Scottish Highlands, Loch Ness and Glencoe Day Trip from Edinburgh





Description
Immerse yourself in spectacular scenery, beguiling mystery and dramatic history on this day trip from Edinburgh. Traveling to the Scottish Highlands, witness the stunning vistas of Cairngorms National Park and cruise along world-famous Loch Ness in search of the Loch Ness Monster and tour Urquhart Castle ruins. Admire an ancient castle in Stirling as you pass by, learn about the massacre at Glen Coe and the adventures of Scottish legend William Wallace, whose life is depicted in the film ‘Braveheart.’ Be sure to bring your camera to capture stunning views and maybe even a glimpse of ‘Nessie’! Please note on December 26 there will be no castle or cruise available
Tour Options
Itinerary
As we head north the first stop of the day is at this charming location nestled in the heart of Perthshire - a wonderful place for a refreshment stop and the chance to meet and feed Highland coo!
Through the Cairngorms and the wild wilderness. The Cairngorms are home to some of the highest peaks in the British Isles, including Ben Macdui and Braeriach. These mountains, with their rugged slopes and dramatic ridges, offer stunning vistas. You'll love taking in the landscapes as you continue to travel north.
Highlight of the day is Loch Ness. Known worldwide for the legendary Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as "Nessie." This deep, freshwater loch stretches approximately 23 miles long and is surrounded by stunning scenery, we stop so you can explore its mysteries and enjoy its natural beauty. You have the option to enjoy a cruise on the loch for some monster spotting combined with a visit to Urquhart Castle (£30.00 extra per adult, cash only) Alternatively, you could enjoy the views from the shores of the loch.
Enjoy clambering around the ruins of the castle perched right on the banks of Loch Ness. Urquhart Castle is a historic fortress steeped in centuries of intrigue and offers panoramic views of the iconic loch. Entrance is combined with the cruise option; your driver guide will give you more details on the day!
Glen Coe, a breathtaking valley in the Scottish Highlands, is renowned for its rugged beauty, towering peaks, and tragic history, making it a must-visit destination for nature lovers and history enthusiasts alike. Listen to the tale of murder and massacre from your driver-guide before you stop for those all important photographic memories.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children under 3 years not accepted. Valid proof of ID may be required at check in.
- The tour is guided in English
- On 26th December and 1st January there will be no cruise or castle visit available
- Please note this tour may operate in reverse
- Check-in for the tour is 7.45am with departure at 8.00am sharp
- Visit to Urquhart Castle & Loch Ness cruise £31 per adult and £22 per child with Highland Experience discount, cash required. No need to pre book.
- We reserve the right to change the tour itinerary at any time due to weather, acts of God, and events out with our control.
Reviews(2,892)
Dejan and Kesh were a hilarious duo! Dejan is SO well educated with facts and lots of connections to American pop culture that connected to Scottish culture and history (or false history -thanks a lot Mel Gibson). Stand up guys, friendly, helpful. I’d take a tour with them again!
Wonderful day, so full of… Scotland! The Loch Ness cruise was a lucky one (it did not rain, imagine!) and Glencoe stole our hearts, what a scenery! Our driver, Mike, was like a pro, taking us on the narrowest roads woth precision, and Terry, wih her vibrant personality kept us entertained al day long, huge thanks for their effort! Highly recommend!
I had an excellent experience as far as the tour guide and driver go. They were funny, had amazing knowledge of all the places we visited, and shared great stories to keep us entertained. The highlands are absolutely stunning, the Loch Ness is breathtaking and so is Glencoe. That being said, the tour is very long, about 13 hours. You spend entirely too much time on the bus, just riding. The hills are vast, so the view doesn’t change much. And because there is so much driving involved, you don’t get to spend too much time at the sites. Also, the highland cows were a bit of a let down because it was 4 cows in the back of a tourist shop/cafe, next to the highway. They also tell you you’ll be visiting two forts but you don’t. You simply pass through the town where they once stood. You also don’t get to see Stirling Castle, it’s in the far distance as you pass it. Another thing to note is, you’ll need cash for the boat ride and ticket to Urquhart Castle. They don’t tell you this ahead when booking, which is strange. I would DEFINITELY recommend doing the boat and castle because the views are stunning! Another thing to note, particularly for those traveling with kids of all ages, there is barely any food at any of the stops! Pack snacks and sandwiches. They tell you you’ll have the opportunity to have lunch at the castle but you barely have time and there is barely any food left by the time you get there. People were grabbing candy bars because they were so hungry. All in all, it was a good experience mainly due to our guide and driver. I would recommend making the route shorter and breaking up the sites in a different way to allow people to be able to make more meaningful stops than just taking pictures of the same mountains from 10 different angles. Also, stopping in a nice little town for shopping would be nice. All the tourist shops at the stops really sucked.
This was a wonderful day and tour! Our guide, Joe and his trainee, Gary, really made the day. Joe was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. He did a great job keeping us on time and pointing out the additional facts along the way. We were able to see so much of Scotland. Highly recommend!
Overall, a solid tour where you cover a lot of ground. The day is definitely long, and advanced preparation (e.g., have a good breakfast, pack lunch, bring cash) goes a long way to making sure the trip is comfortable and that rest stops don't feel too rushed. Our tour guide Terri was very energetic and lively, giving a good overview of Scotland's history and highlighting points of interest throughout the trip. Yes, you're on the bus for quite some time, but that was to be expected considering how far Loch Ness and Glencoe are from the city center. There are bathroom stops no more than 2.5 hrs at a time, and lines can get long at busy rest stops as others have mentioned. I did think the highland coos stop was a bit underwhelming (only around 5 cows and located at a rest stop where you have ~30 mins total). Additionally, I suggest requiring people to select the boat tour / Urqhart Castle tour options when purchasing the ticket online. I think this would alleviate stress the day of for people who didn't bring cash and--considering the alternative was for people to stay put at a local hotel--seems pretty important to show as part of the total cost of the tour.
The trip and the sites were amazing - the microphone did not work and half the charter bus could not hear what was being said by the tour guide no matter how many times we said we could not hear. They pick you up in a spot a tourist knows and then drop u off after a day of travel in an unknown area and don’t care that you are a tourist in an unfamiliar area. We were traveling with our 74year old mother and we were dropped off at 8:30pm in a part of town we never been in. It was very off putting to say the least. My mother’s safety and health was the most concern for her two daughters. I do not recommend this tour as they seem to lack basic customer satisfaction or care for their fellow humans.
This was the highlight of our Edinburgh trip. Both our guide and driver were great, fun and knowledgeable. It went by too fast! We did not run into any cows during the day but we did see a few on our last stop, however it was already night and not too much lighting. Overall it was a great tour! I definitely recommend it!
Full-day trip to the Highlands which are absolutely a "must see" when in Scotland especially if you are short on visit time. Tour guide Steve B was great and a wickedly skilled driver. There are some add-on experience options at Loch Ness which we chose to do, but not required.
Stephen B was our driver extraordinaire and an awesome tour guide with endless amount of knowledge. It was an all day tour worth every penny and a great value. We like how he gave us Scottish history and lore’s. Our favorite part about the tour was the castle and a boat ride on Loch Ness. If you can, I would highly recommend paying extra for this opportunity. Also, I wish we had more time at Glen Coe to explore and hike around. Overall, it was a well planned out bus tour for 50 of your best friends. 😊
The driver, Steven B, was a great story teller with a great Scottish accent and kilt! The drive does show you beautiful locations. There is zero time to explore, and you are mostly on the bus. The hairy coos were only in a pen at the first gas station snack stop. You do drive by some just before LochNess and in the highlands, but no real time with them. Loch Ness was a “Take the cruise or stay put” situation! Can’t walk or go anywhere while the other people pay extra for the cruise. You can chill on the rocks by the water. It would be cool if non cruisers got to hang in the town one minute down the street!! This trip was extremely expensive for sitting on a bus all day. Beautiful views and Steven did his best. If it were less expensive it would have been given 5 stars and it shouldn’t advertise all these features as though you spend time participating. It’s a huge area to cover so I get it but I feel it was misrepresented. Absolutely beautiful, great driver…. All bus!!!



