North Berwick has once again been named as the best place to live in Scotland, according to the 2025 Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
Seven other Scottish locations have been included in the guide, with Saffron Walden in Essex named as the UK’s best place to live, leaving the East Lothian town – which was last year’s overall best place to live in the UK – as the regional winner.
To decide which towns make the cut, each year expert judges from the Sunday Times travel around the UK to assess each location on a number of factors including schools, transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal, as well as culture, access to green spaces and how well the high street is doing.
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate closer to home, from small gestures that lift the everyday from verges blooming with daffodils to volunteer-run dementia cafés, to new initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.”
Taking the top spot for Scotland, North Berwick has been recognised for its schools, thriving independent businesses and close proximity to Edinburgh, with the town’s natural beauty, cultural attractions, beaches and other activities all playing a role.
Other locations which made this year’s list of Scotland’s best places to live include the island of Tiree in Argyll and Edinburgh’s Stockbridge.
Including North Berwick, here are the eight Scottish locations named in the 2025 Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
1. North Berwick, East Lothian – Regional Winner
After being named the best place to live in the UK last year, in 2025 North Berwick is – unsurprisingly – the best place to live in Scotland for 2025. The regional winner pleased the judges with its schools and independent businesses as well as its transport links, fast broadband and stunning location along the seaside. | ReayWorld - stock.adobe.com
2. Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross
Despite appreciating its ties to the past, Aberfeldy in Perth and Kinross was able to impress judges with the wide variety of activities on offer. Whether you’re looking for beautiful scenery, nice cafes, outdoorsy adventures or community events – locals have formed an initiative to improve fitness levels – Aberfeldy seems to have it all. | Raymond Davies Photo / Adobe Stock
3. Cullen, Moray
Described by the Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide as “postcard pretty”, Cullen in Moray not only offers natural beauty but also a thriving community full of small business owners. As a fishing village, there are also a wide variety of water-adjacent activities on offer. | trgowanlock / Adobe Stock
4. East Neuk, Fife
The East Neuk of Fife is well known for being picturesque with its many historic fishing villages (such as Anstruther, pictured here) and beaches proving popular among tourists, but it is also a great place to live in 2025 according to the Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide – especially because of its emerging food and drink scene. | Adobe Stock