Stuck out off the far west coast of northern Scotland, you might think the Isle of Skye is difficult to get to. But although it does take some time to get there, there are actually a myriad of rather spectacular ways of how to get to Skye.
Since we relocated to the island, how to get to Skye has become something of a specialist subject, so allow us to break down exactly how you join us on here – and see some of the best that the Scottish Highlands has to offer en route.
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How to get to Skye
Since the Isle of Skye is connected to the mainland Scotland by the toll-free Skye Bridge, you can get onto Skye relatively easily from the three nearest Scottish cities: Inverness, Edinburgh or Glasgow. All three of these cities have international airports, large train terminuses and opportunities to hire cars or catch onward public transport, as we’ll suggest below.
We talk separately about how to get to these cities, but if you want a quintessential Scottish travel experience to get to any of these cities, you could book on the Caledonian Sleeper Train. It has chuffed its way from London up to Scotland overnight since 1873 and it’s an experience you’ll never forget. So even though it doesn’t fully answer your question of how to get to Skye, Luke’s obsessed so we can’t not mention it, heh.
Another thing to mention about the trains is if you’re gonna use them extensively buy a National Railcard. It gets you a 1/3 off a lot of rail tickets in the UK and there’s quite a few people that it applies to (anyone under 25 or any two travelling together for instance) so check if you can get a railcard here.
From Inverness
Often called ‘the gateway to the Highlands’, Inverness is the nearest city to Skye and probably the easiest answer to how to get to Skye. It has a teeny tiny international airport, with 1hr connections from London Gatwick, London Luton and Bristol with easyJet.
Inverness train station is right in the heart of city, and to get here from London you’ll need to get to Glasgow or Edinburgh first and change trains, taking a good 8 hours overall. But remember you can also take the Caledonian Sleeper to get up to Inverness from London and other southern stations.
Car/Van hire
From Inverness, you can hire a car at the airport or at the train station. The drive onto Skye takes around 1 hour 45 minutes (not including stops, of which we predict there’ll be a few) and is a beautiful road trip through the Scottish Highlands.
Either drive along Loch Ness and pass both Urquhart Castle and Eilean Donan Castle or actually our favourite way: via Achnasheen and Loch Carron. On this route there’s more chance to see wildlife like stags. You can of course drive one way to get to Skye and return via a different route.
It’s also useful to have your own transport on Skye once you’re here because -did you know?- Skye is the size of Greater London and its natural attractions are spaced out over the whole island.
We always use Rental Cars to find the best deal with unlimited mileage. And in fact, we have found that hiring a car with unlimited mileage is easier from Inverness than from both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Hiring a car in Inverness is also more convenient and straightforward.
Train
It’s possible to get most of the way to Skye from Inverness by train. From Inverness train station catch the regular ScotRail service to Kyle of Lochalsh. It takes around 2 hours 30 minutes and terminates at the harbour just on the mainland side of the Skye Bridge. By all measures it’s one of the most beautiful rail journeys you could do in the UK.
From here, it’s another 3km over the bridge to get onto the Isle of Skye itself. So you could either: just walk it (the Skye Bridge has pavement) and find accommodation in Kyleakin on the other side. Or catch the bus: which goes from Kyle of Lochalsh to Portree (Skye’s capital, in the middle of the island). Find useful Skye bus timetables here.
You could also hitchhike – it’s quite a common thing to see on Skye in the summer months, although we all know the potential risks involved so it’s not gonna be something we actively recommend on the internet.
Bus
The 917 coach from Inverness to Portree goes from Inverness bus station and takes around 3-4 hours to get to the Isle of Skye, with drop off points at Broadford, the Sligachan Hotel and Portree (Skye’s capital). The timetable for this bus to get to Skye is here.
Tour
If you want maximum ease, you could do a group tour from Inverness. We ourselves haven’t done this, but they’re a very popular idea. Have a look at Get Your Guide as we think they have a great selection of Skye itineraries that look well-researched and fun.
From Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the furthest away to get to the Isle of Skye from, but it’s still quite possible. Edinburgh Airport is the largest airport in Scotland and has connections from many main hubs, including London (1 hour), Amsterdam (2 hours), and New York City (7 hours).
Catching the train up to Edinburgh Waverley station from London takes just over 4 hours, while the drive up there from London would take around 6 hours.
Car/Van hire
Hiring a car from Edinburgh Airport is simple, and the journey to the Isle of Skye takes around 5 hours. Take the A84 after Stirling to drive through the quieter eastern side of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park before joining the A82 to go across Rannoch Moor and through iconic Glencoe to reach Fort William. Continue until Invergarry and then take the A87 towards Skye passing through Spean Bridge, Glen Shiel and past Eilean Donan Castle before reaching the island.
There’s also the option to drive from Edinburgh to Skye and take in some of the Cairngorms National Park. Simply head towards Inverness from Edinburgh following the A9 which takes you into the national park. At Dalwhinnie -where there’s an excellent whisky distillery– turn left and follow signs to Spean Bridge. At Spean Bridge turn right and follow the road to Skye.
Maybe drive one way there, and the other back as they both have stunning Scottish landmarks to gawk out the window at.
Hiring from Edinburgh City centre does mean you’ll have to navigate the city. It’s not big but still, make it easier for yourself by catching the tram to Edinburgh Airport (it takes around 30 minutes from Prince’s Street) and picking up the car from there, meaning you avoid driving right in the centre. Remember to use Rental Cars and filter by offers with unlimited mileage (you need it!).
Train
From Edinburgh Waverley train station, catch the regular ScotRail train service to Inverness, and then follow the train instructions in the Inverness section above.
Bus
This would be a rather long, arduous journey but you could do it. Catch the train to Glasgow and then from Buchanan Bus Station use either the 915 or 916 to Portree/Uig on Skye. All told it would take at least 7 hours, probably more.
Tour
A group tour from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye would likely include other stops in the Scottish Highlands, which might be a good option if you want to see a lot in a short amount of time.
Don’t overdo it though: we’re big cheerleaders for slowing down travel and appreciating what’s in front of you, so we’d recommend looking for a tour that doesn’t have too many stops and stays at least two or three days on Skye. This Edinburgh to Skye 3-day tour looks good and also takes in some other iconic Scottish Highlands locations.
From Glasgow
Glasgow is a modern, buzzy city with a decent-sized international airport, and connections from lots of major cities. Flying up to Glasgow from London takes 1 hour. Or be more environmentally friendly by taking the train, which takes just over 4 hours.
Car/Van hire
Again, car hire from both Glasgow Airport and Glasgow Central would be possible. The better deals are from the airport, which can be easily reached from the city centre by inexpensive shuttle bus. And remember to secure an unlimited mileage hire when purchasing from Rental Cars as mentioned previously.
The route you could drive from Glasgow to the Isle of Skye goes up along the western edge of Loch Lomond through the national park, past the infamous Green Welly Stop (a café and shop that is a magnet for passing hikers) and then follows the same route we recommended for the drive from Edinburgh to Skye via Rannoch Moor and Glencoe.
Train with ferry
Possibly the most exciting option within this How to get to Skye post is to catch the small ScotRail West Highland Line from Glasgow Queen Street to Mallaig, considered by many as the most scenic rail journey in the world.
You chuff over the Glenfinnan Viaduct just like the Hogwart’s Express after slowly meandering across Rannoch Moor and through Glencoe. It’s truly spectacular, just make sure it’s daylight for the 5 hour 30 minute journey.
From Maillaig you then hop on a CalMac ferry as a foot passenger to glide over the sea to Skye. The CalMac ferry from Mallaig to Armadale is timetabled to coincide with the train’s arrival into Mallaig and is easy to get onto as a foot passenger, but for peace of mind you could book a ticket in advance online.
Once in Armadale and on Skye you can explore the Sleat Peninsula or hop on the 51 bus which will get you further up the island to Broadford with more options to explore and travel further.
Bus
The 915 and 916 Citylink buses connect Glasgow with the Isle of Skye and run regularly every day of the week. Check out the Citylink timetables here.
Tour
As above, we’d say look carefully into what tour company you go for, making sure that if the Isle of Skye is only part of the itinerary, you are spending at least two or three days here – there’s so much to see. Also try and go for minivan tours and not giant coaches.
There are some excellent Isle of Skye tours listed on the Get Your Guide, including the Skye & The Highlands 3-day tour from Glasgow. It could be your answer on how to get to Skye.
These are the main answers of how to get to Skye – which ones are you considering? Ask us any extra questions below.
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STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL
YOUL NEVER FORGET THE FANTASTIC SCENERY
It’s a fantastic part of the world!
If you choose to go from Inverness and want a tour the best way is to take WOW TOURS with Gordon and Kay Pearson who live in the Highlands themselves Expect to see all the beauties of Skye and then some. Highly recommended
Thanks J, we know Wow Tours, have seen them out and about on the island and across the Highlands 🙂
I recently came across this blog while planning my upcoming trip to Scotland in two weeks, it’s been very helpful! What is your best suggestion for getting back to Edinburgh from Skye? My plan is to train from END to INV. Stay 1 night while renting a car in Inverness and drive to Skye for 2 days. I really wanted to see Fort Willaim and Mallaig, but I have a feeling it might be too much for only 4 days.
Open to any suggestions or alternative routes, thank you!
Sorry for delay, hope you had a wonderful trip to Scotland?
Hey, could you advise on how to get from Broadford to Skye? I can’t find any car rentals online in Broadford.
It’s sounds very exiting to take a train from Glasgow to Mallaig, but seams as there is not much choice after.
Broadford is one of the villages on Skye, so you’ve made it once you’re there. Best best without a car is to use buses which are regular throughout the season. Or hop on a tour to see all corners of the island. Have a great time!
My adult daughter and friend will be driving from Edinburgh to Skye in July and wish to stop for a night along the way. Is Stirling on the way or isKippen or is Pitlochry? Thanks for help!
Hi William, Pitlochry or Blair Atholl would be good places to stop en route. Accommodation thins out north from here along the route, as they will turn off the A9 main road at Dalwhinnie. Spean Bridge though does have some options.
If I am reading shedules correctly, the West Highland Line leaves Glasgow only once per day in the morning. We’re flying into Edinburgh 8/7. Want to take the West Highland line in either direction. Also want to visit Callanais again. That’s the only place on Lewis this trip. Using public transport, getting from Skye to Lewis via Harris is too complicated so thinking of Edinburgh-Glasgow train to connect to West Highland line, then ferry to Skye 2 nights, then ferry from Armadale to Maillaig. On to Inverness, then up to Orkneys 3 nights, then visit our ancestral towns near Banff 2 nights. The back to Inverness and a trip to Lewis from there, and then back to Edinburgh. Or could reverse it, go Edinburgh to Inverness, Orkneys then Banff, Inv to Skye by bus, Skye to a ferry terminal on mainland to get us to Lewis near Callanais, I read the ferry terminal is only 12 miles from the stones. Leave Lewis and find our way to Mallaig to get West Highland Line down to Gllasgow and then train back to Edinburgh. We have two weeks. What do you thinK? Will greatly appreciate your help.
That’s a lot to pack in, but doable. The only thing I would suggest changing is going to Harris or Lewis (to get to Callanais) from Skye. You can easily get there from either Tarbert or Stornoway respectively. What a trip it is going to be though – enjoy! So glad you’re getting to Orkney too – love it up there.