Scotland Trip Planner
Pick where you sleep each night; it fills in drive times, flags long days and budgets in pounds. Sample 7, 10 and 14-night routes.
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1. Before you book anything: the UK ETA
If you're visiting from the US, Canada or most other countries that don't need a visa, every person in your group needs a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before flying. That includes babies and children.
- It costs £20 per person, so a family of four pays £80.
- The UK government says to apply at least 3 working days before you travel. We'd do it as soon as the flights are booked.
- Apply only on GOV.UK or the official UK ETA app. Third-party sites charge extra for the same form.
Check passports at the same time. US passports for children under 16 are only valid for 5 years, and both parents normally have to apply in person, so renewals take planning. If one parent is traveling alone with the kids, or your surnames differ, carry something that shows your relationship, like a birth certificate or a consent letter from the other parent.
2. When to go
There isn't a bad month, just different trade-offs. Summer gives you very long days but busier roads, peak prices and midges in the west. Spring and early autumn are quieter. Winter days are short, so plan one or two sights a day and finish driving before dark.
| Month | Daylight in Edinburgh | Daylight in Inverness |
|---|---|---|
| January | 7h 35m | 7h 20m |
| April | 14h 10m | 14h 20m |
| June | 17h 35m | 18h 00m |
| August | 15h 05m | 15h 20m |
| October | 10h 30m | 10h 25m |
| December | 7h 00m | 6h 40m |
Sunrise to sunset on the 15th of each month. The Scotland Trip Planner has all 12 months.
- Midges are tiny biting flies, around from roughly late May to September and worst on calm, damp evenings in the west Highlands and islands. Pack repellent and a head net.
- August is festival month in Edinburgh. Rooms in the city book up early and cost more.
- July and August are also Scottish school holidays, so book rooms and cars early.
3. How long the drives really take
This is where most Scotland itineraries go wrong. Highland roads are slower than they look: a lot of them are single-track with passing places, you'll stop for views (and toilets), and with kids you'll stop more. These are the mapped times with no stops, plus a "realistic" column with 40% added.
| Drive | Miles | Mapped time | Realistic (+40%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh → Inverness | 157 | 3h 26m | 4h 48m |
| Edinburgh → St Andrews | 53 | 1h 20m | 1h 52m |
| Edinburgh → Glencoe | 119 | 2h 44m | 3h 50m |
| Edinburgh → Oban | 124 | 2h 56m | 4h 06m |
| Glasgow → Fort William | 102 | 2h 29m | 3h 29m |
| Inverness → Portree (Skye) | 113 | 2h 37m | 3h 40m |
| Portree (Skye) → Fort William | 108 | 2h 28m | 3h 27m |
| Inverness → Wick | 103 | 2h 17m | 3h 12m |
| Wick → Durness | 91 | 2h 19m | 3h 15m |
| Ullapool → Applecross | 86 | 1h 53m | 2h 38m |
Mapped times: OpenStreetMap road data via the OSRM router, by car, looked up October 2026.
A good rule with kids: keep most driving days under three hours of mapped time, and never stack two long days back to back. Remember you drive on the left, and children need a car seat until they're 12 or 135 cm tall. If you're renting, automatics are less common than manuals in the UK, so book early and request the seats when you reserve. Planning to use your credit card's rental car cover? It generally works in Scotland (Visa's standard benefit excludes only Northern Ireland within the UK, and Amex's standard cover excludes Australia, Italy and New Zealand), but it's often secondary and you must decline the rental desk's collision damage waiver, so check your card's guide and carry proof of cover. Comparison sites like Discover Cars show what's available at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports.
4. Three sample routes
7 nights: Edinburgh, the Highlands and Skye
Edinburgh (2 nights) → Inverness via Pitlochry (2 nights) → Portree on Skye (1 night) → Fort William (1 night) → Glencoe and on to Glasgow (1 night) for the flight home. The fullest of the three: it works best for older kids who are fine in the car.
10 nights: add Perthshire and breathing room
Edinburgh (3 nights, with a day trip to St Andrews) → Pitlochry (1) → Inverness (2) → Skye (2) → Fort William (1) → Glasgow (1). Two nights on Skye means one day where you don't pack the car.
14 nights: a slice of the North Coast 500
Edinburgh (3) → Pitlochry (1) → Inverness (1) → Wick (1) → Durness (1) → Ullapool (1) → Applecross (1) → Skye (2) → Fort William (1) → Oban (1) → Glasgow (1). The full North Coast 500 is 516 miles from Inverness and VisitScotland suggests 5 to 7 days for it, so this route only does the northern half before cutting across to Skye.
Prefer to leave the driving to someone else for a day? Highland day tours from Edinburgh (Loch Ness, Glencoe, St Andrews) are listed on GetYourGuide, Viator and Klook. Compare the pickup point and how long you're actually on the coach before you book with kids.
5. The costs people forget
Flights, rooms and the car will be most of your budget, and they depend so much on dates that we won't guess at them. Get real quotes. These are the smaller things that catch people out:
- UK ETA: £20 per person (fixed fee).
- Edinburgh visitor levy: 5% of the room price for the first 5 nights, for stays from 24 July 2026. Example 5 nights at £200 a night adds £50.
- Car seats from the rental company, if you don't bring your own, usually charged per day.
- Ferries if you head to islands other than Skye (Skye has a bridge). Book summer car spaces early.
- Travel insurance: check the policy covers everyone, including medical cover outside your home country and the rental car's damage excess, which is often £1,000 or more.
- Phone data: check your plan's roaming charges, or use a travel eSIM such as Airalo.
- Castle and attraction tickets: many big sites sell timed tickets online, and summer slots sell out. Edinburgh tours and tickets are on GetYourGuide, and Tiqets has Edinburgh Castle tickets, including entry with a guided tour. The castle's own website sells plain entry too, so compare.
Want to turn it into a number? The travel budget calculator adds it up and tells you what to save per paycheck, and the daily budget calculator works out spending money per day in pounds and dollars.
Packing for Scotland's weather
It can rain in any month, and the Highlands are windier and colder than Edinburgh. Bring layers and a waterproof for everyone, kids included, and midge repellent from late May to September.
Kids' clothes for Scotland
Plan for rain, wind and four seasons in a day, and colder, windier weather in the Highlands than in Edinburgh. From late May to September, long sleeves and long trousers for evenings in the west also help with midges. Counts are per child. The two-week column assumes one load of laundry halfway (most self-catering places have a washer, and quick-dry things dry on a radiator overnight).
| Clothes | Weekend | 1 week | 2 weeks | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tops | 3 | 5 | 6 | T-shirts or long-sleeve tops; quick-dry or merino beats cotton |
| Trousers or leggings | 2 | 3 | 4 | leggings and joggers dry faster than jeans |
| Base layers | 1 set | 2 sets | 2 sets | thermal top and leggings, for cold days, evenings and hill walks |
| Fleece or warm mid layer | 1 | 1 | 2 | the thing they'll wear every day under the jacket |
| Waterproof jacket with a hood | 1 | 1 | 1 | a real waterproof, not a showerproof windbreaker |
| Rain trousers or a puddle suit | 1 | 1 | 1 | a puddle suit (all-in-one) for toddlers; over-trousers for older kids |
| Warm hat | 1 | 1 | 1 | plus gloves or mittens from October to April |
| Sun hat | 1 | 1 | 1 | yes, really: summer days are long, and a cool breeze hides how strong the sun is |
| Pyjamas | 1 | 2 | 2 | one warm pair: old houses and B&Bs can be chilly at night |
| Socks | 4 | 8 | 8 | wool or merino; one spare pair a day, because feet get wet |
| Underwear | 4 | 8 | 8 | a couple of extra pairs for little ones |
| Waterproof shoes or wellies | 1 pair | 1 pair | 1 pair | wellies for small kids, waterproof walking shoes for older ones |
| Comfy trainers | 1 pair | 1 pair | 1 pair | for travel days, cities and when the wellies are soaked |
| Swimwear | 1 | 1 | 2 | hotel and leisure-centre pools are a lifesaver on a wet afternoon |
| A nicer outfit | 1 | 1 | 1 | for a special dinner, afternoon tea or family photos |
| Spare outfit in the carry-on | 1 | 1 | 1 | a full change per child (two for under-3s), in case the checked bag goes missing or someone spills |
Extra for babies and toddlers
- A sleep sack (or two for a baby, in case of leaks). Rooms vary a lot, so check the tog guide on the label against the room temperature.
- Extra changes: plan on two outfits a day for a baby and one spare a day for a toddler, plus extra vests or bodysuits.
- Bibs: two or three a day, or a few wipe-clean ones you can rinse in the sink.
- A warm all-in-one or fleece suit for the stroller or carrier on cold, windy days, and a puddle suit once they're walking.
Pack each child's clothes in their own packing cube, with travel-day clothes and the spare outfit on top.
6. What to book when
Our rule of thumb for a summer trip, counting back from the day you land. Book earlier for July and August, and later is usually fine for the quieter months.
- 6 to 9 months out: rooms on Skye and other small places with few beds. Check Booking.com or local B&Bs.
- 4 to 6 months out: flights, the rental car (especially an automatic) and Edinburgh rooms in August.
- 2 to 3 months out: ferries, castle tickets with timed entry, any tours.
- Once flights are booked: the ETA for everyone, a passport check, and travel insurance.
- The week before: download offline maps, print the emergency info, pack the midge net.
Plan it in one sheet
The Scotland Trip Planner does all of this for you: pick each night's base and it fills in drive times and flags long days, counts the booking timeline back from your arrival date, and budgets in pounds or your own currency.
Travel Planner Bundle (all 3)
Trip Planner, Family Travel with Kids and the Scotland Trip Planner. $38 bought separately.
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Questions
Do US citizens need anything to visit Scotland?
Yes: an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for the UK, which includes Scotland. It costs £20 per person, every traveler needs their own, babies and children included, and the UK government says to apply at least 3 working days before you travel. Apply on GOV.UK or the official UK ETA app.
How many days do you need for Scotland with kids?
Seven nights covers Edinburgh plus one loop through the Highlands and Skye if you keep most driving days under three hours. With ten nights you can add a rest day or two, and fourteen lets you take in part of the North Coast 500 without rushing.
Is driving in Scotland hard?
You drive on the left, and many Highland and island roads are single-track with passing places, so you'll go slower than the sat nav expects. Plan on longer than the mapped time (we add 40%), avoid long drives after dark in winter and let locals overtake.
What is the Edinburgh visitor levy?
A 5% charge on the room price for the first 5 nights of a stay in Edinburgh, for stays from 24 July 2026. It's usually collected by your hotel or host. Five nights at £200 a night would add £50, for example.
When are midges worst in Scotland?
Roughly late May to September, worst on calm, damp days in the west Highlands and islands, especially at dawn and dusk. A breeze or sunshine keeps them away. Pack repellent and a head net if you're visiting in summer.
Do kids need car seats in Scotland?
Yes. UK law says children must use a car seat until they're 12 years old or 135 cm tall, whichever comes first. Rental companies can add one, but numbers are limited, so request it when you book or bring your own.
Sources
- UK ETA: who needs one, £20 fee, apply 3 working days ahead (GOV.UK)
- Edinburgh Visitor Levy: 5%, first 5 nights, from 24 July 2026 (City of Edinburgh Council)
- Child car seat rules: until 12 years or 135 cm (GOV.UK)
- North Coast 500: 516 miles, allow 5 to 7 days (VisitScotland)
- Midges and ticks (VisitScotland)
- Daylight by month (Scotland Tourism)
- Children travelling to the UK (GOV.UK)
- US passports for children under 16 (U.S. Department of State)
- Visa Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver terms: country exclusions (Visa)
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: country exclusions, secondary cover (American Express)
- Drive distances and times: OpenStreetMap data via OSRM
Rules and fees change. Check the official pages before you book. Last checked 22 October 2026.