Exactly How to Get From Inverness to Isle of Skye
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Inverness is a great starting point for travelling to the Isle of Skye. There is a direct bus, it has the closest airport to Skye and it is only a couple of hours away by car.
Driving is the easiest way to travel from Inverness to Isle of Skye. The drive to the Isle of Skye from Inverness is 3 hours and there is no need to take a ferry because there is a bridge.
When it comes to public transport options bus is the quickest method since there is direct bus from Inverness to Portree.
There is no rail network on Skye so you can’t take the train the whole way. However, you can get from Inverness to Skye through a combination of train and bus.
Please note that within this post all directions and journey times listed are from Inverness to Portree on Skye.
How to Get From Inverness to Isle of Skye
Driving From Inverness to Isle of Skye
- Distance: 183 km / 114 miles
- Drive time (to Portree): 3 hours
Driving is by far the simplest way to travel to Skye. You can drive all the way and there is no toll to cross the bridge to Skye. The bridge is also open 24 hours a day.
When looking up directions on Google Maps it shows the fastest route being along the A890 and the A87. However, I recommend driving the A87 past Loch Ness, as shown in dark blue on the map above.
Google Maps shows these two routes taking the same amount of time. In reality, the route along the A87 past Loch Ness (shown above) is quicker since it has better roads and you can maintain a higher average speed.
Avoid the 3rd option that often comes up which is along the B862 on the other side of Loch Ness. It is longer in terms of distance and has the worst roads.
Driving from Inverness airport to Isle of Skye rather than Inverness city centre adds about 5 minutes to the journey.
I highly recommend renting a car with RentalCars.
Stops to Make on the Way
There are many interesting stops you can make on the way to the Isle of Skye or from the Isle of Skye to Inverness. The ones I like the most are:
- Urquhart Castle: The castle is largely a ruin but it has beautiful views over Loch Ness. It is the perfect place to look out for Nessie. You can get views of the castle and the loch from the road. Take the exit to the castle and park in the car park.
- Eilean Donan Castle: This is one of my favourite Scottish castles. It is on an island not much larger than the castle itself. The photo above was taken from the far end of the car park.
- Lean to Coffee: Stop for coffee and cake when driving from Portree to Inverness. It is in Ashaig close to Broadford. Before planning a stop check the opening hours. They have limited opening hours throughout the year so best to check the latest on Google. Another thing to be aware of is that there are no toilets.
- Sligachan Waterfall: A 10-to-15-minute walk from the road. It is not quite as impressive as the Fairy Pools but you will be here on your own and you don’t need to pay to park.
Bus From Inverness to the Isle of Skye
The bus from Inverness to Isle of Skye takes 3 to 4 hours depending on the route. The Inverness to Skye bus routes are operated by Citylink.
The bus routes are:
- 917: Direct Inverness to Portree bus. It departs a couple of times a day and takes 3 hours. The route ends in Portree where you can change to a bus to Uig.
- 919: Runs between Inverness and Fort William. By getting off at Invergarry you can change to bus number 915 or 916 (which run from Glasgow to Skye). These buses stop outside Invergarry Hotel. The whole journey is around 4 hours.
The latest timetable for the bus from Portree to Inverness and Inverness to Portree can be found on the Citylink website. The schedule also shows which buses go on to Uig.
When Should I Buy My Inverness to Isle of Skye Bus Ticket?
Tickets are released 3 months in advance. Buy early for the cheapest price.
Anyone taking several buses around Scotland should consider buying the Citylink Explorer Pass. You don’t need to make many trips for this pass to make financial sense.
The pass offers unlimited travel on all of Citylink’s Scottish routes for a set period. The “type” of Explorer Pass you need can be a bit confusing and it works like this:
- 3 day pass allows 3 days of unlimited travel over a 5 day period and cost £56
- 5 day pass allows 5 days of unlimited travel over a 10 day period and cost £84
- 8 day pass allows 8 days of unlimited travel over a 16 day period and cost £112
Train From Inverness to Isle of Skye
There are no trains from Inverness to the Isle of Skye. The rail network stops at Kyle of Lochalsh which is close to the bridge to Skye. From here you have to travel by bus.
Although you can’t get all the way from Inverness to Isle of Skye by train you can use a combination of train and bus:
- Train from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh: The train takes 2 hours and 35 minutes and there are a couple of departures every day. The morning departure has the shortest wait for a connecting bus to Portree.
- Bus from Kyle of Lochalsh to Portree: All the buses described above stop at Kyle of Lochalsh on their way to Portree. However, they don’t all correspond with the train times so check the bus schedule before booking. If getting one of the later trains from Inverness you might have a long wait in Kyle of Lochalsh for the next bus and there is not much to do there.
When Should I Book My Inverness to Skye Train Ticket?
Tickets for the train from Inverness to Skye are available on the Trainline website and are released 3 months in advance. Book as far in advance as possible. Tickets purchased on the day are very expensive in the UK.
Another thing to consider is whether to buy a railcard (they can also be bought on the Trainline website). They cost £30 a year but in return you get 1/3 off rail travel. You don’t need to make many journeys before you have saved the cost of the card.
The most useful Railcards are:
- 16-25 or 26-30: For people between 16 and 30 years old
- Two Together: For two people travelling together (you need to name both people on the card application)
- Family and Friends: You can name up to 4 adults that can use the card but only pay for two. In addition, the card gives 60% off for 4 children aged 5-15
Railcards are valid for travel on trains in England, Wales and Scotland for one year.
Ferry From Inverness to the Isle of Skye
There is no ferry from Inverness to the Isle of Skye but you don’t need one since there is a bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. You can you drive from Inverness to Isle of Skye.
The most popular ferry to Skye is the Mallaig ferry to Armadale.
Only use this ferry if you are doing a road trip from Inverness to the Isle of Skye. Some of the most interesting places to stop for a few days are Fort William or the area around Arisaig and Morar on your way.
Make sure to stop by the Morar beaches such as Camusdarach in Morar, the White Sands of Morar beach and Traigh Beach in Arisaig if you are driving this way.
Flight From Inverness to Skye
Many people wonder, can you fly to Skye? The answer is no. There is no airport on Skye. In fact, Inverness is the closest airport to Isle of Skye. It is a 3-hour drive from Inverness airport to Skye.
Many domestic flights land at Inverness but there are few international flights. From abroad, fly to Glasgow or Edinburgh and continue on to Skye by road. From both Glasgow and Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye it is about 5-6.5 hours by car.
Book your car hire with Rental Cars
Final Thoughts on How to Get to Isle of Skye From Inverness
Inverness is a good starting or ending point for a trip to the Isle of Skye.
Inverness has the closest airport to Skye, has lots of car rental options, is a short drive and there is a direct bus. However, there is no Inverness to Isle of Skye train so that is not an option.
Although it is a short journey make sure to add some stops mentioned above.
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