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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Forfar
Base in Forfar only if you have a car: 1 night covers the town, and Glamis Castle plus the Pictish stones need a half-day each.
Forfar is the county town of Angus, 13 miles north of Dundee, and works as a low-cost, low-key base for Glamis Castle and the Pictish carved stones at Meigle, Eassie and Aberlemno. The town itself is small: a museum, two churches, a loch with a park, and Forfar bridies. Without a car the sights are hard to reach, so most travellers sleep in Dundee and day-trip, or stop one night on the way to Aberdeen.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, many sights closed)
- Stay
- 1 night
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 £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ 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
- 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 or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Forfar bridie from a bakery | £2.50–4 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Pint of beer | £4.50–6 |
| Taxi Forfar to Glamis Castle | £15–20 each way |
| Stagecoach bus Dundee to Forfar | £4–5 single |
| Glamis Castle adult ticket | about £18.50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DND · Dundee Airport
- Small; most arrivals use Edinburgh (EDI) or Aberdeen (ABZ), then train to Dundee and bus to Forfar.
- EDI · Edinburgh Airport
- Train to Dundee about 1 h 20 min, then Stagecoach bus 20/21/22 about 40 min.
- ABZ · Aberdeen Airport
- Train south to Dundee or Arbroath, then bus.
Typical fares
- Bus Dundee → Forfar
- about £4–5 single, 40 min
- Bus Forfar → Arbroath
- about £4–5 single, 45 min
- Taxi Forfar → Glamis Castle
- £15–20 each way
Get around
Forfar has no railway station; Dundee (13 miles south) is the nearest. Stagecoach buses 20/21/22 run Dundee–Forfar every 30–60 min, about 40 min, and bus 27 links Arbroath in about 45 min. Citylink coaches between Edinburgh/Glasgow and Aberdeen stop at the A90/A94 junction two miles southwest of town, not the centre. For Glamis Castle, Meigle, Eassie and Aberlemno you need a car, a bike or a taxi: there is no practical bus service.
See and do
Known for
- Glamis Castle
- Pictish carved stones
- Forfar bridies
- Forfar Loch
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Glamis Castle | Drive or taxi 6 miles southwest on the A94 | About 20 min each way |
| Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum | Drive 12 miles west via the A94 | About 25 min each way |
| Kirriemuir | Stagecoach bus 20 or 22 from Forfar, about 20 min | About 40 min |
| Aberlemno Sculptured Stones | Drive 7 miles northeast on the B9134 | About 20 min each way |
| Dundee | Stagecoach bus 20/21/22 from Forfar centre, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Arbroath | Bus 27, about 45 min; hourly Mon–Sat, only four buses on Sunday | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Forfar town centre (Castle St / The Cross)
- Walkable to the Meffan Museum, pubs and buses; the practical choice for one night without a car.
- Forfar Lochside
- Caravan and camping site by the loch, open Mar–Oct; best for self-drive trips.
- Glamis and Kirriemuir
- Village stays closer to the castle and Kirriemuir; needs a car or taxi.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hellohel-LO |
| Thank you | Thank youTHANK yoo |
| Please | Pleasepleez |
| How much is it? | How much is it?how much iz it |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card?kan eye pay by kard |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet?wair iz the TOY-let |
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
- No railway station: everything goes via Dundee by bus, or a car.
- Glamis Castle is six miles away with no useful bus; book a taxi or drive.
- Several sights are seasonal: Glamis Castle Apr–Nov, Meigle museum Apr–Sep, Pitmuies Gardens Apr–Sep.
- The Tayside Police Museum in Kirriemuir is closed until 2027.
- Rural roads are single-track in places with passing places; drive on the left.
Forfar is a quiet small town and feels safe day and night; the real risks are rural roads, single-track passing places, and long, dark winter afternoons. Standard UK advice applies: 999 in an emergency, 101 for non-urgent police.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Forfar yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Glamis Castle
- Pictish carved stones
- Forfar bridies
- Forfar Loch
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Angus — official destination site: www.visitangus.com/
- Meffan Museum and Art Gallery, Angus Alive: www.angusalive.scot/museums-galleries/visit-a-museum-gallery/meffan-museum-and-art-gallery/
- Glamis Castle: www.glamis-castle.co.uk/
- Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum, Historic Environment Scotland: www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/meigle-sculptured-stone-museum/
- Stagecoach East Scotland — Dundee and Angus bus network: www.stagecoachbus.com/
- Wikivoyage: Forfar, revision 5197620 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5197620
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Forfar
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Forfar; the US consulate-general is in Edinburgh and most other missions are in London. Check your own government's list before you travel.
English is spoken everywhere; no phrasebook needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/forfar). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.