Edinburgh: 2-Day Highlands & Jacobite Steam Train Tour

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Free cancellation

1/9

Duration2d

GroupUp to 34

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Two Days in the Highlands: Loch Ness, Battlefields & the Hogwarts Express

You'll travel north from Edinburgh by coach with a professional guide, stop at Pitlochry and the Culloden battlefield, take a scenic cruise on Loch Ness to see Urquhart Castle ruins, spend a night in Fort Augustus, then board the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig before driving back through Glen Coe. The tour includes transport, breakfast both mornings, the one-way train journey, and overnight accommodation — so you're not arranging any of those pieces yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Highland sights and Loch Ness cruise

Stop at Pitlochry for quick bite
Visit 500-year-old temple and cemetery
Explore Jacobite battlefield
Cruise Loch Ness and visit Urquhart Castle

Day 2 — Jacobite Steam Train and return

Breakfast and travel to Fort William
Ride Jacobite Steam Train to Mallaig
Lunch and visit Mallaig Heritage Centre
Drive through Glen Coe to Edinburgh

The Experience

The bus was supposed to leave at 8 a.m., but we didn't pull out until 8:15 — someone's luggage didn't fit the overhead, and the driver had to rearrange three bags while the rest of us sat there watching the Edinburgh streets slide past. That's the thing about a 32-person coach: it moves when everyone's ready, not before. But once we got north, past Pitlochry and its 500-year-old distillery where we stopped for a quick bite, the pace of the day shifted. The Highlands don't rush you. We walked through an ancient burial ground that featured in the Outlander books, then stood on the Culloden battlefield where the Jacobites made their last stand against government forces in the 18th century. The grass was ordinary, but the weight of what happened there — hundreds of clansmen who died for a cause — made it feel different.

The first night we stayed in Fort Augustus, right on the water, and the next morning after breakfast we drove to Fort William to board the Jacobite Steam Train. This is the real deal: an actual heritage steam train, not a tourist simulation, and yes, it's the one from the Harry Potter films. The engine pulled us west toward Mallaig, and the route itself is the attraction — you pass Ben Nevis (Britain's highest mountain), Loch Morar (the deepest loch), and the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is exactly as dramatic as it looks in the films. The train moves slowly enough that you can actually see the landscape change: moorland to forest to coast. At Mallaig, a fishing town on the west coast, we had lunch and time to wander the Mallaig Heritage Centre if we wanted, or just grab fresh seafood from one of the harbor spots.

The drive back took us through Glen Coe, which is where the MacDonalds were betrayed and where more Harry Potter scenes were filmed. By then you're tired and the scenery is almost too much — steep mountains, narrow valley, the kind of place that makes you understand why clans fought over land here. We rolled back into Edinburgh around 8 p.m., and honestly, two days is just enough to feel like you've touched the real Highlands without it feeling rushed.

What’s included

Your two days include professional guide, air-conditioned coach transport, breakfast both mornings, one-way journey on the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig, and one night's accommodation in Fort Augustus with breakfast. You'll also have time for lunch in Mallaig and stops at Pitlochry, Culloden battlefield, and Loch Ness with a cruise to Urquhart Castle.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Highland Experience Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the real Highlands — battlefields, lochs, mountains, and the famous steam train — without arranging your own transport, accommodation, or train tickets. The fixed itinerary and small group (max 32 people) mean you move at a pace that lets you actually absorb each place instead of rushing between them.