Ultimate Guide To a Trip In Scotland Without a Car

Scotland covers a third of the British Isles and with its wild spaces, ancient towns and multiple castles, is well worth a visit. However in Scotland the weather is changeable and a sunny day can easily turn into a rainy one. In addition to this, they drive on the left side of the road and in the Highlands some of the roads are very narrow and curved. The combination of these things made me unsure about renting a car on my trips to Scotland. Luckily it is possible to travel around Scotland without a car.

How to travel in Scotland without a car?

On my first trip in Scotland I wanted to see everything and in a relatively short time (10 days), I settled in an Airbnb apartment in Edinburgh and put together a star trip that included a lot of day-trips and an internal flight. Day-trips are very common in Europe and there is a wide range of excursions that depart from major cities, in the case of Scotland from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.

Day-trips are an excellent solution for those who want to experience the country they are visiting without renting a car and without having to get around by buses and find the places themselves. Day-trips can also include an organized trip of more than a day and in such a case they also provide accommodation that is included in the price of the trip. I remember that the most successful trip I took was the 3-day one to the Highlands and Skye, I highly recommend it. The beauty of day-trips is that they pick you up and take you back to the city you are in and show you the main places combined with a local guide.

If you are more independent, public transport in Scotland is also wonderful.

The second time I traveled to Scotland I felt like I had already seen all that is offered on day trips and wanted a more relaxed trip. I decided to get around with the help of buses I knew which area I wanted to explore and with the help of Google Maps I saw the possible arrival routes and the necessary bus lines. I wanted to book tickets in advance, but from the information I found on the internet it seems that each area has its own bus company and I could not figure out where I could re-book from.

When I arrived at the bus station, I realized that it was necessary to book a ticket in advance because the buses are usually full and when you book in advance there is a discount on the ticket. I had to wait and let all the passengers who had pre-ordered their tickets, get on the bus first and see if there was any space left for me. Luckily I had space and I bought a ticket directly from the driver. It should be taken into account that the available space on the bus does not necessarily depend on the number of people at the station with you, but on all the passengers the driver has to pick up (the driver has a list) if it is a long journey.

So how do you buy a ticket in advance?

I found a site that helps plan your route. You enter where you want to start your journey and what your destination is and the site tells you which lines you should take and which bus company operates the same lines and provides a link to that company’s site. When entering the bus company’s website to purchase tickets, you must enter the specific name of the boarding bus stop and the drop-off stop (you will find the names of the stations on the website that has planned the route for you). If your route consists of several different bus lines, you will need to buy tickets separately for each trip.

In addition, when buying a ticket, you need to buy for the desired time. Although the bus system is usually very accurate and reliable, if you have to change lines, make sure you have enough time in case of delays so that you do not miss the next bus. If you arrive at the station long before your next bus is scheduled to leave, then there is also an option to buy through a device for buying tickets at the main stations.

If you plan to travel a lot with the help of buses, you have more options.

City-Link (bus company) has a ticket that allows free travel for several days. They have a large array of buses, both in and between cities. City-links cover almost the whole of Scotland and have many lines. This is a really good option if you want to move around Scotland frequently, both for convenience and because the price is more affordable for you. In addition to them, Scotrail also has the option to buy a ticket that allows free passage according to different types of tickets. Some of the tickets also allow free travel for trains and ferries in addition to buses and are usually set up for certain areas. You can find more information about the different types of passes on Scotrail here.

How do you know when to get off the bus?

If you read my post about the trip I did alone in the Highlands, you know that when I took the bus to Glencoe I got off the bus one stop before I needed and walked an hour and a half with my things. Why did this actually happen to me? I relied on a local bus app to direct me. My destination was aimed at the address of the hotel I chose and I relied on it to know how to calculate the distance between the bus stop and my destination.

It is important to note, most often when choosing to travel by public transport we will also have to walk a bit because the station will not always be directly at our destination. This is something to consider. Google Maps knows how to better calculate the walking time between the station point and the destination point and drop you off at the nearest station and create an accurate route for you. If I had been using Google Maps on Glencoe, I would have gotten off one stop after and walked only ten minutes instead of an hour and a half.

Since then I have learned to direct my route on google maps and remember the name of the station. Usually when we turn off the internet the route is saved and our location changes on the saved route on the screen as we move along the way. From time to time I would open up the internet and make sure of where I was and how much time I had left of the journey. Most of the time their schedule is accurate, so I would calculate when I was supposed to arrive and towards the estimated time verify my location with the help of the app.

But Google Maps also has a downside.

Sometimes some of the lines in towns in the Highlands are not always updated and some have been canceled, but still appear on the screen. I guess that in big cities the lines are more updated, because I have not had any problems and unlike the lines in remote places, city buses have an accurate display of the arrival times of the bus on Google Map. If there is a delay on the city lines it appears in the app, unlike the lines in the Highlands that disappear from the screen after the arrival time is reached, even if the bus is only delayed. However I will say again that for the most part the array of buses is very accurate and easy to use. The buses are comfortable, with large windows and the long-distance travel is fun in its own right.

In Edinburgh there are a number of bus companies that operate lines in the city.

Edinburgh is a really beautiful and special city, I personally thoroughly enjoyed walking in it. I enjoyed the special construction and the bagpipe players scattered around the city. But if you do not like to walk or you want to get to places far from where you are, you will find that it is easy to get around the city. There is a large array of buses and a number of companies that operate them. Some companies have day or week passes with which you can travel freely during this time. The frequency of buses is high so there is no need to book in advance for travel within Edinburgh.

Beyond the buses there is also a very convenient train system. Google Maps knows how to show you all the ways and also combine them and reach distant places with their help. A train ticket can be bought on the website or at the ticket machine at the station. In addition in Edinburgh there is also a tram that allows for another element in mobility in Edinburgh or to the airport. You can buy a ticket through the local app or at the ticket machine at the station.

Arriving to Isles in Scotland.

There are several ways to get to the isles. If it is an island as close as Sky or Holly you can reach them by car or in our case a bus, but it is important to take into account that sometimes it is a long drive. If you are with a car then also consider the tidal times and make sure you can cross over. It is also possible to take a ferry to the island.

I went on a day-trip to Sky so I went by mini-bus (supplied by the day-trip), but when I wanted to get to Isle of Lewis and Harry, I was in Edinburgh as I said without a car and far from the ferry station and I could not make the bus journey either. I booked an internal flight from Edinburgh Airport directly to the Isle of Lewis. The journey was short and the procedure was simple. I spent the whole day there and in the evening I returned by flight to Edinburgh. It was totally worth it (Want to know what was so interesting about Lewis that I had to take an inside flight? Read my recommendation post).

Public transport in Scotland is very convenient, organized and works well. You can reach almost anywhere with it and experience the wildness of Scotland. I enjoyed getting around with its help. So for someone who is afraid to rent a car, but still wants to experience more than the major cities this is a really good solution. The journeys themselves are experiential, Scotland is an amazing country, full of lakes, rivers and waterfalls on all sides and mountains that rise above them, combined with open spaces and skies that change constantly.