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→ Two or three days on the island
Isle of Skye weekend trip: two or three days by tour
An Isle of Skye weekend trip by tour means two or three days on the road with a live guide: one trip leaves Inverness for two days, and the three-day tours leave Edinburgh or Glasgow for the Highlands and the island. Prices run $224 to $598 per person. Below: where you sleep, what each price covers and which start city suits you.
Quick answer
The short answer. For an Isle of Skye weekend trip from Edinburgh, our top pick is the three-day tour at $304: Glencoe on the way north, two nights in Portree, Eilean Donan on the way back, and 1,239 reviews at 4.8. If you are already in Inverness, the two-day trip at $224 adds a night and a walk to the Fairy Pools. Rooms written into the price: the three days at $598.
The Isle of Skye weekend trip at a glance
- Two days
- $224from Inverness, one night, rated 4.8
- Three days, our top pick
- $304from Edinburgh, two nights in Portree
- Three days from Glasgow
- $304joins at 10:00, ends in Edinburgh
- Three days, rooms included
- $598en-suite guesthouses and B&Bs
- Three days, rooms not included
- $238two nights in Inverness on your own
- Breakfast
- Not stated as includedon any of these trips
- Lunch
- Not includedlunch stops on the way
- Start
- Meeting pointsno trip collects you where you stay
- Guide
- Live, in Englishon all 13 listings on this site
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationdeadline differs by trip
What a weekend means here
Two days from Inverness or three from the south
The two shapes a short Skye trip takes, and why the start city decides which one you get.
No listing here is sold as a weekend; these are short trips with the nights in the middle, so check the calendar on the booking page for your dates. An Isle of Skye weekend trip comes in two shapes, set by where you start.
From Inverness, the one overnight tour from Inverness to Isle of Skye on this site lasts two days, with transport and a driver-guide. The listing names Eilean Donan Castle, Sligachan, Sconser, a lunch stop in Broadford, Fort Augustus and Loch Ness, and a walk to the Fairy Pools on the morning of the second day. Two medieval castles are promised; the listing names Eilean Donan.
From Edinburgh or Glasgow, the trip lasts three days. The top pick passes through the Glencoe valley, stops for lunch in Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis and spends two nights in Portree. Norah from the United Kingdom: «Two nights in Portree gave plenty of time on the island to tour the best sights, and we did get to choose among alternatives.»
Every trip, current fare
What each short trip costs and what the price covers
Every two- and three-day trip on this site, per person. Lunch is a stop on the way, not part of the price, and none of these listings says breakfast is included.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two days, from Inverness | $224 | per person | 2 days | Transport with a driver-guide; Eilean Donan; the Fairy Pools walk. Where you sleep: not stated | Railway Terrace, Inverness | 4.8 · 513 |
| Three days, our top pick | $304 | per person | 3 days | Small-group tour; Glencoe; nights in Portree. Whether the beds are in the price: not stated | Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, 9:00 | 4.8 · 1,239 |
| Three days from Glasgow | $304 | per person | 3 days | Loch Lomond, Glencoe, nights in Portree; a train ticket back to Glasgow. Beds: not stated | Opposite Buchanan Bus Station, 10:00 | 4.8 · 204 |
| Three days, rooms extra | $238 | per person | 3 days | Coach with a guide; Glenfinnan Viaduct and Glencoe. Accommodation not included | Burns Monument, Regent Road, 8:30 | 4.8 · 3,027 |
| Three days, rooms included | $598 | per person | 3 days | Accommodation included in en-suite guesthouses and B&Bs; groups of up to 16 | Not given; arrive 15 minutes early | 4.7 · 622 |
| Two nights on Skye, train option | $488 | per person | 2.5 days | Two nights on Skye; the Jacobite steam train as an option, April to October | Edinburgh; look for your queue | 4.6 · 205 |
| Three days via Inverness | $529 | per person | 3 days | Rooms with a private bathroom, chosen as an option; Loch Ness cruise at extra cost | Varies with the option booked | 4.7 · 517 |
| Three days, guided from Glasgow | $529 | per person | 3 days | Double, twin or single rooms as options; Glen Coe, Loch Ness, Pitlochry | Central Glasgow | 4.4 · 223 |
Nights and breakfasts
Where you sleep, and what the price leaves out
Rooms included, rooms as an option, rooms not mentioned: what each listing says.
The listings differ most on the nights. One three-day tour says it in plain words: accommodation included, in small, locally owned guesthouses and B&Bs, all rooms en suite, in Portree. The rooms are usually on the outskirts of town, a 20 to 30 minute walk from local facilities, and lifts are not available.
Two other three-day tours sell the room as part of the option you pick. The tour via Inverness offers double, twin, family and single rooms with a private bathroom, and the guided tour from Glasgow offers single, double or twin rooms. If you travel alone, both ask you to choose the single room option.
Our top pick says you stay overnight in Portree, and it and its twin from Glasgow advise booking a table there for both nights, but not whether the bed is in the price. The two days from Inverness do not say either. The tour at $238 is clear the other way: you book two nights in Inverness yourself.
Breakfast: none of these listings says it is included. The two-day route mentions breakfast on the second morning without saying who pays.
Along the way
The Quiraing, Glencoe and the Fairy Pools
Three frames from places on an Isle of Skye weekend trip. Which trip goes where is in the table above.
The Quiraing
A narrow path runs along a green slope with two walkers on it. A dark rocky ridge rises on the right, and low cloud hides the tops behind.
Glencoe
Two dark, steep peaks stand over a narrow green valley, with a stream cut into the floor and white clouds in a deep blue sky.
The Fairy Pools
Clear green water fills a pool under a dark rock face. Small falls spill in from the left, and grass and ferns grow along the top.
By start city
Pick the trip by where you wake up on day one
The start city decides the length of an Isle of Skye weekend trip more than anything else.
- You are in Inverness
Take the overnight trip from Inverness to Isle of Skye at $224, two days, from Railway Terrace. It has 513 reviews at 4.8. Paweł from Poland: «The ratio of time spent commuting to time spent at the attractions was very favorable.»
- You are in Edinburgh
Our top pick at $304 leaves Castle Terrace at 9:00. The tour at $598 is the one with rooms written in; the tour at $238 leaves the nights to you and has the most reviews of the three, 3,027 at 4.8.
- You are in Glasgow
The three-day tour at $304 leaves opposite Buchanan Bus Station at 10:00 and ends near Edinburgh Waverley, with a train ticket back to Glasgow. The guided tour at $529 is the other choice, rated 4.4.
- You want the steam train
The 2.5-day tour at $488 spends two nights on Skye and offers the Jacobite as an option from April to October. The listing does not say what the train costs.
The price
What an Isle of Skye weekend trip costs per day
Fares divided by days, with the rooms counted where the listing counts them.
Short trips are easier to compare by the day. The two-day trip that leaves Inverness costs $224, or $112 a day. Our top pick costs $304 for three days, about $101 a day, the same fare as the three days from Glasgow. The tour with the rooms written in is $598, about $199 a day, and that figure carries the nights in an en-suite room.
The three-day tour at $238 looks lowest, about $79 a day, but you still pay for two nights in Inverness on top. Set the fare and the rooms side by side before you choose your Isle of Skye weekend trip.
Skye trips on this site start at $91 per person, for one 12-hour day out of Inverness. The trips on this page add a night and a second morning.
Who it suits
Two days, three days, or one long day?
Four honest tests before you book an Isle of Skye weekend trip.
- Book two days if you start in Inverness and want the Fairy Pools
The second morning has the walk to the Fairy Pools. Megan from the United Kingdom: «I wouldn’t have wanted any less time on Skye.»
- Book three days if you start in Edinburgh
There is no one-day Skye trip from Edinburgh or Glasgow on this site. Our top pick gives you Glencoe on the way north and Eilean Donan on the way back.
- Expect full days on the road
Tiziana from Italy, on the three days at $238: «The tour is quite intensive, but the fast pace is necessary because there’s so much to see and do in just three days.»
- Pick one long day if you have a single day
The 12-hour days that leave Inverness reach Eilean Donan and Portree and come back the same day, at $91 and up.
Before you book
Four things to check before you pay
A few minutes on the listing makes an Isle of Skye weekend trip easier on the day.
- Whether the bed is in the price
Written in for one tour, an option for two, not included for one, not stated for the rest. Read the inclusions.
- Your meeting point
No trip collects you where you stay. Edinburgh tours leave from Castle Terrace or the Burns Monument on Regent Road; Glasgow from opposite Buchanan Bus Station.
- Money for meals
Lunch is a stop, not part of the price, and the Portree tours advise booking a table for dinner.
- The cancellation deadline
Free cancellation is offered, but the deadline differs from trip to trip. Check it on the booking page.
Our verdict
Our verdict on a weekend on Skye
From Edinburgh, book our top pick. For $304 this Isle of Skye weekend trip gives you Glencoe, two nights in Portree and Eilean Donan in three days, rated 4.8 by 1,239 travellers.
From Inverness, book the two days at $224. If the room must be in the price, take the tour at $598.
Book direct
Four ways to spend an Isle of Skye weekend trip
Our top pick first, then two days from Inverness, three from Glasgow and three with rooms included. All prices are per person.
Bestseller513 reviews
2 daysInverness: 2-day Isle of Skye, Fairy Pools & Castles Tour
★ 4.8 · 513 reviews
- Two days, Overnight trip from Inverness
- Hike to the Fairy Pools
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$224
Check availability→ 
Bestseller204 reviews
3 daysFrom Glasgow: 3-Day Isle of Skye, Highlands & Loch Ness Tour
★ 4.8 · 204 reviews
- Three days, Ben Nevis, Glencoe, Loch Lomond
- Train ticket back to Glasgow
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$304
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 weekend trip: questions, answered
Is accommodation included in the 3-day Skye tour?
It depends on the tour. The three-day tour at $598 includes it, in en-suite guesthouses and B&Bs. The tour at $238 does not: you book two nights in Inverness yourself. Our top pick does not say either way, so check the listing before you pay.
Where do you stay on a 3-day Skye tour?
In Portree on our top pick and the tour with rooms included; the Glasgow twin advises booking dinner in Portree for both nights. On the tour at $238, in Inverness, in a place you book yourself. The four-day trip spends a night in Fort Augustus and two on Skye.
Do I need my own room as a solo traveller?
On the tours that sell rooms as options, yes. The three-day tour via Inverness, the guided tour from Glasgow and the four-day trip ask solo travellers to choose the single room option. The listings do not state the extra cost, so check it on the booking page.
Should I start in Glasgow or Edinburgh?
Start where you are staying. The three-day tour from Glasgow leaves opposite Buchanan Bus Station at 10:00, the hour when Glasgow passengers join our top pick. It ends near Edinburgh Waverley, with a train ticket back to Glasgow. Both cost $304 per person.
How much luggage can I bring?
One medium-sized suitcase of 63 to 67 cm on our top pick, the tour from Glasgow and the two days that leave Inverness. 15 kg on the tour at $238 and several other three-day tours; 20 kg on the tour with rooms included.
Is lunch included?
No. Lunch is not included on any trip on this site. The two days stop for lunch in Broadford, our top pick in Fort William and Fort Augustus. Bring money for meals, and book dinner in Portree ahead, as the listings advise.
Go deeper
More on trips to the Isle of Skye
Two days
Two days
A night on the island: what the second day adds.
From EdinburghFrom Edinburgh
Three- and four-day tours from the capital: route, nights and what the price covers.
From GlasgowFrom Glasgow
Two three-day tours from the west, compared.
In one dayIn one day
What a twelve-hour day from Inverness covers on the island, and which day suits you.
Fairy PoolsFairy Pools
The walk to the pools, and which tours give you time there.
