Travel guide Ecosse
The best time to go en Ecosse
May
June
Practical information for travel en Ecosse
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Edition 2025/2026
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Where to go en Ecosse?
The most beautiful tourist sites
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Petit Futé's best addresses en Ecosse
Discover the most beautiful addresses selected by the authors of Petit Futé.
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Featured articles d'Ecosse
Take a trip to Loch Ness in 2025: information and tips
Published on 07/08/2025 Activities and experiences
A trip to Loch Ness is a dream come true for many people (and not just children, let's face it!). We couldn't resist diving into one of Scotland's greatest legends. This immense lake lies in the Highlands,...
Where can you go in Europe without flying if you have children in 2025?
Published on 16/06/2025 Activities and experiences
Want to organize a family trip without adding to your carbon footprint? It's easier than you might think to travel with children without taking a plane, especially in Europe. More and more routes...
Top 12 night trains in Europe in 2025
Published on 27/05/2025 Activities and experiences
Travelling by night train offers many advantages: you can cover long distances without having to take a plane, admire superb landscapes, enjoy the magical experience of waking up in a completely different...
How to travel en Ecosse
How to go alone
How easy it is to go alone in Scotland! There are many means of transportation to reach Scotland (plane, train, ferry...). On the spot, it is easy to get around and to find accommodation (it is better to book in advance depending on the season). Moreover, Scotland, as a good western country, is very safe. Just beware of behaviors related to heavy consumption of beer or whiskey. If it is often prized for its festive evenings, Scotland is also a great place to visit with the family.
How to go on a tour
Tour operators offer many trips, stays and tours to visit Scotland. Some organize trips of a dozen days to discover the country's must-sees: Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Highlands... Other trips focus on a specific theme: the Scottish islands, manors and castles, woodcock hunting...
How to get around
On the spot, all means of transport exist: the plane or boat to reach the various archipelagos; the bus and train whose networks are very dense (ask about the good transport plans); and the car (don't forget that the Scots drive on the left and drive on the right!). Hitchhiking is also a regular practice outside major cities. In Glasgow and Edinburgh, taxis and public transport are easily accessible.
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Ideas for holidays and week-end breaks en Ecosse
The best stay will be the one you concoct according to your desires, flexible enough to allow you to make detours and linger in the places of your favorites. There are no bad destinations in Scotland. The advantage is that, everywhere, you will find magnificent landscapes and something to marvel at. The ideal stay will be yours. It may be a specific region to explore from top to bottom, alternating days of visits to castles, museums and distilleries with hiking, between climbing Munro and discovering the lochs and glens with a thousand charms. Or you can go on a road trip, conquering the scenic routes (panoramic routes) and their many points of interest. Pique here and there ideas for visits before your trip and, on the spot, let yourself be guided by your hosts who will also have their favourites and suggestions.
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Discover l'Ecosse
Going to Scotland means discovering another culture, yet not so far away. You will discover a history both close and tense with England, but also more friendly with France. You will explore a nature sometimes green, sometimes desert, even lunar, with each time, glitter in the eyes. You will be delighted by a climate and a luminosity which color the sublimated landscapes with vivid tints and contrasts. You will taste the whisky, produced here thanks to pure water sources and an ancestral know-how. You will meet a rich and amazing wildlife, between puffins, seals, deer and dolphins, without forgetting the emblematic, but not wild (although...) cows of the Highland. And we haven't even mentioned the music, the pubs, the sports. Scotland, beyond its landscapes, is an atmosphere, a warm welcome, neolithic sites and unique places.
The 12 keywords en Ecosse
#Accent
The Scottish accent will give you a hard time. It has nothing to do with what you may have learned in school. Don't worry if you don't understand what is being said to you and vice versa. Here, we roll the "r's" and, for example, "ch" is pronounced "rrr". So for Loch Ness, remember to pronounce it [Lorr].
#Beer
Beer has been brewed in Scotland for 5,000 years... The oldest beer in the world is said to have been found in the north of Scotland, at Skara Brae. The first breweries are thought to have developed in the late 16th century. Everywhere you turn, you'll be able to enjoy a local, home-brewed beer. More than 70 breweries are scattered across the country...
#Thistle #
Thethistle is a national symbol. It is said that in the Middle Ages, warriors slept in a camp when they were awakened by the cries of enemies who had taken off their shoes to keep quiet and stepped on thistles. It appears on the jersey of the rugby team, on many logos and in Scottish folklore.
#Clan
Since its origins, clans have defined the social organisation of Scotland. The term "clan" comes from the Scottish Gaelic "clann" meaning "children". Today, clans are a family name, a tartan and an inheritance, but they are still a source of pride for Scots and their emigrant descendants.
#Cornemuse
The Scots have a very humorous way of talking about the most iconic musical instrument in their culture. Examples? "A true gentleman is someone who can play the bagpipes, but doesn't play them" or "What's the difference between an onion and a bagpipe? No one cries when you chop a bagpipe!".
#Haggis
It is the emblematic dish of the traditional gastronomy. It consists of a sheep's belly stuffed with lungs, liver and heart, cereals and spices. The famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns, declaimed with a lyricism not devoid of humor his love of this traditional dish that the Scots honor, every year, on January 25.
#Highland cow
The Scottish long-haired cow is probably the most photographed animal in Scotland. You will come across it, mostly and as its name suggests, in the Highlands. Small, stocky, with big (very big!) horns, redheaded, hair in the wind, she is a real star. The height of "mignonnonnitude"? The highland calf!
#Kilt
The kilt, originating in the Highlands, would have appeared in the 16th century. It is worn on special occasions. You will see it during certain festivals where pipe bands intervene, by certain bagpipers proudly displaying their traditional dress at the entrance of tourist places for "postcard" animations always welcome.
#Midges
Midges are worse insects than mosquitoes. They get a kick out of sucking your blood in the spring and summer. It sounds terrifying and it is! They even get through mosquito nets! Only the wind and some specific products, easily found in supermarkets and pharmacies, will be your protection...
#Nessie
Perhaps the most famous character in Scotland, Nessie is one of the country's mascots. She has been present for centuries under the waters of Loch Ness and is the star of souvenir stores, legends and the press. The last time I heard, she was just a big eel. You are free to refuse this fanciful explanation!
#Pub
" The local ", " the boozer " or " public house ": this is the second home of the Scots. They are often rustic, decorated with woodwork, black and white photos and authentic local decorations. The CAMRA association(Campaign for Real Ale) has made their quality its hobbyhorse and defends real ales (traditional beers).
#Whisky
Scotland has the largest number of distilleries in the world. This is evidenced by several Scottish sayings: "Never drink whisky without water and never drink water without whisky" or "The rain of yesterday and today is the whisky of tomorrow. "or "Whisky for a Scot is as harmless as milk for the rest of humanity".
You are from here, if...
You know to say no to anyone who offers you a "Glasgow kiss" (it's a punch, not a friendly hug).
You order your cocktails in one-liter pitchers... per person!
Your conduct is a contest of courtesy, friendliness and spontaneous, smiling give-and-take. And of course, here, we don't honk!
You don't see how eating a fried Mars in oil that has previously cooked fish can be a problem.
You dry your clothes outside, even in the rain.
You drink tea at any time of the day or night, and with any dish, savory or sweet.
When asked what's under your kilt, you answer "your mother's lipstick".
You find it easy to hike 900 meters up steep slopes and down into the bogs.
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