A car is the only realistic way to reach Banff and to do anything once you arrive — the railway closed in 1968 and the coastal bus services are infrequent. From Aberdeen the most direct route is the A947 north (about 45 miles, an hour and a quarter), running through farmland past Oldmeldrum and Turriff. From Inverness, the A96 east via Elgin and Cullen is the same distance, with the scenic A98 along the Banffshire coast as the alternative.
The nearest mainline rail station is Aberdeen, which has direct trains from London Kings Cross, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Aberdeen Airport (ABZ) is about an hour's drive south, with daily flights from major UK cities, Amsterdam, and the offshore oil platforms. Stagecoach runs the 35 bus from Aberdeen to Banff several times a day.