Do you have 7 days in Scotland and need an itinerary? Here it is! This guide is for those with 7 FULL DAYS in Scotland. Meaning, the two travel days on either side are included as well (9 days total, 7 full days in Scotland). If you have less or more than that simply cut a few of these places or stay longer in each. Also, sharing ideas for what to wear if you are traveling there in March, April, or early May.
*This itinerary was prepared for us by Elevate Travel, who I HIGHLY recommend! Travel agents make everything seamless and they help you with small hiccups during your trip so that you can focus on just having an amazing vacation. They can also get you some major perks, like amazing hotel upgrades!
Travel Day-
Fly overnight into Scotland. We flew into Glasgow but Edinburgh has an airport too! We had a 7:30pm flight that landed in London around 9:30am with a two hr layover. Since I focus on both Travel and Fashion over on @themilleraffect, I thought I would also help with travel outfits and help you with what to pack for Scotland so that you have everything you need.
*for every day wear while touring Scotland, head to the end of this post to see what I packed/wore!
Favorite Sets for Long Travel Days:
*click the photo above to shop these sets
*I wore a NeoKnit set from Abercrombie
When expecting a very long flight, loose clothes are best. You don’t want anything that is going to dig into your stomach (that will just cause stomach or gas pains that can be super uncomfortable.)
I recommend a soft fabric like Air Essentials from Spanx, Softstreme from Lululemon, NeoKnit from Abercrombie, or for a super budget-friendly option go with ScubaKnit from Walmart or ‘inspired by’ options from Amazon. If you are flying somewhere that will be super warm, make sure to put a tank (these are my fav) under your top so you can take off your pullover and tie it around your neck or suitcase when you land.
Day 2-
This itinerary will set you off from Glasgow. After landing in Glasgow at 1pm and getting our luggage and rental car we were off around 3pm. We drove straight to Loch Lomand National Park and picked a hike from the AllTrails App (highly recommend this app as it can be filtered for the difficulty level you are looking for and has daily reviews from hikers so you can know exactly what to expect on the trail the day your hike. We did the Beinn Dubh hike but if you don’t have time for 4.5. miles I would suggest the Lost Valley hike as it is only 2.5 miles. Both have beautiful views of Loch Lomand, Scotland’s beautiful landscape, and you will see tons of sheep! From there we drove to Oban, the cutest seaside town! We stayed the night at the Perle Oban Hotel which was right on the water and was super walkable to everything in town. We had the most AMAZING dinner at The Waterfront Fishouse, which ended up being one of our top meals on the trip.
Below: Loch Lomand and McCaig’s Tower in Oban
Day 3-
Left Oban and went to two castles nearby on our way out of town, Dunollie & Dunstaffnage. Both were beautiful and we enjoyed walking around the grounds of each. Photos below. From there we drove to Glen Coe Valley.
Glen Coe Valley is absolutely stunning and worth the drive just to see it. But, I definitely recommend getting out and stretching your legs on a hiking trail (even if it is a short one!) We did the Hidden Valley hike at the Three Sisters of Glencoe on AllTrails and it was phenomenal. They also had a bagpipe player at the start of the trail playing every 30 min or so. It was surreal.
After our hike we stopped for a pint and pizza in Fort William. From here it gets a little tricky. We were supposed to take take the Road to the Isles to Mallaig, and along that road was the 21-arched Glenfinnan viaduct (a location made famous in the Harry Potter films) when Harry and Ron are driving the flying car over the Jacobite Steam Train (Hogwarts Express). If you park you can actually wait and watch the train cross! At the end of the Road to the Isles to Mallaig is the Ferry Crossing from Mallaig to Armadale on the Isle of Skye. We didn’t realize there was a music festival happening in Skye that weekend and the ferry was completely booked. Thankfully, we had checked in the morning or else we would have driven a few hours out of the way for the ferry. Because of this, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND booking your ferry crossing IN ADVANCE!! Book your tickets here.
We ended up driving from Fort William to Skye a different way, missing the Road to the Isles to Mallaig completely :(. That night, we stayed at the Toravaig House Hotel in Skye, which was hands down the best B&B we have ever stayed at. Everyone there was so extremely pleasant and welcoming and helpful.
Here is a photo of the Harry Potter train we missed:
Below: The Dunollie Castle & the Hidden Valley
Day4-
We explored the Isle of Skye! I definitely recommend adding at least one full day in Skye to your itinerary. It is so beautiful.
We took off from our hotel and drove straight to Old Man of Storr. This made the list of our top 5 hikes of all time. It looks daunting at first, but it is so worth it. Just take a lot of breaks! Make sure you always take the path to the RIGHT when going up the trail. On the way back down, when the path splits off to the right, STAY ON THE LEFT. Taking that outer ring will add 2. miles to your walk.
After the hike, stop for lunch at Portree. Is has stunning views and super cute shops.
From there we took a road to the west side of the island to view the Fairy Glenn. I would definitely skip this. Instead maybe try driving the entire island or go to visit the Fairy Pools (bring a swimsuit). And definitely make sure you stop to say high to the Highlander cows. They have long hair and are the CUTEST!
If you had an extra day: take the ferry to Harris. White sand beaches and that is also where you will find the famous Calanais Standing Stones (the ones Claire goes through in Outlander,)
Below: Old Man of Storr and the Highland Cow
Day 5-
Departed Skye and had a very full day.
First, we took the Skye Bridge to Eilean Donan Castle, the most pictured castle in Scotland. We parked and walked the grounds.
From there we drove on to Loch Ness. I bet you have heard of Loch Ness! It was so fun to see the lake and we definitely grabbed Miller a Nessie stuffy from a nearby gift shop. If you have time, take a quick boat tour of the lake and hear more about Nessie and Loch Ness.
On the banks of Loch Ness you can also tour the Urquhart Castle. This was one of our favorite castles to explore while in Scotland.
From the castle we drove on to Inverness. The city of Inverness sits on the banks of the Ness River so it kind of weaves throughout the city. We had lunch at a very local bar, which we loved, called The Castle Tavern. We walked around a bit and then got back in the car and headed for the Knockendarroch Hotel in Pitlochry. I don’t recommend this B&B. It was pretty stuffy and I felt the staff was very pushy.
Below: Eilean Donan Castle and Loch Ness
Day 6-
We hung around Pitlochry and explored nearby. We were scheduled to go to The Braemar, one of Scotland’s highest villages, but it was a rainy day and we were pretty tired of driving at this point. So we visited the Blair Castle and had tea at Hattie’s in Pitlochry instead.
The Blair Castle was well worth the trip. You can walk through all the rooms and reach about the history of the castle. It is still very much intact (so much so that the Duke apparently still stays there from time to time!) The grounds were also beautiful and you can find more Highland Cows here.
On the way from the castle back to town you can do a super quick walk to TWO amazing waterfalls. It was such a quick hike for such a high reward. 100% recommend. In the All Trails app: Lower Falls of Bruar. After you see the first falls keep walking like 50 meters to another set of falls!
Hattie’s is the cutest lunch spot in town and we had the best tea and sandwiches. Ok, AND CAKE! Highly recommend grabbing a reservation as it was quite popular.
We walked around town a bit and went back to the hotel to rest our legs for a little downtime. Then we went back into town and had a pint at The Old Mill before walking to dinner.
We walked to dinner at Cidsin and it was THE BEST INDIAN FOOD we have ever had. Probably the best meal of the trip and it was where I found out that I actually LOVE GIN.
Below: Blair Castle and Hattie’s, Lower Falls and The Old Mill
Day 7-
We left Pitlochry and headed towards Edinburgh.
We stopped on the way at St Andrews, which was a highlight of Troy’s life. If you have a big golfer going, maybe consider getting to St Andrews super early and they can add their name to a wait list to play that day. He said they open the door at 6am and single golfers can put their names on a wait list. You do have to hang around until their name is called though!
We actually already had a tee time booked at new course about 20 min away called Dumbarnie Golf Links. Troy had his very first caddie experience and loved every minute of it.
After golf we drove into Edinburgh. Our absolute FAVORITE city/town in Scotland. Like wow. That is all I can say WOW. If Harry Potter was a city, this would be it. In fact. J.K. Rowling frequented Edinburgh often and wrote The Sorcerer’s Stone in a coffee shop in town, called The Elephant House. The cafe overlooked Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery that has tons of people with the same names as characters in the books! Just look at the image of Victoria Street below and tell me that isn’t Diagon Alley! And the Edinburgh Castle that sits atop rock cliffs looking down at the city is definitely Hogwarts! Our only regret is that we didn’t have more time in this enchanted place.
We walked around and explored the city mostly, but the one thing that we feel like is a MUST DO in Edinburgh is the Johnnie Walker Tour. The entire thing felt like a ride at Disney World and it was so much fun. And I don’t even like whiskey!
Below: Dumbarnie Links, Victoria Street, Edinburgh Castle, Johnnie Walker Experience
Day 8-
We left for Ireland. Make sure to read my 6 days in Ireland, a Self-Driving Tour, if you are heading there after Scotland or if you want to travel there sometime soon! We did enjoy Scotland more but I think it all depends on YOU and your own likes and hobbies. Scotland was insanely beautiful and there was so much to see. Plus, all of the hiking trails were insanely beautiful. Ireland was much more vibrant and lively. There was live music everywhere tons of fun pubs to visit.
Scotland was rainy and cold. When the sun was out it was beautiful but the layers were A MUST! You never know when it can get a little windy. Plus, if you are hiking or will be near any lakes, you can always expect temps to drop 10-20 degrees. Here are the items I recommend you bring with you:
*click the photo above to shop everything in the collage.
A good, insulated rain jacket is the #1 must have. It needs to keep you dry but also keep you warm. I also recommend a warm flannel that you can use to layer during hikes.
For night time, long sleeve maxi dresses or a pair of loose, comfortable jeans. And please don’t bring heels. You will be walking everywhere all day every day and the streets could be cobblestone. I recommend a very comfortable pair of flats.
Please leave any questions about the itinerary or packing list below. If you have been to Scotland and have some things to add to this post PLEASE DO! The more tips the merrier!
