The 10 Best Budget-friendly Things to do in Isle of Iona, Scotland

Iolaire sails twice daily from Iona at 9.45am or1.45pm OR from Fionnphort at 10am or 2pm. The trip lasts 3 hours and you can get on or off at Fionnphort or Iona. The Iolaire is a brown wooden boat and returns to Fionnphort first at 1pm or 5pm and then to Iona 10 minutes later. The sea journey takes 45 minutes and en route a wide variety of sea life may be observed. Once at Staffa a commentary is given and Fingal's Cave can be seen from the Iolaire. Passengers are landed weather permitted and given at lease one hour ashore which allows time to walk into Fingal's Cave or up the ladders to see the puffins when they are in season. There is always something exciting to see and the crew will be happy to welcome you on board the Iolaire.

Some of the biggest names in Scottish royalty have been buried here since Scotland's earliest days.

This church, the oldest building on the island, is named after Oran, a convert who was buried alive to sanctify the church grounds.

Discover the most beautiful and interesting places on the West Coast of Scotland with our tours to the Isle of Staffa, the world-famous Fingal's Cave, the sacred Isle of Iona, Mull and the ornithological heaven of the Treshnish Isles. Staffa Tours operate Tours to Mull, Tobermory, Iona, Staffa and the Treshnish Isles From Oban, Tobermory Kilchoan, Iona and Fionnphort.

The abbey is now open and we are delighted to welcome you back. Find out more about our reopening plans at restarthistory.scot. The Abbey Church at Iona Abbey will be inaccessible to visitors from 7 January to 17 March 2019. Iona Abbey is one of Scotland's most historic and sacred sites. Located on the Isle of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull, it was founded by St Columba and his Irish followers in AD 563. As a celebrated focus for Christian pilgrimage, Iona retains its spiritual atmosphere and remains an enduring symbol of worship. The abbey church was restored at the beginning of the 20th century, whilst work on restoring the living accommodation began in 1938, following the foundation of the Iona Community. Today, the Iona Community continues the tradition of worship first established by St Columba 1,450 years ago.

Learn about island life over the last few centuries; the fishing and crofting community, school and churches, artists, craftworkers, visitors and memorable events. View old photographs and search the family trees for your ancestors, many of whom emigrated to the New World. There is also information about the geology and wild flowers of Iona. The Heritage Centre's gift shop has a wide range of quality gifts and souvenirs including a good selection of books about Iona.