5 great day trips from Edinburgh, Scotland

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Ever wondered about day trips from Edinburgh, Scotland that you could take when visiting the beautiful capital of Scotland or even living there? Keep reading to learn about 5 great day trips from Edinburgh you could already take tomorrow!

5 great day trips from Edinburgh, Scotland

1. Day trip to Highlands from Edinburgh

Scottish Highlands are a must. Moreover, they are beautiful during any season or time of the year. Rainy, sunny, snowy, windy, doesn’t matter. Highlands are beautiful and it’s a fact. If you’re independent enough, you could hire a car (Rentalcars.com is the one we always use) and go on a trip similar to what we made. Edinburgh -> Stirling -> Loch Lubnaig -> Glencoe -> Fort William -> Glenfinnan Viaduct -> Ben Nevis – that’s the itinerary we took in November when the day was already short, but we still managed to see everything we wanted. Read full post about our road trip to Highlands, Scotland here.

In case you don’t feel like renting a car (or taking your own one), consider buying one of the tours to Highlands. There is a variety of tours on GetYourGuide and it’s sometimes cheaper to book the tours to Highlands online.

Check the availability of the tour now!

Road trip to Highlands Scotland in November - Glencoe,, Loch Lubnaig, Glenfinnan Viaduct and Ben Nevis

2. Lake District from Edinburgh

Even though Lake District is located in England (near Lancaster), it’s still possible to discover the most impressive places of Lake District just within one day! Ambleside, Windermere… these places are magical! Try to choose a sunniest day (though it’s hard to predict in the UK) and enjoy your trip to Lake District.

Almost forgot. The most important fact – it’s quite hard to get there without a car, so if you aren’t planning to rent one, it makes sense to buy a tour once again!

Check Rabbie’s website now

Lake District Day trip from Edinburgh, Scotland

3. Oban

If you’re not Scottish, you probably haven’t heard of Oban. However, this small town located on the West Coast of Scotland is totally worth it. You can either get there by car or train or even take a bus, or just buy a tour to Oban.

Oban is the seafood capital of Scotland, and it’s true that you can try the BEST oysters and lobsters there! So fresh and cheap. Oban also has a great whisky distillery and even a chocolate factory. Finally, there is an arena (which looks like a Colosseum) on top on the hill on Oban. Enough reasons to visit this place, huh? Read more about Oban & our experience there in this post!

Sunset in Oban - Isle of Skye Road Trip

4. Inverness and Loch Ness from Edinburgh

The majority of tourists that come to Scotland often associate Scotland with Nessie and feel like they NEED to go to Loch Ness. However, even if you don’t believe in Nessie, you still have to go to Loch Ness, because the lake is simply very beautiful! And there are ruins of a medieval castle Urquhart just on the waterfront.

Inverness is also a lovely place, you will most probably visit if you go to Loch Ness. There are ways to get there by train, by bus and by car, but the simplest one is just to buy a bus tour which will bring you to the best places on the way to Loch Ness!

Check their availability now (because they are often sold out).

Loch Ness & Inverness day trip from Edinburgh

5. St. Andrews

St. Edinburgh is the last but not least of the 5 great day trips from Edinburgh, Scotland. St. Andrews is famous for its University (Where Kate and William have met) and for being the capital of Golf. Moreover, St. Andrews is just a very nice place for a day escape from Edinburgh. St. Andrews has a very lovely coastline and a long pier with a fabulous view over the town. Moreover, seafood is great in St. Andrews, so you can have a lunch or an early dinner there.

It’s also easy to get to St. Andrews from Edinburgh – just take a bus from Edinburgh Central Bus station or a train – and you will be there in about two hours!

There is also a tour to St. Andrews & beautiful places nearby. Take a look at it now!

St. Andrews day trip from Edinburgh, Scotland

There’s much more content about Edinburgh on Tripsget – whether it’s the Ultimate guide to Edinburgh, Scotland or 15 free things to do in Edinburgh. You will find out where to stay in Edinburgh and what are the absolutely best attractions to visit in the city.

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