The best time to visit Scotland, month by month
There is no month with guaranteed good weather in Scotland. There are months with more daylight, fewer midges, fewer people or more things open. Choosing well depends on which of those matters most to you.
The short version
- Best all-round: May and September. Long days, most things open, fewer midges than midsummer, and fewer crowds than July and August.
- Longest days: June. Up to about 17 hours of daylight in Edinburgh and around 19 in Shetland.
- Busiest: July and August, when Scottish and English school holidays overlap and Edinburgh's festivals run.
- Quietest and cheapest: November to March, with short days and many seasonal closures in the Highlands and islands.
Month by month
January
Short days: roughly 7 hours of daylight in Edinburgh, less in the north. Snow is likely on the hills and possible on Highland roads. Many island and Highland attractions are closed. Highlights: Burns Night on 25 January, Celtic Connections music festival in Glasgow, and Up Helly Aa in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of the month. Good for cities, winter walking for the experienced, and northern lights in the far north.
February
Still wintry, slowly lengthening days. Quiet everywhere. Snow sports in the Cairngorms and at Glencoe when conditions allow. Good value accommodation.
March
Days are lengthening fast and roughly equal to night by the equinox. Lambing begins in the lowlands. Many seasonal attractions reopen at the end of March or at Easter. Weather can be anything from mild sunshine to snow.
April
Most attractions are open by Easter. Hills often still have snow. Puffins return to their colonies late in the month. Easter holidays bring a short busy spell. The Spirit of Speyside whisky festival usually falls in late April or early May.
May
Often one of the driest months in the west Highlands, with long days and fresh green landscapes. Midges are usually not yet a problem. Bluebells in the woods, seabirds at the cliffs. Popular, but less crowded than summer. Our favourite month.
June
The longest days of the year; it barely gets dark in the north. Midges start to appear, especially on still evenings in the west. Busy, but the main school holidays do not start until late June in Scotland.
July
Peak season. Scottish schools are on holiday from late June to mid-August, and English schools join them in late July. Accommodation on Skye, in Glencoe and on the islands is often full; ferries sell out. Midges are at their worst. Warmest month on average, though "warm" usually means 15 to 20°C.
August
Edinburgh's festivals fill the capital. Heather blooms purple on the moors from about mid-August. Still very busy in the Highlands. Midges persist.
September
Schools are back, crowds thin, and the weather is often settled early in the month. Midges fade as it cools. The Braemar Gathering is held on the first Saturday. A very good month for walking and touring.
October
Autumn colour in Perthshire and the Trossachs, and the red deer rut in the glens. Days shorten quickly after the clocks go back at the end of the month. Many seasonal attractions, island boat trips and some accommodation close in mid to late October.
November
Quiet and often wet and windy. Short days. Good for cities, distilleries that stay open, and cosy hotels. St Andrew's Day is 30 November.
December
The shortest days: about 7 hours of daylight in Edinburgh, less than 6 in Shetland. Christmas markets in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Hogmanay at the end of the month. Highland roads can be icy. See what closes in winter.
Daylight at a glance
| Place | Mid-December | Mid-June |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | about 7 hr | about 17 hr 30 min |
| Inverness | about 6 hr 30 min | about 18 hr |
| Lerwick, Shetland | under 6 hr | about 19 hr |
Figures are approximate sunrise-to-sunset times. In June there is also long twilight; in the north it never gets fully dark.
Which month for which trip?
- Islands and ferries: May, June or September, with timetables at summer level but fewer crowds than July and August.
- Puffins: May to July.
- Autumn colours: mid to late October in Perthshire.
- Northern lights: October to March, in the far north, on clear dark nights. See our northern lights guide.
- Hillwalking: May, June and September.
- Cities and festivals: August for Edinburgh's festivals; December for markets and Hogmanay.
Questions
What is the best month to visit Scotland?
For most people, May or September. Days are long, most attractions are open, midges are less of a problem than in midsummer, and crowds are smaller than in July and August.
When are midges worst in Scotland?
From about June to August, especially on still, damp, overcast days and around dawn and dusk in the west Highlands and islands.