This is a 1-week Scotland road trip itinerary.
If you’re a frequent reader here, you will have come across me banging on about Scotland quite a few times. It’s such a stunning, otherworldly place! It’s truly breathtaking and going on a Scotland road trip makes for an incredibly awe-inspiring time.
Scotland is one of the best places in the world for a road trip. With rugged landscapes, historic castles and charming villages, there’s something new to see around every bend. The Glasgow to Edinburgh journey might be only an hour train ride, but not here. This 1-week Scotland road trip itinerary takes you through the Highlands, the Isle of Skye and some of Scotland’s most stunning locations.
But I can’t take credit for it. All I had to do for this trip was show up. My brother planned it all! Well, I picked most of the food spots and apparently they were winners so I’ll add them below.
Please note this is a packed 1-week Scotland road trip itinerary so you can see as much as possible! But if you have the time and money, you can easily spend way longer in every single one of these locations.
Day 1: Glasgow to Loch Lomond, Glencoe and Glencoe Lochan
Loch Lomond
We started early with hotel breakfast and set off to Loch Lomond. However, if you haven’t been to Glasgow before, head to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for a walk around and take a stroll through the West End before heading north. Glasgow is a city full of music, art and impressive Victorian architecture.
We drove up the west side of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, parked the car at Firkin Point and went for a stroll by the lake. Alternatively, you can stop in the village of Luss, known for its scenic waterfront and quaint cottages.
For those with extra time: if the weather is good, take a boat trip on the loch or go for a short hike up Conic Hill for stunning views over the water.
Read more: 10 Best European Autumn Destinations For a Cosy Trip
Glencoe
We drove roughly 1 hour to Glencoe, one of Scotland’s most dramatic landscapes. The towering mountains and deep valleys make it a must-see destination. It was a crazy beautiful day! Blue sky, sunshine – we couldn’t have asked for more! There’s a visitor centre with a car park but we chose to stop by the Glencoe Viewpoint. We were right by the Three Sisters and spent about 1-2 hours hiking around, taking photos and admiring the majestic view.
Glencoe is the most popular spot in the Scottish Highlands! Sadly, not just because of its stunning landscape, but also because of a dark time in Scottish history, the Glencoe Massacre. You can learn more about it at the Visitor Centre.
For the movie buffs, SO many movies were shot there! Skyfall, No Time to Die, Mary Queen of Scots…
Glencoe Lochan
Before setting off to Fort William, where we were going to spend the night, we stopped at Glencoe Lochan, a hidden gem with reflections of the mountains on the water. I could’ve spent DAYS there. IT WAS STUNNING! Absolutely beautiful lake!! We walked all around it for a while and couldn’t register such beauty.
It made me feel like I was in Canada. And that made sense once I read that “it was planted in the 1890s by Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, with trees transplanted from the Pacific Northwest of Canada.” He and his Canadian wife moved to Scotland but she was very homesick. He literally brought a bit of Canada to Scotland to make her feel better! Glencoe Lochlan was her refuge. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is!
We then drove on to Fort William, it took just under 30min. Can I just tell you, most of our driving was either by beautiful lakes or through majestic mountains!
Fort William is such a cute town! Something about it reminded me of Iceland and so did our hotel, The Garrison, which I definitely recommend! It’s right in the town centre, the room felt like a mountain lodge and breakfast was delicious! Well, of course it felt like a mountain lodge! Did I tell you Fort William is known as a “gateway to Ben Nevis“, the UK’s highest peak?
Day 2: Fort William, Glenfinnan Viaduct and Eilean Donan Castle
We set off early as we had a lot to cover. Walked around Fort William a bit and met my brother and his wife at a coffee shop. Had one of the best cakes of my life!!! I’ve been dreaming about it since but, I’m devastated to report, the cafe closed down! We also spent a considerable amount of time at The Highland Bookshop and I highly recommend it if books are your things!
Next stop: Glenfinnan Viaduct, aka, the Harry Potter location! If you time it right, you can watch the Jacobite Steam Train pass over the bridge.
The weather wasn’t great but it’s Scotland! The fog and rain add to the highlands vibes… we walked up a couple of the trails, grabbed a coffee, stopped at the souvenir shop and took a whole lot of photos. Absolutely stunning scenery all around. But that’s Scotland for ya! It truly is a magnificent country…one of the most majestic landscapes I’ve ever seen!
We proceeded to drive on to Eilean Donan Castle but got there just as it was closing, sadly. We still managed to walk around a bit and admire yet another beautiful scenery before heading to our next destination: Isle of Skye.
Day 3-4: Isle of Skye
As the day was getting darker (it was just a few days after the end of winter), we made our way on to the Isle of Skye. If I thought Scotland’s landscape was otherworldly, I hadn’t actually seen anything until we got on to the island. We drove in the direction of Portree, where we were staying for two nights.
Note: the Isle of Skye has become SUPER popular! And it’s small and remote with not much accommodation available. We booked ours last minute and didn’t have much choice, even though it was low season. But we were lucky! Many people live off of turning their homes into B&Bs. We stayed in one run by a lovely kiwi lady who made us delicious breakfast in the morning with salmon, eggs, yoghurt, toast, coffee, juice…
We also didn’t book the Talisker Distillery in advance and couldn’t visit it. However, we did find a cool alternative in the Torabhaig one though and had a great time (also beautiful cakes at their cafe)!
You CAN use public transport around the Isle of Skye but I definitely recommend hiring a car… all the main sights are scattered about the island so it’s not so easy to hop around when you don’t have much time. For instance, when it came to Fairy Glen and Fairy Pool we had to make a decision and opted for Glen. If you find yourself in the same conundrum, our collective advice is: stick to the Pool!
Other must visit spots we stopped at are:
The Quiraing
Old Man of Storr
I was also in charge of picking the food spots during this trip and we all loved a particular pub at the Isle of Skye: Bar Am Praban. If you’re looking for delicious Scottish food at a Scottish pub in a beautiful setting, I highly recommend it!
Day 5: Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle and Inverness
Isle of Skye was intense in the best way possible! The weather was harsh, the strong winds actually kept me from venturing too much into the Quiraing, but it was amazing! What a place! We drove for miles of miles on roads surrounded by mountains and inhabited by sheep and nothing else. Save for the occasional house in the middle of nowhere!
So Loch Ness was just a quick stopover on the way to Inverness where we’d rest for the night. I had already seen Loch Ness on a previous trip so didn’t bother to stay there long. However, should you wish to check it out, you can go to Urquhart Castle and feed two birds with one scone.
Inverness is a cute city! We walked by the river down Bank St, had delicious Thai food and visited Leakey’s Bookshop. Again, if you’re into books, that’s the place for you! It’s a giant (for European standards) second hand bookshop housed in a former Gaelic church. They have over 100.000 books including many rare ones!
Day 6: Cairngorms and Dunnottar Castle
We got up early in the morning to have hotel breakfast (average…and the hotel wasn’t great either so I won’t recommend) and head west to Dunnottar Castle before making our way to Edinburgh, our last stop on this trip.
It wasn’t the original itinerary but, looking on the map, we couldn’t NOT drive through Cairngorms National Park!
The Cairngorms offer endless outdoor activities, from hiking and cycling to wildlife spotting. The park is home to red deer, golden eagles and one of the UK’s last remaining populations of wildcats. It’s also a ski resort during winter!
We had all kinds of weather on this drive. At one point we reached one of the ski lifts and it was super foggy. The lifts were closed as was the resort, there was no one there…it looked really spooky but really cool! (or really spooky AND really cool?! Take what you wish!)
Read more: 10 Spooky Places to Visit in Europe This Halloween
We finally reached Dunnotar Castle! Its ruins sit on a dramatic clifftop overlooking the North Sea and offer some of the best coastal views in Scotland.
Take a scenic drive down the coast, stopping in cute seaside towns along the way.
Day 7: Edinburgh
Read more: The Best 3-Day Edinburgh Itinerary For First Time Visitors
End the road trip in Edinburgh, Scotland’s historic and cultural capital. Explore the Royal Mile, climb Arthur’s Seat for a panoramic view of the city and finish with a whisky tasting at one of the city’s cosy bars.
There’s SO much to do and see in Edinburgh though, if you’ve got time, I highly recommend you stay longer. And here’s a 3-day Edinburgh itinerary packed with information!
Scotland’s landscapes and history make every road trip feel like an adventure. Whether you’re drawn to castles, mountains or small villages, this route covers the best of the country in one unforgettable week.
This is a 1-week Scotland road trip itinerary.