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Urquhart Castle (Caisteal na Sròine)

Urquhart Castle (Caisteal na Sròine) Tours

56 Tours & Activities

5-Day Best of Scotland Experience from Edinburgh

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

From $1,065.63

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Up to 7 days in advance.
Edinburgh Tours
All Edinburgh Tours
Audio Guides
Likely To Sell Out
Unique Experiences
  • 5 days (approx.)
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Get a comprehensive look at Scotland during this 5-day journey through its rugged and rural landscapes. Travel through the Lowlands, Northern Highlands, West Coast, and the Isle of Skye, including a stop at Loch Ness and Eilean Donan Castle. Enjoy overnight stays in Oban and Loch Ness, and a 2-night stay in Isle of Skye, with daily breakfast included
  • 5-day tour of Scotland’s highlights, departing from Edinburgh
  • Journey through beauty spots such as Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
  • Visit famous sights including Kilmartin Glen, Loch Ness, Glencoe, and Culloden Battlefield

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

This tour covers all the highlights of the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye in just five days.

What's Included

  • 4 nights of accommodation
  • Professional guide
  • Transport by air-conditioned mini-bus (up to 32 seats)
  • Breakfast (4)
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Hotel pickup and drop off at the beginning and end of the tour

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Caffè Nero
    1 Parliament Square, 192 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1RF, UK

    Please check in with Highland Experience staff inside/outside Caffe Nero by 8.15am

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

  • Lawnmarket
    Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1, UK

    Please note: During August, and other times when there are events taking place at Edinburgh Castle we will use an alternative end point in Edinburgh's New Town.

What To Expect

See a diverse range of rural landscapes on this 5-day Scotland and Isle of Skye tour from Edinburgh. Travel with a small group in the comfort of a minivan, with personalized commentary from an expert guide who details the sights. Visit Scottish glens, mountain peaks, lochs and mysterious castles along a vividly scenic route.
Day 1

On the road

3 Stops

Loch Lomond

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Inveraray Castle

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Kilmartin Glen

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Accommodation: Overnight: Oban

Meals: Not included

Day 2

Over the sea to Skye

3 Stops

Glencoe National Nature Reserve

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ben Nevis

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Glenfinnan Viaduct

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Overnight; Skye

Meals: Breakfast

Day 3

The Misty Isle of Skye

4 Stops

Black Cuillin

Admission Ticket Free

The Old Man of Storr

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kilt Rock

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Portree Harbour

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Overnight: Skye

Meals: Breakfast

Day 4

Back to the mainland

3 Stops

Eilean Donan Castle

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Loch Ness

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Urquhart Castle

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Accommodation: Overnight: Loch Ness

Meals: Breakfast

Day 5

End of the trip

3 Stops

Culloden Battlefield

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Clava Cairns

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Dalwhinnie Distillery

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Breakfast

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Luggage restriction: 1 suitcase 55x40x20cm - 15 kg & 1 backpack/handbag per person
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult. Minimum age 3 years old
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 32 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 7 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 7 full days before the experience’s start time.
  • Any changes made less than 6 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • For a 50% refund, you must cancel 3–6 full days before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

about cancellations.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

The guide also recommend good restaurants for lunch and dinner at each town.
A great easy way without the stress of driving yourself.
There was no heat (we were told the heat had gone out that day and were provided with space heaters for our room).
Reviews
4.5
177 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 177 reviews
Incredible scenery
Linda_C, Oct 2022
Amazing trip! We had a great group of people on the tour and a top notch guide. Andy was great fun and took good care of us. Outstanding scenery. Lots of walking and plenty of time to take photos at lots of stops.
We covered a lot of...
Harry_N, Aug 2022
We covered a lot of territory in five days and saw amazing scenery everywhere. Andy’s narration and management excellent.
2 travelers found this review helpful
July 2022 Scotland Trip
Vikas_K, Aug 2022
Overall a good tour! Our guide, Andy, was awesome! Except the first night accommodation in Oban, which was not acceptable, the rest of the trip was well planned and executed. We were able to go to places we would have never gone on our own. Isle of Skye and Glencoe was the best part of the trip!
1 traveler found this review helpful
Had so much fun
Dr_J, Jul 2022
Mom with 10 years old child. We had so much fun with James. He is our experienced guide. 5 days full of information. Best tour!!!
1 traveler found this review helpful
Jamie was the best tour...
Jim_H, Jul 2022
Jamie was the best tour guide EVER! He was so accommodating, and showed us the most beautiful parts of Scotland.
So amazing. Way more than I hoped for
Deborah_D, May 2022
4 night and 5 day highland tour with my 17 year old son. Barry our tour guide was the perfect combination of fun knowledgeable helpful.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Great bus trip
Angela_H, May 2022
The itinerary was not as given when I booked. We did not get a chance to get a ride on the Jacobite steam train or visit a whisky distillery. That being said the accommodations were good and the host/driver was exceptional. I cannot say enough about how wonderful he was at being super helpful and knowledgeable about every place we visited. I had a good time even though I missed the two aforementioned events.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Great Tour!!
sandra_g, Apr 2022
All I can say is “WOW”! I’ve never done a group tour before, but I’m glad I did. Our tour guide, Barry, did such an amazing job! He is knowledgeable about the history of the land and made us laugh at stories along the way too. The stays were very nice throughout and the weather was spectacular. I cannot rave enough about this tour and our guide, you will definitely have to do it for yourself…. Be sure to ask for Barry though!!!
3 travelers found this review helpful
Everything is good except the hotel for the first night
Liming_X, Oct 2019
That is Royal Hotel. It's the worst hotel I have ever stayed. The room is super small, the quilt is dirty, the carpet is super old and dirty, and the switch for the heating is broken. Ir's too cold to Sleep. The reception gave me a Portal heater which ran one hour and closed automatically. You can hear the Walking steps in next Rooms and you can also hear the snoring in next room. Because of above reason, I need to deduct two points from the rating. Except this, everything is good, the views are fantasty, the Driver is good. the other two Hotels are good. The Tourist guide is funny, even though I could not understand what he said most of the time, because he has Accent and English is not my mother language.
3 travelers found this review helpful
Too long and too many miles
Robert W, Oct 2019
Our guide/driver was great, John McC. 5 days is too much, 3 days would be much better. We went 800 miles and a lot of it was on slow roads which was very scenic BUT a lot of hours driving. Wonderful vistas, great waterfalls, historic places and only two good castles in 5 days.
Excellent
Richard_A, Oct 2019
Fantastic trip. Graham was an excellent tour guide. Accomodations were fantastic. Beautiful places. Well worth it.
1 traveler found this review helpful
nice views
jerry08-14, Oct 2019
the trip is very relaxing. late morning starts and early returns. Mr. Graham organized it very well, good driver, also very informative, and very considerate. good sense if humor. made the tour relaxing and friendly.
2 travelers found this review helpful
Viator didn’t measure up to it’s booking
S2816KTandreab, Oct 2019
So disappointed. We chose this tour because we wanted a small group tour. Instead we were daily herded on and off a full bus. The more people, the longer the waiting, etc. We arrived at our first lodging two hours late. We were always late, thus no time, as promised, to check out the towns, shops and in some cases we were so far away that no place for dinner! Our driver had to also serve as our guide, while driving! No separate guide for such a large group was unacceptable. We had to skip attraction due to time constraints. Also, our guide forgot to make reservations in time to see the distillery. One huge complaint was our accommodations. The group was split up into many different lodgings. My friend and I were always alone and not near anyone. So the getting to socialize with others, just never happened. Our guide tried to be upbeat and entertaining, but we couldn’t always hear him. We never saw Ben Nevis, which I had even asked him to point it out. We loved Scotland and enjoyed our before and after time, did enjoy the company of those we sat near on the tour. The weather: rain and extreme winds.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Outstanding tour
John_B, Sep 2019
Our guide was excellent, the days packed with wonderful highland experiences. Could not have been better from start to finish!
Excellent Value
Don_K, Sep 2019
We had a total of two weeks to travel and discover Scotland. The first portion of our trip was on our own using the Scottish rail system; taking in the Solheim Cup; a castle stay; and St Andrews. The Best of Highlands tour - 5 of the last 6 days allowed us to see a wider range of the country in a shorter timeframe. There were complaints from some of those traveling with us of their accommodations, but we took the hotel stay package which was overall quite good. Out your driver - Stephen H - was extremely knowledgeable despite his relatively young age. Five days was pushing it for us but we would do it again - very enjoyable.
1 traveler found this review helpful
5 days highland Scotland bus tour
Yet Tai Y, Sep 2019
Overall the tour guide gave good explanation of the history and culture of the highlands. The guide also recommend good restaurants for lunch and dinner at each town. However we were not pleased when we were put up 2 nights at Skye-Kyleakin at a B&B of which the room was an attic. Further there is no ensuite bath room and we have to go down narrow staircase to reach the ground floor. We paid for normal room certainly not an attic. That's bad judgement on the part of Viator.
1 traveler found this review helpful
a good overview of Scotland
Guido_L, Aug 2019
Everything was organised very well. We were a group of 6 people and always were in the same accomodation. The accomodations were all very good. Espacially the B&B on the Isle of Sky (family McCrae) was wonderfull. Very nice hosts ! Also the chauffeur/guide was very good.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Excellent tour of interesting, out-of-way places
Donald_J, Aug 2019
Great tour. Fergie was a terrific guide--took care of us and showed us many places that weren't overrun with tourists. Beautiful countryside, fascinating history. Loved the many places to take stunning photos. I would take another tour through your company and would love to have Fergie as a guide! The second, third, and fourth nights were at wonderful facilities and great locations.
Great tour by Barbara and Gram
Charles_V, Jun 2019
Better than we expected. Very enjoyable experience. This was our first coach tour. 32 people on the comfortable bus. All accomodations we're very good. A great easy way without the stress of driving yourself. Would recommend.
Amazing Scotland
murtazapoonawala, Jun 2019
Excellent and Comprehensive. Barbara is an amazing tour guide and Potterhead too !!! Covers Castles, Glens, Lochs and everything else in between.
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