How to See Scotland by Train

December 22, 2025

Scotland’s vast and dramatic landscapes are the stuff of movies and dreams. Yet thanks to the country’s rail system, it’s possible to see the spectacular sites on the famed North Coast 500 route during a solo trip to Scotland without renting a car.

The Scottish Grand Tour rail trip is magical. But don’t fall for the easy-peasy itineraries on the website (or on Chat GPT — I tested it). It’s not actually a tour; rather, it’s a discounted rail pass. This great adventure spanning dynamic cities and the furthest rural reaches will take a bit of coordination.

I spent weeks researching routes, train lines and overnight stops, poring over maps, reading Reddit threads and scouring websites. Yet because of the way the trains operate (or don’t) in remote parts of the country (especially over holidays such as Easter), I was still trying to close a crucial leg of the loop just the week before I left and sweating bullets.

Along the way, I worked out some other important details that weren’t clear — things like how to activate your passes and how to lock the door to the loo on the train.

Spare yourself the stress and avoid my mistakes, so that you’re not caught with your pants down. (Quite literally!)

edinburgh, scotland, starting point for the scottish grand tour

in the Dean's Circus neighborhood in Scotland

climbing arthur's seat in edinburgh, scotland

atop arthur's seat in edinburgh, scotland

Tips for Taking the Scottish Grand Tour

Start at the Scottish Grand Tour website. Its romantic descriptions will beguile you and make it all sound so easy: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/combined-tickets-travel-passes/scottish-grand-tour.

Note that you have to travel in one continuous direction, clockwise or counterclockwise, within eight days.

Where you start might be influenced by your other travel plans; flight costs might be a factor as well. For example, I was beginning my time in Scotland after two weeks in England. 1) I first looked at what was involved in taking a train from Cambridge to Glasgow or from Cambridge to Edinburgh. 2) I also priced flights home to the States from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. (I chose to start in Edinburgh, because I wanted to make a stop in Lincolnshire — where my ancestors are from — on the trip north from Cambridge, and flights to the States were roughly the same price from both cities.)

As you mull what towns to stop in, consider your priorities for things to see. Some stops are more nature-oriented (Isle of Skye); others are more urban (Glasgow).

But also consider how you’re getting from the train station to your lodging in each destination. This very quickly helped me narrow down my stops and stays to towns and cities that have public transportation or are within walking distance of ScotRail stops.

You’ll find itineraries online that suggest hopping off at small villages along the way to have a look around, but keep in mind that 1) you’ll usually need to lug your bags with you during that look around, and 2) you’ll have to find a way into town. Few towns I researched were big enough to have either luggage lockers at the station, or spots offering app-based luggage-storage services such as Stasher or Bounce. And many small villages were not right beside the station; you’d have to find a means of getting from the station to town and back again (quickly), and ride-share services aren’t guaranteed.

It’s important to consider how long it will take you to get from one destination to the next, how frequently the trains run, and what time it will be when you arrive at your destination for the night. I avoided taking the last train of the night, because I didn’t want to be stranded if something happened, and because I was always walking from the station to my hotel.

I chose to always go directly from one town where I was staying to the next, without any midday sightseeing detours, because of the difficulties with luggage, train schedules, transportation to and from station to town, and early darkness in April.

Some destinations aren’t accessible by train. If you want to visit the Isle of Skye (I did), you’ll have to add a combination of bus services and a ferry. This proved the very most difficult part of my trip — I was even renegotiating the dates of my Airbnb in Skye during my time in Edinburgh to accommodate the ferry back to the mainland — but magically, it all worked out at the very last minute.

The ferry service isn’t terribly reliable. Be sure to reserve a spot well in advance, as boats may be taken out of service at the last minute, so spots on a trip could prove scarce. While I was waiting in the office to board my ship, I overheard countless people try to buy tickets for the coming days, to no avail. (Side note: The people who work in the ferry office are the kindest, and they nurture an impressive array of houseplants and window boxes.)

Activating your ScotRail pass for the Scottish Grand Tour is a multi-step process. I thought that I only had to purchase the original M-Pass that showed the eight-day period in which I was traveling. I learned the hard way that you have to activate each travel day’s pass as well. After you buy your Scottish Grand Tour pass, you’ll get an email with a link to activate and select specific travel days within that eight-day period (you need to commit to your schedule). Once you choose your travel days, you’ll get daily QR codes in the ScotRail App or as PDFs to scan for boarding.

Download the app. The ScotRail app was essential on my trip. It helped me confirm each travel day’s schedule, contained my boarding passes and helped me navigate during tight connections.

Some trains have food and beverages for sale. I always carried water and snacks, as the offerings could be limited.

Read the instructions carefully for locking the loo. There’s an exterior light involved and everything! It’s hard enough to use the bathroom on a swaying, lurching train without being surprised by the male ticket-taker. (True story!)

View of the Scottish Highlands from a train

Be sure you can manage your luggage easily by yourself. This is not the time to bring two large roller bags and every pair of shoes you own. Here’s why:

There’s often a gap between the station platform and the train. You have to be able to get your luggage over it quickly while other people are trying to board or exit.
If the train is full, you’ll have to hoist at least one piece of luggage onto a shelf overhead. Larger bags often need to be stacked in luggage cages at the end of each train car.
Train aisles are narrow.
When you change trains during a route, you may have to navigate flights of stairs.
Sidewalks in small towns are narrow or nonexistent; they’re congested in cities.
Streets are often bumpy or paved with cobblestones.

I wore one pair of shoes for the entire trip (black Cariuma tennis shoes) and a wool coat with a hood for rain and large pockets to hold my phone, my water bottle and whatever else was in my hands. I wore a large Cotopaxi backpack (the size of a carry-on) and pulled a medium-sized roller bag. (Side note: I was traveling solo for five weeks, hence the need for a fair amount of stuff.) I was careful to ensure I could lift everything quickly by myself.

Stations may have limited facilities. Try to use the restroom before you get there and be prepared to walk in the rain from the station to the train.

Fall asleep at your own risk. If you think you might drift off, set an alarm on your phone to go off at least 20 minutes before your ETA. No one will wake you on a three-hour trip to tell you your stop is next. I set an alarm to keep track of my progress; sometimes the conductor who was making announcements was difficult to understand, so I paid attention to the time of day, my travel time and the station signs.

All this being said, you can rely on the kindness of most strangers. I encountered one rather snappy ticket taker; she was not pleased that I hadn’t figured out my daily passes during the first leg of my trip. But everyone else was helpful when needed, if stoic.

Sample Scottish Grand Rail Itinerary

It took me weeks to plan my Scottish Grand Rail itinerary; as it turned out, it was like booking five mini-trips.

Note: These details were accurate at the time of my trip. This itinerary only serves as an example. Please confirm schedules for yourself.

Day 1: Edinburgh to Inverness

I first spent three days and two nights in Edinburgh, seeing the Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile; climbing Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood; taking two excellent walking tours with passionate locals (the Old Town & Underground Historical Walking Tour and the Dean Village and Circus Lane Walking Tour); sipping whisky; and doing laundry. I began my Scottish Grand Rail trip out of Edinburgh Waverley and traveled north, crossing the Firth of Forth via the UNESCO World Heritage Site Forth Bridge.
- Travel time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- 11:35 Edinburgh (Waverley)
- 13:03 Perth
- 9 minutes transfer time
- 13:12 Perth
- 15:29 Inverness
Walk along the river to the Ness Islands
Stay at the AC Hotel Inverness. I highly recommend this hotel; I’m a member of Marriott Bonvoy, so I had a room on the top floor with a lovely view of Inverness and the river.

Day 2: Inverness

Tour with Rabbie’s: The Complete Loch Ness Experience
Dinner at Black Isle Brewing Co.
Night in Inverness.

Day 3: Inverness

Lunch at the Victorian Market
Wander Leakey’s Bookshop
Wander High Street
Visit Old High Church — the oldest church in Inverness and the birthplace of Christianity in the Highlands
Dinner and live music at Hootenanny.
Night in Inverness.

Day 4: Inverness to Portree, Isle of Skye

Train from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh
- Travel time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- 10:56 a.m. to 13:35 p.m.
Walk to Old Slipway Bus Stop in Kyle (Look for the Bus Guy, a legendary, friendly older man who greets visitors and shows them how to get to the bus stop.)
Lunch at Fisherman’s Kitchen
Bus from Kyle of Lochalsh to Portree:
- Operator: Citylink
- Travel time: 1 hour
- 15:57 p.m. to 16:59 p.m.
Night in Isle of Skye. Lodging is somewhat limited on the island; I chose a rather dowdy Airbnb right in town for its washing machine, but that was in worse shape than the lodging, so I was glad I had visited a launderette in Edinburgh. (I had been traveling through Bermuda, the Azores and England before beginning my trip through Scotland.)

Day 5: Isle of Skye

Portree: Best of Isle of Skye Full-Day Tour. It poured all day, so our outdoor adventures in this magical place were sadly limited. But this served to bond our little tour group.
Night in Isle of Skye

Day 6: Isle of Skye

St. Mary’s Church. It was Easter, so I walked to Mass. Best decision ever. The people were so friendly, and it was like being at home — much needed after almost five weeks of solo travel. I had the best homemade desserts with coffee there afterward.
I tried to take a hike near the Isle of Skye Candle Co. Visitor Center, but it was a mud bath.
I visited the Isle of Skye Candle Co. Visitor Center, but it was mostly a shop, though a good stop for a coffee and a restroom. (The restrooms I used throughout Scotland were very, very clean, but this is modern.) There’s also a movie theater for rainy days.
At a loss, I spotted and hopped on the last whale-watching cruise of the day from Skyefish Marine — so late that I paid via Venmo on the dock as it was loading. I thus did not have enough warm clothes (nor did others), I had no idea how long the tour would be, and I didn’t stop for a potty break first. (We didn’t see whales or puffins or the white-tailed eagle, but it was beautiful.)
After, I ran to the Tongadale Hotel restaurant for the ladies’ room, a hot tea, a warming whisky and a delicious dinner.

Day 7: Isle of Skye to Glasgow

Bus from Portree to Armadale
- Stagecoach Bus Service, Portree Square to Pier Road, Armadale *Buy ticket only one month out
- Travel time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- 9:05 a.m. Depart from Somerled Square, Portree, Bus 52
- 9:48 a.m. Arrive at Broadford—stay on bus
- 9:50 a.m. Depart Broadford
- 10:20 a.m. Arrive Armadale Pier
Ferry from Armadale, Skye, to Mallaig Ferry Terminal
- Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) It’s advisable to check the timetable and book in advance, especially during peak seasons.
- Travel time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- 11:40 a.m. Boarding at Armadale ferry terminal
- 12:00 p.m. Depart
- 12:45 p.m. Arrive Mallaig, Highland
Three hours waiting in Mallaig
- If it’s high season, meaning things are open and it’s sunny, take the Circular Walk and eat at the Cornerstone.
- As it was pouring and most things were closed, I had the best beer and hot Cullen Skink from the nicest people at the bar in the Chlachain Inn.
ScotRail train from Mallaig to Glasgow Queen Street:
- This route offers a view of the “Harry Potter bridge”; sit on the right side of the train as you enter from the back of the car.
- Travel time: 5 hours, 19 minutes
- 16:00 p.m. Depart Mallaig
- 21:30 Arrive at Glasgow Queen Station
- Walk to the Social Hub Hotel