Oban (/ˈoʊbən/ ⓘ OH-bən;[3] Scottish Gaelic: An t-Òban [ən̪ˠ ˈt̪ɔːpan] meaning The Little Bay) is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland.

Humans have used the site where Oban now stands since at least Mesolithic times, as evidenced by archaeological remains of cave dwellers found in the town.

[5] Just outside the town, stands Dunollie Castle,[6] on a site that overlooks the main entrance to the bay and has been fortified since the Bronze Age.

Just to the north of Oban, at Dunstaffnage, excavations in 2010, by Argyll Archaeology in advance of the development of the European Marine Science Park, found evidence that people were also living in the area from the Neolithic to the Early Historic periods.

[7] Prior to the 19th century, the town itself supported very few households, sustaining only minor fishing, trading, shipbuilding and quarrying industries, and a few hardy tourists.

[8] The Renfrew trading company established a storehouse there around 1714, as a local outlet for its merchandise, but a custom-house was not deemed necessary until 1736, with "Oban being reckoned a proper place for clearing out vessels for the herring fishery".

Also at this time work on the ill-fated Oban Hydro commenced; the enterprise was abandoned[11] and left to fall into disrepair after 1882 when Dr Orr, the scheme's originator, realised he had grossly underestimated its cost.

Paid for by John Stewart McCaig (1824–1902) the construction aimed, in hard times, to give work for local stonemasons.

Reports at that time shed additional light on the previous owners of the House, indicating that the MacKay family "at the Argyll house" had owned the property for four generations, since 1917 when it was acquired by "the venture capitalist Alexander MacKay";[15] the original owner was listed as the Shelly-Bonteyn family.

[18] The listing for sale provided additional specifics: the House contained "woodwork and panelling believed to be by Clow Bros and Louis Davis stained glass windows.

Also within the library is an original grade A listed Ingram organ with Welte Philharmonic roleplay mechanism (not fully operational)".

[19] During World War II (1939–1945), Merchant and Royal Navy ships used Oban as an important base in the Battle of the Atlantic.

A Sector Operations Room was built near the airfield; after the war, this was extended to become the Royal Observer Corps Group HQ.

The nearest official Met Office weather station for which online records are available is located at Dunstaffnage, about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) north-north-east of Oban town centre.

Construction of the tower began in 1897, funded by John Stuart McCaig as a way of providing work for local stonemasons and to serve as a lasting legacy for his family.

[36] The area around Oban has a dramatic scenery of the coast and mountains, as well as historically valuable local castles and ancient religious sites.

North of the town the natural rock formation of Fingal's Dogstone is connected in legend to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

[37] The Oban Visitor Information Centre, operated by VisitScotland, is located in the Columba Buildings on the North Pier.

The Oban & Lorn Tourism Alliance also provides information about local attractions at the official web site.

A number of ScotRail trains run between Oban railway station and Glasgow Queen Street daily.

Oban is known as the "Gateway to the Isles",[39] with ferries sailing to the islands of Lismore, Colonsay, Islay, Coll, Tiree, to Craignure on Mull, to Castlebay on Barra and to Lochboisdale on South Uist.

West Coast Motors operate many local services and also coach links as far south as Lochgilphead and as far north as Fort William.

[48] The station ceased broadcasting after 32 years in July 2024[49] although liquidators had yet to be brought into the company at the end of August 2024[50] and its website remains online but does not play any stream.

[57] The mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles is St Columba's Cathedral at the north end of the Esplanade.

Pennyfuir Cemetery, to the north of the town, contains several notable burials, including Frances Shand Kydd, the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and four casualties of the 1942 Dunbeath air crash which also killed Prince George, Duke of Kent.

Other activities of note in the town are: The local amateur football team is Oban Saints with a small stadium situated in Mossfield.

Glencruitten Golf course was designed by professional golfer James Braid in the early 1900s,[63] and offers a challenging 18 holes across difficult terrain.

A raft race regularly takes place in the bay which offers a chance for locals to win prizes and trophies.