Getting Around Islay and Jura

Islay Taxis, bus time tables, car hire and more

Transport For Those Island Adventures

Getting Around Islay and Jura

There are plenty of options for exploring Islay and Jura, with lots of transport solutions on offer.

Enjoy travelling on foot, by car or bike, or hop onto one of the friendly Mundell’s buses that operate across the island. Drinking and driving is against the law. Islay offers lots of alternative transport options, or enjoy a ‘takeaway driver’s dram’ from Distillery tours.

Enjoy reading our Getting Around Islay blog for lots of helpful suggestions.

Buses on Islay

Stay at Persabus, and you will find you are just a five minute walk to the local bus stop in the village of Keills. Simply hop on a bus and you can travel directly to the South Islay Distilleries, hoping off at Ardbeg Distillery.

If you enjoy walking head back along the Three Distillery Pathway. This handy track follows the road back to Port Ellen via Lagavullin and Laphroaig Distilleries. And with Islay’s latest Distillery, Portintruan being built just now, there’s lots of options to immerse yourself in Islay’s rich whisky culture and heritage.

You will end your trip in the village of Port Ellen. Here you will find several great options for food, before hopping on a bus back to Persabus. Remeber the bus passes through the village of Bowmore if you want to hop off and visit another iconic whisky Distillery.

Places to eat on Islay – enjoy our food and drink | Persabus

The local Islay bus time table can be accessed here Please note the buses are not very frequent and Mundells, the local bus company, do not operate an evening service.

Islay Bike Hire and Cycling Adventures

When the weather is sunny there is no better way to explore Islay and Jura than on a bike. Islay offers several bike hire options. Islay E-wheels offers a choice of manual or electric bike hire. Great for when the going gets tough, allowing a little cheat here and there, or certainly a little extra pedal power to get you flying up those hills.

Enjoy bespoke cycling tours with Islay Fat Bikes. The bikes have four inch balloon tyres so you can head off the beaten track and cycle along Islay’s gorgeous sandy beaches, or up the hillsides.

Islay Taxis and Private Hire

The island’s taxis don’t just offer hire for short journeys, they also offer bespoke island tours. You can hire a taxi for a full tour lasting half a day, a day, or longer, just get in touch with them for more information.

A great way to explore the far flung corners of the island is by taxi. The fantastic taxi drivers are great guides, with their vast local knowledge of the island. Enjoy listening to their stories and advice as the take you on tailor made tours to suit your needs.

You will find our taxi drivers are all friendly and have loads of information about the island. Do book well in advance though. Remember a driver may need to travel quite a distance to collect you, so advance booking helps them plan their itineraries to benefit all their customers. This will help you make the most from your island adventures. Also during the busy spring and summer months the island’s taxis do get fully booked so do plan ahead of your trip to Islay.

McIntyre Private Hire.

Based in Bowmore, John is a local, an Ileach, and so has a fantastic local knowledge of the whole island. It’s whisky journey and stories. Phone 07359489038 email: [email protected]

Attic Cabs

Attic Cabs | Facebook This is our nearest taxi service. Attic Cabs are based in the village of Ballygrant and cover the whole island. Colin and Maria offer a warm welcome and will transport you across Islay. They are also available for full day hire too. Tel: Attic Cabs 07944873323

Bodachs Taxis

Bodachs Islay Taxi (bodachtaxis.com)

with the fabulous Arthur and his team as guides and drivers

Bodachs Taxi tel:07513066029

Cathy Heads Taxi

Cathy Heads Taxi and Transfers tel: 0737695 2320

email: [email protected]

Lamb Taxis

07846 055399

Paul’s Islay Taxi

Telephone: +44 754 3105520

E-mail: [email protected]

Islay Private Hire taxi and tours, whiskey and sightseeing tours.

Car Hire

Getting around Islay and if you are coming over by plane, or as a foot passenger on the ferry, car hire is a fantastic option. There are two local car hire companies on the island. They can leave cars at the ferry ports for you, or meet you with a hire car as you arrive off the plane. Definitely book your car hire well in advance of your trip.

Choose from Islay Car Hire or Cresswell Cars.

Visiting Jura

Persabus is ideally suited for trips across to the Isle of Jura.

The Jura Ferry Terminal is situated at Port Askaig, (5 minutes from Persabus), and sails across to Feolin on Jura. It is a 10 minute crossing.

The small car ferry is operated by ASP Ship Management Ltd on behalf of Argyll & Bute Council.

Telephone 01496 840681 for enquiries.

Ferries sail regularly during the day, Mon-Sat, with a more limited timetable on Sunday.

Port Askaig (Islay) – Feolin (Jura) Ferry Timetable (argyll-bute.gov.uk)

Day trip to the Isle of Colonsay

There are Calmac sailings from Port Askaig ferry terminal to the Isle of Colonsay on Wednesdays and Saturdays, allowing roughly six hours to enjoy this beautiful island. Timetables and tickets can be accessed here

More information on things to see and do on Colonsay can be accessed here