise. It means fewer cars on the road and as a result less pollution. Cyclists and walkers also tend to have a greater local economic impact. But, perhaps more importantly, by improving access by public transport and active travel, tourist attractions are opened up to the third of Scottish households who have no access to a car."

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: "This is an excellent initiative which will provide visitors to Scotland with alternative, environmentally friendly ways of getting to some of our outstanding attractions. As part of our Quality Assurance Scheme, VisitScotland encourages Scottish tourism businesses to promote public transport options and car-free activities, and Transform Scotland's new guide will prove a useful resource to visitors and business owners alike."