Amazing Scotland Itinerary: 7 Days
If you’re looking for a Scotland itinerary, you’re in the right place.
I have spent hours over the past year researching our family trip to Scotland.
While our trip is a 2 week trip, I now have enough information to cut the trip down shorter to one week, for those who only have 7 days in Scotland.
While 7 days in Scotland isn’t enough to see everything, its enough to:
- visit quite a few places
- see the highlights
- get incredible taste of the beauty of Scotland.
In addition to the typical tourist trail, I have several hidden gems recommended throughout this article that you can fit into this 7-day Scotland travel itinerary.
So, let’s jump in. I’ve already done the planning, so let me show you how to spend 7 amazing days in beautiful Scotland!
What You Need to Know About This Scotland Itinerary
Here are a few things to know about this 7-day Scotland itinerary
✅ You will see all of western Scotland (north and south), including Edinburgh, Cairgoorms National Park, Isle of Skye, several castles, small towns and hidden gems in between
✅ While our visit to Scotland is with our two kids, this itinerary may also be a bit rushed for young kids. (We have a 3-year-old with us, and a 12-year-old who hates car rides longer than an hour.)
✅ This itinerary would highly benefit from a car rental. It could be done without a car, but there’d be an added complication of figuring out how to get from place to place
*I wasn’t able to fit the historic city of Inverness (which has the Loch Ness boat cruises and Culloden Battlefield) into only 7 days in Scotland. If you want to visit Inverness as well as everything else on this list, check out my 10-day Scotland itinerary.
The Best Scotland Itinerary: 7 Days
Flying into Glasgow is sometimes easier and cheaper than flying into Edinburgh. You can fly into whatever city you choose, but make sure you arrive in Edinburgh the day before the itinerary starts. Day 1 of the itinerary should be waking up with the full day ahead in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh (2 nights)
2 nights in Edinburgh essentially gives you 1 full day to explore the city. Maybe you will have a little bit of time the day before (on arrival day)
Day 1: Exploring the medieval old town of Edinburgh
1. Visit Edinburgh Castle
Time needed: 1-3 hours
Edinburgh Castle is highly worth a visit. It sits on top of an extinct volcano called Castle Rock, and offers not only interesting history but a beautiful view of Edinburgh.
Their website makes it really easy for you to see how much you can fit into any time frame.
It’s recommended to book your Edinburgh Castle tickets online in advance
2. Walk the Royal Mile
Time needed: 20+ minutes (budget over an hour if you’re shopping, eating, etc.)
The other must-do in Edinburgh is walking up the Royal Mile. It’s a World Heritage site, and the highlight of any trip to Edinburgh.
The Royal Mile connects Edinburgh Castle with the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the entire walk would take about 20 minutes (without stops.)
You’ll find many shops, restaurants, cafés, and souvenir shops along the cobbled streets.
Hidden gem alert: While walking down the Royal Mile, don’t leave out the little side streets branching off from it – they’re full of hidden gems. Dunbars Close Garden, Bakhouse Close (for Outlander fans), the ivy heart at Chessels Court, and the unique architecture at the back of the Holyrood Parliament Building
Additional Things to do in/around Edinburgh
Have more time? In addition to the two activities I’ve suggested above, here are a few other optional add-ons to Edinburgh
- Do a Harry Potter Tour, offered through two different companies: The Potter Trail and The Potter Tour. They both offer ‘free’ tours but they hope for donations, for somewhere in the 20 pounds per head range. Tours for both are around 1.5 hours long. We decided to go with the first one (Potter Trail) but you can’t go wrong, they both have high Google ratings. Be sure to book in advance for these tours, especially if you’re coming during the summer.
- Do an Outlander tour. Outlander books are the most popular books set iun Scotland. Outlander fans will love Edinburgh, because quite a few of the filming locations are actually nearby and there are tours specifically dedicated to them.
Day 2: Roadtrip day
Today’s road trip will take you to several gems and castles outside Edinburgh which are ‘must-sees’ in Scotland. If you’d rather not to do this as a road trip, then I recommend booking an extra night in Edinburgh and instead book a day tour through Viator (there are so many!) that will take you to other things below.
Otherwise, continue reading to see how to explore the below via your own transportation and pase.
Check out of your accommodation in Edinburgh and start driving to the village of Stonehaven.
During your drive, you’ll want to visit these things in order. You can leave
- Midhope Castle (22 km /14 miles from downtown Edinburgh): A Small castle that was the set of Lallybroch in Outlander. You can do a self-guided visit, or a guided tour. Buy tickets in advance online
- The Kelpies (20 km /13 miles) from Midhope castle) Tall medal horse statues that you can do a quick stop at, or visit for a bit. If you’re with kids, this is a worthwhile stop – there’s an Adventure Zone, an awesome playground. There’s also food and a gift shop on site.
- Stirling Castle (19 km /12 miles from the Kelpies) Can go in or just see from outside.) I recommend going in if you can, and would prioritize it over these other ideas if you only want to go into one castle. Book in advance here.
- Doune Castle (12 km / 8 miles)Castle Leoch in Outlander, and Winterfell in Game of Thrones) Book online if we want to go in
Hidden Gem Alert: If you have the time/energy for one more stop after Doune Castle, I highly recommend a stop at Trossachs Woolen Mill. (20 minutes from Doune Castle) It’s a cute little store and café with highland cows. You can buy feed to feed them. They’re very gentle.
Pitlochry (2 nights)
Pitlochry is a tourist town known for being ‘the heart of the Highlands.’
Day 3: Explore Pitlochry
Hidden gem alert: If budget is at all a concern, stay in the nearby small town of Blair Atholl. This is what we chose to do – there’s a lovely 500-year-old watermill that sells pastries, and you can take a train to Pitlochry. Plus, you’re only 5 mins to Blair Castle.
Things to do in and near Pitlochry:
- Take in the cute Victorian town centre of Pitlochry
- Blair Castle and Gardens
- Enjoy very scenic views – Queen’s view is just a 1-minute walk from the visitor’s centre which you can drive to.
Pitlochry This article gave me many ideas for how to spend our day in Pitlochry.
Isle of Skye (2 nights)
Day 4: Drive up to Isle of Skye
The drive from Pitrochy to Isle of Skye is about 3.5 hours ( km or miles.)
However, there are many places to stop, so I would budget for longer than this.
Hidden Gem Alert: You’re driving past Cairgooms National Park, which means there are a lot of special places to stop. One really unique experience is the Cairgooms Reindeer Herd.
Once you get to Isle of Skye, you may want to stop in Portee for a bite to eat. There are so many great places to eat – Café Arriba has a really cute setting, and great service.
Check into your Isle of Skye accommodation. You could stay right in Portee, or you could stay at a number of bed and breakfasts scattered throughout the island.
We chose to stay at Achalochan House B&B in west Isle of Skye for 3 nights.
The check-in for this place (and likely other places on Isle of Skye) isn’t until 4 or 5pm, so there may be time to squeeze in an activity before check-in, such as the Fairy Glen Hike (plan based on where you’re staying and what’s in the area.)
Isle of Skye (2 nights)
One thing to keep in mind about Isle of Skye, is that there are often more people than restaurants, so making restaurant reservations for dinner (especially during the summer months) might be necessary.
Day 5: Exploring the beauty of the Isle of Skye
There are so many things to do in Isle of Skye. With only one full day, you may have to prioritize what is most important and doable for you.
The main things to do are:
- Fairy Glen Hike (about 1 hour)
- Fairy Pools Hike (also about 1 hour)
Other cool things to consider:
- Staffin Dinosaur Museum, which has fossils that are found on Isle of Skye from dinosaurs that lived there over 60 million years ago
- Pony Experience (fun if you’re in Isle of Skye with kids)
Day 6: Drive to Fort William
Fort William is just over a 2-hour drive (199 miles or 320 km) from Isle of Skye; could be slightly more or less depending on where you’re staying on the island obviously!
Fort William is such a quaint little town in itself.
This is also where you catch the Jacobite Steam Train through the highlands, if you’re interested. (We decided not to, which I regret as it would have been nice – but it’s very pricey and we didn’t think our two kids would appreciate it in full.)
If you want to do the Jacobite Express, you could book a morning (or better yet afternoon trip based on this itinerary) on their website here.
Stay overnight in Fort William for 1 night (you won’t regret it!)
Day 7: Drive to the airport
Check out of Fort William, and start driving back to the airport. (We decided to fly IN to Edinbugh, and fly OUT of Glasgow, but you’ll have to choose which is best for you of course!)
Either way, it will be a few hours of driving from Fort William to either airport.
Depending on how flexible you are, and how much time you have – an afternoon at Loch Lomond might be worth it.
Lond Lomond is the largest lake in the UK, surrounded by rolling hills and the area is just very stunning. If you’re able to, it would be a nice place to see as your last stop in Scotland.
What to Do During an Afternoon in Loch Lomond
- Visit the tourist village called Luss (a small town on the shores of the loch) grab lunch and do some shopping at some of the stores. This is such a charming town with stone houses and blooming flowers in the summertime.
- Do one of the four village walks in Luss (which range from 15 minute walk up to an hour.)
Pro Tip: Luss is very popular, especially on a beautiful summer day.
7 Days in Scotland FAQ
Here are the most commonly asked questions about spending a week in Scotland
Is 7 days enough to see Scotland?
7 days is the absolute minimum amount of time to spend in Scotland, in my opinion. It’s enough to see the ‘top places’ but it will definitely leave you wishing you had more time. If you can, I would extent the trip from however much time is possible for you. But if you only have one week, then you can certainly make the best of Scotland in that amount of time if you plan carefully.
Where to go in Scotland for 1 week?
If you’re a first time visitor to Scotland and want to spend a week, then the places to visit are: Edinburgh, Pitrochy, the Scottish Highlands, Isle of Skye, Fort William and Loch Lomond. Of course, there are other worthwhile places but these are the prettiest ones to get the best taste of Scotland!
How many days are sufficient for Scotland?
To be able to take in all the best places in Scotland and truly enjoy them, I recommend 10-14 days. This gives you enough time not just to ‘see’ the best places but feel like you had a chance to enjoy and take them in, too. It also gives you a bit more legroom in your itinerary.
Final Thoughts on this Scotland travel Itinerary: 7 days
I hope that this Scotland travel itinerary for 7 days has showed you how to piece together an incredible week in Scotland.
If you can – expand the trip by a day or two; it will give you more flexibility and legroom.
Scotland has some of the most incredible scenic beauty; largest national park, largest lake, and some of the prettiest coastal cities and small towns in the UK.