The castle on the road to Skye
Most travellers take an Eilean Donan Castle tour as one stop on a longer day. The castle stands on its own island at the head of Loch Duich, on the road west from Inverness, and 11 of the 13 trips on this site name it. Day trips start from $91 per person and last 12 hours. Below: which trips stop, which let you go inside, who pays for the ticket and how long you get there.
Quick answer
The short answer. If the castle is the point of your Eilean Donan Castle tour, book the $94 castle day: 12 hours, a listing that lets you go inside or stay with the views, groups of up to 16, and 1,809 reviews at 4.9. The $91 day also gives you time at the castle. No listing here says the entry ticket is in the price, so keep money for it.
Where it fits in the day
Four long days from Inverness, and what each one does at the castle and after it.
The listing of the $91 day describes Eilean Donan as set on its own island at the head of Loch Duich. Every Inverness to Isle of Skye day trip on this site stops there, so the castle comes with the island rather than instead of it: one long day of 12 hours with a live guide in English.
What changes is what you do at the castle and what follows it. The $91 day takes a short break at Invermoriston by Loch Ness, then Eilean Donan, then Portree, the Old Man of Storr and Lealt Falls. The $94 castle day adds Kilt Rock and the Quiraing and comes back by a different route from the morning. On the Fairy Pools day the longest stop is 90 minutes at the pools in Glen Brittle.
So an Eilean Donan Castle tour on a single day is really a choice about the rest of the island. Christine from France, on the $91 day: «The tour was very well paced, with enough time at each stop while keeping the day moving smoothly.»
At the castle
Four views of what you walk up to on an Eilean Donan Castle tour.
A low stone parapet beside the path, visitors walking up to the towers, seaweed on the rocks below.
The tower and the long arched bridge from the flat ground by the water, with a small stream in front.
Rocks covered in yellow weed in front, the castle and its bridge beyond.
The curved stone wall of the bridge, with weed and still water below the castle.
Every trip, current fare
The four 12-hour days from Inverness, the three-day top pick and the four-day trip on one Eilean Donan Castle tour list. Every price is per person, and lunch is not included on any of them.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | At the castle | What the price covers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skye and Eilean Donan in a day | $91 | per person | 12 hours | Time to visit the castle, or admire it from outside | Air-conditioned bus, live guide; the ticket is not mentioned | 4.8 · 5,019 |
| Skye and the castle, up to 16 | $94 | per person | 12 hours | Go inside, or enjoy the views | Up to 16 participants; back around 20:00; the ticket is not mentioned | 4.9 · 1,809 |
| Skye and the Fairy Pools | $105 | per person | 12 hours | Photo stop, 20 minutes | Air-conditioned vehicle, driver-guide; 90 minutes at the Fairy Pools | 4.7 · 1,278 |
| Myths & Legends day | $94 | per person | 12 hours | Entry at your own expense; 1-hour guided tour for an extra fee | Live guide, plus an audio guide in five languages | 4.7 · 180 |
| Three days via Glencoe, our top pick | $304 | per person | 3 days | A visit on day three; interior closed in winter | Two nights in Portree; rooms in the price not stated | 4.8 · 1,239 |
| Four days with the Jacobite steam train | $1,045 | per person | 4 days | Time to explore inside | One-way ride on the Jacobite steam train; up to 16; three overnights | 4.8 · 176 |
The ticket
The listings are clear about one trip and silent about the rest.
No listing on this site says the castle ticket is in the price. One says the opposite in plain words: the Myths & Legends day, at $94, lists Eilean Donan as «own expense» and offers a one-hour guided tour of the castle as an optional extra. The same listing warns that the castle may be closed for events on certain days; then the stop becomes a photo stop for the outside.
The others are silent on the ticket. The $91 day gives you time to visit the castle or just admire the exterior; the $94 castle day says you can go inside or simply enjoy the views. Treat the ticket as your own cost unless the booking page says otherwise. The listings give no ticket price, so we do not quote one. If walking the halls is the point of your Eilean Donan Castle tour, pick a day whose listing mentions going inside.
Inside or outside
Eleven trips name Eilean Donan; two do not mention it. Grouped by what each listing promises there.
The $91 day («time to visit the castle»), the $94 castle day («You can go inside») and the four-day trip at $1,045 («time to explore inside»). None of the three mentions the ticket.
Our top pick, three days at $304, visits the castle on day three and notes that the interior is closed in winter. The three days from Glasgow via Loch Ness, also at $304, describe a tour of the castle.
The Fairy Pools day at $105, for 20 minutes, and the three days with private-bathroom rooms at $529.
The Myths & Legends day at $94. The one-hour guided castle tour is optional and costs extra.
Two days from Inverness at $224, three days with the optional Jacobite train at $488, and the guided three days from Glasgow at $529.
From Edinburgh and Glasgow
Three or four days from Edinburgh, with the castle on the way.
There is no one-day Eilean Donan Castle tour from Edinburgh on this site. From the capital, the castle comes as part of three or four days, and four Edinburgh trips name it.
Our top pick is the three-day trip at $304 per person. It leaves Castle Terrace at 9:00, picks up passengers in Glasgow at 10:00, passes through the Glencoe valley and stays two nights in Portree. Eilean Donan comes on day three, on the way home; the listing notes the interior is closed in winter. Norah from the United Kingdom: «Two nights in Portree gave plenty of time on the island to tour the best sights».
The four-day trip at $1,045 gives you time to explore inside the castle, stays a night at Fort Augustus and two on Skye, and includes a one-way ride on the Jacobite steam train. It is limited to 16 participants.
So $91 buys one day from Inverness; $304 buys three days from Edinburgh.
Who it suits
Each long day suits a different traveller. How to choose your Eilean Donan Castle tour.
The listing offers the inside or the views, groups are capped at 16, and it is back around 20:00. Rated 4.9 across 1,809 reviews. Victoria from the United States: «This tour packed a lot of sites and scenery into one day and was a great overview of the Isle of Skye!»
The lowest-priced Inverness to Isle of Skye day tour on this site, with time to visit the castle, a lunch stop in Portree, the Old Man of Storr and Lealt Falls. 5,019 reviews at 4.8. Sarah from New Zealand: «We had enough time at each stop and found it to be an excellent day out.»
Ninety minutes at the Fairy Pools for $105, with the castle as a 20-minute photo stop.
Our top pick at $304 covers Glencoe, two nights in Portree and the castle on the way back.
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing make an Eilean Donan Castle tour easier on the day.
No listing here says the ticket is included. Keep money for it if you plan to go inside.
The interior is closed in winter, and the castle may close for events on certain days.
Railway Terrace for the $91 day; Ardross Street by Inverness Cathedral for the $94 castle day; Union Street for the Fairy Pools and Myths & Legends days.
Lunch is not included on any of them. The day trips stop in Portree for lunch.
Minimum age 4 on the $91 day, 5 on the castle day, 3 on the Fairy Pools day.
Every listing offers free cancellation, but the deadline differs by trip. Check it on the booking page before you pay.
Our verdict
Book the $94 castle day if Eilean Donan is the reason you are going. Its listing offers the inside or the views, groups stay at 16 or fewer, and 1,809 reviewers rate it 4.9, the highest rating on this site.
On a tighter budget, the $91 day also allows time at the castle. From Edinburgh, take our top pick: three days at $304.
Book direct
Three 12-hour days from Inverness and our top pick from Edinburgh. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.9 · 1,809 reviews
★ 4.8 · 5,019 reviews
★ 4.7 · 1,278 reviews
★ 4.8 · 1,239 reviews
Common questions
No listing on this site says so. The Myths & Legends day lists the castle as own expense; the $91 day and the $94 castle day give you time to go inside but do not mention the ticket. Plan to pay for it yourself.
If you choose to, on three trips: the $91 day, the $94 castle day and the four-day trip from Edinburgh. The Fairy Pools day stops for photos only. In winter the interior is closed, as our top pick’s listing notes.
Only one listing gives a number: the Fairy Pools day stops for 20 minutes of photos. The others do not state the time at the castle. Every Eilean Donan Castle tour in one day on this site lasts 12 hours in total.
Not with a trip on this site: the one-day options all leave Inverness. From Edinburgh, the castle comes on three- and four-day trips, such as our top pick at $304.
No. Lunch is not included on any trip on this site. The day trips stop in Portree, where you can buy lunch. Bring money for food and drinks.
The $94 castle day gives approximately 20:00. Other listings give no time, and the Fairy Pools day calls its timings approximate: avoid a tight connection that evening.
Go deeper
What a twelve-hour day from Inverness covers on the island, and which day suits you.
Fairy PoolsThe walk to the pools, and which tours give you time there.
From EdinburghThree- and four-day tours from the capital: route, nights and what the price covers.
Loch NessThe loch on the road west, and how long each tour stays.
Edinburgh: 3-Day Isle of Skye, Highlands, and Loch Ness Tour
★ 4.8 · 1,239 reviews · 3 days