8-Day Scotland Itinerary
8-Day Scotland Itinerary: Castles and Highlands Road Trip
Scotland is magic. It should be on EVERY SINGLE PERSON’S TRAVEL BUCKET LIST. It’s just … magic. Scotland's rugged landscapes, historic castles, and fairytale cities make it a dream destination if you are looking for a great mix of history, culture, and nature in just eight days.
You can embark on a remarkable journey from the bustling streets of Edinburgh to the enchanting Isle of Skye and back, with stops at breathtaking locations. Buckle up and get ready for an unforgettable Scottish road trip!
*Some links in this post are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price, but I may earn a small commission if you purchase something I’ve recommended. I’m really grateful for your trust in my advice, and if I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend, I won’t recommend it to you.
Here’s the TL;DR version of the 8 days in Scotland itinerary.
Scotland Day 1 - 2 in Edinburgh:
Royal Mile + Edinburgh Castle
Scott Monument
The Real Mary King’s Close
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Beautiful walk and hike
Scottish whisky tour
Scotland Day 3 in Glasgow:
Glasgow city tour
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
University of Glasgow
Buchanan Street
Scotland Day 4 Drive to the Isle of Skye:
Fort William
Eilean Donan Castle
Scotland Day 5 - 6 in the Isle of Skye:
Fairy Pools
Old Man of Storr
The Fairy Glen
Quiraing
Scotland Day 7 Drive to Inverness:
Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle
Inverness
Scotland Day 8 Drive to Edinburgh
Stirling Castle
8-Day Scotland Itinerary
SCOTLAND DAY 1 - 2:
🛬 Land in Edinburgh and take a quick cat nap if needed.
👀 Royal Mile + Edinburgh Castle: To make sure you don’t succumb to jet lag, I think it's best to do an outside activity that keeps you moving. A perfect way to kick off your Scotland trip is to walk the Royal Mile and visit the Edinburgh Castle.
Would it be a Syd Goes Traveling blog if I didn’t mention Rick Steves? The Rick Steves Audio Europe App has a free audio guide to the Royal Mile. Or if you would like an in-person tour this is a great option—Small Group Royal Mile Walking Tour with Optional Entry to Edinburgh Castle.
Here is the official site to buy tickets to the castle: Edinburgh Castle Tickets.
And here is a great guided tour option for the castle: Edinburgh Castle: Skip-the-Line Guided Walking Tour.
Make sure you walk Victoria Street to or from the castle.
🏛Scott Monument: Take a walk to Scott Monument. It is a beautiful piece of architecture and an iconic Edinburgh site. You can climb to the top of the monument. Here is the official site to buy tickets to climb to the top here.
🏛 The Real Mary King’s Close: You get to step back in time with a tour of the Real Mary King’s Close. Buried underneath the Royal Mile is a preserved 17th-century street where you can wander through a labyrinth of Old Town alleyways and discover the stories of the people who lived, worked, and died here. This is a more educational tour, but still a little spooky.
Here is the official site where you can buy tickets and tours for the Close: The Real Mary King’s Close tickets.
👀 Greyfriars Kirkyard: Normally, I’m not a “let's go visit a graveyard person”, but I feel like Edinburgh is in a permanent October mode, so visiting Greyfriars Kirkyard is a must. This graveyard had tombstones that inspired Harry Potter characters such as “Tom Riddle”, a monument of a Skye Terrier Bobby that guarded his owner's grave in the Kirkyard for fourteen years, and more.
Here is a great guided tour of the Kirkyard: Haunted Vaults and Graveyard Walking Tour in Edinburgh or you can just wander around it by yourself.
For those looking for even more spooky tours, consider the Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder, and Legends tour.
🥾Beautiful walks/hikes: If you are looking for more of a hike, Arthur’s Seat is a great option. It is a fairly easy hike, just with some incline. Here is the All Trails page to get the full picture.
For more of a casual stroll take the water of Leith walkway and wander into Dean Village.
Depending on your interests here are some more “to-dos” for Edinburgh:
🥃 Scottish Whisky: Discover the secrets of Scotch whisky with a tour. Here are some great options:
⛳️ Golf at St. Andrews: As the St. Andrews' site says: “The oldest and most iconic golf course in the world. The Swilcan Bridge and Hell Bunker are recognized across the globe, yet the greatest feature of the Old Course is that despite its grand status it remains a public golf course, open to all.” When you land at the Edinburgh airport, you’ll see lots of golf clubs at the baggage pick-up.
This page will give you more information on the ballot system at St. Andrews.
AVERAGE COST OF 2 DAYS IN EDINBURGH
| TRAVEL EXPENSE | AVERAGE COST | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels | $150 - $800 per night | This is a wide range and changes depending on the time of year that you go. |
| The Royal Mile | $0 - $30 per person | If you download the Rick Steve’s App for the audio tour it’s free. Or if you’d like a guided tour is around $30. |
| Edinburgh Castle | $24 - $43 per person | A normal ticket for Edinburgh Castle is $24 or if you’d like a live guided tour it is $43 per person. |
| Scott Monument | $0 - $10 per person | Free to see the monument and surrounding park. It is around $10 to go inside and climb the Scott Monument. |
| The Real Mary King’s Close | $26 per person | The ticket includes a tour of the Close. |
| Greyfriars Kirkyard | $0 - $30 per person | Explore for free by yourself or you can get a guided tour of the Kirkyard for $30. |
| Scottish Whisky Tour | $25 - $100 per person | There are lots of options for Whisky tours that will match your trip’s budget. |
| Arthur’s Seat | $0 per person | The hike and the view are free. |
EDINBURGH IN AUGUST
If you can go on your trip in August here are two INCREDIBLE things going on in Edinburgh.
🎖 The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo:
2 - 24th August 2024
This is an amazing performance from Military groups from all over the world. You’ll see bagpipes, and highland dancers, alongside other performances like the US Marines band.
This is an excerpt from their website: “The Royal Navy will take you on a journey through time, celebrating the tides of change. Including Tattoo favorites, from the Massed Pipes and Drums to our emotive Lone Piper alongside the culture and vibrance of our international cast.”
You can buy tickets from the official website here: The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo tickets.
🎭 Edinburgh Fringe Festival:
02 – 26 August 2024
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 different shows in 322 venues. Venues can be anywhere, from existing theaters and concert halls to repurposed spaces like bars, parks, buses, and shipping containers.
Learn more about the Fringe Festival here.
SCOTLAND DAY 3:
🚆Catch the train over to Glasgow. It should only take around an hour by train.
👀 Glasgow city tour: Start your day with a tour of the city. This is a great way to get acquainted with the city led by a local. These tours are also a great way to get insights on where to eat and other things the tour guide would recommend. Here are a couple of great city tours:
🖼 Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum: This museum has 22 galleries showcasing Ancient Egypt, Scottish Art, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and everything in between. This is a free museum that doesn’t require a booking ahead of time.
Here are the museum’s top ten things to see recommendations.
🏛 University of Glasgow: If you have the time, the University of Glasgow has a BEAUTIFUL campus. Wandering around makes you feel like you are at Hogwarts. The university has a self-guided tour of the campus here.
🛍 Buchanan Street: If you need a little bit of retail therapy, head to Buchanan Street for some amazing shopping.
🥾 The Devils Pulpit: If you have an extra day to add on you can take a tour out to the Devils Pulpit. You’ll explore Finnich Glen. This site has been in many TV shows and movies because it’s so beautiful. If you’ve watched Outlander, you’ll know this place.
It is a bit of an advanced hike including walking in water or mud, so be prepared, but it would be worth it! Here is the AllTrails link for all the details.
And here is a great tour to take you to Finnich Glen and guide you on the hike: Find a Hidden Glen in Scotland's Woods.
SCOTLAND DAY 4:
🚘 Pick up your rental car and head to the Isle Skye! This is around a five-hour drive with no stops. The drive itself is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!
You will need a car for the rest of the journey. I’m the type of traveler who tries to avoid renting a car at all costs, but you’ll need one for this trip. A couple of tips for renting a car:
Get as big of a car as you can. You’ll be driving in the highlands and having a compact SUV-type vehicle would be very helpful.
GET INSURANCE. We got a flat from the potholes in the middle of Skye and the insurance saved us from losing half a day of our trip.
There are a few stops you can make on your way to Skye:
Fort William:
You can stop here for lunch.
You can take a Seal Island Cruise Tour where you’ll set sail on Loch Linnhe to see wildlife. If you take the 15.30 sailing time you can watch the famous "Hogwarts Express" on its return journey from Mallaig passing alongside the boat. Here is the Seal Island Cruise Tour.
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is where you can see the “Hogwarts Express” go over a beautiful viaduct. It is about a 20-minute hike to the viewing point. It’s a beautiful hike even if you aren’t a huge fan of Harry Potter. The train only runs seasonally from early April to the end of October and goes over the Glenfinnan Viaduct around 10.45 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Eilean Donan Castle: Eilean Donan Castle is everything you would hope to see in a 13th-century Scottish castle. Situated on an island that looks over the place where three sea lochs meet, and surrounded by some majestic scenery. It is basically right off the road on your way to Skye, so it’s a very easy stop.
Then arrive on the mystical Isle of Skye, known for its rugged landscapes, dramatic cliffs, and fairy-tale-like scenery.
SCOTLAND DAY 5-6:
The Isle of Skye is one of the most beautiful and magical places I’ve ever been. I’d go back in a heartbeat. Things to note about Skye:
You are in the Highlands so there aren’t many towns that have hotels, restaurants, and stores.
Portree is your best bet if you are looking for a hotel and restaurant. Because it is so limited you HAVE TO make reservations for restaurants months in advance.
I normally always lean toward a hotel, but we stayed in a beautiful Airbnb that was perfect. We got groceries in Portree and cooked at the Airbnb the whole time we were there.
There are so many beautiful places and hikes in Skye, so here are my favorites:
🧚♀️ Fairy Pools:
It’s a 2.6-mile out-and-back trail.
The river is called the Fairy Pools because folklore tells us that Selkies (seals that can transform into humans) would come to the fairy pools where they would bathe under the full moon's light.
If you don’t mind icy water you can swim in the pools!
🏔 Old Man of Storr:
3.4-mile loop trail.
This is one of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done.
The folklore surrounding the Old Man of Storr is that it was the thumb of a giant who when he died became buried in the earth.
🧚♀️ The Fairy Glen:
1.1 miles for the loop, but we just did an out-and-back style.
When we went there weren’t a lot of people so it was magical, but I believe it can get pretty crowded.
🏔 Quiraing:
4.3-mile loop trail
This trail is difficult and requires maneuvering so it may not be for everyone.
SCOTLAND DAY 7:
🚘 Leave Skye and start the 2 ½ hour drive to Inverness.
🏰 Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle: Loch Ness is a must-see for Scotland. On the shore of Loch Ness is Urquhart Castle. Urquhart’s is mostly in ruins now but they offer glimpses into medieval times and the lives of its noble residents.
Here is the official site to get Urquhart Castle tickets.
You can also take a Loch Ness Cruise: Loch Ness and Caledonian Canal Contemplation Cruise.
Or do a full tour of Urquhart Castle, Culloden, Loch Ness, Inverness & Outlander sites.
👀 Explore Inverness: Inverness is a beautiful, easily walkable town. You can walk along the River Ness to Inverness Castle and St. Andrews Cathedral for some sightseeing.
SCOTLAND DAY 8:
🚘 Leave Inverness and head back to Edinburgh, which will be around a three-hour drive.
🏰 Stirling Castle: On your way back to Edinburgh stop by Stirling Castle. As their site says “Stirling Castle is one of Scotland’s grandest castles due to its imposing position and impressive architecture. The scenery will take your breath away.”
Here is the official site for tickets: Stirling Castle tickets.
👀 You can also see the Braveheart battlefield in Stirling. Here is a great tour option: Braveheart (Battle of Stirling Bridge) Tour.
Then you will enjoy your last night in Edinburgh before flying out the next day.
In just eight days, you've embarked on a Scottish adventure that has taken you from the historic streets of Edinburgh to the enchanting Isle of Skye and through the breathtaking Highlands. Along the way, you've explored castles, hiked through dramatic landscapes, and immersed yourself in Scotland's rich history and culture.
I’d love to help you plan your Scotland trip! Usually, I’ll be happy to plan trips like this free of charge and create a custom itinerary for you. You can reach out to me here.
Thank you for following along!
xoxo,
Syd
