r/ScotlandTourism

Asked a previous question and everyone that answered was super helpful so I'm trying my luck again.

Husband and I are planning a trip for next year around September with a few stops, fort William and Edinburgh then heading to France.

Are there any transportation apps that are recommended? Can I rely on google maps to help me figure what trains to take etc? Should I expect to have plenty of cash on hand or do most places take credit cards? Are they any places I should book way in advance (like Edinburgh castle, etc)

Any other tips are appreciated (what to expect weather wise, tipping culture, etc)

Almost forgot, husband and i are from America and it'll be our first time in Europe in general

Hello, I'm planning a trip to Scotland with my husband for next year around September and was wondering if its even logistically possible to ride the jacobite steam train for the afternoon time, 12:50 (I know its not possible to know the schedule for next year yet but I'm just basing it on this year's times) and walk the glenfinnan viaduct trail the same morning to catch the 10:15 train pass on the bridge?

Visiting Scotland last week of September/first week of October. Debating if my partner and I stay in Fort William or Glencoe for dinner and the night on the way back down from Isle of Skye to Edinburgh? I think the same day we are starting at neist point (if the weather is good). Then coming down and might do Sleat/Point of Sleat area, Loch Shiel, and Loch Eilt. If we went through to Glencoe we'd save about 30 minutes the next morning to Edinburgh. Is that too much to do in a day?

I will be staying at the Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh West End in September and for some reason I am super confused about how to best get from the hotel to the Waverley Train station. I have found that the bus system is extensive but just confused about the best route and what bus stations to get on and off at. I've tried researching but keep finding different answers and am trying to keep walking time as short as possible. Please help if possible! I know it's probably not that complicated but I'm struggling. TYIA

Hi all, looking for any insight on the following itenerary for two people from the US who haven't been to Scotland before. This is a rough plan so I haven't looked much into accomodations/rental car availability for these specific dates but would love to know if I chose good locations/timing for these or if it will feel too rushed/too much travel time, or if there are better places to go instead.

Sat Aug 1: Fly into Glasgow.

Sun Aug 2 to Wed Aug 5: Sleep in Glasgow. (Non-negotiable due to work obligations)

Thurs Aug 6: Glasgow to Mallaig 5h20m train ride. Mallaig to Armadale 30m ferry. Pick up rental car in Armadale. Armadale to Portree 60m drive. Sleep in Portree/anywhere we can find availability on Skye.

Fri Aug 7: Sleep in Portree/anywhere we can find availability on Skye.

Sat Aug 8: Portree to Armadale 60m drive. Return rental car. Armadale to Mallaig 30m ferry. Mallaig to Fort William 1h30m train ride. Pick up rental car in Fort William. Fort William to Oban 1h drive, stopping at Glencoe. Sleep in Oban.

Sun Aug 9: Sleep in Oban.

Mon Aug 10: Oban to Glasgow 2h30m drive, stopping at Loch Lomond/Trossachs. Return car in Glasgow. Glasgow to Edinburgh 45m train ride. Sleep in Edinburgh.

Tue Aug 11 to Aug 13: Sleep in Edinburgh. Do a day trip to Stirling one of these days by train.

Fri Aug 14: Edinburgh to Glasgow 45 train ride. Sleep in Glasgow.

Sat Aug 15: Fly out of Glasgow.

Hey guys l'm 21 M, (I have scoliosis and bulging discs with chronic back pain in the lower back, want to travel despite it.)

I'm heading to the UK next week for a mix of a trip with a friend and a solo adventure. It's my first trip without family.

I'm going via economy on Turkish Airline to London with my friend, and then taking a train to Glasgow with my friend, and coming back home via Turkish from Edinburgh Airport alone. I have 40 KG baggage allowance.

I have a total budget of around $3,000-$4,000 USD total for the trip to cover food, daily activities, public transport, and shopping.

Accommodation in London is sorted, but would appreciate any hotel recommendations for Glasgow and Edinburgh, nothing fancy just a place to crash, needs to be safe.

I'm taking my DJI Action 5 setup to shoot some travel content along the way.

Rough draft:
** July 28 - Aug 5:** London (including a day trip to Brighton Beach)
**.
Aug 5 - Aug 10:** Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh)
**.
Day Trip:** Planning a day trip to the Lake District during the Scotland phase by road from Glasgow with another friend, good idea or better off exploring Scotland instead?

Someone recommended Loch Lomond and Fort William instead.

A couple of quick questions for you guys:

1. Will I get lonely? My friends leave on August 7th, so I'll be completely solo in Scotland from the 7th to the 10th. Any tips for a solo traveler to stay social or what to do to not feel isolated? Slightly worried about that.

2. What Student type fun things there are to do in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh? Like non touristy things?

I’d appreciate advice on both tourist and non touristy stuff. Also would love to hear any food, fun activities solo or with friends, suggestions you have.

We are currently booked to stay in Grantown-on-Spey from August 5-10 (traveling from the US, this is part of a two-week trip)

Given the fire in Cairngorms National Park this week, should we rebook somewhere else? It seems that nearby Aviemore is “open for business” based on articles I’ve read, but I still feel uneasy about visiting.

(I have reached out to the rental host, but haven’t heard back yet)

Any recommendations on where else to visit if we rebook?

Current itinerary is 5 days in Aberdeen, 5 days in Cairngorms, and end in Edinburgh. We have a car rental. It’s 3 people — me, my husband, and 8-yr old son. Our planned itinerary was a mix of coastal towns, beach, & castles (son is particularly interested in castle ruins) in Aberdeenshire, then the forest & easy family friendly hikes plus some kid fun adventure things like go karts and Landmark Forest Adventure, and ending in the city for the Tattoo.

This is our fifth trip to Scotland and we’ve been to Glencoe, Fort William, Isle of Skye, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.

Currently considering:
- Fife and St Andrew’s, but is this too similar of vibes to the coastal villages in the northeast?
- Loch Lommond area
- south east side of park, Ballater or Braemar?
- Inverness as a base and explore from there? May be able to still visit some places we considered near the Cairngorms?
- area around the Heritage, but seems booked up this close in

Any insight or advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Hi there,

We come from South Africa and are visiting Scotland in October. We've worked hard to save up around 1350-1500 pounds. Due to the conversion rate, our Rand gets obliterated when turned into pounds.

I got a few mates in Scotland who will be housing us, but obviously we'd need to help cover food and drinks and bus/train tickets + museum fees.

We will be travelling around Glasgow and outside, Edinburgh, and doing the famous Glencoe drive to the Highlands.

We aren't fancy eaters, so not interested in booking expensive restaurants for meals.

Are we okay? I do have a credit card with an additional 500 pounds on it for safety reasons.

[EDIT] We as in 2 people. My GF and I :) AirBnBs and car are already sorted. Also staying with friends who will home us for 2 weeks and we are sharing the kitchen.

Hi - we are planning a trip from US to Scotland and would like to rent a car. Any advice on how to that? Is a driving permit needed if we have US licenses?

Husband and I are visiting Scotland for 10 days in August. Want a combo of city and hiking. Using public transportation. Tentatibe plan:

3 nights Edinburgh

3 nights Aviemore

2 nights Fort William

1 night Glasgow

My concern is that we are spending too much time on trains. I’d welcome any suggestions etc.

I went to Uni in Glasgow over 30 years ago, very fond memories.
As I’m Irish I really do not do well in warm weather, I was planning on spending a few weeks in France but given the hot temperatures and fires in France I am reconsidering my plans.
Planning on spending 3-4 weeks in a nice Scottish town village
What are places I should consider?
I want to stay central in town no car, close to train station
Nice town feel, good pubs, coffee and of course history and nice walks.
One hour to Edinburgh/ Glasgow would be great, but not a deal breaker.
Looking for some lovely treasures that don’t get too busy

.

ETA: thank you for your help! We’re deciding to surprise him with a different location.

Would like to take my dad to Scotland for his 60th birthday. He enjoys hunting, fishing, history, good food, good beer, good wine.

I'd like to spend some time in the Highlands for him to enjoy some outdoor sporting activities.

Do you have any recommendations? Experiences? Tips and tricks?

We are a party of 6, 5 adults and 1 child, age 5. He would likely be the only hunter.

The whole trip is up in the air but let's assume we would be there in October to catch the end of the season, or maybe over the winter. TBD.

Thanks!

Hey there! Me and my friends r planning to visit the Scottish Highlands, but unfortunately we can’t rent a car because we don’t have the permit to drive in the UK, and most of us aren’t very experienced with driving there anyway.
We’re wondering what the best alternatives are for getting around. Is public transport a practical option for a 2–3 day trip, or would you recommend something else?
We’re a group of three young people and would also love to do some hiking if possible. I know there are guided tour packages available, but I’m not sure whether they include opportunities for hikes or visits to scenic spots.
Thanks a lot in advance for any advice or recommendations!

Visiting Scotland from U.S. on March 5-11. Going to rugby Six Nations match in Edinburgh on March 6. Planning on doing March 5-6 in Edinburgh. Then exploring other areas. ChatGPT advised to use Inverness as a home-base-type location to stay in to explore other parts of the county for the rest of trip (March 7-11). Ideally don’t want to have to change hotels multiple times. Have to be back in London anytime on March 11. I’ve read that Inverness isn’t great as a location to visit but can be okay as a home base. Thoughts and recommendations?

*edited was wrong about rugby World Cup. It’s rugby Six Nations.

I've spent more than a week trying to decide where to stay in September. Every hotel I've looked at has such mixed reviews. Maybe air conditioning isn't that needed in Scotland in mid-September, so I'm willing to forego that, but I do want to know it will be clean, relatively quiet and comfortable. It's just one night. I've searched here as well, hoping someone else had asked, but I'm not finding anything. Does anyone have good advice about where to stay? I don't want to spend more than $225 USD, so that appears to be 167 GBP. I'll go higher if I must.