Hello 👋 I’m Yvette- your friendly Scotland travel expert! I have been living and travelling around Scotland full-time for the past eight years, and I’ve learned a few things along the way. I enjoy sharing my love of Scotland with anyone who will listen, and I understand visitors to Scotland because I was once a tourist too!
After the success of my first article, 50 Scotland Travel Tips, I thought I would share some more essential tips I didn’t cover in the first article.
This article covers some of the more intricate questions- I hope it helps you!
1. Get your ETA before you travel
An ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) is not a visa, but you will need it to enter the UK. It allows you travel to the UK for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons for up to 6 months.
It costs £20 (as of 8 April 2026) from the official UK government website. There are many ‘other’ websites who will process an ETA for you, however, they are much more expensive.
Applying for an ETA is super simple, and I recommend doing it yourself via the official ETA website.
- This is the correct website to apply for your ETA
- You can also apply for it via the UK ETA app (click here to download for Android users; click here to download for Apple users)
Each person in your travel party requires an ETA- including babies and children.
2. Do I need to book restaurant reservations?
I get asked this a lot- and the answer is sometimes. There are three occasions I recommend that you make restaurant reservations:
- If you have ‘must-eat’ restaurants, then it’s a good idea to make a reservation in advance.
- If you want to eat out in a small village or small island community with limited options, then it’s a good idea to make dinner reservations.
- If you plan on eating out when visiting the Isle of Skye, you need to make reservations, sometimes several months in advance, as restaurants get booked up very quickly on this island.
Don’t panic too much about making reservations for every meal- you won’t go hungry in Scotland. If you can’t get a table at a restaurant, there will be a Co-Op supermarket or a takeaway chippy where you can grab dinner.
If you want to walk into a restaurant for dinner, try going at 5 pm when it’s quiet. The same goes for lunch – aim for 11 am, and you’ll have better luck.
It’s always a good idea to carry snacks with you just in case. I personally always travel with a protein bar or a Kind bar (found in most shops).
3. What time do shops and facilities usually open/close?
Scotland isn’t a country where shops are open 24/7- or all day for that matter. Typically, shops will open between 8 am and 10 am and close between 4 pm and 6 pm.
On Sundays, shops will usually work reduced hours and open around 10 am and close around 4 pm.
There is usually late-night shopping in cities on a Thursday or Friday, where shops stay open until around 8 pm.
In some cities, such as St James Quarter in Edinburgh, shopping centres will stay open until 8 pm most nights (excluding Sundays).
Restaurants usually take last orders around 8 pm – 8.30 pm- so try not to eat late, or you’ll miss out!
The key thing to remember is to check the opening hours for any shops you would like to visit, and do not expect all shops to be open until 10 pm.
4. What are the main supermarkets in Scotland?
There are several different supermarkets in Scotland, ranging from budget to high-end:
- Aldi (budget)
- Lidl (budget)
- Iceland (budget)
- Co-op (mid-range)
- Morrisons (mid-range and high variety)
- ASDA (mid-range and high variety)
- Tesco (mid-range)
- Sainsbury’s (high-end)
- Waitrose (high-end)
- Marks & Spencer (high-end and high variety)
For shopping for Scottish brands, I suggest shopping at Morrisons or Co-op. I do most of my shopping at these two places.
Fun fact: Morrisons has a Scottish alcohol section with a great selection of Scottish beers, whisky and gin.
Aldi and Lidl are European supermarkets and are excellent if you’re on a budget. Please note they are smaller, and don’t carry absolutely everything, but they are great for getting your staples such as fruit and vegetables.
Iceland is a small supermarket chain and specialises in frozen food – I would only recommend shopping here if you have a freezer and kitchen at your accommodation.
Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer carry UK brands and produce.
When I want to treat myself, I love shopping at Marks and Spencer!
If you’re looking for a supermarket near you, the best thing to do is type ‘supermarket’ into Google Maps, and the closest options will show up. You’ll usually find a Co-op in most villages and towns too!
5. What are the emergency numbers to call?
It’s a really good idea to save these emergency numbers in your phone:
- 111 – call this number when you or your travel buddy (if you have a cold or flu that needs medical attention, or an injury that isn’t life-threatening)
- 999 – call this number in a real emergency (e.g. if someone isn’t breathing, is in life-threatening danger)
If you or your travel partner has a non-threatening condition (such as a severe cold or flu), in the first instance, the best thing to do is call 111. You will speak to trained medical staff, and they will decide if you need to go to a hospital. They will make an appointment for you.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the NHS in Scotland is overwhelmed, so if your condition isn’t serious, and you can pick up some medication from a pharmacy, try that first. If you feel like you need to see a doctor, then call 111 to be assessed.
6. Planning a trip to Scotland at the last-minute
If you happen to be planning a trip to Scotland at the last minute, I have some advice for you.
Firstly, you want to look at visiting some off-the-beaten-path locations in your itinerary, because it’s much easier to find accommodation. Regions such as Moray, Aberdeenshire, Ardnamurchan, and South-West Scotland, will usually have accommodation available fairly last-minute. They are also some of my favourite places in Scotland!
If you’d like more help, I have a fantastic workshop about Planning A Last-Minute Trip To Scotland. It does what it says on the tin- walks you through planning your last-minute trip with lots of tips from my personal experiences!
7. Group tours in Scotland
If you are looking to do a group tour in Scotland, I highly recommend Rabbie’s.
You can even save 10% off with my discount code KIWI10 🙌
8. Looking for a private tour around Scotland?
Did you know that my husband and I offer private driving tours in Scotland? We own a company called Kiwi and Haggis Tours, and my husband, Craig, would love to take you on a Scotland adventure!
We can pick up from Edinburgh, Stirling, Linlithgow, and some areas in Fife. We offer day trips and multi-day tours too!
Feel free to email Craig at hello@kiwiandhaggistours.com for a quote.
9. What are the most touristy sites in Scotland?
If you want to avoid the tourist traps, these are the most touristy sites that I wouldn’t bother visiting unless it was the quiet season (from October to March):
- Loch Ness – It gets really busy during the summer- especially the western side of the loch. The eastern side is less visited- so go there!
- Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye – The Fairy Pools suffer from overtourism, and driving down the narrow, single lane road to get to the car park and finding a park can be an issue. Plus, the photos of the waterfall are photoshopped to make them look much better than they do in reality. There are plenty of better waterfalls to see in Scotland without risking getting stuck or driving all that way to not find a parking space!
- Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye – Again, this attraction has been photoshopped to death, and during the busy season it’s heaving with tourists.
- Edinburgh Castle – This castle isn’t the most interesting castle, I’ll be completely honest. It’s a military castle, so if you’re interested in military history, go for it; otherwise, it looks just as good from the esplanade.
- Edinburgh in August – I love the Edinburgh festivals, but the city is heaving with tourists- and accommodation is 4x the usual price! Try booking accommodation in Stirling and get the train to Edinburgh to enjoy the festivals.
10. Doing laundry in Scotland
My biggest tip for doing laundry in Scotland is to book accommodation with a washing machine and dryer.
While we do have laundromats in Scotland, they’re not super common- and why would you want to waste time waiting for your laundry when you could be exploring Scotland?
Airbnbs and self-catering properties are the best if you’re looking for accommodation with laundry facilities. They will usually come with a clothes horse for drying clothes, too. Not every property will come with a dryer, but it pays to double-check.
You could also look into hotels with laundry facilities, but they will charge to do your laundry, and it may not be that cost-effective.
Save yourself the hassle and book somewhere with laundry facilities during your trip.
11. Buy my Scotland Travel Planning Workshops
In case you didn’t know, I have created a bunch of different Scotland travel workshops that delve into visiting different parts of Scotland.
Each of these online workshops is a deep dive into a different area in Scotland. They contain all my favourite hidden gems and top tips for planning a trip there. They are my best resources for planning a trip to Scotland- and they start from just $27 each!
I’ve also teamed up with other Scotland travel experts to bring you these workshops and courses.
You can browse my workshops here.
12. Download Google Maps for offline use
Scotland can be patchy in places when it comes to finding an internet signal- so my tip is to download the Scotland map for offline use.
This is helpful, particularly if you’re driving!
13. Plan your activities based on daylight hours
Not many people realise this when visiting Scotland, but we have super-long sunshine hours in the summer, and very short periods of daylight in the winter.
If you’re visiting in the winter months, you need to plan your activities more carefully. For example, you don’t want to plan a visit to a castle after the sun has set at 3.30 pm!
If visiting between May and August, you have
Here are the average daylight hours you can expect:
January – February: Sunrise 8:30 – 9 am; Sunset 3:30 – 5 pm
March – April: Sunrise 6:00 am; Sunset 7:15 pm
May – August: Sunrise 4:45 am; Sunset 9:45 pm
September – October: Sunrise 7:15 am; Sunset 6:45 pm
November – December: Sunrise 8:30 am; Sunset 3:45 pm
14. Pack an eye mask
If you’re visiting in spring or summer and fancy a lie-in on your holiday, pack an eye mask! The sun will rise between 4:00 am and 6:00 am, and not all accommodations will have blackout blinds.
We pack a portable blackout blind when travelling with our toddler, so the sunlight doesn’t wake him super early.
15. Get the correct phone adapter
Above, you will find a photo of the type of plug adapter you will need, next to a UK plug socket. It’s actually easier to purchase one travel adapter that does it all- an international adapter that will work in multiple countries.
Handy, especially if you’re visiting Ireland or other parts of Europe (they have a different plug socket from those in the UK). I recommend the EPICKA International All-In-One Travel Adapter available on Amazon.
16. Get a Scotland travel expert to plan an itinerary for you
Yes, this is another shameless plug- but I have been travelling Scotland full-time for over 8 years now, helping people to plan their dream trips to Scotland, and I’m really proud of what I’ve created.
If you have no idea where to start when it comes to planning your Scotland trip, or want someone to hand you your perfect itinerary, my Ready-To-Go itineraries are a great place to start!
I’ve created what is, in my opinion, the perfect 7-Day Scotland itinerary:
- Grab my 7-Day Classic Self-Drive Scotland itinerary
- Grab my 7-Day Classic Scotland by Public Transport itinerary
These itineraries include EVERYTHING you need to know- my top accommodation picks, restaurants and pubs, things to do (including a brief history of each attraction), a map with your route + all attractions, useful facilities, links to book official attractions, how to book public transport, how to hire a car, and so much more.
There are also opportunities to extend these itineraries if you’re staying in Scotland longer! As a wee bonus, you get to join my exclusive Facebook group where I answer any questions you have about the itineraries.
17. Can’t get tickets for the Jacobite Steam Train?
There is a debate about whether the Jacobite Steam Train will run this year, unless an ongoing dispute over an exemption with the rail regulator is granted.
But did you know that there is a Scotrail service that follows the exact route the Jacobite train does? All you need to do is book the return trip from Fort William to Mallaig, and you’ll travel on the exact journey- the only difference is that you won’t be on a steam train.
If I’m being honest, the Jacobite is overpriced and needs to be refurbished, with the scenery being the best part of the journey.
The Scotrail option is also MUCH cheaper.
If you can, I recommend spending a few nights in Mallaig to explore Knoydart, Arisaig, Morar and Glenfinnan- some of the most remote and beautiful areas within Scotland!
I’ve actually written a great guide on things to do in Mallaig and the rest of these areas.
18. Want to see the Glenfinnan Viaduct?
For those of you who are making your way to Glenfinnan to explore the Glenfinnan Visitor Centre, I have some tips for you.
The Glenfinnan Visitor Centre receives millions of visits every year, and unfortunately, this has had a negative impact on the area and the local village.
- Please respect the locals. Do not park down the side road that clearly states ‘No Parking.’ Locals live here, and there have been occasions where people have parked in their spaces in front of their homes! Do not venture down this road.
- Support the local businesses in the area, such as Glenfinnan Coffee, the museum, and the Glenfinnan Station Dining Car.
- Try to arrive in Glenfinnan by train, and then walk down to the Viaduct and Visitor Centre. The car park is often full, and many struggle to get parked, clogging up the small country road.
- Avoid walking up the path on the hillside to watch the steam train pass- the side of the hill is damaged from high footfall. Watch the train cross from the visitor centre viewpoint instead.
- If you do wish to walk the path, make sure you wear good-quality footwear suitable for hiking. The path can be muddy, slippery, and rocky. I’ve seen far too many people fall over and hurt themselves because they wore unsuitable sneakers!
- The best part about Glenfinnan is NOT the Harry Potter stuff. Glenfinnan is where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his father’s standard, signalling the beginning of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. This was a hugely influential event that resulted in the Highland Clearances, Scottish culture being banned for a time, and mass killings and executions. The Visitor Centre is a fascinating place to learn about this period in Scotland’s history. Also, be sure to check out the Glenfinnan Monument, dedicated to this moment in time.
19. Where to see Highland Cows
Many people want to catch a glimpse of these majestic beasts when they visit Scotland, but sometimes they can be tricky to find.
I have created a Highland Cow map with suggestions on where you can see Highland Cows.
Happy coo spotting!
20. Travelling by public transport?
Scotland has an excellent public transport system, and using buses, trains and ferries is a great way to travel around the country.
- The main train company is ScotRail. Check out their route maps to see where you can get to in Scotland by train.
- Scottish Citylink, Stagecoach and Ember are the main bus companies in Scotland. There are also smaller bus companies that offer transport in more regional areas, for example, First Bus services Glasgow, while Lothian Buses services Edinburgh and the Lothians.
- CalMac is the main ferry service provider in Scotland, which links the mainland to the Western Isles.
- Northlink Ferries is the best ferry service with connections to Orkney and Shetland.
I hope you have found this article helpful! If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading the first article in this series, 50 Scotland Travel Tips for more essential advice.
You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook for free Scotland travel planning.
Do you have a questions about Scotland? Let me know in the comments and I will do my best to help!
