Coming up: boat rides, Skye Bridge, some of the most beautiful places in Scotland, no direct trains, advice on why you shouldn’t be scared of hitchhiking, and the best ways to get from Edinburgh to Isle of Skye.
Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital. (… so it’s a mega-popular place to visit)
And the Isle of Skye is the nation’s most well-known island. (… so it’s also a mega-popular place to visit).
So: in this guide, we’ve unpacked how you can travel between the two. Expect trains, buses, private drivers, guided tours, pretty views, and even some ferry rides.
Spoiler alert: before we get going, there are NO direct public-transport connections between Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye. Just getting that disappointment out the way now. So, as you probably guessed, it’s best to tackle the journey by driving.
Anyway, today, Travelness are taking you from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye. Bring your backpack and come join the party!
Before we start, here’s a quick map I created using Google Maps to visualize where Skye is from Edinburgh (in the North West).
The distance from Edinburgh to the central part of the Isle of Skye measures in at around 230 miles (370 km)
Your 4 Different Options for Getting From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye
There are 5 main ways to tackle the trip from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye:
- Bus: not convenient
- Train: also not convenient
- Driving: the best option for being independent
- The combo of ferry and train: a VERY special journey
- … or a guided tour: great for saving time and money—and getting some local insights
(cycling isn’t a good option… but if you’re a total maniac, you might want to tackle it—and later, we’ve given you details on how to do exactly that).
… oh, and hitchhiking is a surprisingly good idea too—and it’s not as scary as it sounds, I promise. But I’ll justify that later.
Next, we’ve covered your various options in depth:
Getting From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye by Bus
Overall: a terrible idea, there are no direct buses between Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye, and even if you take the non-direct route, it’ll be a LONG (and surprisingly expensive) journey.
Pros:
Cons:
Overall, I can’t see any reason to tackle this trip by bus.
Getting From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye by Train
Overall: not a good way to get the Isle of Skye. You can get partyway to the island by train, but the island doesn’t even have a train station.
Pros:
Cons:
All this said, if you do for whatever reason want to take the train (maybe you really like train journeys, I don’t know), the best place for buying train tickets is the Trainline:
The Trainline gives you the cheapest fares, it’s easy to use, and it compares train ticket prices across all different train providers. To get the cheapest prices you can, search for your tickets around 6-8 weeks before your intended date of travel—for whatever reason, that seems to be when you find the best bargains.
… and to save even MORE money, travel during the UK ‘off peak’ period, which, in the UK, is after 09:30 (but not within the peak travel hours of 15:30 and 18:15). #LifeHacks.
And if you’ll be taking lots of UK train trips, you should consider getting a UK railcard. Most railcards cost only around £30, and typically offer a massive 33% discount on all tickets. And because endless types of people qualify for railcards (couples, old people, young people, etc), you’ll probably qualify for at least one of them.
Getting From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye by Car
Overall: definitely the best way to tackle the trip. Yep, it’s a relatively long ride (it takes around 5 hours). But when you reach the Isle of Skye, public transport is very limited—and without a car, you won’t be able to explore the island in the way you’ll want to.
Pros:
Cons:
Again, to hire a car, use Discovercars.com.
They search over 500 different providers, they compare prices, they have LOADS of different car options, the site is easy to use, they often have sales and discount codes,… and as we mentioned, you can often get cars for as little as £10 per day.
Places you might want to stop along the way to the Isle of Skye include:
For more Scottish road trips, drive on over to our guides on…
Getting From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye by Ferry and Train
Overall: fun and unique, most tourists don’t do it… and who doesn’t like a boat trip? And you’ll see some of the best views in the whole of Scotland. If you have time to spare and you’re looking for something genuinely unique and memorable, I highly recommend this.
Before we get into the pros and cons, I’m gonna describe this journey for you, cos it’s a special one:
The second half of the trip is when you catch the ferry from mainland Scotland (in the small town of Mallaig) to tiny tiny Armadale, a little village sitting on the south of Skye. This ferry route is pretty, the boat is quaint, and it’s a real local insight (it’s not some touristy experience).
But the really special part of this trip is taking the train from Edinburgh to Mallaig, which is part of the West Highland Line railway.
… the most famous train ride in Scotland (and genuinely one of the most beautiful and iconic train rides ON THE PLANET), it runs 164 miles (264 km) from Glasgow to Mallaig. The Glasgow to Mallaig stretch takes around 5.5 hours—it features coasts, mountains, lochs, forests, little towns, and—most famously!—the Glenfinnan VIaduct. The Glenfinnan Viaduct is that massive railway bridge made famous by the Harry Potter movies. So, yep: this is the train ride some people refer to as the ‘Harry Potter train.’
Here’s WAY more information on the ride. And you can book tickets here.
To get onto the West Highland Line, you’ll of course have to catch a train from Edinburgh to Glasgow. So in total, this is a lengthy journey, but a totally worthwhile one—and one of the best travel experiences the UK has to offer.
Biggest pro:
Biggest con:
Here’s the ferry timetable, where you can also buy tickets. As you can see, the ferry times are built to match with the train times (well, sort of).
Taking a Multi-Day Tour From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye
If you can’t drive (or don’t want to drive), I recommend taking a multi-day tour from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye.
On these multi-day tours, you start in Edinburgh, you get driven to the Isle of Skye, you explore the island and its highlights for a while, then you get driven back to Edinburgh. And you get a guide and a driver for the entire tour. So: you see things you couldn’t see with public transport, you save a lot of time (and you usually also save a lot of money), and you get insights and information most tourists never do.
Many of these multi-day tours ALSO include many highlights of the Scottish Highlands (because you make en-route stops on your way to the Isle of Skye).
Your three best options are…
Is It Possible to Ride a Bicycle From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye?
You can, but it’s a massive ride.
It’s not some casual fun day-long jaunt; it’s only an option for serious experienced cyclists who are looking for a real adventure:
Even if you take the shortest bike-friendly route from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye (a route that’s pretty hilly anyway!), you’ll be cycling 280 miles (450 km).
For more UK bike rides:
What Is Skye Bridge? Is It a Tourist Attraction?
No, Skye Bridge is just a bridge.
… and it’s the bridge you use to reach the Isle of Skye from mainland Scotland.
When you’re thinking of a famous old photogenic tourist-attraction bridge on the Isle of Skye, you’re actually thinking of Sligachan Bridge. Now-disused, there’s not much to do here—but it’s very pretty, and it’s worth a visit.
My Recommendation for Getting From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye
In summary (and as I’ve probably made pretty clear by now), I think it’s only worth going from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye if you’re going to drive there, or take a private tour.
Any other option is lengthy, complicated, or convoluted (and usually a combo of all three)—and if you get to the Isle of Skye without a car, you won’t be able to explore much of the place anyway
… and, again, any other journey takes a VERY long time.
But: if you’re looking for a genuinely special experience, take the super-scenic combo I outlined above: the train from Edinburgh to Glasgow, then the train from Glasgow to Mallaig (that’s the world-famous West Highland Line), then the ferry from Mallaig to Armadale.
Tips and Advice for Driving From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye
Bonus Recommendation: Hitchhiking From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye
Okay, this might sound a bit leftfield, especially if you’ve never done any hitchhiking before.
But bear with me here—hitchhiking in Scotland is VERY easy, I’ve done it hundreds of times, you’re never restricted to any timetable, and it’s a good option for people who don’t know how to drive.
AND: the majority of the Isle of Skye is VERY rural. And because the majority of the Isle of Skye is very rural, the roads can be tricky to drive on, and there isn’t much (or in some places, any) public transport.
… and in conditions like that, whoever drives by a hitchhiker will usually pick up a hitchhiker.
I’ve hitchhiked on the Isle of Skye many times, and I’ve rarely waited more than 10 or 15 minutes to catch a lift.
If you want to reach the most remote and rural parts of Skye without a car, hitchhiking is LITERALLY your only option.
For more, here’s my big bumper guide on why I love hitchhiking—and why you should too.
Does the Isle of Skye Have an Airport?
No, the Isle of Skye does not have a public airport.
Yep, it does have a small single airstrip near the village of Broadford, but this only takes private planes and charter flights.
So unless you’re a millionaire or a celebrity, you won’t be using it.
Going From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye: Final Thoughts
So, that’s us done—and that’s everything you need to know about getting from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye!
To sum up, the best way to take the trip is by driving. You’ll find no direct bus and no direct train. And anyway, on the Isle of Skye, you need a car. So it’s best to take one with you!
… but if you don’t want to drive, you should take an organized tour from Edinburgh. All the driving is done for you, you don’t need to sort out an itinerary, you get picked up from (and dropped off at) your hotel, and you still get to see all Skye’s highlights.
For different destinations, here’s my guide on how to go from Edinburgh to Inverness.
For more on Edinburgh, drive on over to our guides on the 15 best day trips from Edinburgh and the ultimate 2-days-in-Edinburgh itinerary.
And for more on the Isle of Skye, here are our guides on the 15 best walks and hikes on the Isle of Skye, and the 13 best beaches on the Isle of Skye.
IMPORTANT: Feel free to explore our other travel guides while you’re here – you might discover some delightful surprises! Plus, every visit helps support our small business. We truly appreciate it.
