Oban Free Time

We took a short ferry ride to Kerrera Island where we walked to the tea garden and had lunch before going a bit further to the ruins of Gylen Castle. An easy walk without much elevation change, and nice views with almost no one else on the island! It filled our one day off in Oban.

If it's the standard tour you get to spend 2 hours on Iona. It's a small island so nowhere is more than about 45 minutes walk from the ferry.
But then you would have to choose between beach and historical stuff on the island.
Another idea would be to go to somewhere the tour doesn't go to and that is Calgary Beach on Mull.
Bus to Tobermory, then connecting bus to Calgary. You could come back the same way, or use the Ulva Ferry bus (which you must pre book 24 hours in advance) to return via the back road to Salen where you connect into the Tobermory to Craignure bus.
https://ufct.co.uk

That's the well known one on Mull, but if you're willing to rent a car for the day at Craignure ferry terminal then the next best well known one on Mull is at Lochbuie, but there are half a dozen or so other ones scattered around Mull.
https://mullcarhire.co.uk

Just 2 miles from Oban- so walkable and a regular bus there is Ganavan Sands (and WW2 history there as well).

If you want something more exciting you could fly on Hebridean Air from Oban airport to Tiree (a thrilling wave hopping sightseeing flight) and either rent a car for the day or use the Island dial a ride bus. Tiree is not at all short of stunning beaches.

If I had free time in Oban, I would do one of these:

-three or two island tour to Mull, Iona, and/or Staffa- Staffa is still worth visiting for Fingal's Cave even if no puffins, tho obviously puffins are a highlight. It's easy to do this trip on foot, getting to the ferry is walkable.
-you can also do a boat ride around the harbour and see seals
-if you like whiskey, visit the distillery

Good luck and enjoy your time in Scotland.

Cat, OP's RS tour already includes a 2 Island tour.

lori, you should contact the Rick Steves' office and ask how much time is included on Iona on your tour.

We were independent travelers and booked the Westcoast Tours' 2 island tour to Mull and Iona mentioned by previous posters. That gave us 2 hours on Iona. Plenty of time for lunch, a visit to the Abbey and a stroll around the island.

I second dhallier on recommending a Kerrera hike. I just have to mention it's about a 2-hour walk from the marina where the little (12-passenger) ferry drops you off to the south end of the island where Gylen Castle is, and 2 hours back, if you don't stop. Definitely worthwhile if you like hiking. There are some small hills as you approach the castle, but mostly very easy walking. Just make sure you allow enough time.

If you're interested, here is my photo album from that hike.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wUsJm5PD9a921xLM6

I know for absolute fact that anyone who says they have been to the Abbey on Iona and had lunch has not also been up to the glorious white sand beaches (and enjoyed them) at the North end of the island or the one beyond the golf course in the two hours available, unless they maybe hired a bike at the ferry landing.

There is a reason why the minimum bike hire period is 3 hours.

It is glorious to get away from the vast majority of the visitors, and have the extra time to explore the beauty of the rest of the island, also enjoy the relative solitude of this pilgrimage island.
It takes even longer to go in the other direction to the stony southern beach said to be where St Columba landed.
I know someone who recently went over on the first ferry (the one before the one the tour buses meet) and back on the last - she needed that long to explore the whole island tip to toe, side to side.

Oh, Stuart, I was telling the OP what we DID have time for during OUR 2 hour stay. I never said we went to the glorious white sand beaches.

lori, Enjoy your time Scotland!

Hi, lori, I'm a little confused. I gather that you are talking about your free day in Oban but you mentioned wanting to see Iona. Are you not aware that the tour goes to Iona? The itinerary specifically says that you will take a bus/ferry combo to go to Iona and spend time at the monastery, but then will have free time.

If you want more time on Iona (and it sounds like you have a decent amount of time as the island is quite small) I would plan to visit Scotland in the future and spend 4-5 days on Mull, where you can see all the wonderful sights there, including Iona. But trying to do that on your own from Oban is going to be difficult and take an enormous amount of planning. Plus ferries can be unpredictable and you might have problems trying to get back.

I would follow the advice of Lane and dehallier, and spend your time around Oban, which is a beautiful area. Stuart (isn31c) has some wonderful ideas for travel, but with only one day, it will be difficult and could be very frustrating to try and pull it off. Scotland is beautiful but it's not the easiest of places to get around in, especially when you're not familiar with the country and must rely on public transportation.

Jeanm had a good idea in that you should call the RS tour office to see how much time you will have on Iona. I was there (not on a tour) for around 3 hours and managed to see the historic sites, do a bit of shopping, and go for a walk on the beach. I brought some food with me so I didn't have to stop for lunch, which you could do as well (or get something as takeaway).

You could travel over to Iona on your own - book yourself onto the ferry to Craignure , checking the bus timetable for when the buses go out to Fionnphort (where the Iona ferry is a two minute walk away and right in front of you.)

https://www.westcoastmotors.co.uk/services/WCMO/96?date=2025-08-20&direction=outbound

You could have the best part of a day on the island (timetable dependent) or at least , say, 4 hours allowing you to walk out to the stunning North End beaches (there are 3 of them, close together and there is a lovely walk between them.) The views to Mull and the Treshnish Isles over a jade and turquoise sea are just wonderful.

There are plenty places on the island for tea/coffee/lunch - the Argyll Hotel is very good and with a lovely garden terrace overlooking the village beach and the Sound of Iona.

A quick short hike up tiny Dun I, the island's highest hill , takes about 20 ins max and gives fantastic 360 degree view over islands and ocean.

There is also an excellent little Seafood Cabin at the Iona ferry terminal (Fionnphort side) which does super fresh, just off the boat, Lobster and Chips, Langoustines, Crab Claws etc .It won a culinary award last year.

2 hrs on Iona will allow you to walk out to the beaches (about 40 mins) but will short change you quite a bit re the overall experience.

Thanks for all the helpful information!