SCOTLAND TRAVEL TIPS FOR FIRST TIMERS | 30+ Must-Knows Before Visiting Scotland + What NOT to Do!

Planning to visit Scotland for the first time? In this video, I'm sharing all my best Scotland travel tips for new visitors, from important must-knows for your Scotland trip to common mistakes that tourists make in Scotland. Don't miss this video if you're planning your own trip to Scotland!
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00:00 INTRODUCTION
00:28 SCOTLAND BASICS * TRAVEL PLANNING TIPS
5:17 SCOTLAND FOOD & DRINK TIPS
10:00 SCOTLAND CULTURE & ETIQUETTE TIPS
13:47 SCOTLAND TIPS WHEN YOU ARRIVE
CHRISTINA'S TRAVEL GEAR
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Travelling to Scotland for the first time? In need of Scotland travel advice that caters to a newbie? This Scotlandtravel guide is packed with must-knows before you visit Scotland as a tourist, with a rundown of common tourist mistakes in Scotland as well as answers to common questions like Scotland culture shocks, Scotland culture and etiquette tips, where to go in Scotland, places to visit in Scotland, and more so you can have the Scotland trip of your dreams. Whether you're looking for general Scotland tips or tips for Scotland hidden gems, be sure to watch this video!

[@HappytoWander]

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this week's video all about Scotland. As usual, be sure to check the written version for more tips, and comment if you have any more tips to add: happytowander.com/scotland-travel-tips/

[@kirsteneasdale5707]

As a Scottish person, I approve this message. This video was a pleasant surprise. Accurate information and good advice.

[@HappytoWander]

Phew - glad I passed the test! Thanks so much for the kind comment :)

[@sueKay]

As a Scot I have to say this is one of the best Scottish travel tip videos I've seen, thank you for sharing! 🙂

[@HappytoWander]

That’s so kind of you to say!!! Thank you so much for watching and commenting :)

[@SirBrosif286]

Outstanding LIST! I love how straight forward you made this, with out being insultingly obvious (or opinionated) like so many youtubers are

[@kaylajohnson3314]

Another travel tip is, if you can, travel with a backpack type luggage or one you carry instead of a roller bag. Wheels and cobblestones don't go well together.

[@HappytoWander]

Yes, so true! I call that sound of wheels over cobblestones the "clatter of shame" haha

[@typhoon-7]

Hello from the Highlands. Thanks for making this so well. The best I've seen from across the pond. Pronunciation, (esp Gaelic... well done!) and good knowledge. Haste ye back!

[@HappytoWander]

Wow I love this comment so much haha thank you for taking the time to say such nice things. I really appreciate it!! Hoping I can make it back to Scotland ASAP - still have so much to see.

[@mbeavis1]

Just watched our first video on your channel. Very impressive. Thanks for your straightforward and informative video. It was especially nice to see comments from locals endorsing your contract. 👍.

[@iainmuir9456]

I'm Scottish and you did a very good job with that review. Nailed the highlights and the low lights. Well done 😃. 😀

[@orlybriceno]

I am planning my second trip to Scotland, and both this time and the previous I watched a ton of vlogs about it, and this has been one of the best, great direct to the point tips, thanks!

[@Leftoutknitter]

This is about the best, most comprehensive video I've watched. Well done! Most I already knew, and am slating my trip for 42 days in Scotland June 2024.

[@whalesong8040]

So delightful, and so helpful! Thank you so much!

[@ednalula2980]

Thank you for this informative video. So nice to know all this tips before our trip this summer. Just subscribed!

[@OneRedFeatherStudios.]

Another really information and lovely video Christina. Lots of solid advice and suggestions here. I loved Scotland when i visited many years ago, and your video would serve all travelers (new and old), in good stead.

[@HappytoWander]

Thanks so much for watching!! 🫶

[@jamieirving7558]

Excellent video…thank you so much for this!

[@Joeschbibik]

Wonderfully explained. Pleasant voice. Well done!

[@user-fc9nf9ci2b]

Excellent tips and information.

[@user-eh5ll4mb2y]

Well done, informative and very nicely presented

[@bisedwards6985]

This into was very helpful Thank you!

[@Pol06S]

These are great tips and I definitely didn’t know some of then!

[@HappytoWander]

Woohoo - mission accomplished. Thanks so much for watching :)

[@WatchMeSee]

Thank you so much for the shout-out in your video 😊

[@Jboo70]

Lovely, I just found " Scottish hidden gems" too. Thanks

[@iloveejbgssnoopy]

Love your video thank you and I will take the wonderful advice. Thank you.

[@HappytoWander]

Thanks for watching and leaving such a nice comment :)

[@braintobeing1030]

IMO, excellent video. Very nice commentary with cultural sensitivity and practical advice. One of our friends named their daughter Alba. It is delightful to know the background of that name.

[@JonathanSilverman-dz9lm]

Been there and ya. love your video..thanks

[@samuelleask1132]

Great video

[@albin2232]

Excellent video. Ten out of ten. Hello from Edinburgh :)

[@HappytoWander]

Thanks so much for the kind words!! :) happy to have a local endorsement haha

[@Vanloves2travel]

We were in Edinburgh in early September and loved the city. We definitely plan to return to Scotland to visit the highlands next time. Great video as usual with excellent tips!

[@HappytoWander]

There’s always more to see, isn’t there?! Hope you can make it back again soon. Thanks for watching! 🫶

[@aprilblossom9268]

This is so good..didn't know there was such a vid. Some clarity on bus/tram ticket rules would be good,..as we nearly had bit of a disaster !

[@jameshughes2783]

Well done! You have nailed my county almost 100%…”almost”? Yes, almost. Scottish pounds are not legal tender that’s why lots of English retailers are reluctant to accept it. However, they can easily change it at their banks, they are just being awkward!

[@furryrug5998]

Really good guide!! Just touching on drink driving... As you correctly said, it's very low threshold before you will be 'over the limit'. In most cases a small wine /beer etc. will be ok depending body size/ food intake etc. The police don't conduct sobriety tests here and will breathalyse you roadside. Be aware if you are travelling early morning after a good night folks.

[@amfearliathmor9747]

It is actually a Scottish myth that Scottish people are actually friendly. My friend was attacked by a Scottish Seagull and ended up with a serious bloody headwound. Being from Scotland myself I thought that the Seagull attack was quite funny and I told him so. That's not being very friendly and he wasn't even a foreign tourist.

[@lynnejamieson2063]

As a Scot who has lived in Cornwall and witnessed many seagull attacks there, it could be that the seagull that attacked your friend was on their holidays instead of a local 😊

[@kumasenlac5504]

Must Know #7 - Get a car with an automatic trans (check when booking). You'll have enough to keep you busy with narrow roads, driving on the left and roundabouts... (o: and coos...

[@kennyloggins465]

The place name pronunciations are on point

[@isabelstokes4042]

As a Scot, I can tell you that you are very welcome! You will find us very friendly and helpful. Come and see us! (Just don't call us English.)

[@jimmyb640]

Chicken tika Masala is a Glasgow dish

[@lorrainejones3475]

Thanks for the vidio. l m from Malta and I m going to visit Scotland in two week time. From the 22 Dic till 30 Dic

[@anafd25]

Just wanted to say that my last trip was to Malta (soooo beautiful! I really hope to visit again), and now I’m planning a trip to Scotland 😉 Hello from Croatia 🤗

[@lyntalbot394]

We ate fish and chips on the beach at Stonehaven, not a seagull in sight, which surprised us!

[@williammackenzie6115]

I think there's a chip shop nearby which serves gulls and chips.

[@str0w4er]

As a Scotsman born in Glasgow I think your Video is fantastic, however you didn't mention the dreaded "Midges" in the highlands during the summer. You are gorgeous, by the way! Jim.

[@MadTamB]

Some other comments: 1) Not want to try real Haggis - there is a veggy version (I'm vegetarian and I really like it). 2) Want to try some craft beers? Often the barman will let you try them first. 3) If you go to Glasgow, go and have a shot on the Underground. 4) About different pound notes, I've seen places, not in the UK, give different exchange rates for Scottish currency than English / UK.

[@sofreshcici18]

❤ do you have any tips on where to stay?

[@jurassicprimalgamer2457]

If you want a small village with a single shop and pub I’d recommend Johnshaven or if you want a bigger village with more shops and more pubs I’d recommend Stonehaven. And they both have a beautiful view and both are sea side villages. And both have harbours and beaches to go to. and Johnshaven has a fish warehouse where you can buy freshly caught fish and crabs etc. Also the hotel at Johnshaven is called The Anchor Hotel. It’s a Hotel and a pub in one

[@140cabins]

You're very brave, inviting the inevitable highly technical legal quibbles over whether or not Scottish bank notes are legal tender...

[@yaowsers77]

Pigeons and seagulls are very close cousins. A pigeon stole my niece's apple pastry in Milan. She was pissed. We don't say the p word in front of her! 😂

[@yaowsers77]

LMAO i actually like haggis. I think part of it is if you're a cultural eater, you might be more used to eating different foods

[@harisasfaque]

I would like to go on a 4-5days package!! Please suggest me a trustable and genuine site.. please

[@greenguy369]

"Don't eat too much fried food. But get absolutely sloshed as often as possible."

[@a.humphries8678]

Would love recommendations on reasonable places to stay in Edinburgh. Thanks

[@sumeetjay0012]

Good Video. However, I would like to correct the Author that - Chicken Tikka Masala is an Indian Dish and was invented In India and not by any Glasgow Chef! Tikka is an Indian word and as per Merriam Webster it is 'an Indian dish of marinated meat cooked on a skewer'

[@lynnejamieson2063]

As a Scot I’d say that most Scots would be okay with a non Brit describing their accent as British…no matter their opinion on independence, they’d rather be told their accent is British rather than English. Don’t as for a dram of whisky, it’s one of those words that it can be misconstrued that your mocking the Scots language by using. Just ask for a whisky, it’s a fixed measure so if you ask for a whisky you’ll get a single measure, if you want a larger measure ask for either a large whisky or a double. A loch isn’t strictly a lake, it is also a Scottish fjord and for some Scots the (slightly lazy) English translation of the word to mean lake can be slightly irritating. Where I grew up there were three lochs directly across the river from my town and not one of them was a lake as they were kind of like cul de sacs coming off of the river. It is almost a given that people will encounter the Scots language. It carries many similarities to English but also many differences including different pronunciations of known words (like saying hame instead of home) as well as using words and phrases that don’t exist in English (like hud yer wheasht, which essentially means stop talking). Scots didn’t experience the great vowel shift that English did, so many of the vowel sounds will be different…but it depends on the word, the area and the person or in some cases who the Scots speaker is speaking to. If they know you are not from the UK it is most likely that they will automatically adjust the way they talk so that they can be understood. Oh and it’ll be a bit hit and miss using films or TV programmes that have non Scots speaking in a Scottish accent or that are made with an international audience in mind, as that won’t be a true representation of a Scottish accent. I’d suggest looking for things that have been made by Scots with a predominantly Scottish cast and that is aimed at the Scottish market. If you like comedy, watch some Billy Connolly or Kevin Bridges Stand-Up routines or there is a sitcom called Still Game (all are either from or set in Glasgow, so will give a reasonable understanding of an accent from west central Scotland. There are older films like Local Hero and Trainspotting (a bit hard hitting and revolves around the drug scene in Edinburgh in the 80’s). There are countless nature programmes (there was a series a few years ago that Ewan McGregor did the commentary on) and there’s also a series from the 70’s and 80’s called Weir’s Way, where Tom Weir travels around Scotland exploring the countryside and talking to the locals. It’d likely give ideas of places to visit too. And then there is a great KZbin channel called Scotland History Tours, where a Scotsman of Scottish and Ghanaian descent called Bruce Fummey discusses places, people and historical events connected with or happened in Scotland or to a Scot or Scottish people he releases a new video every Saturday.

[@kenbrown2808]

it's true that when we visited before the pandemic, I had to translate for my wife, on more than one occasion.

[@susanfarley1332]

Bruce Fumney is awesome. I love his stories. They make history fascinating!

[@IAmWithinEverything]

❤❤❤❤❤❤🇺🇸

[@kenbrown2808]

if you like American sausage, don't be afraid to try haggis.

[@mendeagle555]

Is a tourist wearing a kilt the equivalent of a tourist wearing a sombrero in Mexico.

[@73whitezz]

Aye, beware the cheap tat. I weave Harris Tweed & was down in Edinburgh seeing family one time, I went walking around the town, seeing the old place & was amazed at counterfiet Harris Tweed being sold on the street stalls . Always buy from shops, not these street vendors. I hate the thought of folk getting ripped off like that.

[@sarthak810]

chicken tikka masala is an indian dish

[@albin2232]

It was created in Glasgow by an Indian chef. It took a while for it to reach India, where its mostly eaten by tourists in hotels. Most Indians have never heard of it.

[@danieldorchester5221]

One of my favorite dishes. Where would you go in Glasgow for it that might be iconic?

[@albin2232]

@@danieldorchester5221 Every Indian restaurant in the UK does it. It's not necessarily better in Glasgow.

[@gordonelwell7084]

I was in the final stages of a planned 2 - 3 week to visit Scotland. Then I heard about the absurd "hate speech" law where anybody can claim you "ofended" them. I am now cancelling my trip. I will have to enjoy Scotland only through photographs and videos, until they too get banned.

[@susanfarley1332]

I still don't understand why you cancelled. I'm sure you weren't planning on being offensive.

[@amfearliathmor9747]

Culross is actaully said as it is spelt. Culross = Cul Ross.

[@emilytruesdell5969]

Disagree. As an American, we would pronounce this: “Cull” (rhymes with “Dull”), “Ross”. That is not even CLOSE to how the Scot’s pronounce it, which to my ear is “coo-riss”. I have been to Scotland 4 times- once for 6 months- and I promise you that quaint little town is not at all pronounced like it’s spelled for us Americans

[@peterfhere9461]

One point. Scottish bank notes ARE NOT LEGAL TENDER OUTSIDE SCOTLAND and people and shops etc in England or Wales for example have every right to refuse them. By the way, Scottish bank notes are technically not legal tender in Scotland, so technically you can refuse them, but that would ruffle a few feathers there.....

[@williebauld1007]

As a Scotsman I don’t mind if someone says my accent is British, that’s because it is

[@johnscot1]

Absolute nonsense. There is no such thing as a "British" accent. There is no such thing as a "Scottish" accent either. There are many regional accents. Compare someone from Orkney to someone from Fife, Aberdeen or Glasgow. And any of them to someone from Liverpool, Birmingham, Norfolk or Cornwall.

[@williebauld1007]

@@johnscot1 and they are all different types of British accents as they are all in……… Britain!

[@johnscot1]

@@williebauld1007 Well in that case, you and I have a European accent 🙄! We are in Europe!! Accents are regional not defined by a country.

[@johnscot1]

When foreigners, especially many Americans, think of a British accent, they usually have one type of English accent only in mind. You know this is what the presenter meant, don't you?

[@williebauld1007]

@@johnscot1 fill yer boots min

[@aldem34]

Is it true that street fighting is widespread there?

[@kirsteneasdale5707]

No

[@HappytoWander]

I definitely did not see any street fights in my month there!

[@140cabins]

Only between 11pm and 3am.

[@jimmyb640]

aldem is anti Scottish. He's obviously English.

[@melentievr]

This "must know" sucks

[@jim_dubhglas]

In addition... Scotland is 96.02% Caucasian as of the latest 2024 census. In the main cities, you will notice other cultures, however, when travelling elsewhere, you will only see the wonderful people of true Scotland heritage and culture.

[@ranaldwebscom]

NEVER put ice in your malt (whisky). That's done only in America and every clip you showed has ice in it. If you want, try the malt neat and then put 1 single drop (no more) in and you'll taste an entirely different drink.