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Travel by bus/train?

CamCam Member ✭
in Touring and Road Trips
Hello, My family and I will be visiting Aug 23-Sep 6.  We are planning to travel primarily by train or bus from Edinburgh to Inverness with several stays along the way.  Should we book bus/train tickets now?  ...or will it be okay to wait until we arrive?  Thanks in advance for any info/advice!  Cam
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Best Answer

  • VisitScotlandAlisonVisitScotlandAlison Member, Moderator, VisitScotland Staff ✩
    Accepted Answer
    Trains and buses are busy in and out of Edinburgh at this time because of the Edinburgh Festival which runs to the end of August.  Inverness is also a very popular destination at this time.  Since you are a family party (and presumably want to sit together on your journeys!) I think it would be best to book your tickets and seats in advance, especially if you have a particular itinerary in mind and have to be particular places on certain dates. Check out  http://www.travelinescotland.com/    to work out your schedule. 

Answers

  • CamCam Member ✭
    Thank you very much!  
  • HorizonsHorizons Member, VisitScotland Ambassador ✭✭✭✭
    @Cam agree with everything @VisitScotlandAlison said. There is a tiny nuance for train tickets. If you buy the 'Advance' train ticket with a reservation, you must make that reservation a la flight tickets as these are non-refundable. An alternative is to buy an 'Anytime' train ticket with a specific reservation which is more expensive but gives you flexibility.

    Also buying tickets on the ScotRail website (or the UK more generally) does not give you an e-ticket but a reference number which you can use to print the actual tickets once you reach Scotland from a ticket machine. This is different from other countries I have been to and is another gotcha.
    I'm Anirudh, an Indian travel blogger who has explored a lot of Scotland by public transport. My blog. Find me on Facebook | Instagram

    Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)

    My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Speyside fest)

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