How to get to Island of Iona?

Hi, Mrs. Carol,

To get from Oban to Iona with a rental car, you would take the ferry from Oban to Craignure, turn left on the A849, and follow it to the end at Fionnphort. Park the car, and take the passenger-only ferry to Iona. The ferry trip to Iona takes about ten minutes.

If you would prefer not to drive, take the ferry from Oban as a walk-on, then take a bus to Fionnphort. The West Coast Motors 496 bus does not run frequently, so if you do decide to take the bus, be sure to coordinate your ferry travel around the bus schedule.

There are organized tours from Oban, but if you want to truly enjoy Iona, it's best to make your own way there so that you can explore at your leisure.

Hope that helps!

Best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

I took an organized tour from West Coast Tours. You walk on the CalMac ferry in Oban. When you get to Mull, a bus is there waiting for you. You are driven across Mull with commentary and then take a very short ferry as a walk on passenger to Iona. You have free time on Iona, take the ferry back to Mull and then a choice of 2-3 buses back to catch the ferry to Oban. It makes for a full day, but I suggest taking the tour because if you drive, the driver is going to have to be focusing on the road and the traffic as the road is narrow and passing is done carefully. The driver won't really get to relax and just enjoy the scenery on Mull.

Here is a link to West Coast Tours
https://westcoasttours.co.uk/book-tour/tour-mull-iona-and-staffa/

In August 2022, I did a West Coast Tours day trip to Iona. I was impressed by how smoothly it went and felt we had adequate time on Iona.

Visitors cannot take cars across to Iona, so if you do hire a car you will have to park it at Fionnphort and travel as a foot passenger. The West Coast Tours option is probably the easiest.