SCOTLAND TRAVEL TIPS FOR FIRST TIMERS | 30+ Must-Knows Before Visiting Scotland + What NOT to Do!

Planning to visit Scotland for the first time? In this video, I’m sharing all my best Scotland travel tips for new visitors, from important must-knows for your Scotland trip to common mistakes that tourists make in Scotland. Don’t miss this video if you’re planning your own trip to Scotland!

➡️ Read the written version of this guide for more tips: https://happytowander.com/scotland-travel-tips/
➡️ Follow me on Instagram for real-time Stories: https://www.instagram.com/happytowander
➡️ Follow me on TikTok for more casual content: https://www.tiktok.com/@happytowander

00:00 INTRODUCTION
00:28 SCOTLAND BASICS * TRAVEL PLANNING TIPS
5:17 SCOTLAND FOOD & DRINK TIPS
10:00 SCOTLAND CULTURE & ETIQUETTE TIPS
13:47 SCOTLAND TIPS WHEN YOU ARRIVE

CHRISTINA’S TRAVEL GEAR
Note – many of the links below are affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info on what this means, check out my website privacy policy and disclosure: https://happytowander.com/privacy/

➡️ My Camera {Paid Link}: https://amzn.to/3MhZ0VQ
➡️ My Favourite Regular Packing Cubes {Paid Link}: https://amzn.to/45OdSlI
➡️ My Favourite Compression Packing Cubes {Paid Link}: https://amzn.to/3MbIiYs
➡️ My Favourite Noise Cancelling Headphones {Paid Link}: https://amzn.to/46J6cTg
➡️ My White, More Elegant Carry-On {Paid Link}: https://amzn.to/3tESqlS
➡️ My Black, More Minimalist Carry-On {Paid Link}: https://amzn.to/478ROnf
➡️ My Pretty Re-Usable Toiletry Bottles {Paid Link}: https://amzn.to/3SeqaAJ
➡️ My Amazing E-Reader That Links to the Library for FREE Books {Paid Link}: https://amzn.to/3Mgfca2

OTHER TRAVEL RESOURCES

➡️ My favourite travel credit card – Wise: {Referral Link} https://happytowander.com/Wise
➡️ Honey for finding coupons automatically: {Referral Link} https://happytowander.com/Honey
➡️ Where I search hotels {Paid Link}: https://www.booking.com/index.html?aid=1180711
➡️ Where I search flights: https://www.google.com/travel/flights
➡️ Where I compare/book transport in Europe {Paid Link}: https://happytowander.com/omio
➡️ My go-to travel insurance {Paid Link}: https://happytowander.com/WorldNomads
➡️ Where I book activities/tours {Paid Link}: https://happytowander.com/GetYourGuide
➡️ Rakuten USA for cash-back on purchases {Referral Link}: https://www.rakuten.com/r/LECOUR23?eeid=28187
➡️ Rakuten Canada {Referral Link} for cash-back on purchases: https://www.rakuten.ca/referrer?referrerid=T1dMsjxn5c0%3D&src=Link
➡️ American Express Platinum Referral Link (for 60,000 points!): https://happytowander.com/AmexPlatinum

MORE EUROPE VIDEOS:

➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMfmxwRv8qs
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LtZitVvECw&feature=youtu.be
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIWOJmGwUKA
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFyR6tro6iI
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdXDwoq11Kk
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1EelA5RgW4
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqBjW4WNM4g
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbfegva4uHM&t
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbXR1IFsvTc
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH44LZcWbFA&
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA87YO7SqtI&t
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61RUP1uBinU&

EUROPE TRAVEL TIPS & MUST-KNOWS:

➡️ My best Europe travel tips: https://happytowander.com/europe-travel-tips/
➡️ How to travel Europe by train: https://happytowander.com/how-to-travel-europe-by-train/
➡️ Grab my free Europe trip planning workbook: https://happytowander.com/EuropePlanningWorkbook
➡️ Grab my free accommodation checklist: https://happytowander.com/accommodation-checklist
➡️ My (brutally honest) Flixbus review: https://happytowander.com/honest-flixbus-review/
➡️ My honest RyanAir review: https://happytowander.com/honest-ryanair-review/
➡️ My honest WizzAir review: https://happytowander.com/wizz-air-review/
➡️ Europe summer packing list: https://happytowander.com/packing-summer-europe-ultimate-female-packing-list/
➡️ Europe winter packing list: https://happytowander.com/travelling-europe-in-winter-female-winter-packing-list-for-europe/
➡️ How to avoid pickpockets in Europe: https://happytowander.com/how-to-avoid-pickpockets-europe/
➡️ 7 scenic train routes you can’t miss: https://happytowander.com/most-scenic-train-routes-in-europe/
➡️ Europe car rental hidden costs: https://happytowander.com/travel-europe-by-car-hidden-costs/

Travelling to Scotland for the first time? In need of Scotland travel advice that caters to a newbie? This Scotlandtravel guide is packed with must-knows before you visit Scotland as a tourist, with a rundown of common tourist mistakes in Scotland as well as answers to common questions like Scotland culture shocks, Scotland culture and etiquette tips, where to go in Scotland, places to visit in Scotland, and more so you can have the Scotland trip of your dreams. Whether you’re looking for general Scotland tips or tips for Scotland hidden gems, be sure to watch this video!

Scotland may well be one of the dreamiest places on Earth but to do it justice there are certain mistakes and must knows to keep in mind hi I’m Christina from HappyToWander.com and I recently spent a month in Scotland mainly around Edinburgh for festival season I still have so much of Scotland to see but in this video I’m going to be sharing all sorts of tips and must knows that I wish I had before my first visit so I hope you find them helpful let’s get started with some basic Scotland must knows and travel planning tips we’ll start with a simple but very important distinction Scotland is located in the northern portion of the island of Great Britain it is part of the United Kingdom but culturally it is incredibly distinct from England Wales and Northern Ireland which means when you’re in Scotland remember to keep in mind that you are talking about Scottish culture and Scottish accents so don’t call them English and don’t refer to their accents as British in terms of arriving in Scotland there are five main international airports Aberdeen Edinburgh Glasgow Glasgow Prestwick and Inverness but Edinburgh airport is the most common point of entry for visitors from overseas now in terms of where to go you should know that Scotland is filled with so many amazing places to see to get the most of your experience I would really recommend doing a combination of cities and nature as well as famous hot spots and places that are a bit more off the beaten path While most first-time visitors usually do a combination of Edinburgh the highlands and sometimes Glasgow that’s only a very small portion of the entire country which the official tourism Authority divides into over a dozen different regions so how can you find places that are a bit more off the beaten path well my first recommendation is simply picking a smaller area and exploring it more in depth the truth is there are loads of famous places in Scotland like the Isle of Skye or Loch Ness but if you do your research you’re very likely to find alternatives to famous Islands, lochs, and castles closer to your chosen base Loch Ness for instance is only one of literally over 30 000 different Lochs in Scotland so sticking to a smaller area will not only save you money but also encourage you to find more hidden gems of your own I would also recommend consuming content from content creators based in Scotland because at the end of the day if they live there they’re going to have a lot more information about more offbeat places compared to people who are visiting maybe for a week or two some local creators I can highly recommend include watch me see and also the wayfaring kiwi all that said it’s important to note that while public transportation with buses and trains is really good between cities and within cities in Scotland you will need a car if you want to explore Scotland’s nature and Countryside in depth within Scotland there are a number of really famous and really gorgeous road trips like the North Coast 500 the Northeast 250 and many many more plus having a car will just allow you to see a lot more on your own schedule we personally didn’t have a car during our time in Scotland because we were mainly staying in Edinburgh and while we were able to see a lot of really beautiful nature spots and places in the countryside through booking day tours the truth is that did restrict us to the most famous and most touristy places which of course is fine because these places are famous for a reason but if you’re someone who’s actively looking to avoid crowds and maybe get a bit more off the beaten path then definitely having a car is the way to go if you do rent a car though be sure to prepare yourself for driving in Scotland apart from driving on the left side roads can be quite narrow and regulations might be different from what you used to the legal alcohol limit in Scotland for instance is actually stricter than other parts of the UK which can catch some visitors off guard if they’re just looking to have a beer with lunch or something like that so be sure to read up on the different regulations before you set out driving in Scotland in terms of when to go know that summer is definitely Peak peak season especially in and around August particularly in Edinburgh when the entire city comes alive for festival season there’s also other fun summer events across the country like the Highland Games and in the winter time there’s plenty of fun winter festivals as well including Hogmanay the country’s very famous New Year celebrations this is why you should book as far in advance as possible for Peak periods like summer and Christmas if the goal is to experience some of these cultural events if however you’re looking to avoid the crowds then consider visiting in shoulder Seasons like fall or spring in any case booking ahead in Scotland is always a good idea this is because some of the more touristy places like Inverness are quite small and don’t have a lot of accommodation choices compared to larger cities so the earlier you book the better and for the last tip in this section make sure you leave some space in your luggage the truth is when you go to Scotland there are a lot of really cool souvenirs but a lot of them can be quite bulky like things made out of wool for instance so make sure you leave some space in your luggage for these souvenirs or do the classic bag within a bag nesting trick so you only have to pay for one bag on your way back home all right now let’s move on to Scotland tips for food and drink food wise definitely don’t be afraid to try some classic Scottish specialties haggis is a famous one that requires zero introduction definitely keep an open mind and don’t Google it before you try it they’re also typically served with the neeps and tatties which are a nether Scottish specialty consisting of mashed potato and mashed turnip another really good one to try is Cullen Skink which is a creamy fish soup there’s also a chicken tikka masala which is marinated chicken in a spiced tomato based sauce fun fact this is actually a national dish of the UK and some credit its invention to a chef from Glasgow there’s also shortbread The Buttery cookie that’s beloved across the world and if you want to try something a little more gluttonous Scottish chippies have a bit of a reputation for being able to deep fry pretty much anything from Pizza to Mars Bars so be sure to give those a try if you’re looking for something crunchy many takeaway places also do something called a Munchie box which consists of fast food all different types kind of just thrown into a pizza box it’s a fun novelty but definitely don’t have it too much now another important tip to keep in mind is to try whiskey there are a few important considerations when it comes to Whiskey however first of all know that when you’re ordering it never call it a scotch be sure to just order a whiskey and you’re never ordering a shot of it it’s always a dram so ask for a dram of whiskey and if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the selection which is pretty inevitable a really good rule of thumb is to Simply ask the bartender for some recommendations that said don’t just ask them what kind of whiskey do you recommend because there’s a lot of different varieties and it’s kind of like walking into a restaurant and being like what is a food you recommend it obviously does depend on your taste quite a bit so before you ask for the recommendations kind of have some taste Profiles In Mind of what you tend to prefer generally some of the taste profiles involved in whiskey include smokiness fruitiness nuttiness peatiness and how floral it is so be prepared with some of your preferences in those regards and then they’ll be able to give you a very solid recommendation it goes without saying though try not to ask for recommendations if the bar is really busy if they’re up to their eyeballs and orders it’s probably not a good time to be picking their brains about whiskey recommendations and lastly this is unlikely to become relevant as a tourist but just keep in mind that whiskey in Scotland is spelled without the e whiskey with the E refers to Whiskey from Ireland and we don’t talk about her here now if you are interested in Whiskey One experience I can highly recommend is either booking a whiskey Distillery tour or booking some kind of whiskey experience where you learn a bit more about the drink because to be honest I didn’t really know how to appreciate whiskey before I did some of these demos and now I feel like I can really understand it a lot more so having that context is quite important luckily there’s over a hundred distilleries in Scotland many of which offer tours so you really have your pick it’s quite touristy but I also really enjoyed the Johnny Walker experience in Edinburgh it’s kind of like a willy wonkified version of a whiskey tour it’s not of a Distillery but it’s really fun and you do get to learn a lot more about whiskey itself so I can highly recommend that that said be sure to try gin and other tipples as well I was very pleasantly surprised during my month in Scotland to see that gin is actually a pretty big deal there in fact 70 of the UK’s gin is actually made in Scotland so that’s your excuse to try some Gin while you’re there as well just in the name of cultural appreciation the craft beer scene is also growing pretty rapidly so be sure to diversify and of course in the realm of soft drinks I have to give a shout out to iron Brew in fact one of my favorite fun facts is that in the entire world there are only a handful of countries where Coca-Cola isn’t the number one selling soft drink and Scotland is one of them in Scotland iron Brew is soda of choice and its taste is really hard to describe so I would say just make sure you get one it’s bright orange it’s very eye-catching be sure to try one while you’re there because it’s one of those things that is just quintessentially Scottish now dining out can get pricey if you’re doing it every single day so if you’re just looking for a quick meal on the go one really easy way to save money while you’re in Scotland is getting a meal deal meal deals are a staple of UK chains where you basically get a main a snack and a drink for a set price usually under five pound so it’s a really good budget-friendly alternative if you’re just looking for a quick bite especially if you’re on a road trip or you’re looking to picnic and you don’t want to waste time or money sitting down in a restaurant and as a quick final food tip beware of seagulls if eating anything outdoors doors, seagulls will not hesitate to come steal your food so you’ve been warned alright now let’s move on to some culture and etiquette tips for Scotland first of all don’t assume that all of Scotland is just about kilts and bagpipes in touristy areas in Scotland they really do hand things up for tourists so you are going to see a lot of tartan a lot of bagpipes and a lot of kilts but the truth is Scotland is a modern country so be sure to experience that side of Scotland as well in addition to all the fun touristy stuff language wise you will be a hundred percent fine with English just know that depending on where you are you might encounter some Scots or some gallic which you’re going to see on road signs now take note that while they are spelled the same Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are actually two separate languages yes they did come from the same Source but over time they have become quite distinct so just keep in mind that they’re not the same and while as a tourist you’re not really going to need to learn Scots or gallic to get by there are certain pieces of vocabulary that have made their way into place names that I do think are important to keep in mind so here are just a few. Loch for instance is Lake Ben refers to Peaks or mountains Glen refers to valleys and the gallic name for Scotland is Alba which you’ll see in quite a few places including in the localized version of the BBC which is BBC Elba another fun piece of vocabulary to know is Monroe which refers to mountains that are over 3000 feet tall now this word doesn’t come from Scots or gallic it actually comes from Sir humanrow who famously published a list of Scotland’s tallest mountains hardcore people these days actually make a hobby out of bagging Monroe’s which means climbing to the top of these very high mountains there’s 282 of them and the current record holder is a badass woman known as Jamie Ahrens who begged all 282 monroes in 31 days now if you’re not up for bagging Monroe’s a more feasible goal might be to Simply learn how to pronounce names properly if you’ve made it this far odds are you’ve heard me pronounce a place name that didn’t quite sound like how you’ve always read it and that’s fair because a lot of these names aren’t actually pronounced like how they’re spelled in English so to catch you up to speed here are a few really common mistakes to keep in mind for instance there’s Edinburgh which is pronounced Edinburgh and not Edinboro Edinboro or Edenberg there’s also Glasgow which is pronounced like Glasgow and not glass GAO or glass cow and for my fellow Outlander fans there’s a town you should visit called curus but it’s spelled like Cole Ross but it’s not pronounced like that and that’s just barely scraping the surface so the key really is to just listen out for how locals pronounce place names whether that’s your taxi driver your tour guide or even the announcements on the train just keep in mind of course there’s some room for variation because of accents but generally speaking try to pronounce it correctly even if you don’t it’s not the end of the world because Scottish people are very friendly and very forgiving just give it your best try now on a related note I would say if you’re not used to it the Scottish accent can be quite challenging to understand at first so a really good way to kind of get used to the Scottish accent and some of the vocabulary that they use in Scotland is to Simply watch TV shows or movies that are set in Scotland so I’ll fire off a few quick recommendations obviously there’s Outlander if you are into that kind of thing but if you’re looking for something that provides a bit more historical context in addition to some beautiful landscapes then I can also recommend Mary Queen of Scots as well as the Outlaw King this might be a good time to mention as well that Braveheart is not at all historically accurate and also mostly filmed in Ireland alright now finally let’s cover some tips for when you arrive in Scotland first off do carry a bit of cash especially coins I noticed that when I was in a few places like Inverness a lot of the public toilets did require a very small fee of 10p or 20p so if you don’t have any coins on you it might be kind of difficult to use these public toilets so make sure you have a bit of cash especially coins that said you don’t need too much cash because most places do take contactless Card Payments now plus do Beware of the fact that Scotland does use pounds like the rest of the UK but they have their own unique Scottish banknotes and so you can use English Pounds all throughout Scotland but do withdraw Scottish pounds kind of sparingly just because in other parts of the UK they can be a bit funny about accepting Scottish notes even though they are technically legal tender and they should accept them some places would be a bit funny about that so just keep that in mind now in terms of tipping tips aren’t mandatory in Scotland but it is customary to leave a tip of about 10 in restaurants if you thought you had good service another very important tip is to not stop in the middle of the sidewalk AKA pavement to take photos having experienced this way too many times during my month in Edinburgh I can definitely see why this is a very hot topic for local rage Scotland is beautiful and you will feel compelled to take a photo every three seconds but just make sure that you do that by pulling over first standing to the side and making sure you’re not disrupting the flow of foot traffic because that can get really annoying now another tip that I learned from hard experience is to prepare for all kinds of weather Scottish weather is notoriously gloomy and Moody and can change just like that even if you’re visiting in the summer don’t expect summer weather every day I spent August in Scotland and I basically had a coat on every single day while I was there so be sure to prepare for this by packing different layers that can be removed or put on according to the weather conditions I would definitely prioritize a good waterproof and windproof jacket over bringing an umbrella simply because a lot of the time Scottish rain is accompanied by Scottish wind and you know your umbrella is no match for that lastly do avoid the cheap souvenir shops that you see in a lot of the touristy areas in Scotland most of the time the stuff they’re selling you isn’t of a very good quality and if you’re looking for something that’s going to last a long time like you’re looking for a nice Tartan scarf be sure to visit an independent shop that actually has good handmade stuff and that’s more likely to last you a lifetime than something that’s made out of polyester the same goes for other souvenirs as well finding an independent shop stocked with local makers means you’re more likely to find some unique and long-lasting souvenirs to bring home and I have to say at the end of the day just wear whatever makes you happy but one thing that I would avoid is buying those Tartan Berets that they sell in the souvenir shops that have the red hair coming out of them I really don’t understand why these exist much less why people buy them and wear them around town they’re super silly obviously Scottish people don’t wear hats like that and I just think they look a bit dumb and the same goes for cheap souvenir shop Kilts I don’t really foresee any situation that necessitates a tourist wearing a kilt walking around town because at the end of the day this isn’t standard day-to-day Scottish wear so you’re not going to see a bunch of Scottish people wearing kilts on the street and as a tourist it just doesn’t really make sense for you to wear one but again you do you alright thanks so much for watching I hope these Scottish travel tips were helpful and for more practical travel videos just like this one be sure to like And subscribe for more I’ll see you guys next week bye