Day trip

From Edinburgh: West Highlands, Lochs, and Castles Tour

Day trip

From Edinburgh: West Highlands, Lochs, and Castles Tour

Activity provider: Rabbie's Small Group Tours

From US$ 90.80 per person

Eco-certified

Explore the lochs and castles of Scotland’s West Highlands on a full-day scenic drive from Edinburgh. See Doune Castle, Callander, Loch Lomond, and more, and learn about Scotland’s folk heroes.

About this activity

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Duration 10 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English

Experience

Highlights
  • Sense the peace of nature on a drive through the western Highlands
  • Discover some of Scotland's most beautiful lochs and castles
  • Visit Doune Castle, a location for scenes from Monty Python's Holy Grail
  • Admire the beautiful shores of the majestic Loch Long and Loch Lomond
  • Visit Callander and Balquhidder, and drive through Loch Lomond National Park
Full description

Enjoy a small group tour of Scotland’s Western Highlands, and explore some of its most atmospheric lochs and castles. Traveling in a comfortable 16-seat Mercedes minibus, you will depart Edinburgh and head west past Stirling Castle.

The first stop will be Doune Castle, built for Robert Stewart, the Duke of Albany, over 600 years ago. You might recognize it from the famous comedy film, Monty Python and The Holy Grail.  

Continue to Callander, where you will pause for a coffee, before leaving the rolling farms for the wild mountains and forests of the Highlands.

Visit Loch Luibnaig, and continue over the Braes of Balquhidder, the final resting place of Highland outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor. Made famous by Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy was a sort-of Highland Robin Hood, who stole from the rich but never quite got around to giving it to the poor.

From Balquhidder, the tour winds its way through the tough knot of mountains known as Breadalbane. Stop for lunch in a small West Highland village. 

Continue past Kilchurn Castle in the middle of Loch Awe, and on through Campbell country to the picturesque town of Inveraray on the shores of Loch Fyne. Visit the 18th-Century castle, home of the Duke of Argyll, chief of the Campbell clan.

Depart Inveraray, and drive up through the steep mountains of the Arrochar Alps, to the great viewpoint at “Rest and Be Thankful,” given its name by the weary soldiers who had just finished building the military road up through Glen Croe. 

Skirt Loch Long, and drive down to the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, Scotland's largest loch.

Stop at the conservation village of Luss, to admire its quaint houses and stunning views across the loch, and then make your way back to Edinburgh, with a short stop underneath Stirling Castle.

Includes
  • Tour guide
  • Transportation during the activity
  • Doune Castle entrance fee (from April 1, 2023)
  • Food and drinks
  • Tips
Not suitable for
  • Children under 5 years

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Meet at Edinburgh Bus Station.

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Important information

What to bring

  • Hiking shoes
  • Weather-appropriate clothing

Know before you go

  • From April 1, 2023, Doune Castle entrance is included in the tour price. Before this date, the visit is optional and tickets can be purchased during the tour
  • Inveraray Castle is only open between Easter and mid-October
  • Keep in mind you are restricted to 14 kg (31 lbs) of luggage per person on the tour. This should be one piece of luggage similar to an airline carry-on bag (approximately 22x17x10 inches) plus a small bag for onboard personal items
Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.7 /5

based on 345 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.9/5
  • Transportation
    4.9/5
  • Service
    4.8/5
  • Organization
    4.8/5

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The trip was absolutely amazing, I would not be able to find the words to describe it properly. Me, and Monica were absolutely amazed by the Castles and the landscapes that we saw, but that was just a small part of the trip. Our guide was Graham and he was just magnificent, I feel that we've learned soooo many things during a day about the history, the mythical creatures and many other interesting stories about Highlands. All, while listening to a great playlist with scotish artists. Definettly, definettly choose a day tour, in order to make your trip complete! We are going to come back to Scotland after this experience, and we Will book another trip, for sure. Hihi But only if we can choose Graham as our guide, again!

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April 1, 2023

Great tour and the perfect way to explore all the great things Scotland has to offer besides Loch Ness! We specifically booked this trip as we were travelling to Edinburgh and already had a day trip to Loch Ness & co. Ashely was an amazing guide (and driver) and shared a lot of insightful info, historical facts & Scottish myths, the places were breathtaking and all in all the trip was well thought out. Depending on where you are from, it can be rather pricey but taking it as a bucket-list experience, it is totally worth it.

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April 1, 2023

Our tour was amazing. Our guide, Mr. Devine, was absolutely wonderful!!! Really knowledgeable about Scotland, excellent photographer, and very kind. I loved Scotland before but even more after the tour. Cannot thank our guide and Rabbie’s Tours enough!

April 1, 2023

Product ID: 3425