Scotland base cities ??

Trying to see Scotland with just one of two bases using public transportation won't work. It's too spread out and transportation isn't that fast. There will be a lot off backtracking.

The only way I could see doing this without a car is by taking one day tours. I've done a few with Rabbies and they offer them out of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. They also have multi-day tours. All in 16 passenger vehicles. Highly recommended by many people on this board.

I've traveled throughout Scotland without a car and it can be time consuming getting places. The tours make it much easier.

We spent a week in Edinburgh and then rented a car because we had very specific places we wanted to visit that weren't included on the RS tour or on any day trips that we could find. We also did a couple of Rabbies tours out of Edinburgh and they were well done. Rabbies also has some extended trips, but I don't know anything about them.

I agree with Frank. Seeing Scotland without a car won’t work, the bus and train routes don’t cater to tourists. I found this out when I was planning my trip. I had travelled Ireland with a bus/train pass, and thought I could do it in Scotland also. But, after doing some research I realized I wasn’t going to get to many of the places I wanted to see. You can do guided day tours from some smaller towns, and larger cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh have many options, but you will still miss out on much of the best scenery, and hidden gems that the tours don’t go to.

You can absolutely visit Scotland without a car, if you take advantage of one or more Rabbie's multi-day tours.

Can you see all of Scotland ? No. But then you couldn't see all of Scotland if you spent a year there. Like most people, with two or three weeks there, you can do a lovely sampling that will make your soul smile and fill up your camera roll.

One part of the country that I think is especially beautiful and interesting that doesn't get talked about as much is Aberdeenshire. Castles, history, and beautiful natural sites galore. I don't know if Rabbie's does any tours based out of Aberdeen, but it would be worth checking.

Of course the marquee sites for Scotland are Edinburgh, the Highlands, Skye, Glasgow ....honestly I can't think of anywhere in this country that doesn't have beauty and personality in spades.

Agree with Frank. If you don't like switching hotels every night or two, then base yourself in 1, 2, or 3 cities and take the day tours. Obviously it's not the same as renting a car and driving all over.

In addition to the popular Rabbies tours, there is also heartofscotland tours, which have good reviews. Mercat is another one if you like walking tours.

I spent 26 days in Scotland in 2019. I had no car. I spent 6 or 7 days each in Edinburgh and Glasgow (Mackintosh architecture)--more time than most visitors would need for a good visit. Those times included side trips to Rosslyn Chapel (from Edinburgh) and Helensburgh (from Glasgow, for more Mackintosh architecture). My travel mate was short about 3 days in each of those cities and was not a happy camper.

With the remaining time we stopped at Inveraray (castle or gardens--might not be time for both) on the way to Oban. From Oban we took the Mull-Iona trip and did a separate side trip to Tobermory (marred by much rain); I had hoped to go to Kerrera, but that didn't happen. From a base in Portree we took a couple of trips around Skye on public buses (there are at least one or two local bus tours that would be more efficient). Then we moved to Kyle of Lochalsh for one night so my travel mate could see Eilean Doonan castle and I could take the train to (nearby) Plockton. We then crossed to Dundee (good museums), from which we visited St. Andrews. I stopped briefly in a couple of the East Neuk villages as I traveled back to Edinburgh by bus; the trains are faster.

My interests are odd (not much into pre-20th-century history or castle interiors), but perhaps this gives you an idea of what can be done by train and bus if you have time. Scotland's challenging because it takes longer to cover the miles than you would expect, transportation doesn't necessarily run frequently, and the weather is iffy at best. I missed out on a lot of things I wanted to see along the west coast because it was too rainy to tackle them. With a car, it might have been possible to choose the driest direction each day. The local bus tours are likely to fill up a bit early, so you definitely cannot count on making a decision the night before and reserving your spot on a tour then. I assume the multi-day Rabbies tours require booking quite some time in advance.

Note that the infrastructure in many of the popular towns in the west and on the islands (Portree being a prime example) is underbuilt for current demand. You need to get reservations way in advance unless you're willing to take any old thing (which might be sub-par or painfully expensive). Folks traveling by car have more flexibility about where they'll stay and probably don't need to get reservations nailed down 4 to 8 months in advance. You also need dinner reservations unless you plan to buy something from a food truck and either take it back to your room or eat it on a bench while fending off seagulls.

My mom & I went to Scotland, probably 10 years ago now. We rented an apartment in Glasgow, then took overnight bags for two side trips - 2 night stays each, east-ish to Edinburgh and west-ish to Oban. Took a day train up to Mallaig & back. We did have some relatives who took us for a drive up to Loch Lomond area, but as the others noted, you could do a day tour there if interested. We were there for about 2 weeks total and did it all by public transport other than the day with our relatives.