Scotland has been a long time bucket list destination for me – and this February solo trip ended up being full of surprises. Some of the best parts were the unexpected ones. This trip reminded me to roll with the journey even when things don’t go as planned, and you might find some of the best moments were the ones you didn’t plan.

My Itinerary

Day 1- Arrival in Inverness

Day 2- Inverness- Full day tour to Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle

Day 3- Inverness- Relaxing day to enjoy Inverness

Day 4- Inverness to Edinburgh

Day 5- Edinburgh- Explore city sites, Edinburgh Castle, Scotch Whisky Experience

Day 6- Edinburgh- Full day tour to Whisky distilleries

Day 7- Edinburgh- Arthur’s Seat morning hike, lunch in New Town, Dean Village walk, evening Ghost Bus Tour

Day 8- Edinburgh- Day trip to Glasgow by train

Day 9- Edinburgh- Last day / flex day

Tips & Highlights

When booking this trip, I couldn’t find any direct flights to Edinburgh. When I realized I’d be connecting in London anyway, I decided to fly to Inverness as my first stop for 3 nights. If I were to do this trip again, I would have stayed for at least 4 nights in Inverness and used it as a base to explore other places. It was a charming small city with cute shops and restaurants, as well as a great live music scene every night of the week. Tour companies offer excursions to see lots of places from Inverness. I took a Rabbie’s small group tour to the Eilean Donan Castle and Isle of Skye, which was amazing. You could also access Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield, and many more places from Inverness.

In Inverness, there is a castle in the center (with a newly opened museum experience!) and beautiful viewpoints. There are cute shops all around, including the famous Leakey’s Bookshop, and the indoor “Victorian Market,” which also contains a food hall. If the weather is nice, you can follow the walkway along the water for a nice scenic walk. During the evenings, lots of local pubs feature live music- check out Hootenanny or one of the others nearby. My favorite restaurant of Inverness was River House (reserve ahead). The ambiance was so cute and cozy, and I loved the menu which featured dishes with local oysters, mussels, and other seafood and fish. Rocpool was another great restaurant if you’re looking for something more modern / fine dining. For something local and traditional, try The Mustard Seed. Another thing I did in Inverness was a tour and tasting at the Uilebheist Distillery and Brewery. They name their beers after different creatures such as the Kelpies, Forest Dweller, and White Witch. The tour was very interesting. I particularly loved learning about their environmentally sustainable practices. It’s also a bar you can visit if you just want to try their beers.

After a few days in Inverness, I took the train (about 3.5 hours) to Edinburgh and checked into my hotel. I quickly realized that even in February, Edinburgh was a very touristy and sometimes crowded place. If you look around at all the dramatic architecture set against the lively streets, it was easy to see why. It’s a good place to take advantage of the touristy stuff- go on the campy, spooky Ghost Bus Tour, take the Harry Potter walking tour, explore an underground vault. These tours seem to feature local actors as the guides, so they’re extra fun to embrace, even if it’s not your usual travel “thing.” You can visit the Edinburgh castle (book this ahead), check out the beautiful shops, and have your pick from lots of museums- I checked out the free art museum and National Gallery. If you’re into whisky tasting like I am, I was very impressed by the Scotch Whisky Experience which had a very cool multimedia exhibit followed by a tasting. I also recommend getting out of the touristy center. For a nice hike, you can take the uphill trail from Hollyroodhouse Park to Arthur’s Seat. You can also find great scenic walks in the charming Dean Village and the moody Waterway of Leith. One day, I took the train to Glasgow (only 40 minutes) and checked out the stunning Cathedral, Necropolis, and a couple of art museums. It was a cool, less touristy, more real city to walk around in and it was packed with culture, both Scottish and international.

I found lots of awesome food options in Edinburgh. For a quick bite, “Oink” has hog rolls that are really delicious. Makars Mash Bar which has a line wrapped around the block, is a great traditional spot for meat and mash. I went twice and definitely recommend trying to book this place ahead or getting on line right before they open to secure a table- being a solo traveler made it much easier to grab a spot here- but all in all, the everything is being run quite smoothly. For shockingly good Italian, Little Capo was a great concept featuring Italian cocktails and a short, changing food menu including lots of small sharing plates. For a great pre-fixe French lunch, head to Chez Jules in New Town. Loved it! For a fancy ambiance, The Spence (located in a hotel) was gorgeous with a great cocktail and food list. They also have a special brunch on certain Sundays worth looking into. For cocktails, Panda and Sons (featured on the World’s 50 best bars list) had inventive cocktails along with interesting information that chronicled basically how a trained ice cream maker applied these freezing techniques to cocktail making. It was a great place with friendly service and a cool ambiance. The only thing I hated about it was when a couple of women sat next to me, looked at a list on their phones, barely interacted with the bartenders as they ordered the drink their phone list told them to, staged their cocktails and took photos from multiples angles, and then left after maybe trying a sip or two. I hate seeing stuff like that so much. Like you just want to take pictures of yourself looking like you’re doing certain things, but you’re not even experiencing or pulling meaning from anything. Unfortunately it seems like a lot of people who clutch selfie-sticks like an extension of their hands have made their way to Edinburgh, mistaking the city’s beautiful backdrops and offerings for their own personal photography shoot. As a frequent traveler with a completely different ideology on my purpose and goals for traveling, this type of tourist scene is one I avoid at all costs and ultimately wish I spent a bit less time in Edinburgh solely due to this.

Next Time?

Next time I would certainly limit my time with the “influencers” who have taken over the streets in Edinburgh. I’d go back to Inverness and see more areas of the north. The terrain and landscapes were incredible. I’d also love to visit more whisky distilleries and continue learning about whisky production. I also enjoyed Glasgow and would definitely consider spending more time there as a southern base. I would certainly use the train again- it was a great way to commute between cities!