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→ The road north, with a guide
Isle of Skye road trip without the driving
An Isle of Skye road trip with a guide comes in two lengths: one long day out of Inverness, or two and a half to four days from Edinburgh or Glasgow. Our top pick runs three days from Edinburgh through Glencoe, Fort William and Eilean Donan for $304 per person. Trips on this site start at $91 per person, for 12 hours from Inverness. Below: the route, what each price covers and who each trip suits.
Quick answer
The short answer. If you have three days, book our top pick: an Isle of Skye road trip from Edinburgh for $304 per person, through the Glencoe valley, lunch in Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, two nights in Portree and Eilean Donan on the way back. If you have one day, the 12-hour trip out of Inverness costs $91. Either way, a guide drives and you watch the road.
The Isle of Skye road trip at a glance
- Two lengths
- 12 hours or 2.5–4 daysthe day trips start in Inverness
- Lowest price
- $91per person, one 12-hour day
- Our top pick
- $304per person, three days from Edinburgh
- Guide
- Live guide in Englishon all 13 trips
- Route from the south
- Glencoe, Fort William, Skyeon our top pick
- Nights on Skye
- Portreeon our top pick and the guesthouse tour
- Rooms in the price
- One listing says sothe three-day guesthouse tour
- Lunch
- Not includedstops in Fort William, Portree, Fort Augustus
- Getting on board
- Meeting points in townno pickup on any trip here
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationdeadline differs by trip
Two ways to do it
A long day or a loop of several days
The same road, sold in two lengths.
The classic Isle of Skye Scotland road trip runs north from Edinburgh or Glasgow, through Glencoe and past Ben Nevis, and crosses to the island for one or two nights before turning back by Loch Ness. With a guide, that is one booking of two and a half to four days at one price per person. Eight of the 13 trips on this site work that way.
The other way starts further north. Four trips leave Inverness, cross to Skye and come back the same day, 12 hours in all. A fifth stays on the island for a night.
This page does not cover driving yourself: the listings we compare are guided trips and say nothing about it. They do describe the route: where each Isle of Skye road trip starts, where it stops and sleeps, and what the fare pays for.
Stop by stop
The three-day Isle of Skye road trip itinerary, in order
The road from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Skye and back, as the listings describe it.
- Edinburgh or Glasgow, in the morning
Our top pick leaves Castle Terrace in Edinburgh at 9:00 and picks up Glasgow passengers at 10:00. The Glasgow listing with the same timings meets opposite Buchanan Bus Station.
- Glencoe
Our top pick passes through what its listing calls the haunting and dramatic Glencoe valley; the Glasgow route adds Loch Lomond before it.
- Fort William and Ben Nevis
Lunch on our top pick is in Fort William, at the foot of Ben Nevis.
- Two nights in Portree
Our top pick stays overnight in Portree, and so does the guesthouse tour.
- Around Skye
The Glasgow route names Kilt Rock, the Old Man of Storr, Lealt Falls and the Quiraing. The guesthouse tour adds Neist Point.
- Eilean Donan on the way back
Day three of our top pick visits Eilean Donan Castle; the listing notes that the interior is closed in winter.
- Fort Augustus, Laggan and Pitlochry
Lunch at Fort Augustus, then Laggan, the Grampian mountains and Pitlochry. The Glasgow route ends near Edinburgh Waverley, with a train ticket back to Glasgow.
Along the way
Isle of Skye road trip scenery, frame by frame
Four frames from the route north, from mainland glens to island ridges.
Glencoe
Two steep mountainsides and a stream gully cutting down between them.
Glenfinnan, on three routes
A stone column by a long loch. Three of the routes from Edinburgh pass this way.
The Cuillin
A jagged ridge lit low from the side, above brown moorland.
The Quiraing
Green ridges, a pointed crag and a path winding up the slope.
Every route, current fare
What each route costs and what the price covers
Six ways to make the Isle of Skye road trip, every price per person. Lunch is not included on any of them, and no trip here picks you up from where you stay.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our top pick: 3 days from Edinburgh | $304 | per person | 3 days | Small-group tour with a guide; two nights in Portree, but the listing does not say the rooms are in the price | Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, 9:00; Glasgow passengers at 10:00 | 4.8 · 1,239 |
| 3 days from Glasgow | $304 | per person | 3 days | Same timings as our top pick; ends near Edinburgh Waverley with a train ticket back to Glasgow | Opposite Buchanan Bus Station, Glasgow, 10:00 | 4.8 · 204 |
| 3 days, rooms not included | $238 | per person | 3 days | Guide and a 36-seat midi-coach; you book two nights in Inverness yourself | Burns Monument, Regent Road, Edinburgh; leaves 8:30 | 4.8 · 3,027 |
| 3 days, guesthouses included | $598 | per person | 3 days | Two nights in small guesthouses and B&Bs, all rooms en suite; up to 16 people | Edinburgh; the listing gives no meeting point | 4.7 · 622 |
| 4 days with the steam train | $1,045 | per person | 4 days | A one-way ride on the Jacobite steam train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct; up to 16 people | Royal Mile, Edinburgh | 4.8 · 176 |
| One day from Inverness | $91 | per person | 12 hours | Air-conditioned bus with a guide; Eilean Donan, Portree and the Old Man of Storr | Railway Terrace, Inverness | 4.8 · 5,019 |
One day from Inverness
Skye and back in twelve hours
Four 12-hour days and one overnight, all from one town.
From Inverness, a road trip to Isle of Skye fits into one long day. Four trips do it in 12 hours, for $91 to $105 per person.
The $91 day takes an air-conditioned bus: a short break at Invermoriston on Loch Ness, Eilean Donan on its own island at the head of Loch Duich, time in Portree to buy lunch, then the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and Lealt Falls.
The $94 day is the one rated 4.9. It follows the Great Glen Fault Line, lets you go inside Eilean Donan (the listing does not say the ticket is included) or simply enjoy the views, and loops round Trotternish for the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and the Quiraing. It passes Kyleakin and the Skye Bridge, and the route back is different from the morning. Up to 16 people; back around 20:00.
One trip from Inverness stays overnight: the two-day trip at $224, with a hike to the Fairy Pools on the second morning.
Who it suits
Book the guided road, or plan something else?
Four honest tests before you book an Isle of Skye road trip with a guide.
- Book it if you would rather watch the road than drive it
An Isle of Skye scenic road trip with a guide leaves the window seat to you. Olivia from Australia: «Honestly my favourite part aside from the amazing stops was just having time to look out the window and see the beautiful scenery.»
- Check the minimum age if you travel with children
Planning an Isle of Skye family road trip? The minimum age is 3 on the four-day trip, 4 on our top pick and on the $91 day, 5 on the guesthouse tour and 7 on the three-day tour without rooms. Kristi from the United States, on the four-day trip: «This was a fantastic trip for our family.»
- Book it if you travel alone
Eva from the United Kingdom, on the $91 day: «I went on my own, valued my own privacy but at the same time enjoyed not having to plan anything». Three multi-day listings ask solo travellers to pick the Single Room option.
- Think twice if long hours on a coach tire you
Gabriella from Switzerland: «Though it can be intense and tiring to be on the road for 3 days, the itinerary makes it all worthwhile.»
The price
What three days of road actually pay for
Each fare, read against the nights it covers.
A multi-day Isle of Skye road trip on this site costs between $224 for two days out of Inverness and $1,045 for four days from Edinburgh. The nights are where they differ most.
Our top pick costs $304 for three days with two nights in Portree; its listing does not say whether the rooms are in the price. The three-day tour at $238 is plain about it: accommodation is not included, and you book two nights in Inverness yourself. The guesthouse tour at $598 is the one listing that names the nights as part of the deal, in small, locally owned guesthouses and B&Bs with en-suite rooms.
The four-day trip at $1,045 adds a one-way ride on the Jacobite steam train and a third night. For one day instead of three, the $91 trip out of Inverness is the lowest fare on the site.
Before you book
Four things to check before you pay
A few minutes on the listing makes the Isle of Skye road trip easier on the day.
- The meeting point and time
Our top pick leaves Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, at 9:00, or Glasgow at 10:00. No trip here collects you from where you stay.
- Where you sleep
Only the guesthouse tour says the nights are included. On the three-day tour without rooms you book two nights in Inverness yourself.
- A table for dinner
Our top pick’s listing warns that restaurants in Portree get very busy, and asks you to book a table for both nights.
- Cancellation
All 13 listings offer free cancellation, but the deadline differs from trip to trip. Check it on the booking page before you pay.
Our verdict
Our verdict on the road to Skye
Book our top pick if you have three days. For $304 per person, this Isle of Skye road trip gives you Glencoe, Fort William, two nights in Portree and Eilean Donan on the way home, with a guide at the front of the coach; 1,239 reviewers rate it 4.8. Norah from the United Kingdom: «The route there via Glencoe was spectacular».
If you have one day, take the 12-hour trip out of Inverness at $91.
Book direct
Book your Isle of Skye road trip
Our top pick, two 12-hour days and the guesthouse tour, priced per person.
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→ 
Likely to sell out1,809 reviews
12 hFrom Inverness: Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Tour
★ 4.9 · 1,809 reviews
- Twelve hours, Small group, up to 16
- Old Man of Storr, Quiraing
- Likely to sell out
- Free cancellation
$94$7.83 / hour
Check availability→ 
Bestseller622 reviews
3 daysFrom Edinburgh: Isle of Skye 3-Day Tour with Accommodation
★ 4.7 · 622 reviews
- Three days, En-suite guesthouse and B&B rooms
- Small group
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$598
Check availability→ Common questions
Isle of Skye road trip: questions, answered
Can you see the Isle of Skye in one day?
From Inverness, yes. Four trips on this site last 12 hours and cost $91 to $105 per person. All four stop at Eilean Donan and Portree; the Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing or the Fairy Pools depend on the trip. From Edinburgh and Glasgow, the trips here take two and a half to four days.
Is accommodation included on a three-day Skye tour?
Only one listing says so: the guesthouse tour at $598, with small, locally owned guesthouses and B&Bs, all rooms en suite. On the $238 tour you book two nights in Inverness yourself. Our top pick stays two nights in Portree, but its listing does not say whether the rooms are in the price.
Is lunch included?
No. Lunch is not included on any trip on this site. The routes stop for it: Fort William and Fort Augustus on our top pick, Portree on the days from Inverness, Broadford on the two-day trip.
Can children come?
The minimum age is 3 on the four-day trip, 4 on our top pick, 5 on the guesthouse tour and 7 on the three-day tour without rooms. Under-18s on the guesthouse tour travel with an adult.
How much luggage can I bring?
One medium-sized suitcase of 63–67 cm on our top pick and the Glasgow route, 20 kg on the guesthouse tour, and 15 kg on the four-day trip and the three-day tour without rooms.
Can I cancel?
Yes. All 13 listings offer free cancellation, but the deadline differs from trip to trip, and on some longer tours it falls weeks before departure. Check it on the booking page before you pay.
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.
GlencoeGlencoe
The glen on the way north, and the tours that stop there.
From GlasgowFrom Glasgow
Two three-day tours from the west, compared.
Eilean DonanEilean Donan
The castle on its island at the head of Loch Duich, and the tours that stop there.
