Scotlandview - Visiting and Travelling around Scotland
Please select your mode of transportation
Visit Scotland by plane ...
When arriving in Scotland from abroad chances are big that you arrive at Glasgow International Airport which is the major airport in Scotland. Other (international) airports are Edinburgh, Prestwick, Inverness and Aberdeen. There are also a lot of smaller airports mainly on the islands in the West and the North.
Glasgow International Airport has its own train station and renting a car can be done at Carrentals.co.uk or via the official BAA website. BAA is the company that owns Glasgow Airport and other airports in the UK.
Other Airline companys who fly to and from Scottish airfields are:
Visit Scotland by train ... Scotland has a privat railway company called Scotrail who cover almost the entire country. Trains drive between Glasgow and Edinburgh every half hour and both cities have connections with other destinations in and outside of Scotland such as Aberdeen, Stirling, Perth, Inverness and London. The traveltime from Edinburgh to London takes about 4 hours and from Glasgow to Londen about 5 hours.
Virgin Trains is one of the operators to and from London and Glasgow/Edinburgh.
Travelling by train through the wonderful highlands is a very relaxing way of travelling and for people who are planning to travel on more than one day through Scotland and/or book in advance there are special discount rates available. Examples are the Apex and Super-Apex when bookes for one or two weeks in advance. Also Saver an Super-Saver discounts are available and furthermore there is a Freedom of Scotland Pass which gives good discounts when travelling by train for more than one day.
Special Railways
The Jacobite Steam Train ... this 84 mile round trip starts near Ben Nevis, takes you over the Harry Potter bridge near Glenfinnan to Arisaig and from there to Morar and Mallaig.
The Strathspey Railway ... takes you from Aviemore to Boat of Garten through the heart of Monarch of the Glen county.
Visit Scotland by Ferry ... For the majority of people travelling from the continent of Europe the Ferry is the most obvious way of travelling to Scotland. There are 4 major companies who maintain regular crossing from various ports on the mainland of Europe to England and Scotland. For comparison reasons the traveltime from the port of destination to Glasgow is listed.
The 4 major routes and operators are:
Superfast Ferries maintain a service from Zeebrugge (belgium) to Rosyth (Edinburgh, Scotland). Rosyth to Glasgow is a 45 minute drive over 50 miles.
P&O Ferries maintain a service from Rotterdam Europoort to Hull England. From Hull to Glasgow is a 4 to 5 hours drive over 300 miles.
Stena Line maintain a service from Hook van Holland to Harwich in England. The trip from Harwich to Glasgow takes you about 7 hours and is almost 500 miles. But then you can travel with the HSS (High Speed Sealink) from Stena which is great fun.
DFDS Seaways maintain a service from Ijmuiden (amsterdam) to New Castle in England. The trip to Glasgow takes you about 2,5 hours and is about 170 miles.
Local Ferry companies are:
Caledonian MacBrayne Hebrides & Clyde ferries offer regular services from ports on the westcoast from Scotland to almost every island on the westcoast. Calmac offers hopscotch tickets with discounts when travelling over a longer period to more than one island.
John O'Groats Ferries They operate a passenger ferry service from John O' Groats in the Far North of Scotland to Orkney from the 1st May to 30th September.
Visit Scotland by Car ...
Driving in Scotland is more than just travelling from A to B. With so much scenery around the journey will always take you longer than planned because of the necessary stops for taking pictures.
The roads in Scotland are a wonderful mix from very narrow single track roads to super modern motorways. All these roads are categorized starting with motorways who start with a letter M, mainroads with the letter A and secundary roads with the letter B. And there are of course unclassified roads. But where ever you drive dont forget to keep left, so does everyone else.
Scotland is one of the few countries that still has single track roads. Such a road consists of one driving lane with passing places every 20 to 50 meters. The passing places can be recognized by the signs like the one on the right. The meaning is not to race towards the first passing place when someone is driving towards you. With courtesy and common sense these roads can be fun to drive and dont forget to let other drivers overtake when they are driving behind you, they probably know the road better or just have a bit more hurry.
When planning your journey dont forget to add some extra time when driving over these single track roads. On some roads an average of 30 miles per hour is all that is possible. And that is without the necessary stops for pictures!
One more thing is very important when driving through Scotland. Gasoline prices are always highest in the north and the Western Isles and it is very important to check if gasoline is available on remote and far away places. For an up-to-date price-overview and comparison click here
When your car brakes down you can contact one of these two organizations that will offer you help:
Visit Scotland by bus ... The 2 major buscompanies in Scotland are Scottish Citylink and National Express.
Scottish Citylink offers bus services to over 200 cities and towns in Scotland.
National Express offers bus services between the major cities in Scotland and the rest of Great Britain. Reservations are necessary.
Ryanair
Easy Jet
Logan Air
Scot Airways
British Airways
... Scotland has a privat railway company called Scotrail who cover almost the entire country. Trains drive between Glasgow and Edinburgh every half hour and both cities have connections with other destinations in and outside of Scotland such as Aberdeen, Stirling, Perth, Inverness and London. The traveltime from Edinburgh to London takes about 4 hours and from Glasgow to Londen about 5 hours.
Virgin Trains
The Jacobite Steam Train
The Strathspey Railway
Superfast Ferries
P&O Ferries
Stena Line
DFDS Seaways
Caledonian MacBrayne
John O'Groats Ferries
Driving in Scotland is more than just travelling from A to B. With so much scenery around the journey will always take you longer than planned because of the necessary stops for taking pictures. 
Scotland is one of the few countries that still has single track roads. Such a road consists of one driving lane with passing places every 20 to 50 meters. The passing places can be recognized by the signs like the one on the right. The meaning is not to race towards the first passing place when someone is driving towards you. With courtesy and common sense these roads can be fun to drive and dont forget to let other drivers overtake when they are driving behind you, they probably know the road better or just have a bit more hurry.
When planning your journey dont forget to add some extra time when driving over these single track roads. On some roads an average of 30 miles per hour is all that is possible. And that is without the necessary stops for pictures!
