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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Portree
Port Rìgh
Base in Portree for 2–3 nights to cover Skye's north and west; one night only if you are passing to the Uig ferry.
Portree is the main village on Skye and the island's practical base: about 2,300 people, one bus square, a harbour and more beds and food than anywhere else on the island. Most of Skye's headline sights sit 20–40 minutes away by car, so a car or a booked tour decides what you actually see. Two nights covers the Trotternish loop and one west-side stop; three nights adds a walk and a distillery. Without a car you are tied to a handful of daily buses.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Port Rìgh
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, midges, booked-out beds), Nov–Feb (short days, closures)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £55–85 excl. bed · Mid £90–140 excl. bed · High £160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Fish and chips | £12–18 |
| Pub main course | £14–22 |
| Gin and tonic at a bar | £6–9 |
| Taxi within the village | £6–10 |
| Boat trip from the harbour | £30–60 |
| Petrol, per litre | £1.45–1.60 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- INV · Inverness
- Bus 917 from Inverness takes about 3 h 30 min to Portree, twice daily.
- GLA · Glasgow
- Citylink bus 914/915 from Glasgow Buchanan takes about 8 h via Fort William, 2–3 times a day.
- EDI · Edinburgh
- No direct bus; rail or bus to Glasgow or Inverness first, then onward.
Typical fares
- Bus Portree → Dunvegan (56)
- about 50 min, Mon–Sat only
- Bus Portree → Broadford (52)
- about 40 min
- Bus Inverness → Portree (917)
- about 3 h 30 min, twice daily
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The village itself is walkable in 5 minutes end to end; the Co-op supermarket on Woodpark Road is a longer walk or a short bus ride. For the island you need a car, a taxi tour or the sparse local buses: 56 to Dunvegan, 57/57A/57C around Trotternish, 52 to Broadford and Armadale. Bikes on the Brae hires bikes and e-bikes, Tue–Sat 10:00–16:00.The village itself is walkable in 5 minutes end to end; the Co-op supermarket on Woodpark Road is a longer walk or a short bus ride. For the island you need a car, a taxi tour or the sparse local buses: 56 to Dunvegan, 57/57A/57C around Trotternish, 52 to Broadford and Armadale. Bikes on the Brae hires bikes and e-bikes, Tue–Sat 10:00 AM–4:00 PM.
See and do
Known for
- The harbour and The Lump
- Old Man of Storr and the Trotternish ridge
- Base for the Isle of Skye
- Boat trips and island tours
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Old Man of Storr and Trotternish | A855 north by car, or bus 57/57A/57C around the peninsula | 20–30 min to the car park; allow 2–3 h for the hike |
| Dunvegan Castle and the west | A87 then A850; bus 56 from Somerled Square, about 50 min | About 45 min by car |
| Carbost and the Talisker distillery | A87 then B8009 by car | About 40 min |
| Colbost and the far west | A850 past Dunvegan; a couple of bus 56 journeys continue west | About 1 h |
| Broadford and Sleat | A87 south; bus 52 to Broadford and Armadale | About 40 min to Broadford |
| Kyleakin and the Skye Bridge | A87 south to the bridge | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Somerled Square and Bank Street
- The bus stand, pubs, bakery and two Co-ops; everything within a 5-minute walk.
- The Quay and Quay Brae
- Harbour front: seafood, cafés and the best views; a short climb up to the square.
- Bosville Terrace and Viewfield Road
- Hotels and guesthouses above the harbour; 5–10 min walk to the centre.
- Torvaig and Staffin Road
- Campsite and out-of-centre beds about a mile north; you need a car or a taxi.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Halòha-LAW |
| Thank you | Tapadh leatTAH-pah let |
| Please | Mas e do thoil emas eh do HULL eh |
| Goodbye | Mar sin leatmar shin let |
| Cheers | SlàinteSLAHN-chuh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer beds and tables sell out: book accommodation and dinner ahead, even outside July–August.
- Midges are worst on still, damp evenings from June to August; bring repellent.
- Single-track roads have passing places: pull in, do not park in them.
- Fuel up in Portree or Broadford; the Gulf station at the south edge of Portree is open 24 hours, but other island stations are few and can be shut on Sundays.
- Mobile signal is patchy away from the A87; download offline maps.
Portree is a small, low-crime village and feels safe at night. The real risks are weather and roads: wind and rain change fast, single-track roads need care, and hill paths are rough underfoot.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Portree yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- The harbour and The Lump
- Old Man of Storr and the Trotternish ridge
- Base for the Isle of Skye
- Boat trips and island tours
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Citylink coaches: www.citylink.co.uk/
- Hostelling Scotland — Portree: www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/portree/
- Walkhighlands — Old Man of Storr: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/skye/old-man-of-storr.shtml
- Wikivoyage: Portree, revision 5334287 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5334287
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
PortreePort Rìgh
Don seòladh seo, mas e do thoil e
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on Skye; the nearest US consulate-general is in Edinburgh and most other countries keep embassies in London.
Gaelic is on signs but English is spoken everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/portree). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.