Inverness Private Tour: Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness & Culloden

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Free cancellationExcellent qualityLikely to sell out

1/10

Duration7h–8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Walk the ruins of a 1000-year-old castle on Loch Ness, then stand where the last battle on British soil was fought.

A private guided tour from Inverness covering Urquhart Castle perched on Loch Ness, the 13th-century Beauly Priory, Culloden Battlefield where the 1746 battle took place, Clava Cairns Bronze Age cemetery, and Cawdor Castle with its gardens and Macbeth connections. The tour includes port pickup, transportation, a guide in English, lunch at Cawdor Castle, water and snacks, and runs 7 to 8 hours. Groups range from 4 to 8 people depending on the option you choose at checkout.

7h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Tour Urquhart Castle and Inverness highlights

Travel along Cromarty Firth shore
Cross Cromarty bridge to Black Isle
Visit Beauly Priory gate
See Highland Cattle
Drive over Culnakirk Hill to Drumnadrochit
Explore Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness
Pass Hill of the Fairies entering Inverness
Visit Leakeys bookshop on Church Street
See Old High Church and St Stephens
Pass Abertarff House
Visit Clava Cairns
Lunch at Cawdor Castle
Tour Culloden Battlefield and museum

The Experience

The tour starts at the port gate and heads north across the Cromarty bridge to the Black Isle, stopping first at Beauly Priory—a 13th-century monastery founded for Valliscaulian monks from Dijon, France, and later destroyed by Cromwell's forces. You'll see it from the gate (the priory is currently closed due to storm damage, but the exterior and grounds remain visible). A brief stop follows to see Highland Cattle before the route climbs over Culnakirk Hill toward Drumnadrochit and Urquhart Castle, which sits on a promontory jutting into Loch Ness. The views across the loch are the main draw here—you can explore the castle ruins, walk down to the water's edge, and keep watch for the famous monster.

The route then turns toward Inverness, passing the Hill of the Fairies and stopping to see the Cathedral and Old High Church on Church Street. The Old High Church still bears musket holes in its walls from the execution of Jacobite prisoners after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. You'll also pass Inverness Castle and the statue of Flora Macdonald, then head out to Clava Cairns—a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age cemetery where you can enter 2 of the 3 cairns and see the stone circles and cleft stone. Lunch happens at Cawdor Castle, where you can tour the castle interior and gardens; the Dowager Countess of Cawdor still lives there. The tour concludes at Culloden Battlefield, where you visit the museum and walk the main areas where the heaviest fighting occurred in 1746, seeing the memorial cairn, the well of the dead, clan gravestones, and Leanach cottage.

Your guide speaks English and travels with the group throughout. The vehicle includes WiFi, bottled water, and snacks. Pickup and drop-off happen at the port, and the full day runs 7 to 8 hours. You'll choose your group size—4, 6, or 8 people—at checkout; the price and vehicle adjust accordingly.

What’s included

Private transportation from the port.
a guide speaking English.
pickup and drop-off at the port gate.
bottled water and snacks throughout the day.
lunch at Cawdor Castle.
WiFi on board.
entry to Urquhart Castle, Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield museum, and Cawdor Castle gardens.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Highlander Private Tours

Is this one for you?The private format and fixed itinerary mean you don't coordinate timing across multiple stops or worry about missing the port departure—the guide handles the route and pacing so the full day holds together. Choose the group of 4 if you want the most intimate experience, or the larger groups if you're traveling with family or friends and want to share the cost.