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Fodor's Essential Scotland

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Whether you want to explore Edinburgh, sip Scottish whisky, or hike the Highlands, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Scotland are here to help! Fodor’s Essential Scotland guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time.

This new edition has been FULLY-REDESIGNED IN FULL COLOR with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos.

GET INSPIRED

•AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do
•PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on Scotland’s Best Museums, Scotland’s Best Outdoor Adventures, and Scotland’s Best Castles

•BRAND-NEW COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust!

•UP-TO-DATE and HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS covering the most recommended sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, and more

GET PLANNING
•MULTIPLE ITINERARARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time
•SPECIAL FEATURES on Playing Golf in Scotland and Scottish Whisky

•COVERS: Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews, Dundee, Angus, the Trossachs, Loch Lomond, Aberdeen, Inverness, Speyside, Loch Ness, the Highlands, Isle of Skye, and more

GET GOING
•MORE THAN 40 DETAILED MAPS to navigate confidently
•TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS on when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money

•HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, art, architecture, cuisine, geography and more

•LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems

493 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2020

160 people are currently reading
70 people want to read

About the author

Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.

1,847 books61 followers
Fodor's Travel Publications is a United States-based producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor in 1936.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.

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5 stars
56 (35%)
4 stars
66 (41%)
3 stars
34 (21%)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for carl  theaker.
937 reviews55 followers
July 24, 2018
Planning a trip to Scotland this summer. First time we are trying a t,t,t,tour,  I mean organized adventure, have usually been do it yourself vacationers, so looking forward to not having to plan how to get where-when. Lodging is taken care of, however do have evenings free and some meals, so did my usual and get a variety of books from the library and set about to do my research primarily for pubs, restaurants and wandering around.

I think you could do just fine if you were stuck with any one book. Here’s a note on each :

Fodor’s --- is great for determining places to view and eat. Perfect specific info for Pubs and restaurants, what type they are, such as 'good old' or 'modern gastro'. Fodor’s provided the best info for my requirements for this rip. Not a lot of glossy photos, which is ok with me. All the books have a word to say about Scotch whiskey ! , but interesting that Fodor’s had the best pub into.

Eyewitness travel Scotland -- starts right off with ‘what to do on a 2 day tour, and a 10 day tour, I like that get to the action. Plenty of small pics. Only name and address info provided for places to eat and drink, so not a lot of info there.

Insight Guides Scotland -- almost textbook like. The largest sized book, has a big section on history and best on photographs, most useless index. Wouldn’t want to haul this one around in my daypack, but that is remedied with a free travel app and ebook when you purchase, so these could be most helpful when actually on the road. This may be the way to go for the future of travel, look at your phone until you bump into the door of the place you are looking for. However since I got this book from the library I didn’t try these options out.
Profile Image for Agnes.
771 reviews9 followers
August 11, 2023
Scotland trip prep #7. As usual, good, concise summaries of the main sites and a good flavor of things to do. Really wish I’d waited to read the Glasgow section until we were on the plane because our flight ended up getting cancelled due to a mechanical issue, so we missed an entire Glasgow day. As it is, the book was still handy.
Profile Image for Drew Shealy.
58 reviews
February 4, 2023
Well organized to get both a broad summary as well as the ability to dig into very good detail, recommendations, and tips on specific areas. This is much more efficient and effective than hours of biased, varied online searches.
Profile Image for Laurie Byro.
Author 9 books16 followers
March 15, 2025
Always enjoy doing research with Fodor's really good guide, and entertaining to read for pleasure, not just for travel agents (I was one full time salaried for 25 years) but also just for those wanting to get a taste of a place.
Profile Image for Joe Noto.
190 reviews4 followers
March 23, 2024
Good information that covers everything you need. Needs more pictures and town walking routes to see sights like Rick Steves books have.
Profile Image for Donna Robinson.
838 reviews2 followers
November 27, 2024
A wonderfully in-depth book about Scotland. The guide itself splits it into different sections of Scotland like the Highlands and other islands for instance. It goes on to describe the cities and surrounding areas in depth. I really liked how the book split up views, restaurants, hotels, bars, and more for each city or destination. Overall a great book if you need one to look into to traveling to Scotland.
Profile Image for Emily Hauptmann.
42 reviews
March 17, 2025
Beautiful mostly up to date photos, but there is only one recommended itinerary and it’s for ten days. There’s also nothing along the lines of family friendly or advice for traveling with kids. The maps in each chapter are good and the book size itself is good for flipping and writing in.
Profile Image for Jessie.
2 reviews
January 17, 2022
Beautiful photography. Great itineraries. Looking forward to using this book on my trip!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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