Glens, lochs and castles
A Highlands tour from Inverness is the road west to Skye: along Loch Ness, across the Highlands to the west coast, past Eilean Donan Castle on its island at the head of Loch Duich, and over to the island. Four 12-hour days and one 2-day trip make that drive, from $91 per person. Below: what you see from the window, where the coach actually stops, and what each price covers.
Quick answer
The short answer. Book the castle day at $94 if you want a group capped at 16, time at Eilean Donan and a different road home: 1,809 reviewers rate it 4.9. If price comes first, the Eilean Donan and Portree day at $91 carries 5,019 reviews at 4.8. For a night away, the 2-day trip is $224.
The road west
The Highland part of the day happens before Skye and after it.
All four one-day trips begin on Loch Ness, and the 2-day trip comes home that way, via Fort Augustus at the foot of the loch. The castle day describes the start as travelling along the Great Glen Fault Line towards the loch, with Urquhart Castle seen from afar. The Eilean Donan and Portree day follows the shore to Invermoriston and stops there for a short break, a coffee and photos. So a Highlands tour from Inverness opens on the loch, whichever day you pick.
Then comes the crossing an Inverness Highlands tour is really about. One listing calls it winding Highland roads toward the west coast; another, dramatic Highland scenery. At the end of that stretch stands Eilean Donan Castle, set on its own island at the head of Loch Duich, and all five routes include it in some form: from a 20-minute photo stop to time to go inside.
Window or stop
Place by place on a Highlands tour from Inverness: a stop means the listing names a break there; from the road means it does not.
A 10-minute photo stop on the Fairy Pools day and on the Myths and Legends day; a short break at Invermoriston on the Eilean Donan and Portree day. The castle day passes by, with Urquhart Castle from afar.
Twenty minutes for photos on the Fairy Pools day; time to go inside or stay outside on the castle day and the Eilean Donan and Portree day; entry at your own expense on the Myths and Legends day.
A break at Kyle of Lochalsh on the Eilean Donan and Portree day. The castle day and the Fairy Pools day cross the Skye Bridge to Kyleakin; on the castle day you can look out to the ruin of Castle Moil.
A panoramic stop on the way back on the Eilean Donan and Portree day, in those months.
The way home, at the foot of Loch Ness, with views of the loch.
On the island
What happens between the two Highland stretches.
Over the water, the routes split. On the castle day you travel up the island’s east coast through the Red Cuillin to Sligachan. On the Fairy Pools day you hop off at Kyleakin, then pass the Cuillin Hills. Portree, the island’s capital, is the lunch stop on all four one-day trips. The afternoon goes to the Trotternish sights or to the Fairy Pools, depending on the trip.
The castle day comes home by a different road from the morning, around 20:00. So a Highlands tour from Inverness shows you the mainland twice, on some days by two roads.
Along the road
Four frames of the country a Highlands tour from Inverness crosses.
Still water between brown hillsides, under grey cloud.
The tower and the arched bridge to its island, cloud low on the hill.
A ruined tower on a wooded point, a lawn and paths, grey water behind.
Pointed peaks in low light over brown moorland and a small pool.
Every trip, current fare
Every Highlands tour from Inverness on this site, priced per person. Lunch is not included on any of them, and none of them includes pickup.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eilean Donan and Portree day | $91 | per person | 12 hours | Air-conditioned bus, live guide in English; time at Eilean Donan (entry not stated); lunch stop in Portree | Railway Terrace | 4.8 · 5,019 |
| The castle day | $94 | per person | 12 hours | Up to 16 participants, live guide in English; time at Eilean Donan (entry not stated); back around 20:00 | Ardross Street, by Inverness Cathedral | 4.9 · 1,809 |
| Myths and Legends day | $94 | per person | 12 hours | Small group (no number given); audio guide in five languages; Eilean Donan entry at your own expense | Opposite the Victorian Market, 15 Union Street | 4.7 · 180 |
| Fairy Pools day | $105 | per person | 12 hours | Air-conditioned vehicle, driver-guide; 90 minutes at the Fairy Pools; 20-minute photo stop at Eilean Donan | 25 Union Street | 4.7 · 1,278 |
| The 2-day trip | $224 | per person | 2 days | Overnight trip with a driver guide; hike to the Fairy Pools; whether the room is in the price is not stated | Railway Terrace | 4.8 · 513 |
The price
Five prices for one or two days, all per person.
Highland days out of Inverness on this site start from $91 per person, for the Eilean Donan and Portree day, with 5,019 reviews at 4.8, more than any other trip on the site. Two of the one-day trips cost $94 each: the castle day, with its group capped at 16 and a 4.9 rating, and the Myths and Legends day, with its audio guide. The Fairy Pools day is $105 for 90 minutes at the pools.
The 2-day trip is $224 per person for two days with one night away. Where you sleep and whether the room is in that price, the listing does not say: check before you book. Compare it with other multi-day trips, not with a single day: our top pick, a three-day route from Edinburgh through Glencoe and Loch Ness that stays overnight in Portree, is $304 per person for three days.
Who it suits
Four honest tests before you pick a Highlands tour from Inverness.
Up to 16 participants. Benoît from France: «the landscapes were stunning, the trip very well organized».
At $91 it also takes in Lealt Falls and, from April to October, the Strome Viewpoint. Sarah from New Zealand: «We had enough time at each stop and found it to be an excellent day out.»
Legends, folklore and rival clans, plus an audio guide in five languages; bring your own headset. Hazwan from the United Kingdom: «Apart from the stunning scenery and destinations, the tour also presents a real Scottish experience.»
Two days, a night away and a hike to the Fairy Pools on the second morning. Paweł from Poland: «The ratio of time spent commuting to time spent at the attractions was very favorable.»
The longer routes
Two things the Inverness days do not include, and where to find them.
Glencoe is not on any of the five routes that start in Inverness. On this site it sits on several of the three-day routes from Edinburgh and Glasgow. If the glen matters to you, look there; our top pick is one of them, at $304 per person for three days from Edinburgh. The Edinburgh guide compares those routes.
The Jacobite steam train is not on the Inverness routes either. It is part of the 4-day trip from Edinburgh, and an option on one three-day trip from Edinburgh, from April to October.
A Highlands tour from Inverness gives you Loch Ness, the road west, Eilean Donan and Skye in one day instead.
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing makes a Highlands tour from Inverness easier on the day.
Each trip has its own place in central Inverness, listed in the questions below. There is no pickup.
Lunch is not included. The one-day trips make a lunch stop in Portree; the 2-day trip names Broadford.
No listing says the ticket is included. On the Myths and Legends day it is at your own expense, and if the castle is closed for an event, there is a photo stop outside.
The listing calls the walk moderately challenging and asks for adequate footwear.
Free cancellation is offered; the deadline differs from trip to trip, so read it on the booking page.
Our verdict
Book the castle day if you want the Highland road done well. For $94 you get a group of up to 16, time at Eilean Donan, the Trotternish sights and a different road home, rated 4.9 by 1,809 reviewers.
If price comes first, the Eilean Donan and Portree day at $91 is the Highlands tour from Inverness with the biggest review count on the site: 5,019 at 4.8.
Book direct
The castle day first, then the Eilean Donan and Portree day, the Fairy Pools day and the 2-day trip. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.9 · 1,809 reviews
★ 4.8 · 5,019 reviews
★ 4.7 · 1,278 reviews
★ 4.8 · 513 reviews
Common questions
The castle day returns at approximately 20:00. The other listings give no return time, so do not book a tight onward connection that evening. Each one-day trip is listed at 12 hours.
At a meeting point in Inverness, not where you stay. Railway Terrace for the Eilean Donan and Portree day and the 2-day trip; the bus stop by Inverness Cathedral on Ardross Street for the castle day; 25 Union Street for the Fairy Pools day; opposite the Victorian Market entrance, 15 Union Street, for the Myths and Legends day, 15 minutes before departure.
No, on none of the five. The one-day trips make a lunch stop in Portree; the 2-day trip names Broadford.
No listing says it is. On the Myths and Legends day entry is at your own expense, and a 1-hour castle tour costs extra. The castle day and the Eilean Donan and Portree day give you time to go inside or stay outside; the Fairy Pools day makes a 20-minute photo stop.
Three of the one-day trips do: a 10-minute photo stop on the Fairy Pools day and the Myths and Legends day, and a short break at Invermoriston on the Eilean Donan and Portree day. The castle day passes the loch; the 2-day trip returns via Fort Augustus.
It depends on the trip. The Fairy Pools day is not for children under 3; the Eilean Donan and Portree day and the 2-day trip, not under 4; the castle day, not under 5, and under-18s travel with an adult. The Myths and Legends listing gives no minimum age.
Go deeper
Four long days and one two-day trip from the Highland capital, side by side.
Loch NessThe loch on the road west, and how long each tour stays.
Eilean DonanThe castle on its island at the head of Loch Duich, and the tours that stop there.
Two daysA night on the island: what the second day adds.
From EdinburghThree- and four-day tours from the capital: route, nights and what the price covers.
Edinburgh: 3-Day Isle of Skye, Highlands, and Loch Ness Tour
★ 4.8 · 1,239 reviews · 3 days