Scotland is a beautiful country full of charm, traditions, and a variety of landscapes. This post provides the best way to break down your 5 to 7 day Scotland itinerary, along with the top things to do at each destination.
A few considerations:
This Scotland itinerary requires a rental car. I highly recommend getting a rental car to explore the different areas of Scotland on your own schedule.
I am more of a nature person than a city person. If you enjoy cities and want to spend a good amount of time seeing all Edinburgh has to offer, you may want to spend more time there than I list in the itinerary.
This itinerary is based on wanting to see as much in your week as possible. If you like to spend a lot of time in one location, this may not be the Scotland itinerary for you.
Overview of Timeline:
Before the detailed breakdown, here is the overall Scotland itinerary I would recommend:
Day One: Arrive / Stay in Edinburgh
Day Two: Edinburgh / Stay near Inverness (7-day itinerary) or Isle of Skye (5-day itinerary)
Day Three (Optional if doing five days): Inverness / Stay in Isle of Skye
Day Four: Isle of Skye
Day Five: Isle of Skye / Stay in Glencoe
Day Six (Optional if doing five days): Glencoe
Day Seven: Glencoe / Stay in Edinburgh
Day One:
Arrive in Edinburgh
Arrive at the Edinburgh airport (EDI). Here you can either pick up a rental car, call a taxi, or take public transportation into the city. We opted to take a bus into the city as we weren’t picking up our rental car until day two.
There are a variety of options to get into the city from EDI. Some options include the Airport Express bus, the 100 Airlink bus, or the TRAM. We found that the Airport Express got to the city center the fastest (has fewer stops), so we decided to go with them.
We purchased our tickets online and were able to buy a ticket with a return. You can also wait until you get on the bus to pay.
Check in / Explore
Check into your hotel, then explore what Edinburgh has to offer. Depending on when you arrive, some of the things I recommend doing are the following:
- Walk the Royal Mile
- Do a whiskey tasting
- Hike Aurther’s Seat
- Enjoy a Scottish meal
Day Two:
Edinburgh Castle
After breakfast, visit Edinburgh Castle. I would recommend allocating at least two hours here.
Buy your tickets in advance as they can sell out, especially in the summer months. I recommend getting tickets when they open at 9:30 am to reduce the number of crowds. Be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes early! The line will already be long.
We purchased the Explorer Pass online that gave us access to a variety of castles throughout Scotland. If you plan to visit a minimum of three castles, it pays for itself! Not all castles are part of the pass, so keep that in mind.
Pick up your rental car
We picked our car up around noon at the Waverley Railway Station (good deals on rental cars can be found here).
If you want to avoid driving in the city, you can also take the bus back to EDI airport and pick up a car there. After personally driving in the city during rush hour, I will say the added time to the airport may be worth it. The Edinburgh traffic isn’t terrible, but during rush hour, it can be congested and confusing because some streets are only for public transportation.
If you are an outlander fan, visit midhope castle
If you love Outlander like us, make sure to stop at Midhope Castle (Lallybroch). It is a quick stop to walk around the grounds since you can’t get into the Castle, but well worth it. Make sure to pre-book tickets online here.
Stop for lunch at river house
We started to get really hungry around the time we got near Stirling and stopped at a restaurant called River House. This ended up being one of our favorite meals in Scotland, so I highly recommend it!
Tour Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle is a large Castle that sits atop a large hill in Stirling. Explore the grounds and learn more about the history before continuing your road trip.
Drive to Lodging in Inverness (7-day itinerary) or isle of skye (5-day itinerary)
Continue your road trip all the way to Inverness or Isle of Skye. We stayed just outside of Inverness in Speyside at this hotel. I highly recommend this bed and breakfast because it was quaint, comfortable, and they had exceptional food.
Day 3 (7-DAY itinerary):
Today includes stops on the way to Isle of Skye. Doing everything listed below may make for a long day. We opted out of visiting the city of Inverness to save time. If you want to see Inverness just know it may be a long day, or feel free to cut out one of the other items listed below.
Visit clava cairns
Make a quick stop at Clava Cairns to see a cemetery that dates back 4,000 years.
Visit culloden battlefield
Visit the site of the final Jacobite Rising at Culloden Battlefield. There is the option to pay to see the museum, or you can walk around the field for free.
We opted out of the museum and instead went for a walk around the field. They had many signs throughout that explained what happened at many locations.
Visit Inverness
Walk around the city of Inverness and maybe have a bite to eat. As mentioned above, we opted out of this to save time.
Visit Urquhart Castle
On your drive down Loch Ness, stop at Urquhart Castle. This is a ruined castle that has ruins dating back to the 13th century.
Visit Eilean Donan Castle
Make a stop at Eilean Donan Castle, which is located in a very picturesque area.
Unpopular opinion: This was one of my least favorite castles that we visited, even though everyone recommends going here.
The inside of the castle was reconstructed as a family home in the 1900s. The tour of the inside of the castle is a walk through the family’s different furnished rooms. I found that I prefer older castles that are empty over ones that have been renovated and furnished. I felt like I was intruding in someone’s home.
If you do not want to take the tour inside the castle, park at the car park to take in some of the views instead of paying for entry. They also have restrooms and a cafe that do not require tickets.
Arrive at your isle of skye lodging
End the day checking into your Isle of Skye lodging. Lodging in Isle of Skye sells out, so be sure to book far in advance!
Day 4:
Explore the Trotternish Loop
Today is all about visiting the key sites of the Trotternish Loop. I break down all the best stops along this loop in this blog post, but key stops are the following:
- The Fairy Glen
- Hike Quiraing
- Kilt Rock
- Hike Brother’s Point
- Hike Old Man of Store
- Visit Portree
Day 5:
Explore the western side of isle of skye
These stops are also further broken down in this blog post, but key stops are the following:
- Dunvegan Castle
- Neist Point
- Talisker Distillery
- Hike the Ferry Pools
Drive to Glencoe Accommodations
Continue the beautiful drive out of Isle of Skye and to your Glencoe accommodation. Given how beautiful Glencoe is, there are a variety of lodging options. We stayed here and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Day 6/7:
Explore the highlights of glencoe
If you have seven days, spend an extra night in Glencoe. For that lodging I would recommend planning your stops for the day and then picking a place close to your last stop.
If you need to get back to Edinburgh, It is totally possible to make a few stops and continue the drive to Edinburgh.
I go in detail on the different stops in this blog post, but highlights are the following:
- Hike Ben Nevis / Take the Nevis Range Gondola
- Visit Glenfinnan Viaduct
- Stroll through Fort William
- Hike Three Sisters Mountain
- Drive to Glen Etive
- Stop at the Bridge of Orchy
Make your way back to Edinburgh
Make your way back to Edinburgh, return your rental car, and check into your hotel for the night. Consider doing things you were not able to do the first day in Edinburgh. For us, this was hiking Arthur’s Seat.
In the summer, the sun sets pretty late in Edinburgh, so we were able to do a last-minute hike to the summit of Arthur’s Seat. We were already tired but wanted to make the most of our last day. I would recommend allocating two hours for this hike.
Enjoy your final meal in Scotland, walk around the Royal Mile, and prepare for your journey back the next day!