3-Day Loch Ness & Isle of Skye Tour from Edinburgh

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/9

Duration3d

GroupUp to 16

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk the Fairy Pools and stand in Glencoe without arranging the drive yourself

A 3-day guided tour from Edinburgh into the Scottish Highlands, visiting Loch Ness, Isle of Skye and Glencoe with a local English-speaking guide, air-conditioned coach transport and two nights' B&B accommodation. The tour departs Edinburgh at 8:30am each morning and includes stops at Eilean Donan Castle, Culloden Battlefield, the Fairy Pools and the Kelpies sculptures, with meals and gratuities arranged separately.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Edinburgh to Loch Ness

Depart Edinburgh at 8:30am
Explore Dunkeld cathedral grounds
Walk in Hermitage Forest
Eat in Pitlochry
Visit Clava Cairns
Pay respects at Culloden Battlefield
View Urquhart Castle from outside

Day 2 — Loch Ness and Isle of Skye

Stop in Dornie to see Eilean Donan Castle
Visit Broadford village
Dip toe in Sligachan waters
Walk to Fairy Pools and picnic
Wander Portree harbour
Drive back to Fort Augustus

Day 3 — Loch Ness to Edinburgh

Visit Commando Memorial
Stop at Glencoe Visitor Centre
See Glencoe landscape
Break at Green Welly Comfort Stop
Visit The Kelpies sculptures

The Experience

You leave Edinburgh at 8:30am on day one heading north through Perthshire, stopping at Dunkeld Cathedral and the Hermitage Forest for a nature walk before reaching Pitlochry for lunch. The afternoon takes you deeper into the Highlands past Clava Cairns—a Bronze Age burial site that appeared in Outlander—and Culloden Battlefield, where the Jacobite Rebellion ended. You'll see Urquhart Castle from outside on the banks of Loch Ness before settling into Fort Augustus for the night in a 3-star B&B.

Day two is built around Isle of Skye. After a morning stop at Eilean Donan Castle in Dornie, you cross to Broadford on the coast, then head to Sligachan where legend says the water grants eternal beauty. The Fairy Pools come next—a short walk to clear blue water ringed by mountains where you can stop for a picnic. Portree, Skye's main town, gives you time to wander the coloured harbour before the drive back to Fort Augustus for a second night.

The final day heads south. You'll stop at the Commando Memorial against the backdrop of Ben Nevis, visit the Glencoe Visitor Centre, then stand in Glencoe itself—a valley with an otherworldly atmosphere tied to one of Scotland's most infamous clan massacres. A comfort break at the Green Welly gives you a chance to pick up a souvenir, and your last stop is the Kelpies, two 30-metre-high horse sculptures that mark the end of the Highlands before the drive back to Edinburgh.

What’s included

Air-conditioned coach transport for all three days.
two nights' B&B accommodation in Fort Augustus (double or twin room).
a local English-speaking guide throughout the tour.
entry and access to all stops including Culloden Battlefield, the Fairy Pools, Glencoe and the Kelpies.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Highland Explorer Tours Ltd

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're arriving in Edinburgh without a rental car and want to see the Highlands, Loch Ness and Skye without driving yourself—the guide, transport and accommodation are arranged so you can focus on the stops instead of the logistics. The small-group format and fixed itinerary mean you travel with other visitors rather than alone, and you stay in the same B&B both nights instead of packing and unpacking.