How to get to Scotland

The quickest, easiest and cheapest way to get to Scotland is by plane. Scotland has three main international airports: Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Glasgow and Edinburgh handle most long-haul flights, and all three have a reasonable spread of European connections. Inverness Airport also serves a few European destinations but is mostly concerned with UK flights, as well as destinations in the Highlands and Islands.

With most airlines nowadays, how much you pay depends on how far in advance you book and how much demand there is during that period – generally speaking, the earlier you book, the cheaper the fare. That said, it’s worth looking out for sales, which often start ten to twelve weeks before the departure date.

If you’re coming from elsewhere in Britain, from Ireland or even northwest Europe, you can reach Scotland easily enough by train, bus or ferry – it probably won’t work out cheaper or faster than flying, but it’s undoubtedly better for the environment.

From England and Wales

If you’re ultimately heading out to the Highlands and Islands, flying is the quickest way to travel, although prices can be prohibitively high. The main airlines with domestic routes within the UK are British Airways (http://britishairways.com), Ryanair (http://ryanair.com) easyJet (http://easyjet.com) and Loganair (http://loganair.co.uk). Airfares are most competitive on popular routes such as London or Birmingham to Edinburgh and Glasgow, which can cost as little as £40 return (journey time around 1hr). However, once you add on the cost of transport to the airport and flying with checked baggage (most budget airlines charge for all but the smallest carry-on bag), the savings compared with doing the same journey overland can be minimal.

Train and coach (long-distance bus) fares can be pretty competitive if you book in advance. Return train fares to Glasgow can cost as little as £40 from Manchester (3hr 30min) or £70 from London (4hr 45min), with the very cheapest tickets going on sale twelve weeks in advance. A more flexible or last-minute fare will cost two or three times the amount. Another option is the overnight Caledonian Sleeper (http://sleeper.scot) service from London Euston (Mon–Fri & Sun; journey time to Glasgow around 7hr 30min); again, if you book in advance (up to twelve months), single overnight fares cost around £50 for a reclining seat, with no saving on return fares. The Caledonian Sleeper also goes to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Fort William and Inverness. The coach takes much longer than the train (around 9hr one-way), but can cost significantly less, with a London or Birmingham to Glasgow return starting for as little as £20.

From Ireland

Travel from Ireland is quickest by plane, with airfares from either Belfast or Dublin to Glasgow and Edinburgh from as little as £40–50 return if booked well in advance; Aer Lingus (http://aerlingus.com), Emerald Airlines (http://emeraldairlines.com) and Ryanair are all based in Ireland. There are good ferry links with Northern Ireland via Cairnryan, near Stranraer, with P&O (http://poferries.com) operating up to seven sea crossings daily from Larne (2hr; single passenger without car from £27; with car from £114, and Stena Line (http://stenaline.co.uk) operating up to six services daily from Belfast (2hr 15min; single passenger without car from £31; with car from £139.

From mainland Europe

Ferries run by DFDS Seaways (http://dfds.com) sail overnight from Amsterdam to Newcastle (daily; 16–17hr), less than an hour’s drive south of the Scottish border. Return fares for single passengers start at £130, which includes an overnight berth (around £150 extra with a small car). A much quicker (and usually cheaper) alternative is to fly with one of Europe’s big budget carriers, such as easyJet, Ryanair and Norwegian (http://norwegian.com).

From the US and Canada

If you fly nonstop to Scotland from North America, you’ll arrive in either Glasgow or Edinburgh. The majority of cheap fares, however, route through Amsterdam, London, Manchester, Dublin or Paris. To reach any other Scottish airport, you’ll most likely need to go via London, Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Figure on six to seven hours’ flight time nonstop from the east coast of the US to Glasgow, or seven hours to London plus an extra hour and a quarter from London to Glasgow or Edinburgh (not including stopover time). Add three or four hours more for travel from the west coast.

United (http://united.com) flies direct from Newark Liberty International Airport in New York to Edinburgh, with return fares (including taxes) from around US$950. Air Canada (http://aircanada.com) has direct flights to Glasgow from Toronto; return fares for nonstop flights (including taxes) cost around CA$800.

From Australia and New Zealand

Flight time from Australia and New Zealand to Scotland is at least 22 hours. There is a wide variety of routes, with those touching down in Southeast Asia the quickest and cheapest on average. To reach Scotland, you usually have to change planes either in London – the most popular choice – or in another European gateway such as Paris or Amsterdam. Given the length of the journey involved, you might be better off including a night’s stopover in your itinerary.

The cheapest scheduled flights to London are usually to be found on one of the Asian airlines, such as Malaysia Airlines (http://malaysiaairlines.com) or Thai Airways (http://thaiairways.com). Average return fares (including taxes) from eastern Australian cities to London are around AU$1500–2000. Fares from Perth or Darwin cost around AU$100 less. Return fares from Auckland to London range between NZ$2000 and NZ$3000 depending on the season, route and carrier.

From South Africa

There are no direct flights from South Africa to Scotland, so you must change planes en route. The quickest and cheapest route to take is via London, with flight time around eleven hours, usually overnight. Return fares from Cape Town to London are around ZAR10,000; try British Airways, South African Airways (http://flysaa.com) or Virgin Atlantic (http://virginatlantic.com). You’ll save money if you buy the next leg of your journey to Scotland separately, through one of the budget airlines.

Rail and bus operators and resources

• Avanti West Coast http://avantiwestcoast.co.uk. Main operator from London to Scotland on both the east and west coast routes.
• The Man in Seat Sixty-One http://seat61.com. The best train information website online.
• National Express http://nationalexpress.com. Coaches to Scotland.
• ScotRail http://scotrail.co.uk. Scotland’s principal domestic operator, with full route and timetable info.
• Trainline http://trainline.com. The best site for cheap tickets, with popular mobile app.
• Traveline Scotland http://travelinescotland.com. Excellent Scotland-wide journey planner, connected to the latest bus and train timetables.