Oban to Iona

Hi, liz, the easiest way to get there is by driving and using car ferry. You would take the Calmak car ferry from the Oban ferry terminal to Craignure, then drive from Craignure to Fionnphort, park your car and take the foot ferry over to Iona. https://www.calmac.co.uk/summer-timetables/oban-craignure

Keep in mind that this is not going to be done in just a morning. The ferry to Craignure takes about 45-50 minutes, and then the drive from Craignure to Fionnphort is at least 1 1/2 hours. Once you get to Fionnphort, the ferry to Iona leaves on a regular basis and takes about 10-ish minutes. Iona itself can be seen in a couple of hours.

A couple more things: You should book the ferry from Oban to Craignure ahead of time, as it must be pre-booked. Check in is at least 30 minutes before it sails, and definitely try to get there on time. It's very easy to take the car on the ferry. I was in Scotland last year and took my rental car on 7 ferries and never had a problem. The workers are very good about telling you where to go and where to stop.

You then leave your car and head up to the ferry lounges. You can sit outside and watch the sealife and water, or inside. There is a cafe on board where you can get something to eat and drink. Once you get to Craignure, you will just exit the ferry landing, then head south on the A849 road until you get to Fionnphort. There is a free car park in Fionnphort off to your left as you drive in, or you can continue down to the ferry and park there for a small fee. There is a cafe in the ferry building, and you just buy your ticket to Iona there.

We have done both- taking the car on the ferry and just as a ferry walk on. Personally I would opt for leaving the car in Oban. When you get off the ferry in Mull there is a bus waiting to take passengers to the other side of the island where you get the ferry to Iona. It’s super easy and convenient. When you come back there will be a bus to take you in the opposite direction. Just make sure to check times for the buses and ferries and to have the exact cash fare to pay the bus fare. Make reservations for the ferry. We didn’t and that’s why we had to leave our car in Oban. There was no more room for cars, but we could go as walk on passengers. Ooops. But what seemed like a major mess up actually turned out for the best and we felt more relaxed sitting on the bus rather than driving on the single track roads on Mull. If I ever (hopefully) get the chance to go again I would opt for the bus. If you ever get the chance to stay overnight on Iona I highly recommend it. It’s an incredible experience.

We didn't have a car in Oban so we did the West Coast Tours Three Isle Tour which included Mull, Iona and Staffa (puffins) but they have a tour that doesn't include Staffa. As the earlier poster said, you take a Calmac ferry to Mull, then a Westcoast Tours bus to Fionnphort and a very short ferry to Iona. You won't need a car on Iona - too small and the drive across Mull is both scenic and scary. Its a very narrow road where opposing vehicles play chicken.

We bought out tickets online before leaving the US then went into the Westcoast Tours office to pickup.

and to have the exact cash fare to pay the bus fare.

All buses on Mull offer contactless payment. You can also use the West Coast Motors (the bus operator) App to buy a Mull 24 hour Island Ticket for £18. (WCM have had a 10% fare rise today so that may well now be £19.80).

Nice to know that cash isn’t required anymore for the bus! That makes things so much easier. We were there in 2017 :-)