We love Scotland for so many reasons. One is how diverse the landscape of the country is and how many beautiful towns there are to visit. We love the ability to travel by train and bus around the country, and how easy it was to road trip and travel by boat, too. We also love how the country features chain hotels, B&Bs, and camping all throughout.

During our 16 day road trip around Scotland, we traveled from Edinburgh in the east, to Skye in the west, and Shetland in the north. (Well- for the last one we took a flight and an overnight ferry!)

Scotland is a country that encourages people to roam, and there are endless unique places to stay and beautiful views. While some people may recommend staying in a castle in Scotland, these recommendations will work for visitors who are traveling within a smaller budget.

Here are 5 accommodations in Scotland that you can explore on your next trip, and that we would book again on a return visit to Scotland.

Sandvilla Guesthouse (Oban)
Wigwam Holidays (Isle of Skye)
Inver Coille Camping & Glamping (Loch Ness)
St. Andrew’s Dorm (University of St. Andrews)
Gardiesfauld Hostel (Unst, Shetland)
Glenmore Campsite (Aviemore, next to Loch Morlich)

Sandvilla Guesthouse: Bed and Breakfast in Oban

Oban is the gateway to the isles off the West Coast of Scotland (Mull, Staffa, Iona and others). Oban is also well-connected by train and bus. You can easily visit Oban from Galway and then head north to Fort Williams.

It’s the perfect seaside town to spend a couple nights before exploring other parts of Scotland.

We stayed at Sandvilla Guesthouse, which is an affordable, family-run bed and breakfast. You do not need a car here; the guest house is walking distance to town, harbor, and all transportation stations.

2. Wigwam Holidays: Cabins on the Isle of Skye

The Isle of Skye is home to epic hiking and beautiful coastlines. Many people stay in Portree when visiting Skye, but we wanted to indulge in lots of hiking and wanted to see out some Heilan coos.

We chose to stay at another family-run place, Shulista Croft. However, there are many similar accommodations across Skye that you can book through Wigwam Holidays for a bit of glamping.

We chose to travel with our sleeping bags for our summer trip so that we would be nice and cozy, but they will also come with heat and many now come with linens. (Remember that the parts of Scotland facing the Atlantic or the North Sea are not particularly warm in summer, so even in July, you might be chilly.)

3. Inver Coille Camping & Glamping (Loch Ness)

Loch Ness is one place that everyone knows in Scotland. We chose to stay at a campground that was just across the road from the lake. At Inver Coille Camping & Glamping, there are options to book a “geodome” or to pitch a tent on the open land (the latter is a much cheaper option). A camp store and showers are available, too. If you are looking for an optimal place to stay and are willing to travel with a tent in hand, then this is a great spot to see a bit of Scotland.

When we stayed, we wanted to be able to visit Fort Augustus, Urquhart Castle, and of course, the Loch Ness Centre to learn all about the legend of Nessie.

4. Agnes Blackadder Hall - Campus Accommodation (St. Andrews)

St. Andrews is a smaller town, with about 16,000 residents, but it’s well known for many reasons: the old golf course, the beaches, and the ruins of the cathedral and castle. This also feels like a bigger town after visiting Skye and some parts of the highlands. There are lots of restaurants and pubs to cater to the local student population.

Some of the dorm rooms are available for rent in summer, and this is a great budget location. We stayed at the dorms at the University of St. Andrews in a very spacious room. In the morning, we were treated to a full breakfast buffet, cafeteria style.

If you want to pretend you are in college again, and hang out where Will and Kate met, then this is a great spot to visit. We also found it to be more affordable than many other accommodations in St. Andrews.

5. Gardiesfauld Hostel (Unst, Shetland)

The Shetland islands sit in the middle of the North Sea.

Unst is the island at the top of the UK. If you travel here, it will be because you love nature and perhaps archaeology. If you do visit, there is a wonderful hostel that includes bunk rooms for different genders and family rooms.

We stumbled upon the Gardiesfauld Hostel by a happy accident after taking the ferry to Unst. We had planned to camp, but it was too windy near the shore. The hostel sits on the waterfront of Uyeasound on the southern coast in green open country spotted with a few settlements.

There is a shared kitchen inside the hostel, and you can head to the local grocery store for some shopping.

After we checked into the hostel, we drove to Hermaness National Nature Reserve for some epic hiking and we came across a few puffins and other seabirds.

6. Glenmore Campsite (Aviemore, next to Loch Morlich)

Loch Morlich- Aviemore- the campsite is walking distance from the beach

Aviemore is known as the adventure capital of Scotland and Loch Morlich is a beautiful lake.

Glemore Campsite offers everything you could need in a campground. It’s close to the water, there is a wooded area for shade, there is a restaurant and shop on site, and you can book a walking tour to see and feed the famous Cairngorm Reindeer herd. What more could a person ask for?

We pitched our very small tent when we visited, but we saw many families who were staying for a long holiday break. This is the perfect area to stay for a few nights for some adventures and exploring.