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How To Use This 10-Day Scotland Itinerary
Hiya, I’m Gemma, your Scotland trip planner, and I’ve put together this free 10-day road trip itinerary.
This is a rough guide; it is strongly advised that you also follow my step-by-step instructions on how to plan a trip to Scotland so that you can assess how long you are comfortable driving for and prioritise what locations you can’t miss.
Remember to include time for getting to and from attractions, doing the activity (tour, hike, etc), comfort stops, and dining.
Summer is great for long days with lots of light, but you will encounter crowds around this “classic” Scotland route as it features the most popular places to visit.
This means your driving times will be longer than Google Maps states, and you might need to be patient while waiting for parking or decide to skip some attractions if they are too busy.
Days are shorter in winter, so there is less light for driving, and some rural attractions close until spring.
You can read about the best time to visit Scotland here.
If you decide that creating your own itinerary is too challenging (it’s overwhelming, I appreciate this), or if you don’t have time– I offer one-to-one consultations over Zoom, which you can read about here.
You can also use this service to review a draft itinerary and tap into my local insight.
Note: Throughout this 10-day Scotland itinerary, I’ve linked to other helpful guides on this website (Everything Edinburgh) and my other websites, Hiya Scotland and Two Scots Abroad.
10-Day Scotland Itinerary
Day 1: Edinburgh to Stirling
- Pick up a rental car at Edinburgh Airport
- The Kelpies at The Helix, Falkirk
- Stirling: Castle (book), Old Stirling Bridge, Wallace Monument, or Bannockburn Experience (book)
- Accommodation: Stirling Highland Hotel – I’ve been to the spa, lovely
Read more: Things to Do in Stirling.
Day 2: Stirling to Fort William
- Leave Stirling
- Drive through Callander, stop at Trossachs Woollen Mill to see Highland cows (Heilan coos)
- Glen Coe: Three Sisters Viewpoint, Glencoe Lochan (walk), or Glencoe Visitor Centre
- Glenfinnan Viaduct: Check the website for times to see the Jacobite Harry Potter train
- Fort William: Restaurants and accommodation (reserve in advance)
- Accommodation: Imperial Hotel, The Garrison, or The Moorings near Fort William
Read more: Things to Do in Glencoe.
Day 3: Fort William to Inverness
- Leave Fort William
- Loch Ness: Urquhart Castle (book), a Loch Ness cruise (book), or Plodda Falls
- Inverness: Restaurants and accommodation (reserve in advance)
- Accommodation: Alban and Abbey or Ness Walk
Read more: Things to Do in Loch Ness and Things to Do in Inverness.
Day 4: Inverness to the Isle of Skye
- Leave Inverness
- Eilean Donan Castle
- Skye Bridge (no toll), Sligachan Old Bridge
- Portree: Restaurants and accommodation (reserve in advance)
- Accommodation: Greshornish House (Edinbane) or The Bosville (Portree)
Read more: Things to Do in Skye.
Day 5: Isle of Skye
- Old Man of Storr hike (arrive early)
- Lealt Falls viewpoint
- Kilt Rock viewpoint
- The Quiraing (short walk to popular view)* or The Fairy Glen
- Portree
- Accommodation: Greshornish House (Edinbane) or The Bosville (Portree)
Read more: Things to Do in Skye.
*Parking for Quiraing is limited and fills up quickly, so if it’s a “must do” on your itinerary, prioritise it over Old Man of Storr, which has a bigger car park (parking lot). Quiraing can be extended to a half-day circular hike.
Day 6: Isle of Skye
- The Fairy Pools (arrive early)
- Dunvegan Castle & Gardens
- Portree
- Accommodation: Greshornish House (Edinbane) or The Bosville (Portree)
Read more: Things to Do in Skye.
Day 7: Isle of Skye to Pitlochry (Perthshire )
- Leave Portree
- Drive through the Cairngorms National Park, plan a stop to stretch your legs
- Pitlochry: Restaurants, souvenir shops, whisky ice cream – Queen’s View is worth stopping at
- Accommodation: Old Mill Inn or Fonab Castle
Read more: Things to Do in Perthshire.
Day 8: Pitlochry to Edinburgh
- Leave Pitlochry
- St Andrews: Cathedral, shopping, restaurants
- Or Anstruther: fishing village, fish and chips
- Drive over the Queensferry Crossing
- Edinburgh Airport to drop off car
- Transfer to Edinburgh by bus, tram, or taxi – read this guide for details
- This guide details many things to do at night in the city
- Accommodation: Holiday Inn or Ibis Hunter Square
Read more: Things to Do in Edinburgh and Edinburgh Accommodation by Type.
Day 9: Edinburgh
- Edinburgh Castle (book)
- Wander along the Royal Mile, down the closes (alleys), and Victoria Street to the Grassmarket
- Whisky tasting at Scotch Whisky Experience, Johnnie Walker Experience, or this storytelling event
- Or, the hop on/off bus
- Or, the Edinburgh Vaults tour
- Or, walk through Princes Street Gardens to Dean Village
- Or, shopping
- Accommodation: Holiday Inn or Ibis Hunter Square
Read more: Things to Do in Edinburgh and Edinburgh Accommodation by Type.
Day 10: Home
- If you have time before your flight, you could do any of the suggestions above
- Or, hike Calton Hill (short) or Arthur’s Seat (1.5-2 hours)
- Or, take the bus to the Stockbridge neighbourhood
- Or, take the tram to the Leith neighbourhood
Other Popular Road Trip Routes
- Oban and Isle of Mull, Iona, and Staffa (puffins!)
- Glasgow to Loch Lomond
- North Coast 500
Lesser Known Road Trips Routes
Note: These itineraries come with a disclaimer: while first-time visitors might not consider them, locals do, especially on sunny days, so assume that lesser-known “hidden gems” don’t always mean crowd-free, like social media leads you to believe!
Help! I Don’t Want to Drive
No problem!
Choose a few cities (or bigger towns with good transport links) to stay in and use the trains or local bus services.
Check out the following guides:
- Edinburgh Day Trips by Train
- Edinburgh Day Trips by Bus
- Edinburgh Day Coach Tours
- Edinburgh Highlands Tours
- Scotland Whisky Tours
- Outlander Tours
- Glasgow Day Trips (video)
- Inverness Day Trips (video)
Other Helpful Resources
Also, join me and fellow planners in my free Scotland tips Facebook community.
Final Words
If you found this Scotland itinerary helpful and would like to say “cheers” by buying me a coffee, you can do so here.
You can also support me by sharing this guide, engaging with me on social media, or signing up for a one-to-one trip-planning consultation call over Zoom.
During this call, you can ask me anything about Scotland planning!