Scotland · 1-DAY TOURS
19 reviewed
The good 1-day tours fill up first, especially between May and September. This is the shortlist: 15 of them, with prices, timings, and what makes each one different.
Full-day Highlands tour from Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle ruins, Glencoe, and Stirling Castle. Live guide, photo stops, optional cruise.
“Unfortunately it poured the day of our tour so it was modified a bit, not that it was the tour guide’s fault but would have been more enjoyable if we got to see everything as scheduled.”
Track Outlander film sites from Edinburgh in one day, with a small-group coach trip to castles, Fife villages, and Fort William.
“Great experience. Driver was knowledgeable and entertaining. Learned a lot about film sites as well as Scottish history and culture. A great way to spend the day.”
Edinburgh to West Highlands and Loch Lomond in one day, with Doune and Kilchurn castles, Inveraray, and a Loch Lomond village stop.
“We had an amazing young lady named Charlie as our tour guide. I true treat to have spent time with her.”
Small-group day trip from Edinburgh to the Kelpies, Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle, with live commentary and optional castle tickets.
“A wee bit of everything. Colossal Kelpies sculpture park, a delicious honeysuckle vanilla malt shop, a stroll along Loch Lomond, Brave Heart offerings, a castle featuring a wedding, Scottish tunes, a hip bus driver/guide. Great value!”
An 8-hour Outlander day trip from Edinburgh to filming locations in Falkland, Culross, castles, and Lallybroch, with guided storytelling.
“There are wheelchairs available or a taxi to take you to the top of the castle. Our tour guide was funny and informative. It’s a lot of walking and can be slippery when wet. Prices in shops veey fair.”
A fast, scenic Isle of Skye day trip from Inverness. Loch Ness views, Eilean Donan, Portree, Kilt Rock, and Sligachan.
“It was stunningly beautiful, and the guide took time to tell us the wonders of Scotland. Made us with we was a Scot. Fairy pools rounded out our day.”
Moray Coast day trip from Inverness with wildlife stops and Strathisla whisky. Coastal walks, charming towns, small group.
“After my 1st day in inverness was memorably bad i booked to have a day without stress to the moray coast as there were lots areas I really wanted to visit but couldn't get too , Amber was our lovely tour guide but also accompanied by some others tour guides that day , all of them were fantastic , all off them made the day feel like it was a day out with friends . I can say any trip with any of the guides that accompanied us on that trip anyone will have a wonderful day full of beautiful sights, lots of fun and so much knowledgeable information. Seriously…”
Loch Lomond views, Glenturret whisky, and Hermitage waterfalls plus Dunkeld Cathedral on a 9-hour Highlands day trip from Edinburgh.
“Beautiful landscapes so enjoy the ride and history lesson from Alistair! The Highland Coos were awesome! Tranquil sceanery and waterfall on the journey. The Kelpes we magnificent! Great places to eat on the journey as well. Highly recommend this Tour.”
Edinburgh day tour to Deanston whisky, Glencoe, Loch Ness Fort Augustus, Ben Nevis views, and Pitlochry, with live guide commentary.
“What an amazing and memorable day! The Whisky Tour was interesting and samples were great. So much to see and many chances to take photos. Colin regaled us with fascinating and humorous stories from Scotland's rich history and also showed many spots made famous in films. Was a nice smaller group and a relaxing day. Would recommend to anyone.”
Loch Lomond villages and castle ruins on a cruise-day coach tour from Greenock, with live narration, photo stops, and castle options.
“You can't really blame the guide nor the tour but it was just one of those days. The bridge was closed so we had to make a detour of almost an hour. Thus threw off the timing of the entire tour. The road to Inverary was being repaired from a rock slide so we had no time at Inverary castle and there were no tickets any way. We spent hours driving with short stops and an hour break to get lunch in a town with overcrowded restaurants and few options. With a time constraint to get back to the ship topping it off. It was definitely not worth the money…”
A 1-day Highlands loop from Edinburgh to Callander, Glencoe, and Glenfinnan with Loch Shiel views, photo stops, and guide stories.
“This tour is amazing! It was everything I hoped for. We spent a lot of time at Glemcoe, our tour guide Kyle (I hope I am spelling his name correctly) stopped several times to admire the views and take pictures. The views are breathtaking and we got to get off the the van; trip is completely worth it. We got to see the three sisters, in addition to many other famous views outside the van, I can’t emphasize enough how this your exceded my expectations by far even though it was raining most of the time. Our tour guide was incredibly nice, gave us a lot of information about different…”
A small-group Orkney day trip from Stromness that hits Yesnaby, Skara Brae, two stone circles, Kirkwall, and Scapa Flow history.
“Despite the weather being so bad we couldn’t visit skara brae we had a blast and learned so much! We were lucky even to get to go near skara brae and take a peek even though we couldn’t enter.”
Small-group Highlands day trip from Glasgow to Loch Ness, Glencoe, Luss, and Fort Augustus, with cruise or canal walk options.
“There is one two hour drive portion with no stops which might be pretty challenging for some. Otherwise the stops were adequate enough. The only really bothering issue was the extremely loud music in the van during the whole trip and the driver/guide trying to shout on top of the music. To be clear, it was entirely the choice of the driver and also in his control. Very hard to understand why it was so loud the whole time (I heard the same approach was used with another driver from another company also), especially when understanding the Scottish accent is difficult enough even when spoken slowly and without distractions. I…”
See Loch Lomond, Kilchurn Castle ruins, Oban seafood, and Inveraray on a guided day trip from Edinburgh, with hotel-free convenience.
“waste time in areas other than Oban so that when you get to Oban there is only an hour of time there. Didnt get to enjoy town.”
Highlands coach day from Edinburgh with Loch Lomond views, whisky tasting, forest walks, then Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at the castle.
“This was a really fun tour. Dougie was our guide. Full of knowledge and very personable! The Hermitage was beautiful and it was nice to take a nature walk in the middle of our 8 day trip which included a lot of running around. Distillery tour was interesting even though I do not drink whiskey. But the highlight was of course, the military tattoo. If you are in Edinburgh during the festival, this is a must do. Simply stunning!”
