Edinburgh: Isle of Skye, Jacobite Steam Train & Highlands 3-Day

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1/10

Duration3d

GroupUp to 34

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Three Days North: Steam Train, Skye & the Loch Ness Shore

You spend three days traveling north from Edinburgh by coach, riding the Jacobite Steam Train for two hours across the Glenfinnan Viaduct, then two nights on the Isle of Skye visiting the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, and Dunvegan Castle. On the return, you stop at Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Ness, and the Commando Memorial before heading back to Edinburgh. The tour includes the steam train ticket, all transport, accommodation, a local guide, and entry to the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre—so you're not arranging trains, hotels, or timing yourself across the Highlands.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Travel from Edinburgh to Portree

Travel north through Rannoch Moor
Stop at Glen Coe
Arrive at Fort William
Board Jacobite Steam Train
Ride train along west coast
Cross Glenfinnan Viaduct
Arrive in Mallaig fishing village
End day in Portree town
Dine or drink locally in Portree

Day 2 — Explore Isle of Skye

View Old Man of Storr
Visit Kilt Rock waterfall
Tour Dunvegan Castle
End day exploring Isle of Skye

Day 3 — Return from Portree to Edinburgh

Visit Eilean Donan Castle
Tour Dundreggan Rewilding Centre
Search for Nessie at Loch Ness
Stop at Commando Memorial
Visit Dunkeld village and cathedral

The Experience

Our guide met us outside the hotel in Edinburgh at 7:45am, and within minutes we were heading north through Rannoch Moor—the landscape just opens up, all heather and emptiness. Glen Coe comes next, and you understand why people move to Scotland just to live in its shadow. By mid-morning we'd pulled into Fort William, where the real thing starts: the Jacobite Steam Train, the one from the Harry Potter films, waiting on the platform with actual steam rising off it. The 2-hour ride follows the west coast, and somewhere around the halfway point you cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct—that stone arch everyone recognizes. The train slows down there. People stand up. Then it's Mallaig, a working fishing village with a proper harbor, and from there a coach takes you across to Portree on the Isle of Skye, where you'll spend the next two nights in a 3-star B&B or hotel.

Day two on Skye is the one you'll think about for months. The Old Man of Storr is the first stop—a rock formation that juts out of the hillside like something from another planet, and the walk to it takes maybe 45 minutes depending on your pace. Then Kilt Rock, which has a waterfall that drops straight down the cliff face. The light changes constantly up there. After that comes Dunvegan Castle, built in the 13th century and still lived in by the Chiefs of Clan MacLeod—800 years in the same family, which is the kind of fact that makes you stand still for a moment. You walk the grounds, see the rooms, and the guide talks about the clans and the history without making it feel like a school trip. By evening you're back in Portree with time to find a restaurant or a pub, and the town's small enough that you can't really get lost.

The drive back to Edinburgh on day three takes you through some of the best scenery in the Highlands. Eilean Donan Castle sits on a small island where two lochs meet—it's the one you've seen in a hundred films, and it's real. Then the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre, where you learn about Trees for Life and their work restoring the Caledonian Pine Forest. Loch Ness comes next, and yes, people do scan the water for Nessie, though what you mostly see is the loch itself, which is enormous and dark and somehow exactly what you expected. Fort Augustus is the village on the shore where you stop. The Commando Memorial comes after that, with views of Ben Nevis on a clear day—though weather decides whether you actually see it. Dunkeld, a small village with a cathedral by the river, is the last stop before Edinburgh. The return time is around 5:30pm, though the info says to allow three hours after that for any onward travel, because Highland roads don't always cooperate with schedules.

What’s included

Your three days include pickup from your Edinburgh hotel, air-conditioned coach transport throughout, the Jacobite Steam Train ticket from Fort William to Mallaig, 2 nights accommodation in a 3-star B&B or hotel in Portree (room type selected at booking), entry to Dundreggan Rewilding Centre, and a local English-speaking guide. Meals are not included, though you'll have time to eat at local restaurants and pubs, especially in Portree on evenings one and two.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Highland Explorer Tours Ltd

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main Highlands and Skye highlights in three days without arranging your own transport, train tickets, or accommodation—the fixed itinerary and included coach mean you show up and the logistics are handled. It's also the way to ride the Jacobite Steam Train without figuring out how to get to Fort William and back on your own.