Mar–May
Spring
Light from six to eight, prices below summer, and snow still on the tops. The best window for the long northern days.
All day trips
Day tours from Edinburgh: every direction, compared
Edinburgh is a good base for exactly one reason: you can reach Loch Ness, the Glenfinnan viaduct, the Outlander locations and the Isle of Skye without changing hotel. What you cannot do is reach them all in one day, and the choice is the whole decision.
Quick answer
Day tours from Edinburgh into the Highlands run from 8 to 12.5 hours and cost $47 to $116. There are four distinct days: north to Loch Ness, west to the Glenfinnan viaduct, the Outlander locations closer to the city, and the gentler Loch Lomond and Stirling loop. Only the three-day Skye trip gets you further than a day allows, at $229.
The four days, compared
- Loch Ness & Glencoe
- 12–12.5 hfrom $57
- Glenfinnan viaduct
- 12 hfrom $57
- Outlander locations
- 8–10 hfrom $47
- Loch Lomond & Stirling
- 9 hfrom $73
- Isle of Skye
- 3 daysfrom $229
- Shortest day here
- 8 hoursthe Outlander day with entry
- Longest day here
- 12.5 hoursthe Loch Ness route
- Typical departure
- 07:30–08:00central Edinburgh, on foot
- Lunch
- Never included£12–£18 at the stop
- Cancellation
- Free to 24 hon every listing here
The four days
Which direction suits which visitor
Four directions, and the honest reason to choose each one.
North to Loch Ness and Glencoe. The longest day and the one most people picture when they say ‘the Highlands’. Twelve and a half hours, four hundred miles, and the famous loch at the far end of it. Book this if it is your only Highland day and you want the landmark. It is also the most heavily reviewed day trip in Scotland, which tells you the operation is dependable.
West to the Glenfinnan viaduct. The same length of day, a different half of the country. You get Glencoe, Fort William under Ben Nevis, and the viaduct with the steam train if you go between June and October. Book this if the railway matters to you more than the loch does, or if you have already been to Loch Ness.
The Outlander locations. Eight to ten hours and much less driving, because the main sites — Midhope, Culross, Blackness, Linlithgow, Doune — are all within about an hour of Edinburgh. This is the day for people who came for the series, and quietly it is also the best value if you simply dislike long coach days.
Loch Lomond, Stirling and the Kelpies. Nine hours, the gentlest of the four, and the only one that puts you inside a real castle. Loch Lomond is the largest inland water in Britain by surface area, Stirling Castle is a genuine highlight, and the Kelpies are two thirty-metre steel horse heads that look like nothing else in Europe. Book this with children, with older parents, or in December when the northern routes are dark by half past three.
Every trip, current fare
Every day tour on this site, cheapest first
Twelve listings. The Loch Ness column separates the northern route from everything else, and the cost-per-hour column shows which days are genuinely dense and which are mostly road.
| Tour | Length | Price | Loch Ness | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Outlander ExperienceThe Outlander locations, and the cheapest day | 10 h | $47 | No | $4.70 | 4.6 · 2,285 |
| Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Fort WilliamThe viaduct and Fort William, rated 4.8 | 12 h | $57 | No | $4.75 | 4.8 · 4,281 |
| Loch Ness, Glencoe & The HighlandsLoch Ness and Glencoe in twelve and a half hours | 12.5 h | $57 | Yes | $4.56 | 4.7 · 2,459 |
| Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & HighlandsThe viaduct, with the steam train timed in | 12 h | $60 | No | $5.00 | 4.7 · 4,383 |
| Loch Ness, Glencoe & Scottish HighlandsLoch Ness and Glencoe, heavily reviewed | 12.5 h | $62 | Yes | $4.96 | 4.7 · 12,284 |
| Loch Ness, Glencoe, Coos & the HighlandsThe northern route with a stop for the cows | 12.5 h | $70 | Yes | $5.60 | 4.5 · 2,725 |
| Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle & the KelpiesLoch Lomond and the Kelpies in nine hours | 9 h | $73 | No | $8.11 | 4.6 · 2,670 |
| Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Highlands DayThe viaduct and Glencoe, 9,171 reviews | 12 h | $73 | No | $6.08 | 4.6 · 9,171 |
| Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Scottish HighlandsThe classic route north, most booked anywhere | 12.5 h | $74 | Yes | $5.92 | 4.6 · 20,368 |
| Outlander Filming Locations ExplorerThe Outlander locations, properly explored | 9 h | $85 | No | $9.44 | 4.7 · 1,560 |
| Outlander Adventure Day with EntryOutlander with the entry tickets included | 8 h | $116 | No | $14.50 | 4.8 · 1,459 |
| 3-Day Isle of Skye and the HighlandsThree days, and the Highlands with time in them | 3 days | $229 | On the way | $7.63 | 4.8 · 2,936 |
Choosing
Six questions that settle it faster than reading reviews
Answer these and the listing picks itself.
- How many days do you have in Scotland?
One Highland day means Loch Ness. Two means Loch Ness and either the viaduct or the Outlander sites. Three or more, and the Skye trip becomes the better use of them.
- How do you feel about a twelve-hour coach day?
It is genuinely long, and eight of those hours are moving. If that is a problem, the nine-hour Loch Lomond day and the eight-hour Outlander day exist for exactly this reason.
- Is there a specific thing you came for?
The monster, the train, the series, the cows. Each has a tour built around it, and taking a general tour and hoping is how people end up disappointed.
- What month is it?
From November to February you lose the last three hours of any northern route to darkness. The southern loops keep their value all year.
- Coach or minibus?
Sixteen seats costs more and moves faster, stops in places a full coach cannot, and the guide can actually talk to you. Fifty seats is cheaper and perfectly fine.
- Are you willing to pay for entries?
Most tours quote transport and guiding only. Urquhart Castle is £14, the Loch Ness cruise about £20–£25, Midhope around £9.50. One listing here includes its entries, and it is priced accordingly.
Season
What each month does to a day trip
The routes run all year. Daylight is the variable that changes the product.
Jun–Aug
Summer
Daylight until ten, the steam train running, and everything at once — including the crowds at Glencoe and the viaduct.
Sep–Oct
Autumn
Colour through the glens, the train still running until 23 October, and noticeably fewer people. Many locals’ favourite.
Nov–Feb
Winter
Dark by half past three, so a 12.5-hour day ends in the dark. Take the shorter southern loops instead, or accept a real gamble on the weather.
Common questions
Day tours from Edinburgh, answered
What is the best day trip from Edinburgh?
For a first visit with one free day, the Loch Ness and Glencoe tour — it covers the landmark and the best of the scenery. For a shorter, easier day, Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle and the Kelpies at nine hours.
Can you visit Loch Ness in a day from Edinburgh?
Yes. It is 160 miles each way and the standard tour runs 12 to 12.5 hours with about two hours at the loch.
Can you do the Isle of Skye in a day from Edinburgh?
Not sensibly. Skye is 230 miles away, five to six hours of driving each way. The three-day tour exists because a day trip would be almost entirely road.
How much do Edinburgh day tours cost?
From $47 for the cheapest full day to $116 for the eight-hour Outlander day with entry tickets included. The three-day Skye tour is $229.
Do day tours include lunch?
No listing on this page includes lunch. Every one stops for about an hour somewhere with food, at roughly £12–£18 a head.
Where do the tours leave from?
Central Edinburgh, on foot from most city-centre hotels. The exact meeting point is on your confirmation; departures are between 07:30 and 08:00.
Can I cancel a day tour?
Yes — every tour on this page cancels free up to 24 hours before departure, which is worth using if the winter forecast turns.
Go deeper
More on the Scottish Highlands
The classic
The classic day trip
Twenty thousand reviews, and what the twelve hours contain.
Loch NessLoch Ness tours
What the loch is, and what the cruise costs on the day.
GlencoeGlencoe
The valley every tour stops at, and why the road is the point.
The viaductThe Glenfinnan viaduct
Twenty-one arches, a steam train and the 1745 rising.
SkyeIsle of Skye
Three days, two nights, and why a day trip cannot do it.
OutlanderOutlander locations
Midhope, Culross and which tours go inside.
