Rick Steves Scotland

by Rick Steves, Cameron Hewitt (primary_contributor)

Now more than ever, you can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling through Scotland. Whether you take the high road or the low road, Scotland is yours to explore with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves Scotland you'll Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Scotland .

Spending less than two weeks in Scotland? Hit the highlights with Rick Steves Best of Scotland .

Genres: Travel, Scotland, Nonfiction, Reference

576 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2016

About the author

Rick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.

Reviews

[Martine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone traveling to Scotland! It is full of invaluable information which helped me so much when booking flights, hotels, excursions and mapping out a travel plan.

[Sara Zimmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read through this book a few times before my trip to Scotland for background and planning purposes. I took it to Scotland as a reference and guide. It contains so much great information, not only on sites to see, but tips on what to skip and history on many sites. We also used the mapsand dining recommendations. Highly recommend this guide book.

[Stacy Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great guide to get oriented to Scotland. While we did a lot more than was recommended in this guide, it is such a great reference tool. I used it a lot when trying to find a place to eat or deciding on where to spend an afternoon. For this trip, his restaurant advice was right on. Who knew that food and great meals were one of the big highlights of this trip!

[Ansley E Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I already had an itinerary, this book helped fill some information. It gave me lots of good ideas and brought up some points I wouldn’t have previously thought about. It’s definitely coming with me on my trip.

[beentsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be packing this along with me when I go to Scotland this fall. Really comprehensive guide to Scotland and to travelling in general. Cheap at twice the price.

[Tracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody writes a travel guide like Rick Steves.Currently planning a trip to Scotland and using this guide has ben a huge help. Will update the review when we return.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great resource. Very interesting info and history. Very helpful.

[John Rosenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t wait to go to Scotland !

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving myself credit for reading all of this book even though that is not really the case. I actually used two books while I was visiting Scotland. Steves' book and Scotland by Knopf Guides were both helpful. Although I visited many places in Scotland I did not get to go everywhere, so I only read the chapters that gave insight on the actual places I visited. I've always appreciated Steves' frank approach telling travelers what to bother with and what can be bypassed. The Knopf guide was great because it gave little lessons along the way on architecture and history and had many great color pictures. Combined, I knew what to look for and where the CIE tour was taking me and why. It helped that our tour guide, Ian, was an expert as well. I love the fact that I was able to load Steves' book on my Amazon Fire for the trip and my Knopf Guide had a handy ribbon so I could mark where I was reading for easy reference. My only complaint was that I had to thumb through so many pages to find the information I wanted on my Fire. That could be my fault. Perhaps there was some easy search method where I could enter the name of a place and it would have taken me to that page. If so I never found it. Both were handy to have along. It never hurts to have more than one source of information and confirms what you shouldn't miss when praised highly by both sources.

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upcoming trip!!

[Debbiec151 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Steve's is the Guy for travel! He includes so much in this guidebook from good places to see, where to stay & eat. He covers all the forms of transportation & even goes into how to drive in Scotland. We are going on our trip this year 2022 so I can't wait to use this guidebook. Ill let you know how helpful it is after travel! I think he may come out with an updated edition, so watch for that soon.

[J.R. Dodson · Rating 3 out of 5]

More misses than typical of Rick’s books. Still the best out there.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this version nearly as much as I enjoyed his Ireland edition. I agree with other reviewers where it seemed that he went more with popular opinion rather than experience. Why was Loch Ness not given 3 triangles?! The history and geology alone make it worth the trip, never mind the views and things to do in the area! I think it's a good start but I will definitely be adding my own sections!

[Barbara Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I split this into sections for each day of my upcoming Rick Steves tour, then highlighted useful tips, interesting historical notes, and must-see highlights for future reference. I feel well grounded for the tour, and open to the magic of the moment!

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: Like most Rick Steves guidebooks, this book is full of pragmatic advice, history, and practical tips for making the most of your time in Scotland. Steves explains the joys of being in Scotland (rather than just passing through). He provides an understanding the culture and the quirks that make Scotland so interesting, as well as mostly useful maps and many hiking ideas. When I read the The Rough Guide to Scotland and Lonely Planet Scotland, the early history of Scotland didn't grab me (other than Skara Brae), but Steves made the history compelling and made me want to visit many of the sites that I previously wasn't interested in.

Cons: Unlike the Rough Guide to Scotland, Steves emphasizes driving, rather than public transit. And also unlike either the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet Scotland, this book is not as comprehensive as it could be; Steves does not include the Shetlands or the Outer Hebrides.

After reading the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet, I had a good understanding of what Scotland has to see and do, so my reading of Rick Steves was mostly for the off-beat items and food (at least in Edinburgh).

Places to Eat around Edinburgh:
* Ness for tweed
* I.J. Mellis for cheese
* Oink for sandwiches
* St. Giles Cathedral Cafe and St. Andrew's & St. George's Cafe (I love church cafes. One of my favorites is in Toronto.)
* Mimi's Bakehouse for baked goods and picnic supplies

Tips and Things to See in Glasgow:
* The Mackintosh House and the Glasgow School of Art are by tour only.
* Tenement House Museum
* National Piping Centre (which also has a summer school in Winchester VA)
* The Hunterian Museum (this is one of those that I read about in the other guidebooks but didn't spark my interest until Steves wrote about it)

Elsewhere:
* Isle of Staffa: Fingal's Cave (and puffins)
* Near Aviemore: sheepdogs
* In the Cairngorms: the Highland Folk Museum (again, Steves made me interested even after reading about this twice earlier and not really intrigued)
* On Loch Tay: the Scottish Crannog Centre (same reasoning as the Highland Folk Museum…)
* Isle of Skye: the Skye Museum of Island Life, hiking (Old Man of Storr, Quirang, Fairy Pools)
* Northern Scotland: Applecross Road and Inverewe Garden

Books/Movies:
* The 39 Steps (and movie)
* The Cone Gatherers

[Hannah Murdock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a helpful guide in preparation for my trip! There is a huge stockpile of tips, history, and information in this book to dig through and I appreciated how detailed it was! It really felt like the author took the time to think of people from all places who want all different kinds of trips.
That said, his way of writing made it very easy to tell what parts he liked/had been told were good but also which parts he didn’t. In particular I had a problem reading through the chapter on Inverness; I get it, you think Inverness is ugly and Loch Ness isn’t worth it.
There were some issues I had with the maps too, but overall this is a worthwhile guide for anyone to pick up in preparation for time in Scotland. A great deal of the information and insight you need in one place.

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Steves' travel books are outstanding. Rick Steves Scotland is fabulous because it's straightforward and provides anything a traveler would want to know: history, maps, primary cities and sites, travel tips, lodging, restaurants, shopping, theater, breweries, distilleries, transportation, etc.

His introduction captures the essence of travel: "Travel is intensified living--maximum thrills per minute and one of the last great sources of legal adventure. Travel is freedom. It's recess and we need it."

Highly recommend!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what to expect with Rick Steves and this one delivers on that. Unfortunately I think the focus is solidly on certain areas of Scotland and other regions don't receive the same focus. Highlights are described, some good extra hikes included and as always a list of smaller inns and bed & breakfast options are provided. If you don't know where to start, Rick Steves is always a good place. More adventurous and seasoned travelers will find useful information, but will need to investigate other books and maps as well.

[Julie Pahutski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Steves' books are great for travelers as they really help you make the most of your time traveling. Sites are ranked with 1, 2, or 3 triangles depending on how much the author values them. I have used several of Rick Steves' books while traveling and have found them worth the money and time. The best use is to plan your itinerary--what do you want to see? when do you want to go? what's the best way to get around?

I got some great ideas for a future visit to Scotland which I look forward to enjoying next year.

5 stars for very practical advice.

[Emily Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Rick Steves. I have not traveled over seas before and I read this book several times before going to Scotland. While does a great job with the cities he does cover I was excited to find that the little cities he didn't cover were equally enjoyable. I found the guide a great "overview" of Scotland. We traveled with locals so were were able to see so much more than was in the guide. It is a great starting place for planning your Scotland trip.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rick Steves travel guides are always informative but the Scotland guide is exceptional. The book contains helpful bits about the usual tourist spots, hotels, restaurants, etc. What sets this guide apart are the detailed descriptions of hiking trails and nature areas. If you're traveling to Scotland, this is a great preparatory read!

[Robyn Chumley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed with a nice sense of humor

In fact, this book has a nice dose of reality. Rick Steves focuses on what he’s learned travelers want to read, see, hear—and that’s exactly how he writes. He doesn’t necessarily write to entertain; instead, he writes to inform. And that’s entertainment enough. Well done, Rick!

[Tex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Rick Steves' travel books because he sets a fairly aggressive itinerary, I've been told, which is how I normally plan my trips. This made me feel confident what Rick says you can do in one day, would fit my kind of itinerary, rather than hanging around too long at a destination, and wish I had moved quicker along my journey.

[Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rick Stevens guidebooks are the most fun and useful I've found, at least for Europe. I found a great B&B using this, and I figured out how to use my limited time in Glasgow and Edinburgh effectively. It also gave some historical context for my visits to Shetland and the Orkneys. Well worth my time.

[Stephanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a good over view for those of us traveling. I recommend any of the Rick Steves books to get you started and then with that solid background knowledge, it's easier to branch out and research specific areas of interest or locations.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guide provides a helpful overview of visiting Scotland, what to expect, and places to go. It seems like it may focus more on places the Rick Steves' tours go, as opposed to providing an across-the-board look at all areas of Scotland.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

And now I'm well-prepared for the second half of our trip!

[Beth Hartnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick, you served us well in Scotland...especially that little local music spot in Inverness!

[Bud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this when traveling to Scotland last year, it was very helpful. Rick Steves is a solid guide in general and this book was no exception.

[Trudy Pomerantz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved Rick Steve's travel guide to Germany, but this one not quite so much.