“Worth it if you're fit, flexible with logistics, and value knowledgeable guides. Think twice if you need accessible transport, rely on itinerary promises, or have mobility concerns.”
- About £260/day across 8 days
- ~£2,100 all-in with a typical £21 flight from London (£263/day)
- At its lowest in the 90 days we've tracked it (£2,079)
- We only rate a price against this trip's own history once we've tracked it for 21 days — no guessing before that.
- Cheaper per day than 3 of 4 similar trips we compared
- 4.4★ from 9 traveller reviews
Price movement, fill and the all-in cost come from our own daily tracking— not the operator’s feed. You book on TourRadar; the live price always applies there.
About this trip
Eight days across Scotland, from Glasgow to Edinburgh, taking in castles, lochs and cliffs along the way. You travel mostly by public transport, moving between cities and wilder, quieter corners of the country.
The middle of the trip is where the landscape opens up, Loch Ness, Inverness and the Isle of Skye bring the folklore and history, with a moderate hike near Fort William thrown in. It's a mix of guided exploring and time to wander on your own.
You finish in Edinburgh, with its Old Town and New Town sitting side by side, and a walking tour that covers the city's hills and cobbled closes on foot.
What you'll do
- Explore Glasgow's streets before heading north
- Visit Loch Ness and historic Inverness
- Explore the Isle of Skye
- Moderate hike near Fort William with some uneven, wet terrain
- Walking tour of Edinburgh's Old and New Town
- See castles set against lochs and cliffside waterfalls
- Requires a reasonable level of fitness, you'll carry your own luggage on public transport, up stairs and across cobbles, so pack light
- The Fort William hike is moderate with uneven or wet ground, but it's optional
- The Edinburgh walking tour runs about 3 hours over hilly, cobbled streets, comfortable shoes recommended
Day by day
Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.
What's included
- Guide: All Intrepid group trips in Europe are accompanied by one of our local European group leaders. ’Local’ in this context means a leader who is European or lives in Europe. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader takes care of logistics, will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. At Intrepid we also aim to support local guides in the individual cities or locations we travel to. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend an optional local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
- Meals: 7 breakfasts
- Activities: Fort William - West Highland Railway Line train journey Fort William - Leader led hike Glenfinnan - Railway Viaduct view Isle of Skye - Guided hike Isle of Skye - Guided private bus tour of Trotternish Peninsula Isle of Skye - Local Distillery Visit and Tasting Fort Augustus - Loch Ness Boat Cruise Inverness - Culloden Battlefield visit Inverness - River Ness walk Edinburgh - Invisible Cities guided walking tour
- Transport: One of the highlights of this trip is our use of a combination of public and private transportation. Public transport is not only a cost-effective way to travel but also provides a unique glimpse into Scottish life as we traverse picturesque landscapes. Private vehicles, on the other hand, allow us to make frequent stops at intriguing points of interest that may not be reachable via public transport. Need a taxi, no problem, please speak to your group leader should you require a taxi outside of what is included. We believe that this blend of travel options is the ideal approach for exploring Scotland as a group. Train, Private vehicle, Ferry, On foot
- Accommodation: OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION : The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances. TWIN SHARE BASIS : Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multishare basis. We pair up solo travellers with another traveller of the same gender as per the gender marker on each of their passports. Please note there may be times where facilities will be shared rather than ensuite and rare occasions when you share a room with passengers travelling on different Intrepid trips than your own. CHECK-IN TIME : Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination. PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION : If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights. FACILITIES : Your accommodation may not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges. Hotel (7 nights)
- Activities: Other activities and services are not included.
- Flights: Flights are not included.
- Optional: Glasgow - Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum - Free Glasgow - City Centre Mural Trail - Free Glasgow - Tennent's Brewery Tour - GBP17 Glasgow - Royal Botanic Gardens - GBP3 Glasgow - Britannia Panopticon - Free Glasgow - Cathedral and Necropolis - Free Glasgow - Hunterian Art Gallery - Free Glasgow - Pollok Country Park & The Burrell Collection - GBP8 Glasgow - Afternoon Tea at the Willow Tea Rooms (from) - GBP13 Fort William - Nevis Range Gondola - GBP26 Edinburgh - Castle Visit - GBP20 Edinburgh - National Museum of Scotland - Free Edinburgh - The Scotch Whisky Experience Tour - GBP16 Edinburgh - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - GBP7 Edinburgh - The Queen’s Gallery at Holyroodhouse - GBP13
- Insurance: Insurance is not included.
How travellers rate it
Cheapest live departure per day, in £, recorded by our tracker since 18 Jul. Never a brochure “was” price.
Your free day in Glasgow
Landing early, staying on, or filling free time? The best-rated day experiences in Glasgow — you book on Viator (we may earn a commission).
Worth it if you're fit, flexible with logistics, and value knowledgeable guides. Think twice if you need accessible transport, rely on itinerary promises, or have mobility concerns.
- Tour guides consistently brilliant: deeply knowledgeable locals who go above and beyond, creating genuine connections with mixed-age groups.
- Itinerary promises don't match reality: Portree accommodation became Kyleakin, Isle of Skye private van tour became self-arranged, requiring guests to book last-minute alternatives themselves.
- Hidden physical demands: 10-20 minute luggage hauls over uneven ground between transport and lodging, plus mile walks to breakfast, unsuitable for older or recovering travellers despite age-15-99 description.
- Fort William feels filler: included mainly for one closed castle visit; most days require self-directed activities with limited appeal, reducing Isle of Skye time.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
The same-vibe trips, side by side — price, value per day, and how each is moving. Only we can lay two operators' trips out honestly.
Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and availability come from our own daily tracking.
Departing in Oct is cheapest — from £2,080, about 42% below the priciest month (Aug).
Getting there
One-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown on Trip.com.
Hotels in Glasgow
View more accommodationLive prices via Booking.com & partners, booked on their site — separate from your tour. We may earn a commission; it never changes your price.
On a budget?
Hostels in Glasgow for the night before your tour · 22 Oct – 23 Oct
Booked on Hostelworld, separate from your tour. We may earn a commission — it never changes your price.
Common questions
How long is Highlights of Scotland?
It's a 8-day trip. It starts in Glasgow and finishes in Edinburgh.
How much does Highlights of Scotland cost?
The land price starts from £2,079 per person for the 8-day trip. You book on TourRadar, where the live price always applies.
What will Highlights of Scotland really cost me all-in?
On top of the £2,079 land price, budget roughly £21 for a return flight from the UK — about £2,100 all-in before spending money. Most day-to-day meals out and optional activities are extra.
What's included in the price?
The price covers all your accommodation, 7 meals (7 breakfasts), transport during the trip, a group leader/guide. Anything the operator lists as optional or not included — see the full breakdown on this page.
What's not included?
international flights and travel insurance (required) are not included, so factor them into your budget. We show typical flight costs and can point you to insurance on this page.
How big is the group?
Groups are capped at around 12 travellers — a small-group trip, mostly solo 18–35s travelling to meet people, not a coach tour.
When does Highlights of Scotland run?
It runs across roughly 20 months of the year, so there's usually a departure to fit your dates. Check live availability and prices in the dates section above.
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