Why visit Portree
Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 38 places to eat, 54 places to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include LAS and Portree War Memorial.
Weather in Portree
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Portree
Portree (; Scottish Gaelic: Port Rìgh, pronounced [pʰɔrˠʃt̪ˈɾiː]) is a harbour town and civil parish in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the main town and largest community in the Isle of Skye, and lies within the Highland council area, around 74 miles (119 km) from its administrative centre of Inverness. It had a population of 2,281 in 2022. Around 939 people (37.72% of the population) can speak Scottish Gaelic.
From the Wikipedia article Portree (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Portree on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Portree
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Things to do5
Museums and landmarks8
Iain MacNeacail of MacNeacail and Scorrybreac Viewpoint Memorial
Monument and historic site · 0.5 mi
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes38
The Market Place
Restaurant · 0.9 mi
Market Place, Portree
Tu-Sa 11:00-15:00, 17:00-21:00; Mo 11:00-15:00
26 more on the map.
History
In the 1700s, the town was a popular point of departure for Scots sailing to America to escape poverty. This form of use repeated during the famine in the 1840s. Both times, the town was saved by an influx of boats, often going between mainland Scotland and the Outer Hebrides, who used Portree's pier as a rest point. The town also began exporting fish at this time, which contributed greatly to the local economy.
The Royal Hotel is the site of MacNab's Inn, the last meeting place of Flora MacDonald and Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746.
The town had the last manual telephone exchange in the UK, which closed in 1976.
From the History section of Portree on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Portree
Arts and culture
Portree is considered to be among the "20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland" according to Condé Nast Traveler and is visited by many tourists each year.
A report published in mid 2020 indicated that visitors added £211 million in a single year to the Isle of Skye's economy, prior to travel restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was expected to decline substantially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Skye is highly vulnerable to the downturn in international visitors that will continue for much of 2020 and beyond", Professor John Lennon of Glasgow Caledonian University told a reporter in July 2020.
In 2016, over 150,000 people stopped at the VisitScotland centre in Portree, a 5% increase over 2015. Overcrowding during peak season was a problem, however, before the pandemic, since it is "the busiest place on the island". One news item recommended that some tourists might prefer accommodations in quieter areas such as Dunvegan, Kyleakin and the Broadford and Breakish area.
Education
Portree now has 6 schools. This includes 2 primary schools (Portree Primary School and Portree Gaelic Primary School) one high school (Portree High School) one nursery (Portree Nursery) one Pre-school (Portree Pre-school) and one college (Portree College).
From the Wikipedia article Portree, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Portree
Margaret BennettBritish musician, broadcaster, writer and ethnologistPhoto: Gonzalo J. Mazzei, CC BY-SA 4.0
Arthur CormackScottish Gaelic singerPhoto: Caoimhin, CC BY-SA 4.0- Andrew LindsayBritish rower
- Douglas MackinnonBritish television director
Born in Portree, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay54
Churches and places of worship7
Shopping9
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries5
Healthcare2
Map of Portree
131 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Broadford Airstrip (SKL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Broadford 16 mi southeast, about 26 min by car
- Kyle of Lochalsh 20 mi southeast, about 32 min by car
- Mallaig 31 mi southeast, about 51 min by car
- Benbecula 43 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Isle of South Uist 44 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Isle of North Uist 45 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Ullapool 51 mi northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Stornoway 55 mi north, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Tobermory 55 mi south, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Sandwick 55 mi north, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Portree
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Portree Isle of Skye - September 2023, הגמל התימני, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Stagecoach buses (Alexander PS-Volvo B10M) in Portree, Isle of Skye, 2013, JoachimKohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Northern Constabulary Pipe Band - Not-so-secret Drum Corps - at Portree Isle of Skye Scotland (729993617), Dave Conner from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY 2.0
- Portree IV51, UK - panoramio (10), Gyula Péter, CC BY 3.0
- Skye, Portree, Somerled Square, War Memorial, Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Columba's Episcopal Church, Park Road, Portree, Skye, Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Portree Independent Hostel, Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shiel Buses SD14 YDG (14676363499), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Sheil Buses K22 SBL (18476342144), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- West Coast Motors YN15 EKF (18505662474), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- West Coast Motors YN15 EKD (19102177011), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- West Coast Motors YN15 EKF (19128172485), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shiel Buses BN64 CNX (18507576493), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shiel Buses BN64 CNX (18507593543), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- West Coast Motors Y90 WCM (14749942020), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shiel Buses SD14 YDG (14862982445), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shiel Buses SD14 YDG (14862967535), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shiel Buses SD14 YDG (14859909851), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- West Coast Motors YN15 EKF (18505634154), Glen Wallace from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Stagecoach 59003 - 53746167039, Glen Wallace, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Stagecoach 39508 (SJ73HUZ), Glen Wallace, CC BY-SA 2.0
- A szállásunk (Our lodge) - panoramio, Gyula Péter, CC BY 3.0
- Northern Constabulary - BMW X5 (2), dave conner from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY 2.0
- Ford Mondeo MK3 - British Police - 002, dave conner from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY 2.0
- Ford Mondeo MK3 - British Police - 001, dave conner from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY 2.0
- Portree harbour, Quay street 01, Nizzan Cohen, CC BY 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, asturksever, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, jerome_pietri, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, chrisbeddow, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, chrisbeddow, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
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