Scotland is a country filled with immense natural beauty and a long and fascinating history. There’s so much to see and do when visiting Scotland that you would need more than ten days to see everything. That’s why we’ll focus on a few areas that we think will give you the best sampling of what this beautiful country has to offer, such as the Isle of Skye, the Glen Coe region, the coastal town of Oban, and the capital of Edinburgh. Our itinerary will also include many other fascinating places that can be visited along the way, such as the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, the imposing Sterling Castle, the mysterious Loch Ness, and the historic coastal town of St Andrews. To help you plan the perfect trip, we put together a 10-Day Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary (Edinburgh and Highlands Guide), which we present below.
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You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Day Trips From Edinburgh
Best Things to See and Do in Edinburgh
Scotland Driving Guide and Tips
7 of the Best Castles to Visit in Scotland
Best Things to See in the Scottish Highlands
Orientation – Where to Start and What to Know
Should You Start or End the Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary with Edinburgh?
Stragically it generally makes more sense to spend your last night near your departing airport, in this case Edinburgh Airport. That’s why we propose putting Edinburgh at the end of your itinerary. Although you could also choose to spend your first night in Edinburgh, that involves more packing and unpacking, and checking in and checking out of your overnight accommodation. That’s why we prefer hitting the road right away after arrival, even if it is after an overnight flight. But there’s no wrong way to do it, just do what is most comfortable and most appealing as an approach for you.
Although international flights can also land in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness, Edinburgh is by far the best internationally connected airport and your best bet for a direct flight into Scotland.
Rental Car and Driving in Scotland
To properly explore the Scottish Highlands, it’s ideal if you have your own vehicle. Moreover, the itinerary we propose cannot be easily done via public transportation – it’s doable, but it would definitely be slower going and you probably wouldn’t have the time to visit half of the sites and attractions we describe below. Honestly, it’s hard to beat the flexibility and freedom that having your own vehicle provides in the Highlands.
For advice and tips on how to drive in Scotland, check out our Scotland Roadtrip Driving Guide.
If you haven’t booked your rental vehicle yet, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Scotland.
One area where having your own vehicle is less essential is in Edinburgh. The city is very walkable, and a vehicle only comes in handy for day trips outside the city. If you don’t plan on making any day trip excursions from Edinburgh or don’t want to deal with the hassle of finding parking in the city, a common strategy is to drop off your vehicle at the airport and go carless for the final portion of your stay.
To get to the city from the airport, a variety of options exist to reach the city center, including a direct bus, the train, and the tram, all of which typically take between 30 and 45 minutes. For more detailed information on how to best get to the city center, you can consult the airport website.
You can also pre-book an airport bus or private transfer to skip the taxi wait. We regularly use Welcome Pickups, but there are other alternatives available in Edinburgh:
Weather and Best Time to Visit Scotland
The main tourist season generally runs from early spring through early autumn, with the peak season being July and August. The summer generally comes with nicer weather and longer days, but with that also comes more tourists. We are fans of travelling during shoulder season (late May, June, September, and early October), which provides a nice compromise between the weather and the larger crowds.
Another reason to avoid mid-summer peak season is to avoid notorious highland midges, Scotland’s version of the mosquito, which can become quite bothersome during the summer as their numbers peak during July and August. They aren’t too bad if it’s sunny or windy, but on calm overcast days, they can come out in numbers in Highlands.
The best months for aurora sightseeing are March, September and October, around the equinoxes.
Although the Highlands can be visited year-round, the weather is less predictable in winter and the daylight hours will be very short meaning you’ll have less time to visit places and to enjoy the outdoors. It’s not uncommon to see snow in the highlands but most of it falls in the hills and mountains rather than in the valleys and coastal areas.
The Western Highlands typically get more rainfall than Scotland’s east coast and the Lowlands. The weather is prone to changing in a heartbeat, so always be sure to pack layers to protect you from wind and rain when outdoors.
Edinburgh is a great town to visit year-round. Being a large city and Scotland’s capital, nothing ever really shuts down, so tourists can enjoy most of Edinburgh’s attractions any time of year. In the Highlands, more places of interest and accommodation options will close down for the winter, so be sure to plan accordingly.
10-Day Scotland Road Trip Itinerary
As we mentioned earlier, we are fans of hitting the road right away, and in this itinerary, we head straight to Skye from Edinburgh Airport. To get to Skye’s largest and most touristic town, Portree, you are looking at about a 5h drive from the airport. While this seems like a long drive, it certainly doesn’t appear that long given how beautiful the scenery is along the way. In a separate guide, Best Stops and Attractions Between Skye and Edinburgh, we detail different routes you can take and suggest various stops you can make to break up the drive into shorter segments. Some routes take you through Glencoe, and others by Loch Ness. If you are interested in seeing this famous loch, we suggest looking into this route to Skye as it’s the best time to include a visit within our proposed itinerary. And the detour to see Loch Ness surprisingly doesn’t add much in terms of time spent driving.
Regardless of the route you take (unless you take the route requiring a crossing via the Mallaig – Armadale Ferry), a must-stop just before you reach Skye is the spectacular Eilean Donan Castle. Sitting beautifully at the intersection of three lochs, this castle was originally built to protect the region against Viking invasions several centuries ago. However, the version you see today was reconstructed as a family home in the early 20th century.
Isle of Skye (4-5 nights)
Visiting the Isle of Skye was the main draw when we decided to travel to Scotland, and therefore we were quick to integrate into our Scotland road trip itinerary plans. Although we loved the time we spent elsewhere in the country, there was something special and magical about being in Skye, an island filled with dramatic and otherworldly landscapes where sheep outnumber humans.
Skye is without a doubt a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts with great hiking trails, including a few famous ones like the Old Man of Storr, a towering pinnacle and an iconic landmark of the Isle of Skye, or the Quiraing, a dramatic landscape caused by a long-ago landslide.
One of our favorite lesser-known hikes was at Camanusary Bay. It wasn’t a particularly difficult trail and the scenery was just stunning.
If you are not particularly into long or difficult hiking trails, there are also several short, easy and very scenic walks you can take, such as Talisker Bay, the Fairy Pools, Sligachan Waterfalls and the Fairy Glen.
You can also visit the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland, Dunvegan Castle, enjoy a nice sampling of some fine whisky at Talisker, Skye’s oldest working Whisky Distillery, and stroll around colorful Portree.
Just driving around Skye is also also incredibly fun. Several of our favorite scenic Scotland drives can be found in Skye. Our favorite is probably the Trotternish Loop Drive. At its shortest, it’s a half-day roadtrip (including several stops) but it can easily turn into a full-day trip depending on how many hiking trails you want to do along the way. If you are not interested in hiking, there are plenty of waterfalls and beautiful viewpoints worthy of a stop along the way.
You might also be interested in these Isle of Skye pages:
4-Day Roadtrip Isle of Skye Itinerary
Isle of Skye Travel Guide: Things to Know Before You Go
Where to Stay on the Isle of Skye
Skye’s Best Hiking and Walking Trails
Skye Road Trip Driving Tips
Oban or Glen Coe or Fort William (3 nights)
All three would make an excellent base from which to explore the southwestern Scottish Highlands. Each has its own set of strengths and drawbacks, depending on your interests. Fort William, located on the shores of Loch Linnhe, is known as a gateway to Ben Nevis, the U.K.’s highest peak, and its central location within the Scottish Highlands makes it an ideal base from which to explore surrounding areas. In addition to its proximity to Ben Nevis, Fort William is close to both and roughly in between Glenfinnan (Glenfinnan Viaduct and the “Harry Potter” train) and the beautiful scenery of Glen Coe. Another advantage of staying in Fort William is its close proximity to the southern tip of Loch Ness (if you didn’t visit it on the drive to Skye), which is about a 45-minute drive away. However, it’s generally not viewed as the most fun or scenic town to stay in.
For those mostly interested in hiking, staying near Glen Coe is ideal, as several fantastic trails are found in this beautiful valley. The main drawback is that if you are looking for more activities other than hiking, there’s little else to do in the area. Both the nearby villages of Glencoe and Ballachulish have a few accommodation options and restaurants, but not much else.
We ended up settling on the coastal town of Oban as our base for exploring this area of the Highlands, primarily for three reasons. 1) It’s close enough to Glen Coe to visit the area as an easy day day trip. 2) It’s a great base from which you can visit several of the Inner Hebrides, such as Mull, Iona and Kerrera. 3) Of the three towns/villages, it is arguably the most scenic with a beautiful boardwalk and marina, the famous Oban Distillery, and several great seafood restaurants.
The Drive from Skye to Oban
The quickest route between Skye (Portree) and Oban will take about 3h30. A worthy detour along the way is to Glenfinnan. If you decide to stay in Fort Willian or Glen Coe, you don’t necessarily have to visit Glenfinan on your way down from Skye. From Oban, however, it’s a significantly longer day trip, so we think it’s best seen during your drive from Skye to Oban.
Easily one of the most beautiful railway bridges in the world, let alone the UK, the Glenfinnan Viaduct has skyrocketed to the top of many travel bucket lists since appearing in the Harry Potter films. The setting becomes even more spectacular when the Jacobite steam train (a.k.a. the Harry Potter train or the Hogwarts Express) passes over the viaduct. Between April and October, it does so 4 times daily (twice in each direction) – so most try to time their visit with a train passing.
There’s more to see and do in Glenfinnan besides the viaduct, including a lovely church and a great short hiking trail offering stunning views of Loch Shiel.
For more information on visiting the Glennfinnan Viaduct, check out our Glennfinnan Viaduct Travel Guide.
If you are not in too much of a rush, you can also take a short drive through Glen Coe. You might even have time to take a short walk or undertake a short hike (more on your Glen Coe options below).
Oban
Oban is a beautiful and charming coastal town, and sadly many do not give it the time it deserves using it primarily as a launching pad for visiting some of the nearby famous Hebrides islands, such as Mull, Iona, Jura and Islay.
The town itself is definitely deserving of a visit: it has a beautiful boardwalk promenade, some of the best seafood restaurants in the country, the curious McGraig’s tower overlooking the town, and is home to the historic Oban whisky distillery (established in 1794).
For more information on visiting Oban and the surrounding area, you can check out our Oban Travel Guide.
Oban is also a short 10-minute ferry ride to the Ilse of Kerrera, a beautiful island that can be explored on foot via a great (and fairly easy) hiking trail through farmland and along idyllic coastlines. You’ll likely come across lots of sheep, visit a castle ruin, and stop for refreshments at a delightful teahouse.
Visiting Glen Coe as a Day Trip
If you want to see some of the most beautiful landscapes that the Scottish Highlands have to offer, then Glen Coe is the place to go. The mountain scenery is simply beautiful and the area as a whole is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts with the plethora of fantastic hiking and walking trails. Some of our favorites are the Lost Valley Trail and Devil’s Staircase, both of which are diverse and rewarding trails that can be completed in under 3 hours. There are also several shorter easy walks along mostly flat trails.
But even if you are not an avid hiker, the drive through Glen Coe is simply stunning with several great viewpoints. We built a One-Day Road Trip Itinerary guide that highlights several of these viewpoints, in addition to some castles and churches if you are willing to extend your drive south a bit further. It combines the stunning Glen Coe mountain scenery described above with the beautiful lakeside views of Loch Awe, Loch Leven and Loch Linnhe.
In addition to the added lakeside scenery, this loop itinerary will allow you to see some beautiful castle ruins and a stunning lakeside church. Along the shores of Loch Awe, you will find the beautiful St Conan’s Kirk, built in 1886, and the ruins of Kilkurn Castle, originally built in the mid-1400s and abandoned since 1770. Along the shores of Loch Linnhe, you will find the stunning Castle Stalker, beautifully set on an island just off the coast.
Edinburgh (2-3 nights)
The Drive from Oban to Edinburgh
The direct route from Oban to Edinburgh takes about 3 hours, but if you aren’t in a hurry, there are so many great stops to make along the way. Not only are the attractions fantastic, but they barely involve any detours, aside from a few side streets once you leave the main highway.
A great spot to observe and take pictures of the famous Highland Cows (or the Hairy Coos as they are often referred to) is at the Trossachs Woollen Mill, just a 15-minute drive past Doune Castle. This lovely gift shop is also home to three lovely hairy coos that you can visit and even feed if you would like! There’s also a small café on site.
The pictures shown above were taken from a farm along the side of the road, not far north from where the Trossachs Woollen Mill is located. However, since it wasn’t signposted or advertised, we haven’t been able to find the exact location on Google Maps unfortunately.
Not long after, you can visit an imposing 14th-century courtyard castle in Doune, with a striking 100-foot high gatehouse and one of the best-preserved great halls in Scotland. You are very likely to have seen Doune Castle in film or on TV, as it has been heavily featured in Month Python, was used as the Winterfell castle in the Game of Thrones pilot episode and has served as Castle Leoch in Outlander.
A short distance further, Sterling Castle was honestly our favorite Castle to visit in Scotland. This large and imposing castle is one of the most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots spent most of her life here, the castle changed hands between the British and the Scots many times, and William Wallace (the main character of Braveheart) played a key role in one of Scotland’s victories in reclaiming the castle. The guided tour of the castle was also one of the more interesting ones we experienced.
For more information on visiting this castle, check out our Stirling Castle Visiting Guide.
The final stop we recommend is to see The Kelpies in Falkirk. Unveiled in 2014, standing just under 100 feet tall and located within a community park known as The Helix, these giant horse sculptures quickly became a symbol of the town and the surrounding region. Though many just make a quick stop at the Kelpies, there’s much to do here to keep you longer, including guided tours of the Kelpie interiors and beautiful walking trails along the canals.
The Kelpies are just a 45-minute drive from Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this castle, check out our Kelpies Visiting Guide.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh has a special charm that makes one of our favorite European cities to visit. Here you will find an eclectic mix of architecture, winding cobbled streets, atmospheric alleyways and, of course, its iconic hilltop castle. It’s also a very vibrant city, with lots of green spaces and enchanting neighbourhoods. You could easily spend a week here and still have places left to see. But with just 2 or 3 days, you can definitely see most of the main highlights and attractions that Edinburgh has to offer. Another fun thing about Edinburgh is that is a very walkable city, and most of the attractions and places to visit are near the city center.
Of course, you have your iconic landmarks such as Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Edinburgh Castle is a fascinating place to visit with a rich and diverse history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress, and is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe. Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the British Monarch in Edinburgh.
The street that connects the Castle and the Palace is known as the Royal Mile, one of Edinburgh’s oldest streets filled with historic buildings, including the Jonh Knox House and St Giles Cathedral.
For fantastic panoramic views, head up to Calton Hill or view the castle from Princes Street Gardens.
And if you just want to see beautiful places, there are several scenic streets and neighbourhoods that you just can’t take your eyes off of, such as Victoria Street, Circus Lane and Dean Village.
For more information on visiting Edinburgh, be sure to check out our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Edinburgh.
Day Trips from Edinburgh
If you didn’t get a chance to visit Sterling Castle, Doune Castle, or the Kelpies on your way to Edinburgh, they are all easily visited as a day trip from Edinburgh. Alternatively, we highly recommend visiting St Andrews.
Though this lovely coastal town is synonymous with golf for many, St Andrews, has a rich and diverse history, an enchanting historic center with impressive architecture and an idyllic coastline with beautiful sandy beaches. The cathedral and castle ruins here are truly fascinating to visit, both because of the actual sites themselves and also because of their stunning locations along the coastline. St Andrews is also home to one of the most famous golf courses in the world (one you can walk on for free on most Sundays) and to the third oldest University in the English-speaking world (after Cambridge and Oxford). Although we really enjoyed visiting the castles listed above, St Andrews is our favorite town day trip option from Edinburgh.
St Andrews is just a 75-minute drive from Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this charming seaside town, check out our Best Things to See and Do in St Andrews Guide.
For a shorter day trip, we enjoyed our visit to Blackness Castle (35 minutes from Edinburgh). Blackness Castle is an impressive 15th-century castle beautifully positioned along the shores of the Firth of Forth. Often referred to as ‘the ship that never sailed’ due to its great stone ship appearance, these days the castle is known by many for its use as the setting for Fort William in Outlander. We found it to be a very interesting castle to visit, and it is rarely as busy as some other more well-known castles in Scotland.
Blackness Castle is just a 35-minute drive from Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this castle, check out our Blackness Castle Visiting Guide.
Ideas for Longer Stays
If you like to overall itinerary presented above but would like to stretch it out over two tweaks, we have a few suggestions on how you could use the added time.
Stay in Oban and Glen Coe
The one decision we struggled the most with when putting together this itinerary was whether to use Oban or Glen Coe as a base. With a few more days at your disposal, we would suggest using both as bases to explore their respective surrounding areas. In Glen Coe, you could enjoy additional beautiful hiking trails. In Oban, you could head out to explore additional islands such as Mull, Iona and Kerrera.
Add an extra night in Edinburgh to visit Glasgow or St Andrews
Both Glasgow and St Andrews are easy to visit as a day trip from Edinburgh.
Preparing a trip to Scotland?
You might be interested in these Scotland pages:
10-Day Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary (Edinburgh and Highlands)
Scotland Driving Guide and Tips
7 of the Best Castles to Visit in Scotland
Best Things to See in the Scottish Highlands
Best Hikes to do in the Scottish Highlands
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves Scotland
Lonely Planet Scotland’s Highlands
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.
e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our 10-Day Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary (Edinburgh and Highlands) Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to the beautiful Scottish Highlands.
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