Getting to Scotland by Air/Rail/Sea
Flying or Rail to Scotland
Edinburgh and Glasgow are the main airports that one would fly into to come directly to Scotland. Both airports are served well by low cost carriers serving a wide variety of European cities. Many people fly longhaul journeys into London, then connect to Scotland by domestic flights.
Longhaul flights operate to Edinburgh and Glasgow - keep these in mind to avoid transiting London/Amsterdam/Brussels/Paris/Frankfurt/Copenhagen/Dublin. Emirates operates from Dubai to Glasgow,. Qatar operates to Edinburgh from their hub in Doha. Turkish Airline from Istanbul to Edinburgh with great connections from Asia/Africa/Central Asia etc. United,and Delta operate year round services to Edinburgh, whilst Air Canada, and American Airlines operate April to October to Edinburgh. Play Airlines via Iceland operates to Glasgow. .
It is possible to fly to Inverness via London, and to fly into Aberdeen (also via London) from Norway, Denmark, Dublin & Amsterdam - connecting with flag carriers from all over the globe. One can fly into Lerwick in the Shetland islands from Norway. All other Scottish islands have domestic flights from Edinburgh/Glasgow/Aberdeen/Inverness. Did you know that the outer Hebridean port of Barra, is the only airport in the world, that has scheduled daily flights that arrive on the beach!
One of the nicest ways to arrive Scotland is by the Caledonian Sleeper train that operates 6 nights per week (Not Saturdays) from London's Euston station to mainline destinations in Scotland - the big cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Dundee, Inverness and Aberdeen (Aberdeen currently suspended in lockdown)- but also Fort William, Crianlarich, Pitlochry, Aviemore, Kingussie, Rannoch Moor, and more !
Daytime trains run by Avanti WestCoast at least hourly from London's Euston station to Glasgow central via Preston and Carlisle. Almost half hourly trains run from London's Kings Cross to Edinburgh by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) via York, Newcastle and Berwick Upon Tweed. 4 of LNER's trains continue past Edinburgh to Dundee and Aberdeen. 1 of their trains continue past Edinburgh to Perth, Aviemore and Inverness. To these mainline services people all over the Midlands, Wales, and the North of England can connect to , and arrive into central Scotland easily. Cross Country operate trains from Cornwall and Devon via Birmingham and York to Edinburgh, Motherwell and Glasgow Central. Trans Pennine operate trains to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh from Manchester Airport via Preston and Carlisle - ideal if you have a flight arriving the UK at Manchester.
Check the TrainLine for fares within the UK, and search for an even cheaper deal using their "Split Ticket" app - looking for legal fare loopholes.
Sea
A magical way to arrive Scotland is by sea - however currently there are very few ways to do this.
There are approximately 6 ferries daily from Belfast to Cairnryan, 1 connect swith a bus to Ayr, then trains to Glasgow to connect to where-ever you are going. a special Rail/Sail rate of £33 one way from Belfast to Stations in Central Scotland - and take lots of baggage and liquids, unlike flying .
A little known alternative is a ferry company that operates March to September from Northern Ireland (Ballycastle) to Port Ellon on the Isle of Islay and to the mainland port of Campbelltown. Kintyre Express.
There are no longer international ferries to Rosyth (Edinburgh) or Lerwick (Shetlands)
The closest ferry port is at Newcastle, where you can arrive daily from Amsterdam with DFDS ferries.
