The 15 Best Edinburgh Tours & Day Trips

Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Scottish Highlands Tour - Callander, coffee, and Highland cows

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 17,446 reviews · 12.5 hours · from $62Our pick

See Loch Ness, Glencoe, Urquhart Castle, and Highland scenery on a long but rewarding day trip from Edinburgh with Timberbush Tours.

“Highly recommend this tour to anyone looking to see the Scottish Highlands. The views are absolutely stunning along the way and each stop gave you a chance to stretch your legs and take in the scenery. Robert, our tour guide, was absolutely incredible! He was very knowledgeable, witty, and checked in with everyone throughout the trip. Bonus points for his driving playlist!! John, our driver, was also amazing!! It’s a very long day but so worth it. The coach itself was very comfy to have a little nap as well. So pleased with our trip!”

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From Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe & Scottish Highlands Tour

2.Loch Ness, Glencoe & Scottish Highlands Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 11,381 reviews · 12.5 hours · from $61

See Loch Ness, Glencoe, Rannoch Moor, Highland cows and Pitlochry on a long, scenic day tour from Edinburgh with optional cruise or whisky.

“Very nice day with a clement weather. The guide-driver Craig was really nice and had care of us. We saw really good panoramas and the price worth it, especially for all the km we had. Recommended!”

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Edinburgh: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Fort William

3.Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Fort William

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 3,366 reviews · 12 hours · from $60Top rated

See Glencoe, Fort William, Loch Shiel, and the Harry Potter viaduct on a scenic 12-hour Highlands trip from Edinburgh for $60.

“The trip was amazing and our guide Brian Smith really made it so enjoyable!! Listening to Christmas songs, Scottish songs throughout the bus trip really made it so special driving up the highlands. The Scottish facts from Brian was especially interesting and fun! Really enjoyed the trip very much.”

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Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe, Coos & the Highlands Day Tour

4.Loch Ness, Glencoe, Coos & the Highlands Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,539 reviews · 12.5 hours · from $72

See Loch Ness, Glencoe, Cairngorms, Urquhart Castle and Hairy Coos on a packed 12.5-hour Scotland day tour from Edinburgh.

“Best part: our guide Audrey was super knowledgeable about all the history of places we were passing through or stopping at. Michael was an outstanding driver. Also, I liked that we were able to see so many places in one tour. Not my favorite part: it was a terribly long day. Also, one of the rest stops was too short to be able to use the toilet and buy a snack because the lines were so long, and so you had to choose one or the other. Another of the stops, the public toilets were closed and the convenience store did not have public toilets either.”

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3-Day Experiences, Edinburgh Tours, Isle of Skye Tours, Loch Ness & Highlands Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

From Edinburgh: 3-Day Isle of Skye and The Highlands Tour

5.3-Day Isle of Skye and The Highlands Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,405 reviews · 3 days · from $244

Three days from Edinburgh to Skye, Loch Ness, Glencoe and Glenfinnan, with lively guides, dramatic scenery and two nights in Inverness.

“We visited so many amazing sights! Peter explained the history to us throughout the entire tour, which helped us understand a lot more about Scottish culture and history. The whole journey was very comfortable and well-paced. Having Peter as our guide truly made the experience special.”

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Edinburgh: ‘Firth of Forth’ Three Bridges Sightseeing Cruise

6.‘Firth of Forth’ Three Bridges Sightseeing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,383 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $27

Cruise beneath Edinburgh’s Three Bridges, spot seals and seabirds, and choose an optional visit to Inchcolm Abbey on this 90-minute Firth of Forth trip.

“Great cruise! Would definitely recommend doing the 8 pounds extra to explore the island. Great experience.”

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From Edinburgh: Loch Ness & Scottish Highlands Tour

7.Loch Ness & Scottish Highlands Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 2,366 reviews · from $94

Review the 12-hour Edinburgh to Loch Ness tour, with Glen Coe, Ben Nevis, a boat cruise option, Cairngorms views, and practical tips.

“Alistair our guide/driver was very informative and made the bus ride interesting.”

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From Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glenoce & The Highlands Day Tour

8.Loch Ness, Glenoce & The Highlands Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,130 reviews · 12 hours · from $53

See Glen Coe, Loch Ness, Rannoch Moor and Pitlochry on a 12-hour Highlands trip from Edinburgh, with an optional cruise and lively guide.

“Our guide Brendan was the real highlight of this day trip. His humour and stories made the 12 hours journey so enjoyable. Do yourself a favour and book this trip for the best highlands day trip!”

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From Edinburgh: Holy Island, Alnwick Castle & Northumbria

9.Holy Island, Alnwick Castle & Northumbria

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,313 reviews · 9 hours · from $85

Explore Lindisfarne, Alnwick Castle, its poison gardens, and Northumbria on a scenic 9-hour day trip from Edinburgh.

“i had the best day! Linda guided us wonderfully. she knows a loooot of history which added a lot of knowledge for me. the places were beautiful and magical. i just wish we could have gotten a bit closer to the Bamburgh castle which was the main reason for my interest on this tour.”

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From Edinburgh: Loch Ness and The Highlands Tour with Cruise

10.Loch Ness and The Highlands Tour with Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,090 reviews · 12 hours · from $67

See Glencoe, Rannoch Moor, Ben Nevis, and Loch Ness by minicoach and cruise on a full-day Highland trip from Edinburgh.

“It was awesome, the guide was really nice and kind, we would like to spend more time in Loch Ness”

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Edinburgh Tours, Fishing, Tour Reviews, Tours

From Edinburgh: St Andrews and Fishing Villages of Fife Tour

11.St Andrews and Fishing Villages of Fife Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,071 reviews · 9 hours · from $71

Explore St Andrews, Fife fishing villages, Falkland, and the Forth Bridges on a relaxed nine-hour day tour from Edinburgh.

“The driver, Stuart kept the conversation flowing while providing great commentary.”

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From Edinburgh: Loch Lomond, Kelpies & Stirling Castle Tour

12.Loch Lomond, Kelpies & Stirling Castle Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,043 reviews · 9 hours · from $57

Explore Loch Lomond, the Kelpies, the Trossachs, and Stirling Castle on a scenic 9-hour small-group tour from Edinburgh.

“I recently took a bus trip, and it was an incredible experience! We had such a fantastic time exploring and learning about the area, all thanks to our amazing guide, Ian. Not only was he knowledgeable, but he was also a fantastic storyteller, bringing history and fun facts to life in such an engaging way. Ian was always there to help, answering all our questions and making sure everyone was comfortable and entertained. This trip wouldn’t have been the same without his guidance. Highly recommend this tour!”

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1-Day Tours, Edinburgh Tours, Loch Ness & Highlands Tours, Tour Reviews

From Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe & The Highlands Day Trip

13.Loch Ness, Glencoe & The Highlands Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 990 reviews · from $61

Review of a 12.5-hour Edinburgh tour to Loch Ness, Glencoe, Fort William, Pitlochry, and the Highlands, with practical booking advice.

“Had the best time on this Highland tour, and that’s largely thanks to our brilliant guide, Anthony. From the start, Debbie checked us in with a warm welcome that set the tone for the day. The weather was bright and sunny, showing off the Highlands at their absolute best. Anthony’s storytelling was spellbinding—he brought history and legend to life in such a vivid, engaging way. What really stood out was how perfectly his music playlist matched the scenery and the stories. It felt cinematic at times, like we were part of something truly special. He was funny, sharp, and made sure everyone on the bus felt included and had a…”

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3-Day Experiences, Edinburgh Tours, Isle of Skye Tours, Loch Ness & Highlands Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Edinburgh: 3-Day Isle of Skye, Highlands, and Loch Ness Tour

14.3-Day Isle of Skye, Highlands, and Loch Ness Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 975 reviews · 3 days · from $230

See Glencoe, Skye, Eilean Donan Castle, and Loch Ness on a scenic three-day tour from Edinburgh with stays in Portree.

“Our tour is an amazing experience! And it made it even better with our tourguide Scott from Scotland, he was nothing but an absolute treat from start of the tour to finish. He gave us good summary of the history of Scotland, he is very knowledgable with the historical places we visited and shared some additional trivias aswell, he also made good music compilation during tour which made the tour more fun.”

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Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe, and Highlands Day Tour

15.Loch Ness, Glencoe, and Highlands Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 913 reviews · 12 hours · from $54

See Glencoe, Ben Nevis, Loch Ness, and Highland villages on a full-day bus tour from Edinburgh with an optional boat cruise.

“Turva was amazing and he was witty, funny and knowledgeable during the tour. Loch Ness, indeed, was pretty calm to have a relaxing me time, seeing a hair friend was delightful experience as well. Loved it.”

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