Historic cities, around 800 islands and summer evenings that seem to go on forever.
Here is when to go, how long to give it, and which corner to start with.
Most people plan Scotland around Edinburgh Castle and a dash up to Loch Ness. It is a good trip, and it barely scratches the surface of a country where the best bits are often at the end of a ferry crossing.
Scotland is our nearest neighbour from North Yorkshire, so we have been going back for years, by car and slowly. We have spent many Augusts at the Edinburgh festivals, filled 48 hours in Glasgow while our kids were at a music festival, and driven to Kennacraig for the ferry to Islay more than once, with a day trip across to Jura. The most useful thing Scotland has taught us is that it is bigger than it looks on a map, and the trip that slows down sees far more of it.
In short: the best time to visit Scotland for most trips is May, June or September, when the days are long and the summer crowds and midges are at their lowest. This page covers the timing, the trip length and where to start, region by region.
We write about the places we have actually been, in the depth we would want if we were planning it ourselves. Each region below has its own set of guides, and we add new ones as we travel.
A castle on a volcanic rock, a medieval Old Town and, every August, the biggest arts festival in the world taking over every street, cellar and spare room in the city. We have been to the festivals more times than we can count, in blistering heat and in rain of biblical proportions, and planning ahead is what makes the difference.
Also try: Glasgow, under an hour away by train
Less polished than Edinburgh and no less beautiful. Glasgow is the place for art, live music and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, with free museums, a Victorian glasshouse full of tree ferns and a Necropolis with the best view in town. It is also the natural stop on the way west to the islands.
Start with: Our two day Glasgow itinerary·Heading on to Islay
The Queen of the Hebrides, with eleven whisky distilleries, seals in the harbours, golden eagles over the cliffs and four seasons in a single afternoon. Islay is a two hour ferry from the mainland, and its wilder sister, Jura, is a few minutes further on the wee ferry, with more red deer than people.
New regions are added as we travel them. Every part of Scotland we write up gets its own card and its own guides on this page. The Highlands, Skye and the Borders are all on our list. The newsletter at the bottom is the way to hear first when a new one lands.
This is the question that decides the trip, and the honest answer is that Scotland can give you sunshine, rain and wind in the same afternoon at any time of year. What changes with the seasons is the light, the crowds, the midges and how many ferries and attractions are running.
For most trips, go in May, June or September. You get long days, the best chance of settled weather and fewer people than in July and August. For the festivals, it has to be August, when Edinburgh is at its liveliest and most expensive. Late spring has the edge for the islands, because the midges are not yet at their worst.
We have been to Edinburgh in August, to Glasgow in the summer and to Islay more than once, including a whisky trip in March, and the seasons run the same way round as in England, just with longer summer evenings and shorter winter days the further north you go.
Mar to May
Our pick for the islands. Islay in March was quiet enough to turn up at distilleries without booking, and by May the days are long, the lambs are out and the midges have barely started. Some island businesses keep shorter hours early in the season.
Jun to Aug
The longest days of the year and the busiest weeks, with Scottish school holidays starting earlier than in England. August is festival month in Edinburgh. On the west coast and in the Highlands, it is also peak midge season, so pack repellent.
Sep to Oct
Schools are back, the crowds thin and the hills turn gold and russet. September often has some of the most settled weather of the year, and the midges die back as the nights cool. By late October, some seasonal attractions start to close.
Nov to Feb
Short days and cosy pubs, with Christmas markets in the cities and Hogmanay in Edinburgh to see in the New Year. Island ferries run on a winter timetable and some attractions close until spring, so check before you build a route around them.
The Highland midge is the tiny biting insect that every visitor to Scotland hears about, and it is worth planning around. Midges are generally out from late May or June through to September, and are at their worst in July and August.
They love still, damp, overcast weather, and they are most active around dawn and dusk. The west coast, the Highlands and the islands are the worst affected, while the cities, the east coast and anywhere with a breeze are much kinder. Sunshine, wind and a good repellent all help, and there is a midge forecast online that is worth checking before a walk or a barbecue.
This is the trap in a lot of Scotland plans. July and August bring the warmest weather and the longest school holidays, and also the most midges in exactly the glens and islands people come to see.
If you can pick your month, late May, June or September. You get the long light, the islands are at their best and you miss the busiest school holiday weeks. If you are going for the Edinburgh festivals, go in August and book early, because the whole city fills up.
Whenever you go, pack for every season. Waterproofs, layers and comfortable walking shoes earn their place in the suitcase in June as much as in January, and the weather on the islands can change by the hour.
Our tip
Plan your days around the weather rather than the other way round. Keep one or two flexible days in the plan, and save the hill walk or boat trip for the clearest morning.
Longer than you think, and in fewer places than you planned. Outside the two cities, the best of Scotland is reached by car and ferry, and single-track roads and ferry timetables set the pace, not the distances on the map.
The mistake is the week that tries to fit in Edinburgh, Loch Ness, Skye and Islay. On a map it looks reasonable. In practice a lot of the Highlands and islands are single-track roads and ferry crossings, and a missed sailing can cost you a day. You will spend a large part of your holiday in the car.
Our Islay trips started with a drive up from North Yorkshire, an overnight stop on Loch Fyne and the morning ferry from Kennacraig. That is the shape of a Scottish island trip that works. One base, one car and plenty of time once you are there. Our full guides are below.
The ready-made plan
All eleven Islay distilleries grouped into four areas, with a map, the tips we wish we had known before our March whisky trail, and which drams we liked best.
The ready-made plan
Two days in Glasgow, from Kelvingrove and the Kibble Palace to live music, the Necropolis and the Burrell Collection, with where we ate and where we stayed.
The practical things we wish someone had told us.
From the rest of the UK, the train is the easy option for the cities. Fast trains run from London and the north of England to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the Caledonian Sleeper runs overnight from London to Scotland, as far as the Highlands. For the islands, you will want a car, and the ferries need booking ahead.
Edinburgh and Glasgow both have international airports with direct flights from Europe and North America. If you are visiting the UK from overseas, check whether you need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation before you fly. It is covered in the FAQ below.
We have always driven up from Yorkshire, which takes most of a day to the west coast ferries. Breaking the journey with a night on the way, as we did on Loch Fyne before the Islay ferry, makes the trip part of the holiday rather than a slog.
Outside the cities, a car makes all the difference. The roads are quiet and the views are wonderful, but the driving is slower than it looks on the map.
One of us lives with a severe nut allergy, so this is something we check for every country. Scotland follows the same rules as the rest of the UK, so the main food allergens, including peanuts and tree nuts, have to be declared on packaged food and when you ask in cafés and restaurants, and staff are generally used to the question.
As anywhere, tell restaurants about the allergy at the time of booking rather than when you sit down. On the islands, choice is more limited and some places close early, so self-catering gives you more control. Our guide to travelling with a nut allergy has more of what we have learnt.
The things worth sorting before you travel, because they sell out. We book through GetYourGuide where it makes sense.
These are the ones on our list for next time. A guided tour of Edinburgh Castle with your entry ticket included saves queuing on the Royal Mile in festival season, the Clydeside Distillery is the easy whisky tour in Glasgow, and if you want a guided visit on Islay, Caol Ila looks straight across the Sound of Islay to the Paps of Jura.
Not from the rest of the UK. There are no border checks between England, Wales and Scotland, although airlines usually ask for photo ID on domestic flights. Visitors from overseas need a passport to enter the UK, and many who do not need a visa, including US and EU citizens, now need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA, before they travel. Apply on the GOV.UK website. Third party sites charge extra to fill in the same form, and none of them are official.
Pound sterling, the same as the rest of the UK. Three Scottish banks print their own notes, which look different from Bank of England notes but are worth exactly the same. Scottish notes are accepted everywhere in Scotland and usually in England too, although shops in England can refuse them. Bank of England notes are fine in Scotland. Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere, but carry a little cash for the islands.
Do both if you can, because they are under an hour apart by train and they are very different cities. Edinburgh has the castle, the medieval Old Town and the August festivals. Glasgow is less polished, with brilliant art and music, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and a friendlier, more down to earth feel. There is a long rivalry between them, but we do not think there has to be a winner.
It depends where and when. Edinburgh in August is the most expensive place and time to visit, and accommodation on the islands is limited, so it books up and costs more in summer. Many of the big museums do not charge for general entry, the scenery is free, and self-catering keeps food costs down. Travelling in May, June or September rather than in the summer holidays makes the biggest difference.
Very. Crime is low and the main hazards are natural rather than human. In the hills, the weather can change fast, so take proper layers, a map and a plan, and check the forecast. On the roads, take single-track roads and wildlife slowly. In the cities, take the usual care with bags in busy places, particularly in Edinburgh during the festivals.
Scotland is on the same time as the rest of the UK, on Greenwich Mean Time in winter and British Summer Time in summer. That puts it five hours ahead of New York and eight hours ahead of Los Angeles for most of the year. The UK and the US change their clocks on different weekends, so for a couple of weeks in spring and autumn the gap shifts by an hour. Check the exact difference for your dates.
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