Travel guides
Practical, in-depth guides to getting to and around Scotland: airports, driving, rail and where to stay.
Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle: A Travel Guide to Scotland's Most Famous Loch
How to visit Loch Ness and its dramatic lochside ruin, Urquhart Castle. Getting there from Inverness, boat cruises, the Loch Ness Centre, and where to base yourself in the Highlands.
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Dunnottar Castle and the Aberdeenshire Castle Trail: A Visitor's Guide
How to visit Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven and drive Scotland's only signposted Castle Trail, from the pink fairy-tale of Craigievar to Crathes, Fyvie and Fraserburgh. Getting there, where to base yourself and when to go.
Speyside Whisky Distilleries and the Malt Whisky Trail: A Travel Guide
How to reach Speyside, tour the world's only Malt Whisky Trail by car, and choose a base town, with a designated-driver plan for tasting days.
Scotland Whisky Tours: A Region-by-Region Guide to Visiting the Distilleries
Scotland has five whisky regions, and each makes a different trip. Here is how to choose between Speyside, the Highlands, the Lowlands, Islay and Campbeltown, how to get to each, and how to tour responsibly.
Scotland's Castles: A Region-by-Region Guide to Visiting the Best
Scotland has more than a thousand castles, from clifftop ruins to lived-in royal palaces. Here is how to choose which to visit, region by region, how to get to each, and how to plan a castle trip that actually works.
Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle: Visiting Scotland's Great Royal Fortresses
A practical guide to visiting Scotland's two great royal castles. How to reach Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle without a car, what to see inside each, and how to do both in one easy trip.
Visiting Highland Whisky Distilleries: A Travel Guide to Getting There and Getting Around
The Highlands is Scotland's largest and most spread-out whisky region, so a good trip is about itineraries and driving, not a single trail. Here is how to fly in, hire a car, choose distilleries that welcome visitors, and where to stay.
Lowland Whisky Distilleries Near Edinburgh and Glasgow: An Easy-Access Visitor Guide
The Lowlands is Scotland's most reachable whisky region. Here is how to visit Glenkinchie, Clydeside, Auchentoshan, Port of Leith and the Fife distilleries as easy day trips from Edinburgh or Glasgow, with or without a car.
Highland Castles by Car: Eilean Donan and Beyond
A practical travel guide to visiting the great Highland castles led by Eilean Donan, with honest advice on getting there, which castles welcome visitors, and where to base yourself.
Visiting Campbeltown Whisky Distilleries: A Kintyre Travel Guide
How to reach Campbeltown, the tiny Kintyre town that was once the whisky capital of the world, and how to visit Springbank, Glen Scotia and Kilkerran. Flights, drives, festival timing and booking ahead.
Flights to Islay: The Whisky Island by Air (and How It Compares to the Ferry)
How to reach Islay, the world-famous whisky island, by Loganair from Glasgow in about 40 minutes, and how the short flight stacks up against the scenic CalMac ferry from Kennacraig.
Flights to Orkney (Kirkwall): The Complete Guide to Flying and the World's Shortest Scheduled Flight
How to fly to Kirkwall from mainland Scotland with Loganair, ride the world's shortest scheduled flight from Westray to Papa Westray, and decide honestly between the plane and the ferry.
Flights to Tiree: Flying to the UK's Sunniest Island
How to fly to Tiree, the sunniest and windiest island in the UK. Loganair's 19-seat Twin Otter from Glasgow, the tight baggage limits, the CalMac ferry alternative, and what to do when you land on Scotland's windsurfing island.
Flights to Stornoway: The Complete Guide to Reaching the Isle of Lewis
How to fly to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, gateway to the Outer Hebrides. Loganair routes from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness, the Ullapool ferry compared, and honest tips on booking, baggage and the island Sabbath.
Flights to Barra: How to Fly to the World's Only Beach Runway
Barra is the only airport on Earth with scheduled flights that land on a tidal beach. Here is how to fly there: the Glasgow route, the 19-seat Twin Otter, the tide-driven timetable, baggage limits, and flight versus ferry.
Flights to Shetland (Sumburgh): The Complete Guide to Reaching Britain's Northern Isles
How to fly to Shetland via Sumburgh Airport: who flies the mainland routes, how the overnight ferry compares, when to book, and how to plan around the weather. Honest, verified guidance for planning your trip.
Planning a Scotland Golf Trip: St Andrews and Beyond
St Andrews is the anchor, but world-class links lie in every direction. The courses, how the Old Course ballot works, and the fly-hire-base logistics of a Scotland golf trip.
Hotels Near St Andrews Old Course: Where to Stay for Golf
From the Old Course Hotel on the Road Hole to Rusacks by the 18th and the clifftop Fairmont, here is where to stay in the Home of Golf, and why you should book far ahead.
How to Get to St Andrews from Edinburgh Airport
St Andrews is about 50 miles from Edinburgh Airport, roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by road across the Forth. It has no railway station of its own; here is how to get there by car, rail or coach.
Flying to the Scottish Islands with Loganair: Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides
Loganair runs Scotland's lifeline island air network from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. The islands served, the aircraft, strict baggage limits and Barra's tidal beach runway.
North Coast 500 Car Rental and Driving Guide
The NC500 is a 516-mile loop from Inverness on single-track Highland roads. What vehicle to hire, automatic vs manual, passing-place etiquette, fuel planning and a sample itinerary.
How to Get to the Isle of Skye from Edinburgh and Glasgow
Skye has no commercial airport, so you fly to the mainland and drive. Inverness is the closest practical airport; here is how the drive, train and ferry options compare.
Inverness Airport to the City and the Highlands
Inverness Airport is the gateway to the northern Highlands, Loch Ness and the road to Skye. How to reach the city by bus, the 2023 airport train or taxi, and why most visitors hire a car.
Glasgow Airport to the City Centre and Beyond
Glasgow Airport has no rail station at the terminal. Here is how to reach the city by the 24-hour Airport Express bus, taxi or nearby Paisley trains, plus onward links.
Edinburgh Airport to the City Centre: Tram vs Taxi vs Bus
Three good ways from Edinburgh Airport into town: the tram, the 24-hour Airlink 100 bus, or a taxi. Times, costs and which to pick for your luggage and budget.
Premium Economy vs Business Class Transatlantic to Scotland: What You Actually Get
On a 7-hour overnight to Scotland, the cabin is really a question about sleep. What economy, premium economy and lie-flat business each give you on transatlantic routes.
Direct Flights from New York to Edinburgh: The Transatlantic Route Explained
New York to Edinburgh is one of the busiest nonstop links to Scotland. Flight time, JFK versus Newark, the red-eye pattern and which cabins each airline offers.
Flying from the US and Canada to Scotland: Which Airport and Which Airline
Planning a trip to Scotland from North America? The first choice is the airport, not the airline. How the transatlantic map to Scotland actually works, and how to choose.
Where to Stay for the Scottish Open: Hotels Near The Renaissance Club
The Renaissance Club sits in Dirleton, East Lothian, between Gullane and North Berwick, and the good rooms nearby book out months ahead. Here is exactly where to base yourself for the Scottish Open.
Luxury SUV and Automatic Car Hire at Edinburgh Airport: A Golfer's Guide
The counterintuitive truth: a large estate often carries golf clubs better than a bigger SUV. Which car to actually hire at Edinburgh Airport, where to collect it, and the five desk traps that cost golfers money.
How to Travel to the Scottish Open: A North American Golfer's Guide to The Renaissance Club
Flying in for the Genesis Scottish Open? Here is the exact airport, drive-time, rail and hotel logistics for North American golfers heading to The Renaissance Club: Edinburgh versus Glasgow, the A1, and where to stay in Gullane and North Berwick.
Flying to the Scottish islands: Loganair's Orkney, Shetland and Hebrides network
A guide to Loganair's lifeline island network, from Orkney and Shetland to the Hebrides and Barra's famous beach runway.