Cheap Flights to Scotland

Millions of tourists take cheap flights to Scotland each year. So beautiful is Scotland with its green, rolling hills, towering mountains, ancient castles, lively cities and picturesque villages, that when the British Royal Family want to get away from it all, they vacation here.

Edinburgh is capital and seat of government, dominated by the castle that looms over the city from its perch at the top end of the Royal Mile. The Mile ends with another castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official Scottish residence. Summer is when Edinburgh hits its stride – hit by festival fever – but it’s a great going-out city year round.

The largest city is Glasgow, 74km from Edinburgh. Once the Second City of the British Empire, Glasgow’s centre boasts a wealth of Victorian buildings. New art galleries, fashionable stores and high-end restaurants tell the story of this city’s renaissance in recent years.

For many travellers taking cheap flights to Scotland, the Highlands and Islands are the real Scotland. Made up of counties such as Argyll, Inverness-shire, Caithness and the Orkney, Shetland and Hebrides islands, the wild landscape, remote communities and distinct cultural heritage, all speak of Scotland’s unchanging ways.

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How long is the flight to Scotland?

Depending on the airline that you choose and your city of origin, you will find that the flight times to Scotland can differ substantially. If you will be flying out of Montreal and heading into Glasgow, it is possible to find flights that only take 10h and 15m from several airlines. There are some flights out of Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport that take only 9h and 20m. If you are going to be coming from Vancouver, the flight times are typically longer. The shortest flight is 11h and 35m. When planning, keep in mind that stopovers can add more time to flights.

Which cities offer direct flights to Scotland?

Unfortunately, you will find that there are not any options for direct flights when you are coming from Vancouver, Montreal, or Toronto. However, you will find that there are many airlines that offer one-stop flights, so you will not have to worry about too many stopovers. When travelling from any of those Canadian cities, you will find that Icelandair, Finnair, American Airlines, and British Airways, among other airlines, all have one-stop flights. The flights stop in various locations. The American Airlines flight from Montreal, for example, will have a 2h 10m stopover in London.

What is the best way to travel around Scotland?

Because Scotland is not overly large and because reaching various destinations tends to be easy, you will not need to look for any Scotland flight deals within the country once you arrive. Instead, most people find that using the buses or the trains can help them reach many areas they want to visit. Train companies operating in Scotland include Virgin Trains, ScotRail, Cross Country Trains, and East Coast. Some of the bus companies include Stagecoach, National Express, and Megabus. Of course, you can always rent a vehicle, as well. Getting around the cities is easy with public transportation and taxis.

What are some things to do in Scotland?

When you come to Scotland, you will find a host of interesting things to see and do. You might want to visit places like Edinburgh Castle, Eileen Donan, and Glasgow Cathedral. You could visit Sterling Castle, Ben Nevis, the Giant’s Causeway, Balmoral Castle, and a host of other historic sites. Visit some of the lochs, such as Loch Lomond and Loch Ness. Go hiking through the highlands. You can also find a range of different museums in galleries in the larger cities like Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Do I need a passport or visa to fly to Scotland?

If you are headed to Scotland, you will need to have a valid passport that has at least two months remaining validity. There is no visa required to enter the country. You will also need to have proof of your intention to return to your country of origin. Having a round trip ticket will typically satisfy this requirement.

Getting around Scotland

In the cities there are good public transportation networks. Edinburgh has Bus Edinburgh, Glasgow has an integrated bus, rail and underground network that serves the city and outlying areas, Strathtay runs bus services around Dundee’s city centre and First Aberdeen and Stagecoach Bluebird operate bus services in and around Aberdeen. There are good train links too, linking the bigger cities and more remote parts of Scotland. 

For travellers touring around rental car is the best option. After disembarking their cheap flights to Scotland, visitors will discover that all the major rental car companies are represented at the airports.