Many tips for visiting a beautiful country full of surprises like Scotland, a truly original tour to save money and experience the places in an authentic way thanks to public transport!
Places to visit in Scotland they are really many. And it's true with a 'rental car the freedom to leave and stop whenever you want is priceless. But if you can't stand the idea of ​​driving on the left, don't worry, the solution is the ones Scottish buses.
Getting around Scotland by public transport
La Citylink is a public transport company that I met in Ireland and is also present in Scotland. Performs service for long distances. The yellow-blue buses are all equipped with bathroom and free Wi-Fi. Tickets can be purchased conveniently online, if you plan to make several trips between the various cities, it is better to buy theExplorer Pass.
The Explorer Passes
There are 3 variants: 3 days out of 5 total, 5 days out of 10 total or 8 days out of 16 total. For the Explorer pass there are no discounts for children, but it is still convenient, it offers the possibility of making unlimited trips for the duration of the days you buy. That is, if you buy the 3 out of 5 it means that, in the 5 days you choose 3, in which you travel as often as you want.
Explorer passes arrive by registered mail, so they must be purchased in time, they are nominative and on the back of the ticket you must write, before getting on the bus, the date and number of the Citylink bus you are using.
It is also strongly recommended to book a seat on the bus with a simple email to info@citylink.co.uk specifying the Explorer Pass code, the bus number and time. This type of information can be found on the "timetable" that can be downloaded from the site. You will then receive tickets via email to be printed and presented to the driver together with the Explorer pass. The Citylink bus they are extremely punctual so better be at the starting point at least 15 minutes before. On the Citylink website you can find all the information.
Tour of Scotland by public transport
My tour with a family of two adults and two children stops in Edinburgh and the suburbs, Inverness, Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, Portree on the Isle of Skye and Glasgow, all strictly by bus.
Once you arrive at the airport in Edinburgh there are various possibilities to reach the city center, by bus, tram or taxi.
Taxis can be found numerous outside the airport.
The skylink 200 bus connects Edinburgh Airport to the Ocean Terminal station in the port area of ​​Leith, the family ticket can be bought directly from the driver, for this option you need cash, because the driver does not give change. Or you can buy your ticket online on the website (www.lothianbuses.com).
The Lothian company
Lothian is the transport company that operates in Edinburgh, the family day has a cost that applies to the whole family, all day on all Lothian buses in the city. You must keep the ticket and present it to the driver when boarding the next buses. The driver has the possibility to give change.
The operation of the Lothian bus stops is very simple, the city is full of stops, each one is marked with a sign on which the numbers of the buses that stop and all the routes with their stops are indicated. If there is no route you need, just walk a few meters to the next stop.
From Edinburgh we reached Inverness using the Citylink bus number G90 which departs from “Edimburg bus Station” at 08:00 and arrives at “Inverness bus Station” at 11:00.
In Inverness we slept in a hotel outside the center but well served by the stagecoach bus which is the local transport company. (www.stagecoachbus.com) Also for these buses the ticket is purchased from the driver who can give change.
Inverness by public transport
From Inverness the visit to Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness is a breeze with the citylink bus which stops right in the castle's parking lot. The bus is number 917 and leaves at 8:45 am from the bus station and arrives at the castle at 9:20 am. The return one leaves outside the castle at 13pm. There are 2 more times from Inverness to the castle, 919 which leaves at 13pm and 917 which leaves at 17:35 pm but with these times you will not be able to find the connecting flight back to Inverness .
Beware that without reserved seats unfortunately you risk not getting on the return bus, there are only 2 buses returning to Inverness, one at 13pm and one at 17pm.
Isle of Skye and Glasgow
The next destination was the Isle of Skye, departing from Inverness bus Station with Citylink no. 917 at 08:45 and arrive at Portree Square at 12:02.
The city of Glasgow was our next destination, Portree Square citylink number 915 at 10:15, arriving at Glasgow Buchanan bus Station at 17:20.
About halfway through the journey there will be a small 40-minute stop in Fort William to change the driver. During this stop it is not possible to stay on the bus.
The hours of travel were full of indescribable views, the Isle of Skye deserved more days but unfortunately we got there just before New Year's Eve period in which all transport services stop for the holidays.
Return to Edinburgh
For the return to Edinburgh from Glasgow Buchanan bus Station we took the citylink number N900 at 08:15 and at 9:36 we were at Edimburgh bus Station.
Once in Edinburgh with the Lothian buses, getting to Rosslyn chapel was a breeze. With the family day tickets we got on 22 to Princes street and then we walked to the next stop in a few minutes. With the same ticket we lost 37 untilOriginal Rosslyn Hotel, the church is about 5 minutes on foot.
The holidays are over, it's time to go home, a few steps to the sidewalk and there it is bus skylink 200 it's already coming. He takes us to the airport, where, with a Ryanair flight, we return to Bergamo.
