Scottish Highlands Day Trip from Edinburgh

While exploring the Highlands in a day is practically impossible, we’ve designed this full-day excursion from Edinburgh to give you a flavor of the stunning landscape north of the Scottish capital, its natural wonders, as well as a castle and some delicious food. 

Our day begins bright and early at your hotel. Your expert guide and your driver will pick you up, and you’ll start heading on a scenic drive out of the city. We'll pass sites such as the Forth Bridge: a railway bridge that was completed over 125 years ago and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll continue west to Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and an exquisite example of the Scottish Renaissance. We’ll visit the newly restored interior (some rooms remain closed) and gain unique insights into the domestic life of Scottish royalty while admiring the splendid remains of what was once a pleasure palace and a stopping point between Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle.

NOTE: This tour includes a car service that will pick you up at your accommodation. Please tell us your hotel or apartment address in the 'Additional Details' box while adding the tour to your shopping cart.

Our journey will continue northeast to Stirling Castle, home of James IV and James V. Here, we’ll hear stories and intrigue of the Stewart Court while admiring the Royal Palace and the Great Hall, the largest ever built in Scotland. Completed in 1503, the Great Hall was used as a venue for courtly celebrations and important occasions. We will also see the Stirling Heads, which once adorned the ceiling of the King's Lodgings, and hear the fascinating story of the Unicorn Tapestries.
 
After Stirling Castle, we’ll break for a quick lunch (at your own expense) to fuel us onwards for the second part of our journey. We’ll head further north to the picturesque town of Dunkeld, which sits on the banks of the River Tay. Here we will learn about the Jacobites and their revolts and admire the brightly colored 'little houses' of Dunkeld, built in the early 1700s.
 
Finally, depending on weather conditions and availability, we'll aim for either the Queen's View or South Queensferry on our way back towards Edinburgh. Both sites offer stunning views, so we'll prepare our cameras for this grand finale. From the Queen's View, Loch Tummel and the mountains of the west form an iconic picture of Scotland, and South Queensbury provides a glorious view of the three bridges over the Firth of Forth. After this stop, we'll head straight back to Edinburgh, dropping you back at your accommodation to bask in the memories of your day in the highlands.

Please note: The Queen's View is currently closed, so we'll make South Queensbury our last stop on the tour until it reopens.

Where do we meet? Where does it end?
Your guide and driver will meet you and drop you off at your accommodation. 

Do we get to see highland cows?
Yes, we generally manage a stop along the way to meet the local celebrities.