Bestseller3,027 reviews
3 daysFrom Edinburgh: 3-Day Isle of Skye and The Highlands Tour
★ 4.8 · 3,027 reviews
- Three days, Glenfinnan Viaduct and Glencoe
- Accommodation not included
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$238
Check availability→ The route north, by guided tour
Edinburgh to Inverness tour: three days north
An Edinburgh to Inverness tour on this site is never a one-way ride: no listing drives you north and leaves you there. What you can book is a three-day guided loop from Edinburgh that names Inverness, with the Isle of Skye in the middle and Pitlochry on the way home. Two listings fit. Below: the route, what each price covers and who each one suits.
Quick answer
The short answer. For an Edinburgh to Inverness tour with two nights in the town, book the 3-day Skye and Highlands loop at $238 per person: 3,027 reviews at 4.8, but you book and pay for the two nights in Inverness yourself. If you want the room arranged in the booking, the 3-day tour with Inverness in its name costs $529 per person, with double, twin, family or single rooms, each with a private bathroom.
The Edinburgh to Inverness tour at a glance
- Listings that name Inverness
- 2 of the 6 from Edinburghboth run 3 days
- One-way ride north
- None on this siteboth loops end back in Edinburgh
- Two nights in Inverness
- $238per person; beds are not in the price
- Booked with a room
- $529per person; every room type has a private bathroom
- Start in Edinburgh
- Burns Monument, Regent Roadcheck-in 8:15, departure 8:30 on the $238 tour
- Luggage
- 15 kg per personplus a smaller bag on board
- Minimum age
- 7 and 37 on the $238 loop; 3 with proof of age on the $529 tour
- Skye trips on this site
- $91per person and up: a 12-hour day from Inverness
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationthe deadline differs by tour
What exists
What you can actually book between the two cities
No straight transfer, two loops through the Highlands.
Search for an Edinburgh to Inverness tour and you may picture a coach that drives north, shows you the Highlands and drops you in Inverness. No listing here is a one-way tour from Edinburgh to Inverness, and the shortest tour from the capital runs two and a half days.
What exists is the loop. Of the six tours from Edinburgh here, two name Inverness. The 3-day Skye and Highlands loop asks you to book two nights in Inverness, and the 3-day tour with Inverness in its title is sold with a room. Both head north through the Highlands, take in the Isle of Skye and come south again through Pitlochry. The other four Edinburgh listings do not name Inverness.
So read an Edinburgh to Inverness tour as three days out and back. If what you want is an Inverness tour from Edinburgh with Skye in the middle, these two loops are the ones to compare. Staying on in Inverness afterwards is yours to plan.
Stop by stop
The road north and back, in the listing’s own words
What the $238 Edinburgh to Inverness tour names on its way, in order. Its listing details only the last day stop by stop.
- Burns Monument, Regent Road, Edinburgh
Check-in at 8:15, departure at 8:30, usually on a 36-seater midi-coach.
- Glencoe, the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Loch Ness
Named in the highlights; the listing calls the viaduct magnificent.
- The Isle of Skye
The description names Skye first among the places you explore.
- Two nights in Inverness
Not in the price. The listing recommends staying within walking distance of its drop-off point at Inverness Cathedral on Ardross Street.
- Loch Ness, Culloden and Clava Cairns
Day three departs Inverness for the northern shores of Loch Ness, with an optional boat cruise. Then Culloden Battlefield and Clava Cairns, described as 4,000-year-old Bronze Age standing stones.
- The Highland Folk Museum
Highland life in the 17th century. In winter, Ruthven Barracks instead.
- Pitlochry, then the Forth Bridges
A stroll through the village and a chance to grab a quick bite, then south across the Forth Bridges to Edinburgh at about 6 PM.
On the road north
Glens, a loch and open moor, frame by frame
Three frames from the country an Edinburgh to Inverness tour drives through.
A river in a steep glen
Shallow water running over stones, a green bank on one side and dark hillsides rising steeply behind.
Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness
A ruined tower on a wooded point, with the loch stretching away behind it. On the $529 tour, the boat to the castle is a summer extra.
A road across the moor
A single road running across pale, open moorland towards a line of dark mountains under heavy cloud.
Every trip, current fare
What each route north costs and what the price covers
The two Edinburgh to Inverness tour options next to three other loops and one day from Inverness. Every price is per person, and lunch is not included on any of them.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days: Skye and the Highlands | $238 | per person | 3 days | Coach and live guide in English; optional Loch Ness cruise; two nights in Inverness are not included, you book them | Burns Monument, Regent Road; check-in 8:15 | 4.8 · 3,027 |
| 3 days: Skye, Inverness and the Highlands | $529 | per person | 3 days (listed as 58 hours) | Live guide in English; booked with a double, twin, family or single room, each with a private bathroom; Loch Ness cruise and Urquhart Castle £30 extra, summer only | Depends on the option booked | 4.7 · 517 |
| 3 days: Skye, Highlands and Loch Ness, our top pick | $304 | per person | 3 days | Small group; two nights in Portree, not Inverness; the listing does not say whether beds are in the price; Pitlochry on day three | Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, 9:00 | 4.8 · 1,239 |
| 3 days with accommodation | $598 | per person | 3 days | Accommodation included: en-suite guesthouses and B&Bs in Portree; up to 16 people; Inverness not named | Not given in the listing; arrive 15 minutes early | 4.7 · 622 |
| 3 days from Glasgow | $529 | per person | 3 days (listed as 57 hours) | Live guide in English; Loch Ness; passes Culloden Battlefield; Pitlochry on the way back; single-room option | Central Glasgow | 4.4 · 223 |
| Skye in a day from Inverness | $91 | per person | 12 hours | Air-conditioned bus; Eilean Donan, Portree, the Old Man of Storr, Lealt Falls; lunch stop in Portree | Railway Terrace, Inverness | 4.8 · 5,019 |
Side by side
Two tours, two ways of handling the nights
Same route home, different deal on where you sleep.
The gap between the two is mostly about beds. At $238 per person, the 3-day Skye and Highlands loop covers the coach, the guide and the route, and leaves the two nights in Inverness to you. A list of local places to stay comes with the confirmation. It carries 3,027 reviews at 4.8, against 1,239 for our top pick and 517 for the $529 tour.
At $529 per person, the 3-day tour with Inverness in its name is booked by room: double or twin with a private bathroom, an en-suite family room for three, or a single room. Where the nights are spent, the listing does not say. Anya from the United Kingdom wrote of her stay: «The rooms were comfortable and in a very central location in Inverness with a ton of restaurants and stores nearby.»
Both Edinburgh to Inverness tour options stop in Pitlochry on the way south. The $529 tour lists two extras: an optional tour at Culloden Battlefield, and in summer only a Loch Ness cruise with a visit to Urquhart Castle at £30; in winter only the cruise might run.
Who it suits
Which loop north suits you
Four honest tests before you choose an Edinburgh to Inverness tour.
- Take the $238 loop if you are happy to book your own beds
You choose where to sleep in Inverness; the price covers three days of driving and guiding. Olivia from Australia: «This was such a great way to see the beauty of the Scottish Highlands as a solo traveller on a short itinerary!»
- Take the $529 tour if you want the room in the booking
You pick the room type when you book, each with a private bathroom.
- Think about the pace
Tiziana from Italy, on the $238 loop: «The tour is quite intensive, but the fast pace is necessary because there’s so much to see and do in just three days.»
- Choose our top pick if Inverness itself does not matter
The 3-day tour at $304 sleeps two nights in Portree and does not name Inverness. Norah from the United Kingdom: «The route there via Glencoe was spectacular, with a well chosen stop so that it was not over too quickly as I have found before.»
Already in Inverness?
If you reach Inverness on your own
Twelve-hour days to Skye, for travellers who are already in Inverness.
Some travellers skip the Edinburgh to Inverness tour and base themselves in Inverness. From there this site lists four 12-hour days on the Isle of Skye at $91 to $105 per person, and a 2-day trip with a night away at $224.
Skye trips on this site start from $91 per person, for the 12-hour day that stops at Eilean Donan, Portree, the Old Man of Storr and Lealt Falls. These are one-day prices, so they do not compare like for like with the three-day prices above. The Inverness guide sets the four days side by side.
Before you book
Five things to check before you pay
Five checks before you pay for an Edinburgh Inverness tour.
- Where you start
Burns Monument, Regent Road, for the $238 loop. On the $529 tour it depends on the option you book.
- Your beds in Inverness
On the $238 loop you book two nights yourself. The listing suggests flexible cancellation on them.
- Onward travel on the last day
The $238 loop is due back about 6 PM; allow at least 2 hours more. The $529 tour gives its return time as an estimate.
- Luggage
15 kg per person on both, plus a smaller bag. The $529 tour also sets a maximum size of 55 × 40 × 20 cm.
- Cancellation
Both offer free cancellation; the deadline differs, so check it on the booking page. The $238 loop also lets you reserve now and pay later.
Our verdict
Our verdict on the route north
For an Edinburgh to Inverness tour, book the $238 three-day loop. Of the two listings that name Inverness, it is the one with two nights in the town and 3,027 reviews at 4.8; you add the beds yourself. Want the room arranged in the booking? Take the $529 tour. If Inverness itself does not matter, our top pick at $304 sleeps on Skye.
Book direct
Book an Edinburgh to Inverness tour
The two tours that name Inverness, our top pick and the 12-hour Skye day from Inverness. All four are priced per person.
Eilean Donan exterior photo stop517 reviews
3 daysEdinburgh: Isle of Skye, Inverness, and Highlands 3-Day Tour
★ 4.7 · 517 reviews
- Three days, Rooms with private bathroom
- Eilean Donan exterior photo stop
- Pitlochry stop on return
- Free cancellation
$529
Check availability→ 
Our top pick1,239 reviews
3 daysEdinburgh: 3-Day Isle of Skye, Highlands, and Loch Ness Tour
★ 4.8 · 1,239 reviews
- Three days, Overnight stays in Portree
- Glencoe valley on the route
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$304
Check availability→ 
Lowest price here5,019 reviews
12 hInverness: Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Day Trip
★ 4.8 · 5,019 reviews
- Twelve hours, Old Man of Storr photo stop
- Lunch stop in Portree
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$91$7.58 / hour
Check availability→ Common questions
Edinburgh to Inverness tour: questions, answered
Can you see the Isle of Skye in one day?
From Inverness, yes: this site lists four 12-hour days to the island, from $91 per person. From Edinburgh, no listing here does it in one day. Tours from the capital run two and a half to four days.
Is accommodation included in the 3-day tour?
It depends on the tour. The $238 loop does not include it: you need a 2-night stay in Inverness. The $529 tour is booked with a room option, each with a private bathroom. Of the tours from Edinburgh, only the 3-day tour with accommodation, at $598, states that accommodation is included; it stays in Portree.
Where do you stay on a 3-day Skye tour?
On the $238 loop, in Inverness, in a place you book, ideally near Inverness Cathedral, as the listing suggests. Our top pick and the 3-day tour with accommodation stay in Portree. The $529 tour does not say where its rooms are.
Do I need my own room as a solo traveller?
On the $529 tour, yes: travelling alone, you must choose the Single Room option, or the booking may not be accepted. The listing gives no figure for a single supplement.
Is Urquhart Castle included?
No. On the $529 tour, a combined Loch Ness cruise and Urquhart Castle visit costs £30, in summer only; in winter only the cruise might take place. The $238 loop offers an optional Loch Ness boat cruise and does not name Urquhart Castle.
How much luggage can I bring?
On both tours that name Inverness, 15 kg per person, plus a smaller bag on board. The $529 tour also sets a maximum size of 55 × 40 × 20 cm.
Go deeper
More on trips to the Isle of Skye
From Edinburgh
From Edinburgh
Three- and four-day tours from the capital: route, nights and what the price covers.
From InvernessFrom Inverness
Four long days and one two-day trip from the Highland capital, side by side.
Loch NessLoch Ness
The loch on the road west, and how long each tour stays.
GlencoeGlencoe
The glen on the way north, and the tours that stop there.
A weekendA weekend
Two or three days out, with the nights arranged for you.
