Scotland the 9th of August through the 21st

I don't have answers, just noting that this is a duplicate post and answers may also be on the other copy.

Your first priority is finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh as your dates coincide with the Festival.

You have 11 or 12 days, which is long enough to get a good look at each major city, visit some outlying areas on day trips, and choose a third base outside the cities. For example, you could take the train to Fort William or Inverness, stay 3 nights, and see some of the highlands from either of those bases.

Day trips from Glasgow could include Stirling, Falkirk, and Loch Lomond (there are boat cruises leaving from near Balloch). You could even go to Inveraray for a day; it's about 2 hrs each way by bus.

Day trips from Edinburgh could include (again) Stirling (it's about equidistant fr the two major cities), Rosslyn Chapel and the village of Roslin, St. Andrews if you get an early start, and even Hadrian's Wall.

Rambling has got it spot on,Edinburgh festival time, if you have not booked already you may have difficulty and it will be expensive.
Might be worth considering staying in Stirling you can reach both Ediburgh and Glasgow from there in about an hour by train

Any recommendations for a hotel in Glasgow?

As the others have said this is high season and bookings are almost essential. I would follow Unclegus' advice and suggest Stirling. Also will you be hiring a car?

I have all the hotels. We are still debating driving vs public transportation

If we do public is it easy to take train

Glasgow to Oban?

Bus from Oban to Inverness

Train from Inverness to Edinburgh

I assume train back to Glasgow is easy

Thanks for all the advice

The train is relatively easy, but as you have going up to the Highlands on the plan, a car is probably best as you control the timetable better and get to places you can't get on public transport.

If you like to hike I would spend as much time on the Isle of Skye as possible! There's not really any hotels except in Portree so you have to look at Airbnb. We stayed at Cnoc Arc (a home rental) and LOvED it! Google pictures of Skye. It's amazing!

I strongly agree with MC - Hire a car , there is much beauty to be seen all over Scotland , but the Highlands is heaven on Earth . The driving there is easy , and you have myriad possibilities along the way , Just one example - from Inverness to Edinburgh - consider these places - Grantown on Spey , Tomintoul , Braemar , Pitlochry ( be sure to stop at Queen's View ) Dunkeld and Birnam ( side by side villages along the Tay ) While I would hate to have to upend things and find a new place to live ( at age 71 ) , if it came to that , Scotland would likely be my first choice !

Hi. We rented a car to drop off in Edinburgh after picking it up in Glasgow and driving through the highlands. Is Annandale Street near the royal Mile? Our hotel is near there and enterprise calls this drop off the "downtown" area. Thx