Loch Ness, Inverness & Highlands Day Trip from Edinburgh
Description
A full day in the Highlands: the Highland cows at Taste Perthshire, the Cairngorms, Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle and the Glencoe valley, with a drive through Inverness and an expert guide. Every day from the Royal Mile.
Heading north from Edinburgh, we will arrive at Taste Perthshire, a wonderful place for a refreshment stop and the chance to meet and feed the Highland cows. We then cross the spectacular landscapes of Cairngorms National Park and drive through Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, for a panoramic view from the coach. As you head northward into the Highlands, your expert tour guide will share with you all the secrets and stories about these places.
And once we get to Loch Ness, you may decide to take a boat trip on Loch Ness and visit Urquhart Castle and enjoy the breathtaking views while you look for the monster, locally called Nessie.
On the way back we will see Mount Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. We will travel across some of the more emblematic landscapes in Scotland, as the Trossachs or the magnificent Glencoe Valley, where you will see the impressive Three Sisters and still be in time to dine in Edinburgh.
Every day at 8am
Duration: 12 hours 30 minutes.
Language: English
Spanish speakers: see our day trip in Spanish.
Departure: 1 Parliament Square
Next to St Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile. Open in Google Maps.
From £54
Concession (60+): £51 · Students: £51 · Child (3-15): £51.
Detailed route
Early departure from Edinburgh at 8 am. Our first stop is Taste Perthshire, where you can have a coffee and meet the Highland cows before we head on for the Highlands.
After crossing Cairngorms National Park, we drive through Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, for a panoramic view from the coach. Inverness is not a stop on this tour.
From there, straight to Loch Ness, where you can take a boat trip on the loch looking for Nessie and visit Urquhart Castle.
On the way back, after seeing the touching Commando Memorial, we will stop in the impressive Glencoe Valley, facing the amazing Three Sisters.
After passing by Stirling, we will be back in downtown Edinburgh around 8.30 pm.
Departure from Edinburgh (8 am)
Bridges over the Forth River
When head towards the Highlands, we will cross over the Forth estuary by one of its bridges, currently a flagship. Forth Bridge in particular, the red railway bridge, whose construction became a landmark in British engineering.
Taste Perthshire
Our journey begins northward with views of the Forth Railway Bridge and past Perth, the old capital of Scotland. We head to our first stop of the day at Taste Perthshire, a wonderful place for a refreshment stop and the chance to meet and feed the Highland cows.
Cairngorms
Enjoy the stunning scenery as you travel through the spectacular wilderness of the Cairngorms National Park, the largest national park in Scotland. We pass Aviemore, the main town in this area, and then continue north and drive through Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, without stopping. Perched picturesquely above the river, Inverness Castle dominates the horizon of this thriving city. Then it is on to the famous Loch Ness.
Loch Ness
After driving through Inverness, you will reach the shores of Loch Ness, where you can take photos and enjoy this immense lake, one of the most famous in the world and one of the hallmarks of Scotland. While visiting Loch Ness, pay close attention to the water and maybe, just maybe, be the next person to sport Nessie.
Urquhart Castle
Let yourself be blown away by the incredible landscapes and sceneries on the way to Urquhart Castle. Once there, you will have the option to take a nice boat tour in search of the famous Loch Ness Monster and head inside the castle.
Commando Memorial Viewpoint
This lost corner in the Highlands served as training ground for the Scottish soldiers that would later be sent to fight in WWII. From this point, in the middle of a spectacular mountainous landscape, you can see the Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom.
Glencoe
Be ready for a breathtaking view at about 11.00, when one of the most impressive landscapes opens before your eyes, the Three Sisters in Glencoe Valley. You will not want to leave without having a photo taken. This is one of the more emblematic places in the Scottish Highlands. Not to be missed.
Loch Tulla and Rannooch Moor
To continue discovering Scotland while you are on your way to Loch Ness, we will stop at the beautiful Loch Tulla and in the peculiar Rannooch Moor, both of them will show you some of the typical landscapes of the Scottish Highlands.
Stirling
When we go to Edinburgh on our return, we will pass by Stirling Castle, one of the most important fortresses in Scotland, located in the highest part of Stirling's medieval Old Town.
Arrival to Edinburgh (8.30 pm)
The order of the stops may change because of traffic, weather or opening times.
What’s included
What does the price include?
- Professional tour guide
- Transport
Not included
- Entrance tickets to monuments and attractions
- Private expenses
Optional tickets
- Urquhart Castle and Cruise on Loch Ness: £27 adults / £20 children (cash payment only)
Good to know
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
Check-in
Check-in no later than 7.45 am.
Minimum age
Minimum age to travel: 3 years old.
Luggage
Maximum 15 kg per person and 55 x 40 x 20 cm.
Dress for Scotland
The weather changes fast: bring comfortable shoes and a warm, waterproof layer.
What our guests say
City Explorers has a 5.0 rating on Google from 27,096 reviews. Here is a selection of real reviews, updated every week. Tap any review to read it in full.
-
Dan was such a great guide, would definitely recommend for others and future self when visiting Edinburgh again. Lots of good humor and theatrical expressions!
Read more -
I learned a lot from this tour. It was interesting and fun but Colan made it more even fun and light. He also was funny which made it more delightful.
Read more -
We had an amazing tour with Kenny! He was very friendly, knowledgeable and very funny! Would go on another tour with him any day :)
Read more -
SJ was our tour guide last night, she was a great storyteller who was really animated and entertaining! We would highly recommend!
Read more -
Great experience with our guide Coben. Funny, interesting and we got a different view on the City of Edinburgh.
Read more -
Wonderful insights, stories and navigation. Got us to all the highlights and more but routed to avoid/minimize the interaction with other tours. Some of the side bar stories were the best.
Read more -
Cobin is amazingly good with a hint of fun story teller! He made a boring history particularly very very very interesting and easy to remember! Highly and exceptionally recommended!! If you don’t, you’ll miss half the adventure of your life!!
Read more -
Cobin was a great tour guide!! Lovely humor and a lot of fun facts. Would definitely recommend to friends and family:)
Read more -
I had fun listening to the stories our guide shared. He was totally entertaining, built the atmosphere and hooked us into the experience.
Read more -
Rory was a very cool and charming tour Guide. The storys were very nice and for us from germany very good understandble. And it was nice to learn so much about the dark history of scotland and edinburgh
Read more -
Dr Rory can tell a story! I couldn't believe how quickly the tour ended. When I looked at my watch and hour and a half had passed! Get a tour, get it with Rory !
Read more -
Griem was a fantastic tour guide ! He was very helpful, showed a great amount of knowledge about the city, and I loved his sense of humour:))
Read more -
Great tour, got all the major sights and lots of history. Kenny, our guide, was very knowledgeable and eloquent he made the tour very interesting and fun at the same time.
Read more -
I highly recommend this tour! Rory’s gory stories were amazing, you can really tell he loves the job and makes the tour feel very special!
Read more -
Had a wonderful tour through Edinburgh. Cobin is a very funny guy with great knowledge about the city and entertaining storytelling
Read more -
Cobin was an awesome guide. We got a lot of interesting information on our tour. He was clever and very engaging. He paced the tour so we could all follow along and he was very careful that we were all with him and safe. Thanks Cobin for an interesting morning!
Read more -
Cobin was very entertaining and informative. The pacing and humor of the tour was well balanced and enjoyable
Read more -
Graeme was a fantastic tour guide with many interesting stories and so much knowledge. Highly recommend this tour and guide
Read more -
Our guide was Kenny. He was very knowledgeable and informative and had a really good sense of humour! Fantastic tour. Highly recommend
Read more -
Kenny was entertaining and knowledgeable. He was happy to answer all of our questions and gave us a brilliant tour
Read more -
Absolute riveting. Our tour guide Dan was a gem and a really fantastic storyteller. He has great knowledge and even had some extra facts. Highly recommend.
Read more -
We had a great experience with Cobin! He was very friendly and made the tour really enjoyable. We had a wonderful time. Highly recommend!
Read more -
Excellent tour. Cobin was a very fun and engaging guide, with some interesting anecdotes and a strong storytelling
Read more -
Fantastic tour hosted by Glen. Very impressed with the information and interaction given, it made the whole experience very interesting and pleasant! Thanks Glen!
Read more -
Great experience, Dan was really knowledgable and full of energy and showed us all the places with their stories
Read more -
Graeme's tour was FAB! We saw so much more than we expected, lots of great stories. Thanks so much!
Read more -
He’s a charming gentleman with a great sense of humor and interesting stories about the city of Edinburgh. I highly recommend! It was a very fun tour!
Read more -
Kenny did a wonderful job of blending, history, modern recommendations and gorgeous views all while not allowing any of us to get separated. Big highlight!
Read more -
We had Stuart as our tour guide, he was great! Very knowledgeable, very funny and kept us intrigued the whole time!
Read more -
Graham was an absolute delight. His tour gave us not only a great sense of Edinburgh as a city, but the history and stories that led to it being what it is now. You can tell that he loves what he does, and it was a privilege to meet Edinburgh through his eyes
Read more
Selected real reviews from Google · Updated November 2026