Is Scotland expensive? And how much is a trip to Scotland? These are often questions that come to mind before planning a trip and booking the next flight to Edinburgh.
Travelling in Scotland inspires images of lush green cascading hills dotted with purple heather, of enormous, mysterious monsters dwelling in the depths of a loch, of ancient, mystical standing stones, and of enjoying a golden, smokey whisky among the backdrop of a stormy sea. However, it is essential to understand the expenses associated with such a trip before you get too far into your planning
Scotland is a more expensive destination compared to other European destinations, though there are ways to save money. You can expect the average trip to Scotland cost for travellers that want to vacation in Scotland to be £70 to £290 per person per day (approximately $87 – $364 USD).
This can, however, be reduced if you plan on spending some nights camping, not doing many paid activities and cooking most of your own meals.
Table of Contents
Trip to Scotland Cost Guide
This guide will break down how variables such as accommodation, food, entertainment and activities will impact your average Scotland trip cost and help you understand how expensive is Scotland.
Accommodation Prices
Like most elsewhere in the world, accommodation will (most likely) leave the biggest dent in your Scotland travel budget. There is, however, a lot of option when it comes to budget accommodation.
There tends to be at least one hostel in most larger towns and in the bigger cities — such as Edinburgh, Inverness, and Glasgow — there are multiple hostels to choose from. On average, the least expensive dorm bed in a hostel will cost roughly £20 per night.
If you would prefer not to stay in a hostel, there are a number of B&B’s dotted throughout Scotland and a room there will cost something between £70 – 100 per night.
For those interested in something a bit on the higher end, expect an upmarket hotel to start at around £150-300 per night depending on the season and location.
Those looking to rent an entire one-bedroom apartment either on Airbnb or elsewhere, expect those prices to land somewhere around £90-120 per night.
You should therefore budget to spend a minimum of about £20 per night per person for accommodation and around £40-50 per person per night if staying in mid-range places and £75-150 per person on the higher end. This is if you’re splitting the costs between two people.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the most popular accommodation options in Scotland — camping. If you truly want to save money and also love to be in the great outdoors, camping is a fantastic option. The wonderful thing about Scotland is that it is also perfectly legal to wild camp in many places and that is absolutely free.
Transportation Prices
The cost of transportation is another area that you need to account for. If you wish to cover a lot of ground on your own schedule and maybe add a few off-beat destinations to your list, I would highly recommend that you hire a car.
Not only is a road trip one of the best ways to see Scotland, but the average daily price of a rental car isn’t extraordinarily high, especially if you offset the cost with a few nights of wild camping, as we did.
On average, expect car hire prices to start at around £50 per day if you go through an internationally recognised provider. This doesn’t include extra costs associated, such as full insurance, or the cost of petrol.
Depending on if your accommodation has parking or where you choose to visit, you are going to have to factor that into your costs, as well. However, it’s hard to put an absolute number on this as it’s hard to know the prices depending on where you visit.
Keep in mind that a manual transmission is almost always more affordable, there are often weekly discounts, and it’s frequently much cheaper to pick up and return the car at the same place. You can browse car rental options here.
To keep costs down even further, we recommend you buy a policy from iCarHireInsurance who offer full excess coverage at a fraction what car rental companies charge.
If you don’t drive or would otherwise prefer to use public transport, it is worth bearing in mind that bus and train prices anywhere in the UK are quite high. You will almost never find a bus or train ticket, no matter the distance, for under £20 (one way) if booking on the day.
The best way to save money on buses or trains is to book far in advance where prices can be significantly cheaper. if you want to unless you book extremely far in advance and on sale. We recommend using Omio to find the best savings on trains in the UK.
While both bus and train connections are good in Scotland, they’re still not ideal if you want to explore more rural areas of the country (especially in the Scottish highlands and islands) or if you want to be flexible with your itinerary, which is why I would generally recommend self-driving around Scotland.
If you’re looking to visit some of Scotland’s many islands, you’re likely going to need to hop on a ferry to get there. Keep in mind that a ticket as a passenger is going to be significantly cheaper than if you’re bringing a vehicle with you.
Ferry prices vary depending on which islands you happen to be visiting and how long the journey is. For instance, a ferry from Aberdeen to the Shetland Islands is going to be much more expensive than a short journey from Oban to the Isle of Mull.
Food Prices
You have to eat multiple times every day and, unfortunately, that tends to take a toll on your wallet and your travel budget.
Scotland food prices, not surprisingly, vary depending on where you choose to eat. Like pretty much everywhere else in the world, the cheapest food option would be heading to a supermarket and cooking for yourself.
Grocery prices aren’t very expensive in Scotland and there are many budget supermarkets to shop in such as Lidl or Aldi.
For lunch, fish and chips from a takeaway chippy is a great option and you can get a large portion for around £10-15 outside of major cities (depending on where you’re eating).
If you’re keen to get a nice meal during your Scotland trip, lunch is a great time to do this as many higher-end restaurants offer pretty good lunch specials where you can get a two- or three-course meal for around £20-25. The same meal will cost you significantly more at dinner time.
For a pub meal — be that for lunch or dinner — expect to pay about £10-15 for a main meal, again depending on what you get.
Therefore, you should expect to spend around £10 per person per day if cooking your own meals and closer to £20-30 per person per day if you want to have one or two sit-down meals per day. If you want to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner out, then expect to pay closer to £40-50 per person per day.
Activity Prices
To be completely honest, you don’t really have to spend anything on activities and you can still get a lot out of your visit to Scotland.
Many museums and attractions in Scotland are free and it doesn’t cost a dime to go for a hike or wander around a quaint town or city. However, if you do want to throw in a few paid experiences to your Scotland travel budget, here’s what to expect to pay.
Something that is a popular activity in Scotland is to go on a boat tour if you’re in a coastal area. Depending on what is offered, you can expect this kind of tour to land you somewhere around £40 per person.
Another popular activity when visiting Scotland is to go on a cruise of Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle, which typically will cost around £20-30 depending on the type of ticket you buy.
If you like Scotch and you’re interested in seeing how the whisky is made, I would highly recommend going on at least one distillery tour. Most of the basic tours offered by distilleries will cost around £10-30 depending on the distillery and will include at least one dram of whisky for a tasting.
While many museums in Scotland are free to enter, there are some historical sites that do charge an entry fee, such as the Edinburgh Castle. They don’t tend to be more than about £15-20 and are almost always worth it, as they go to the general preservation of important sites.
Therefore, if you plan to do around one activity or per day you should expect to spend on average £15-20 per person per day.
Entertainment Prices
Generally speaking, entertainment won’t add a lot to your Scotland trip cost. While that may be partly because there really isn’t much on offer for nightlife outside of the bigger cities, drink prices in Scotland aren’t exorbitant.
At a local pub, a pint will cost around £4-5 and a dram of single malt whisky will land somewhere around there as well, at about £4-5 depending on the vintage of the particular whisky you’ve selected.
It is, of course, worth noting that it is definitely cheaper to buy your booze at the supermarket. However, one of the best things about travelling through Scotland is experiencing the local pub culture and luckily, it doesn’t cost much to grab a pint, chill out, and perhaps listen to some live local music.
If you’re not a big drinker then you can possibly reduce this expense to zero, otherwise plan to allocate around £5-20 per person per day if you’d like to have a few drinks per day but not go on a binge.
Average Trip to Scotland Cost
Visiting Scotland doesn’t have to be an abhorrently expensive trip and you can keep costs quite low without sacrificing the quality of your holiday. Take the time to prioritise what is important for you and make adjustments to your Scotland travel budget accordingly.
Below is more or less what you can expect to spend per person per day while travelling in Scotland on a budget to mid-range trip, assuming that you’re travelling as a couple, have rented a car and are splitting accommodation and transport costs.
Accommodation: £20 – £150 / night
Transport: £20 – 50 / day
Food: £10 – £50 / day
Activities: £15 – 20 / day
Entertainment: £5 – £20 / day
All in all, you can expect your average trip cost to be about £70 to £290 per person per day. If you are smart and savvy about where you spend your money, you can offset your average daily costs by spending a number of your nights wild camping, making your own breakfast every day, and cooking your own dinners many nights of the trip.
This average Scotland trip cost doesn’t factor in pre-trip expenses such as flights to Scotland and travel insurance.
For travel insurance, World Nomads offers flexible and simple travel insurance policies with coverage for more than 150 activities that you can buy or extend while on the road. Another affordable option is SafetyWing which is great for travellers on a budget but it doesn’t offer as comprehensive coverage.
You also might need to buy some specific items for your trip such as a quality waterproof jacket, good hiking shoes and an umbrella for those frequent Scottish rains!
It can be hard to devise the perfect Scotland budget and to stick to it at that. It is definitely possible to save money in Scotland and hopefully, this article gave you a better idea as to how much a Scotland trip will cost.
Are you wondering about the prices in Scotland? Have any questions? Let us know in the comments!
Hi Maggie,
I am in the beginning plans of my retirement trip! It will be myself, husband and two daughters {31 and 34 years old}. We are in Florida, USA. We plan on renting a car in London, then going to Ireland for Xmas, then to Scotland for the last week in December 2024 – Jan 3rd or 4th 2025. I am thinking we will stay around Loch Lomond for New Years, then go to Isle of Skye directly after. {I looked at New Years in Skye, but prices were so high}. We like to hike, and we like to do a combination of eating out and cooking our own meals. I know it will be cold, especially for Floridians. Any recommendations for things to do in the winter in these areas will be appreciated.
Hi Kathy – sounds like you’re planning a wonderful trip! It will be cold, but also realise that it gets dark very early in Scotland in the winter – just something to be aware of!
Stumbled on this site when searching for cost of food in Scotland. Wife and I are planning late Aug trip from FL; 9 days/10 nights. Both of us in 60s and usually travel to have fun but not break the bank. Plan is to rent a car, drive east coast, then drive to Oban and end in Glascow. Got a late start on booking everything (June) and will pay the price for lodging. I checked aBNB, VRBO and ultimately went direct to hotel/b&b website. Still think prices were a bit high with limited selection. Price of rental car is out of sight; almost as much as the air. My budget looks like this;
Air- 2100 (Orlando to Glascow and return) No premium seats
Lodging- 1700 Glascow/Edin the highest. Stonehaven/Oban lowest
Food- 100USD per day (we don’t drink alcohol)
Car/gas- 1100 (and we complain about $3.50 p gal. Can’t wait for $7)
Misc- 800 (taxis, sidetrips, extras)
Thank you for all the great information!
Great article!
I’m in the planning stages of a 12 day trip to Scotland in Sept 2024. I will be doing this by public transit only via rail mostly (cross fingers that there isn’t a strike). I will be starting in Glasgow and ending in Edinburgh. I’m looking a budget-friendly accommodations…not hostels.
What do think a good budget for 12 days would be?
I enjoyed reminiscing!
Someone recommended displaying a learner’s card, which can be picked up at petrol stations, in your car window, letting others know to be patient. Yes, we were learning some new things and wish we’d heeded that advice.
Great article! We did a three week road trip in Scotland several years ago. We’re no longer into back packing and camping as we were fifty years ago but aren’t luxury travelers.
Most post offices in the UK are also money exchanges. They have the best exchange rates possible and charge no fees. Many are tucked away in retail shops.
I found b&b’s on the various booking sites then googled them to contact them directly. These are small businesses that appreciate not having to pay the commission.
We loved the homey atmosphere and opportunity to meet so many interesting people by staying in b&b’s. All of our hosts were super nice. Often we were the only Americans in the breakfast room.
A full Scottish breakfast is very filling. (Like an English breakfast but often with the addition of haggis.) Airbnb’s also appear plentiful.
Grocery stores help the budget in two ways. Like anywhere, it’s cheaper than dining out plus there’s no tax on groceries while there is on restaurant meals.
M&S (aka Marks & Spencer) is a big department store plus supermarket chain with a nice selection of salads and sandwiches. They also have convenience stores including at the Edinburgh airport train station.
Otherwise we mostly dined in pubs where we were never disappointed.
We stayed outside Edinburgh and took a commuter train or bus into the city, and what a wonderful city it is! Still The hop on hop off bus is an excellent option there. (Still walked up to 10 miles a day.)
There are three different bus companies…each a different color so easy to identify. They have slightly different routes so it’s best to pick the one that hits any peripheral sites you might want to see.
Car hire was necessary for our visits to The Highlands and The Scottish Borders. Automatics were actually double the price of standard shifts in 2017. Most people in the UK drive standards as petrol is so pricey, thus a low supply of automatics.
Prepare for rain in the Highlands! That’s the only negative thing I have to say.
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
We will be doing a Scotland self drive in April covering Edinburgh, Inverness, Kirkwall and back down through Skye, Fort William ending back in Scotland. Are there some areas we should expect to more often use cash vs cards? Gas and food will be out biggest purchase considerations. Also, we are aware the weather will be a bit of potluck but am curious what we can expect as far as greenery, spring flowers and leaves on the trees. My husband is an advid photographer and would be great to know what to expect that early.
Thank you!
Hi Pam, sounds like you’re planning a great trip! Generally speaking, cards are accepted virtually everywhere in Scotland so you shouldn’t have to worry much. It is probably always a good idea to have a bit of cash on you, however. Regarding greenery – April may still be a bit sparse but you may start seeing some flowers and such by the middle to end of the month 🙂
Hi Maggie,
I am interested in bringing a small group (10 – 12 persons) from New York City to the Edinburgh International Festival in August. Can you point me toward a travel agent that might help with group hotel bookings? I guess due to the festival the hotels are quite expensive, and while this would not be a super budget trip, $500US a night just for a hotel near the festival is the least expensive I have found so far. I thought perhaps a local travel agent can find package deals for us at hotels, restaurants, sightseeing, private van service and maybe even a local guide. Do you have an agent you can recommend?
Hi Vernon, we don’t work with any travel agents so I can’t help you in that regard. I hope you’re able to find a solution for your trip!
Hi Maggie,
Sri here.
That was a wonderful article. After Covid, I have seen some changes in booking for Museums and other heritage sites. If you could share some insights on the current status in Scotland after covid, it would be great.
Also I am planning to go during the 3rd week of December. I wish to make use of my unused holidays before the end of the year. In this cold weather, does it makes sense to plan a 4 day trip to Scotland.
Would greatly appreciate your advice.
Thanks in advance
Hi Sri, things are changing all the time in Scotland so I would make sure to check all of the relevant government websites in order to stay on top of whatever restrictions may be in place. As for the weather, just make sure to pack accordingly and you should be fine! Hope you’re able to have a great trip 🙂
We have been planning a trip to Scotland for almost 2 years now. We are set to travel April 2021. My fear is that with the new strains, most sites will be closed. We are up in the air about postponing our trip, but I know how disappointed I will be, if I travel all that way to find museums, battlefield, and castles closed. What do you think?
Hi Yvonne, thanks for your comment! Right now, it can be tricky to know what the world will be like in April. I think it’s best to keep an eye on the situation, the restrictions that are currently in place and government advice closer to the date and see if you need to postpone then. With the current state of things, it does seem as if travel in April is unlikely. Hope you’re able to safely get to Scotland soon!
Wow that is fantastic information! My plan is rent a car- do you need international drivers license? We are staying two weeks. I thought perhaps a week in Inverness and travel the upper half of Scotland and the second week in Edinburgh to travel bottom half. My big goal is to go to Island of Barra, my ancestors are from there. Thank you for any input. My goal is September 2022 if its safe for travels by then. I have an itinerary started, marking a map so I can calculate distances. Thanks so much
Thanks for your comment, Karena! You shouldn’t need an international driver’s permit but I would always make sure to check with your car hire company just to make sure. Sounds like you’re planning quite the trip – hope you have a wonderful time!
Any thoughts on renting a motor home and traveling for three weeks or so in England and Scotland? Found some interesting rentals at about 125 Sterling/night. Thinking of fall 2020/spring 2021 if this Covid mess clears up. Scotland sounds cheaper then here in Hawai’i.
Hi Steven, I think that renting a motorhome is a great way to see England and Scotland! Travelling around Scotland is definitely a bit more affordable than Hawaii, but I think you’ll find the weather isn’t quite so nice 🙂 Hope you’re able to do the trip in the near future!
Hello, thanks for the great article. Any thoughts on the idea of renting a caravan for my trip? I am tossed between doing that or just renting a car and staying at b&b’s. I like the idea of wild camping but can’t do a tent due to chronic illness.
5thanks for any advice.
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, happy you found the article helpful! I think renting a caravan for your trip is an excellent idea! I haven’t done this myself, but there are lots of companies out there where you can find a decent price for that, and you still get the benefit of being out in nature without having to “rough it” while wild camping in a tent. Hope you’re able to have a great trip!
Hi, Maggie.
My partner and I are travelling to Scotland for approximately 17 days. We will be renting a car and driving from Salisbury. We have places to stay in Edinburgh and Glasglow, however, a majority of our travels will take us to the Isle of Skye and around Inverness. I am unsure how much money we should budget for our trip and whether these regions are more or less expensive than bigger city centres?
I greatly appreciate your insight!
Thank you kindly,
Sasha
Hi Sasha, prices, for the most part, will remain consistent in places like Inverness and Skye, however, you might find things to be slightly more expensive in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The above budget, however, is around what you should expect to pay for things in Scotland.
Hi! I am thinking of traveling solo to Scotland for about 1 to 1.5 weeks around the end of September and not including airfare, I was thinking that $1500.00 to $2000.00 would be sufficient. What are your thoughts on this budget and also do you think this is a good time of year to visit?? Thank you in advance!!!
Hi Stacia, that should be a more than adequate amount of money to visit Scotland for a week. September is a great time to visit — not too cold yet, but the tourist crowds won’t be as big as in the summer months yet. Hope you have a great trip!
Hello !
Thank’s a lot for an interesting article! I am actually planning my 3 weeks trip around Scotland in May 2020. I am so excited about it! Happy New Year and safe travels!
Thanks for your comment, Kaja! Glad you found this article helpful and hope that you have a great trip 🙂
Hi, we are looking into a trip to Scotland to Edinburgh for the Military Tattoo in August 2022, our wish is to bring along our 4 adult children and two grandchildren, ages then will he 16 and 13…..looking at rentals thru homeaway for a week, what is your opinion of what our budget should be, will be needing transportation as well.
Hi Colleen, I’m not sure about your travel style or priorities on this trip, however, the prices outlined in this article are a good starting point to understand how much things cost in Scotland. Sometimes it’s easiest just to set a budget before you start planning and then work around that.
Hi looking at traveling to Scotland in 2020 and we were going to camper van or motor home around for 3 weeks.I thought that you could only free camp in Scotland in a tent.Travelling with a motor home or camper van you had to stay at a caravan park, is this correct.
Hey Michelle, as I have only ever wild camped in a tent and not in a campervan/motorhome, I’m not well-versed in the nuances of Scotland’s policies. However, if you want to have more concrete information, this is a good guide to set you straight: https://wildaboutscotland.com/2014/11/30/wild-camping-in-scotland-camper-vans-and-motorhomes/
Hope you have a great trip!
Hi Thank yo so much for your great information, I have been looking at prices of accomodations and my friend does not want shared bathrooms in any of the bookings which leaves us with more expensive options. I have compared the prices of hiring a campervan and it is looking like it might turn out cheaper. We are going in November so wild camping is a bit out of question….any thoughts?
Thanx a bunch.
Thanks for your comment! Yes, accommodation can get a bit more expensive in Scotland if don’t want to share a bathroom! I think hiring a campervan could be a good option — you can still pull over almost anywhere for the night and it won’t be nearly as chilly as staying in a tent. Hope you have a great trip 🙂
Thanks for the info. We are a family of 6 heading over for 5 weeks next year in May for a family reunion. (1 of those week will be split between Paris and London). Plan is to hire a motorhome and travel for the 4 weeks but I have read free camping does not apply to vehicle based accomodation. Do you have an idea of how difficult it is to find places to pull off to the side of the road? It is very easy here in Australia.
Can you also please give me an idea about travel distance and time over there as I am still trying to wrap my head around travel times. For example, the whole of Scotland fits into half of the Sate of Victorian in Australia so we are used to travelling long distances to go places but I believe the travel time is quitr different over there. I am trying to figure out if we will have time to go from London to Cotswolds, St Ives and Tintagel amd Bath through to Lakes District and then travel Scotland roughly a clockwise visiting Galston, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Stirling, Loch Lamond, Glencoe, Glenfinnan, Isle Of Skye Applecross (going over thr Balach na Baa) up to the Orkenys and coming down to inverness to spend a week or so around Kingussie visiting the Park and various family history locations for a reunion and then a straight drive to London to fly home. It seems quite doable on a map but physically I am not so sure.
Cheers!
Thanks for your comment! As I only have firsthand experience of wild camping in a tent in Scotland, I’m not so well-versed about what the rules are regarding a motorhome. That being said, I don’t think you should have any trouble finding a place to park for the night — whether that be on the side of a country road or at a caravan campsite. Camping (whether it be in a motorhome or in a tent) is super popular in Scotland and facilities are readily available.
As for driving times, I think that what you have planned is doable in 4 weeks, however, it will be very rushed and probably exhausting. I would choose to either spend time in Cornwall or in Scotland. It is easier to camp in Scotland, in our experience. Also, things do take longer than you might anticipate, especially the more rural you get. Some of the roads are winding and VERY narrow and you can go much over about 50 kph. But if you’re used to long drives anyway, it shouldn’t be a big problem. Google maps usually have pretty accurate time estimates in my experience.
I hope this helps and you and your family have a great trip!
I’m a little late in responding but for others who might wonder, I used the web site Rome2rio.com. It always took us longer as we drove a slow as we acclimated to the narrower roads. This was more difficult for me than driving on the left which was quite easy.
Generally, pulling off the side of the road is more difficult than in the US as they typically don’t have shoulders. However, there are such places for viewing some of the great natural scenery.
I did YouTube searches “driving from x to y” and found videos where people recorded their trips. This helped orient me.
Hi Maggie. Im from the Philippines and plans to have our honeymoon in Scotland. We plan to go first in Glasgow and travel to Inverness. What is the easiest way to travel there aside from plane?
Hi Danah, you can easily get to Inverness from Glasgow via train or coach (direct) if you plan on relying on public transport. The journeys should generally take around 3-4 hours. Hope you have an amazing honeymoon!
I actually went on a ten day trip to Scotland this past summer and loved it! We stayed in Castles so those accommodations fell into the upper end of cost but were well worth it (£200-£300). One thing that you didn’t mention are the taxes. There was a 20% tax on rooms! That was one thing that really blew up the budget. I find that those sorts of things are the biggest “hidden costs” when traveling.
Another detail for many travelers is the ability to get some tax money back on goods purchased (retail items only). I don’t believe this applies to all countries but the US has a form to fill out in the airport. Just make sure to save your receipts!
Great article-loves my visit and will definitely take some of your advice next time I go!
Hi Amy, thanks for your comment and glad you had a great time in Scotland! I’m surprised that the VAT was hidden in your accommodation costs…I’ve been under the impression that it was illegal not to include all taxes in the advertised price. Great tip on saving receipts for the refund, though! It was always something that I reminded family/friends from the USA and Australia to remember to do when they visited us in the UK. I believe the refund applies to all non-EU nationalities, but I could very well be wrong.
Hello Maggie,
Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom, regarding budgeting in Scotland. We are heading there for 11 days in May and will be staying in Perthshire and Glasgow. I am not as familiar with Perthshire (we will also be heading to Edinburgh for a night as well), but wondering what you would recommend seeing/doing in the Perthshire area, or in northern Scotland, as we have rented a car. We are open to any and all recommendations.
Also, my boyfriend and I have already paid for our accommodations and flights. What would be a good daily budget to try to stick to (probably mid-range). We will also have gas/car insurance to consider.
Also, if you have any suggestions about what to do in Glasgow, please share!
Thanks so much,
Laura.
Thanks for your comment, Laura. Unfortunately, I am not too familiar with Perthshire either so I don’t have any personal recommendations for you there — sorry! However, if you have a car, it can be worth heading to the Cairngorms National Park or even checking out some of the attractions around Inverness as well. You could also visit St Andrew’s and Dundee if that interests you.
If you’ve already paid for accommodation and you’re on a mid-range budget, I would plan to spend between £25-50 per day, factoring in car hire prices. Car insurance shouldn’t be a big burden financially if you take out a portion of it with a third-party provider (we have a link in our resources page for the company we recommend).
Hope this helps!
Hi Maggie,
Thanks for the info, it was very helpful. My Hubby and I are going to Glasgow in May for a week and then on to London for 5 days. We are from Canada and found that with such a big difference in Pound to Cdn Dollar, we paid for our hotels and airfare here to avoid the exchange which saved a lot. We also paid for the Hop on/Hop off pass for 3 days in London as well. Thanks again 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Bonnie. Glad you found this article helpful!
Hi Maggie
I am planning a trip for my husband and I in August, and have just seen that the Military Tattoo will be on – a definite must-see…
Would you recommend using a campervan or motorhome to travel around in, rather than hiring a car and hotels?
I am planning to spend about 5-6 days in Scotland.
Cathy
Thanks for your comment, Cathy! A campervan is definitely an excellent way to travel around Scotland frugally and it would be pretty easy to manage, as well, especially since you don’t need to pay for a campsite in most cases 🙂
Hey there!
I am hoping to be in Scotland for two weeks next year backpacking around the country as much as I can. How much would I need to save for backpacking, and to enjoy all of its splendors? It’s been a dream of mine to travel scotland and to view the beautiful castles!
Hi Vanessa, if you plan on backpacking and sticking to a very tight budget when you’re in Scotland, I would recommend planning for a daily budget of around £60 per day. This is just for your daily costs in Scotland and doesn’t include things like flights. Hope this helps 🙂
Hi , I will be traveling to Edinburgh and Glasgow for two days each so can u please tell me about the total pound Sterlings will be needed for two persons. Excluding accomodation
Thanks for your comment, Suruchi. Unfortunately, I don’t really know your travel style or budget, so I am unable to give you an accurate assessment as to how much your trip will cost. I’ve outlined the average costs in the article above, but if you can provide me with some more details so I can help you further, please don’t hesitate to contact me 🙂 Cheers!
Hi my boyfriend and I would like to fly from the US to Scotland. Unfortunately we only have 4 days to spend there. How much would the average cost be and what would be the best town to stay in and explore. I’m interested in Inverness( big Outlander fan) lol. And suggestions and prices are appreciated.
Hi Tasha, thanks for your comment! It´s kind of difficult for me to say how much it would cost to spend 4 days in Scotland seeing as I am not sure what kind of budget you have available to you, however, if you are trying to cut costs I would say it is definitely possible to do it for around £300-400 per person (not including flights). This would include staying in budget accommodation (like a private room on Airbnb) but would also allow you to eat most meals out.
As for where to stay, if you’re into Outlander and are interested in seeing the sites in the Highlands, I would recommend basing yourself in Inverness and hiring a car for the time you’re there. That will give you more flexibility to see some things in the surrounding area (like Loch Ness and Culloden) without having to spend the cash on an organised day tour. Otherwise, Edinburgh is a fantastic option with plenty to occupy yourself with for 4 days.
Hope this helps!
I’m in the beginning stages of planning a 14 day trip to Scotland for 3 adults. It’s not being planned until June 2021 so I have time, but I’d like to begin a budget for us. We would be renting a car and possibly eating out most of the time. Camping may not be an option. Reasonably, with some mid-range accommodations figured in, and a few touristy things planned, would $10,000 US be enough?
Thanks for your comment, Karly! Hope that your trip planning goes well 🙂 Based on my experience, I think that $10,000 for 3 people should be more than enough to cover a mid-range budget in Scotland
I am originally from the Glasgow area. Lived in US for over 36 years. In the last 6 years I’ve been back a few times for a month at a time.
Car rental company I recommend highly, Arnold Clark. No hidden charges, easy pick up/ drop off and great car selection. ( no I don’t get anything for this endorsement, just lesson learned)
Sykes Cottages is a good company if you are looking to rent by the week.
Hope you enjoy your trip, I’m headed there in April.
That’s an interesting point about wild camping! A great budget option so I would love to try it. I’m guessing I should definitely aim to travel during the warmer months though 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Wild camping can significantly cut down on accommodation costs in Scotland! It is definitely better to do it in the summer months though 🙂
Do you have recommendations for wild camping where its legal and safe.
Hello. We would like to travel to Scotland by our own car. Do you, guys, know if there is s fee when crossing the border to Scotland? I remember that when we went to Wales from Swindon we had to pay £5 or £10.
I honestly have no idea if there is a fee to drive from England to Scotland, but my gut tells me there isn’t. What you might find is there may be a toll road. When we’ve driven from England to Wales we never had to pay a fee to enter Wales, however, there was a toll for the bridge. I’m sorry that I can’t be more helpful!
Just came back from Scotland and England. There were no fees tool roads etc that we experienced.
Thanks for sharing, Bonnie!
Hello Maggie,
A very informative article, thank you.
Do you think, using all the tips provided, a month in Scotland could range from 6,000. to 8,000 US
dollers?
Not including air fare.
Thanks
Megan Allen
Hi Megan…is your budget for just one person? If it is, I think that $6,000-8,000 is going to be more than enough for one month in Scotland. I recommend planning on spending around £55 ($70USD) per day and with that budget, you will be spending over $200 per day. While it is certainly possible to spend this kind of money in Scotland, it is altogether not necessary.