Just a few miles from Oban town centre, you must visit Dunstaffnage Castle and the Ocean Explore Centre at Scottish Association of Marine Science at Dunbeg.

Continuing north over Connel Bridge, which straddles the spectacular Falls of Lora tidal whirlpools, you pass Oban Airport from where you can enjoy scenic plane trips available on Hebridean Airways.

An ideal stop between Oban and Glencoe is either Sutherlands Grove walking trails or the historic village of Appin and Port Appin where you can take photographs of Castle Stalker. 

Glencoe is probably the most famous glen in Scotland as the location for the massacre of the Macdonald’s by the Campbell’s in 1692. The ‘glen’ or valley of Glencoe itself offers majestic views on a scale of the grandeur of the alps. A visit to the National Trust Centre is good for a rainy day.

The countryside south of Oban is lush and verdant with rolling hills and spectacular coastal views. There are several attractions within a relatively short drive of Oban, among them:

The Island of Seil, connected to the mainland by the 200 year old Clachan Bridge, known as the ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’. Just 200 metres off Seil, lies Easdale Island, the smallest permanently-inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides. From both islands, you can enjoy wildlife tours and boat trips to the Corryvreckan, the world’s 3rd largest whirlpool, which pass numerous islands such as Luing, Scarba, Shuna, Lunga and Jura.

Arduaine Garden is a little slice of paradise on Scotland’s West Coast. Home to rhododendrons, magnolias and azaleas, and exotic palms and ferns from all over the world, Arduaine is an idyllic place to spend a few hours of calm. Conceived by J. Arthur Campbell, who also built the Loch Melfort Hotel, it is a spacious tourist attraction but with the intimacy of a private garden.

Nearby Kilmartin village, and Kilmartin Glen is an archaeologist’s dream.  Home to Dunadd, the remains of the Iron Age fort, which was the capital for the Kings of Dalriada, plus more than 350 megalithic stone circles, chambered cairns, and other monuments, you can either explore them yourself or visit Kilmartin House Museum for a more informed investigation.

To the east of Oban is the A85 road from Tyndrum to Oban, the main scenic driving route into Argyll & the Isles which takes you along Glen Lochy and through the Pass of Brander, hugging the shores of Loch Awe and Loch Etive.

There are also five train stations on this line giving access to local communities with accommodation, eateries, artists and attractions such as the hydro-electric power station inside Ben Cruachan, the ‘Hollow Mountain.’

The route sweeps past Kilchurn Castle, a 15th century ruin at the head of Loch Awe, St Conan's Kirk, Ben Cruachan, nearby Inverawe and the village of Taynuilt. 

Before you reach Oban, look out for the frothing rapids at the Falls of Lora at Connel.