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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
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.
- VisitScotland — Isle of Skye: www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/isle-of-skye/
- 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.