Oban

Discover more about this beautiful part of the World

About Oban

Oban is a resort town located within the Argyll and Bute area of Scotland. It has a residential population of around 8,500. Despite this, Oban can often have a population of over 20,000 people during tourist season - with visitors keen to explore the seafood capital of Scotland. The islands of the Inner Hebrides are located beyond Oban; Kerrera, Lismore, Mull and the Morvern Peninsula. Oban and the surrounding area are home to pristine wildlife, heritage sites and plenty of great places to eat and drink.

In relation to popular visiting airports, 61 miles northwest of Glasgow and 402 miles northwest of London. You can find out more about where Oban is located in our post here.

Things to do in Oban

Despite it size relatively small size as a Scottish tourist destination, Oban is a place jam-packed with things to do and places to see. There is incredible wildlife, which can be observed through hikes and boat trips, or for those a little more adventurous there are sea kayaking, scuba diving and fantastic mountain biking trails. There are incredible museums, historical tours and a wide range of places to stay; and of course a stunning area of food & drink options in the Seafood Capital of Scotland.

Check out our ideas of things to do here.

Oban Weather

Winters in Oban are usually mild for Scotland, with January daily temperatures of about 7.2°C and nights cooling off to 2.2°C in the coldest month. Summers are warm, with daytime temperatures in July typically reaching 17.9°C and nights dipping to 11.2°C. Rainfall in Oban is high, totalling 1678 mm in a typical year. Precipitation tends to fall more in the winter, falling over about 198 days per year. Oban has average sunshine totals, with 1212 hours of sunshine recorded in a typical year.

Oban Airport

Oban Airport is based 5.8 nautical miles northeast of Oban. Currently, our subsidiary Hebridean Air Service is the only airline based in Oban. Glasgow is the closest major airport to Oban, approximately 90 miles away. Once in Oban, you can hire a car, hop on the bus or use taxis to get around.

Oban Airport links the mainland with the islands of Coll, Colonsay, Islay and Tiree. Coll is an island located west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and for Breacachadh Castle. Colonsay is the ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeil. Islay is known for her whisky, with a number of distilleries producing the island’s characteristically peaty single malts. Finally, Tiree is 12 miles long and one of the sunniest places in the UK.