What Are the Pros and Cons of Visiting Edinburgh While Staying in Glasgow or Inverness?

What Are the Pros and Cons of Visiting Edinburgh While Staying in Glasgow or Inverness?: A Complete Guide

Edinburgh is one of the best-known tourist spots in Scotland because of its Medieval Old Town, Georgian New Town, castle, festivals, museums, and scenery. Nevertheless, the cost of accommodation in the Scottish capital will be significantly higher than if you were to stay in other cities in Scotland. As an option for tourists who are spending more time in the country, they may decide to base themselves in either Glasgow or Inverness and make an Edinburgh day trip. However, whether it is worth spending extra time traveling instead of saving on accommodation depends on each particular tourist’s circumstances.

Why Stay Outside Edinburgh Instead of Booking a City-Centre Hotel?

The first and foremost consideration when choosing Glasgow or Inverness over Edinburgh would have to be the accommodation cost factor. Since Edinburgh attracts large numbers of tourists during summer months, festive seasons, holiday times, and important events, the prices of accommodations including hotels and short-stay apartments can soar quite significantly. On the other hand, Glasgow will present a greater variety of inexpensive accommodation choices such as hotels, apartments, and guesthouses. Moreover, those who plan to visit the Highlands in addition to Edinburgh may find Inverness more relaxing.

Moreover, as far as road or air travel is concerned, Glasgow can serve as a good initial destination to begin a vacation in Scotland. It will also help to organize onward travels as well as provide an easy means of reaching any part of the city with the help of a Glasgow City Private Hire Taxi.

The Advantages of Using Glasgow as Your Base

Glasgow can be considered one of the best options for people visiting Edinburgh but not willing to pay Edinburgh accommodation costs. These two cities are rather close, there are regular train connections linking them, and depending on the connection, the trip will take about 45-60 minutes. This allows visiting Edinburgh even in one day for those who travel from Glasgow.

One more benefit of Glasgow is that the city itself is worth visiting. There is a lot of outstanding architecture, museums, galleries, concert halls, restaurants, shopping zones and historical neighborhoods in the city. It means that a tourist does not just have a chance to spend less money on sleeping somewhere else, he/she adds another destination in Scotland to the list.

Glasgow can also be quite useful for those arriving in Scotland by plane. If your itinerary starts with Glasgow Airport pick-up and drop-off , you may have less problems with early departure or late arrival. A service from the airport can be helpful especially for families, groups or people with lots of luggage.

Why Inverness Can Be an Interesting Alternative

Inverness offers a completely new proposal. This city is farther away from Edinburgh compared to Glasgow, thus it does not always represent the most convenient option if Edinburgh is the main aim of your visit. Nevertheless, this town may be useful for those tourists who plan combining visits to the capital and the Scottish Highlands.

With Inverness, one can visit picturesque areas, lakes, castles, hiking trails, and beautiful nature. Tourists can choose to have it as the basis for their visits to other Scottish sites near Loch Ness and the Highlands, as well as to Edinburgh. Thus, for a tourist who seeks to explore both nature and historical cities, Inverness is more convenient.

The main problem here is the distance. A trip from Inverness to Edinburgh will take significantly more time compared to a trip from Glasgow. Therefore, an entire day may be needed for traveling there by car or train, which means that less time will be left for exploration.

The Main Disadvantages of Staying Outside Edinburgh

The main downside to using an alternative base is that you have to travel to Edinburgh to access it. While Glasgow does provide reasonably good transport links, it is yet another thing to take into consideration when making your day plans.

This becomes especially important if you are planning to visit Edinburgh in a leisurely fashion, and not just rush through everything in a day. The number of places to see in the city could warrant spending several days there – like Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, Arthur’s Seat, National Museum of Scotland, and the streets surrounding the Old Town. A day visit would be possible, but it might be difficult to cover everything.

Flexibility is another factor to think about. Staying in Edinburgh allows you to go back to your accommodation if you feel like taking a rest, changing clothes, or going out in the evening.

Also read: Best Day Trips from London, UK: 7 Amazing Places to Visit in One Day

Is a Day Trip to Edinburgh Enough?

When you are a visitor who has never been to Edinburgh before and only has some days to explore this beautiful city, planning a good day out might become really exciting. You should try concentrating on a few things and do not attempt to cover all places in one visit. Taking a walk in Old Town, seeing Edinburgh Castle, walking along Royal Mile and enjoying the view from one of the elevated points of the city will serve as a very nice introduction.

But if you want to learn more about nightlife, eating places, festivals, ghost walks, museums, or mornings in this city, then you had better stay overnight in Edinburgh.

Comparing Glasgow and Inverness for an Edinburgh Visit

Glasgow is more conveniently located, and due to its closeness to Edinburgh, day trips are easier. In addition, there are a number of accommodations, restaurants, entertainment venues, and transport options available. It is even more logical to opt for Glasgow when one wishes to see both the biggest and the historical city of Scotland.

Inverness is more suitable for travelers whose program includes the Highlands. When deciding whether to choose Inverness as an alternative to Edinburgh, it should be kept in mind that it is not simply a less expensive choice but an integral part of the wider tour of Scotland.

How to Decide Where to Stay in Scotland

Ultimately, your decision should boil down to the combination of all three factors mentioned above – finance, time and experience. In case the cost of lodging in Edinburgh is higher than elsewhere in Scotland, then staying in Glasgow will give you an opportunity to keep your travel budget under control and still see the capital of Scotland.

But if the purpose of your visit is to see only Edinburgh, then you can spend a bit extra in order to stay nearby in the city and get the maximum out of your stay.

In the case that your Scotland itinerary includes a trip around the country, then Inverness might provide an excellent choice for the combination of experience and value. The downside is the time needed to get to Edinburgh, but getting a taste of two completely different parts of Scotland might worth it.

Final Verdict: Is Staying Outside Edinburgh Worth It?

There may be nothing wrong with staying in either Glasgow or Inverness instead of Edinburgh because each of those cities can offer its advantages. However, one cannot say whether it is the right thing for everyone as it depends on individual needs. The main difference between Edinburgh and Glasgow is that the latter is more convenient and less expensive option and it is perfect for those who are willing to visit Edinburgh by day trip from another Scottish metropolis.

One should take into account the cost of all other alternatives, including travel expenses, time spent on moving from one city to another and lost opportunities because of such decisions. If it is possible, one can save some money and still have an opportunity to enjoy Edinburgh. Thus, one should carefully evaluate one's financial possibilities and willingness to have an experience of the Scottish capital.

In any case, Scotland has enough diversity and there is a possibility to combine both affordable traveling and interesting impressions.