Scotland · TOURS

Scotland Tours & Day Trips: The 15 Best Days Out

679 tours  ·  from $19 a head

Everything with a guide, a boat or a minibus attached, in one place. The 15 below are the ones worth giving a whole day to, with what each costs and how far it goes.

The World Famous Underground Ghost Tour - The Old Town’s closes, crimes, and grisly secrets
Edinburgh Tours, Ghost & Underground Vault Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

The World Famous Underground Ghost Tour

1.The World Famous Underground Ghost Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9,272 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $26Our pick

Review of Edinburgh’s World Famous Underground Ghost Tour, with Greyfriars Kirkyard, Old Town tales, vaults, prices, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“An informative walk that gives you a historical perspective on the creepier parts of the city's past.”

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Underground Vaults Walking Tour in Edinburgh Old Town - Why Edinburgh built the South Bridge vaults
Edinburgh Tours, Ghost & Underground Vault Tours, Royal Mile & Old Town Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Edinburgh

Underground Vaults Walking Tour in Edinburgh Old Town

Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, Glencoe and Pitlochry Tour - Glencoe: powerful scenery, very little time
Edinburgh Tours, Highlands Day Trips, Loch Ness Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, Glencoe and Pitlochry Tour

3.Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, Glencoe and Pitlochry Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6,854 reviews · 12 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $67Top rated

Review of The Hairy Coo’s 12.5-hour Loch Ness and Highlands tour from Edinburgh, with Glencoe, Pitlochry, optional cruise, whisky and practical tips.

“Our driver and tour guide extraordinaire, Rod, gave our group a wonderful day. He was a great bus driver and told us about so many things in between our stops. We got to stop at some picture sights as well as the 2 hour stop at Loch Ness. Rod always had great food reccomendations and was incredibly knowledgeable about our whole route and stop locations. He even added a surprise for us on the trip back to Edingburgh that was the highlight of my trip to Edinburgh. I chose to do the Loch Ness boat ride and really enjoyed learning about the Loch and hoping to catch my own Nessie…”

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Loch Ness & Highlands Small-Group Tour from Edinburgh with Cruise - Glencoe: beauty with a hard story
Boat Tours in Edinburgh, Cruises & Boat Tours, Edinburgh Tours, Highlands Day Trips, Loch Ness Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Loch Ness & Highlands Small-Group Tour from Edinburgh with Cruise

4.Loch Ness & Highlands Small-Group Tour from Edinburgh with Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6,022 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $84

Review of Rabbie’s Loch Ness and Highlands tour from Edinburgh, with Glencoe, a Loch Ness cruise, scenic stops, price, tips, and drawbacks.

“This was a great tour from Ediburgh. The ride was very comfortable, our tour guide was super friendly and informative, and funny too! Great way to see the Highlands in comfort with knowledgeable guides!”

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Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket - What the 90-minute castle walk covers
Castle Tours, Castle Tours in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Tours, Guided, Tickets, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket

5.Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5,540 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $51

Edinburgh Castle guided tour review covering entry, outdoor storytelling, royal sights, price, weather, timing, and practical tips.

“Absolutely wonderful tour - and the best we have been on since starting doing these around the world. Joe (our guide) was fantastic - knowledgeable, funny, engaging and managed our time wonderfully - highly recommend!”

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Edinburgh Castle Guided Walking Tour in English - What You Learn About the Castle
Castle Tours, Castle Tours in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Tours, Guided, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle Guided Walking Tour in English

6.Edinburgh Castle Guided Walking Tour in English

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5,214 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $52

See Edinburgh Castle with skip-the-line entry, lively history, Royal Mile views, and time to explore on your own after a 90-minute tour.

“What a fascinating tour of the castle! Our guide Steph is the best ever…she told us so much about Scottish history, and she made it alive with her story telling skills and passion about for her land and people.”

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The Chocolatarium Chocolate Tour Experience in Edinburgh - The tasting is the main event
Dessert Tours, Edinburgh Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

The Chocolatarium Chocolate Tour Experience in Edinburgh

Original Harry Potter Locations Tour in Edinburgh : Guided Tour - The original Diagon Alley facade
Edinburgh Tours, Guided, Harry Potter & Film Location Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Original Harry Potter Locations Tour in Edinburgh : Guided Tour

8.Original Harry Potter Locations Tour in Edinburgh : Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,236 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $19Best value

Review of Edinburgh’s Harry Potter walking tour, with Old Town sights, Rowling-inspired stories, guide tips, pricing, route details, and practical advice.

“Bob was wonderful. very funny and the game we played was top. He was very patient and willing to answer our questions. I advise everyone to try it!”

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Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends - Calton Hill brings views and witch trial history
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Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends

9.Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,862 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $29

Explore Edinburgh’s dark past on a two-hour evening walk through alleys, cemeteries, Calton Hill, murders, witch trials, and legends.

“Learnt a lot of interesting and fun things, was given a different perspective on places, cemetery at night was an experience I did not expect in this lifetime :) Our guide, Dave (from Australia) was excellent! Knowledgeable, fun, energetic!”

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Ghost Bus Tour of Edinburgh - Grassmarket, Executions, and Maggie Dickson
Edinburgh Tours, Ghost & Underground Vault Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Ghost Bus Tour of Edinburgh

11.Ghost Bus Tour of Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,761 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $24

Review of Edinburgh’s Ghost Bus Tour, with spooky history, comedy, practical tips, price advice, and honest notes on seating and atmosphere.

“Very interesting, very good tour guide he was funny and great at his job. Quick activity but A must do”

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City Sightseeing Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour + Kids Go Free - Nicolson Square, Chambers Street, and George IV Bridge
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City Sightseeing Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour + Kids Go Free

The Potter Trail Private Tour - Greyfriars Kirkyard and the names behind the books
Edinburgh Tours, Private, Tour Reviews, Tours

The Potter Trail Private Tour

13.The Potter Trail Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,353 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $104

Explore Edinburgh through Harry Potter inspirations, from Greyfriars Kirkyard to Victoria Street, on a relaxed private tour with a personal guide.

“Charlie was awesome. This experience was so much more than a Harry Potter tour, but is was magical in every way.”

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Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Highlands Guided Day Tour from Edinburgh - Callander: a quick Highland introduction
Edinburgh Tours, Guided, Highlands Day Trips, Loch Ness Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Highlands Guided Day Tour from Edinburgh

14.Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Highlands Guided Day Tour from Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,233 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $85

Review of Timberbush’s 12-hour Loch Ness, Glencoe and Highlands tour from Edinburgh, with itinerary, costs, tips and honest advice.

“Adam was entertaining and his stories of Scotland illuminated the whole trip. It was clear he was as passionate, if not more so than everyone else on the tour. The views were amazing. There are no shortage of photo opportunities.”

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Haunted Vaults Walking Tour in Edinburgh - Inside the vaults: history first, hauntings second
Edinburgh Tours, Ghost & Underground Vault Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Edinburgh

Haunted Vaults Walking Tour in Edinburgh

15.Haunted Vaults Walking Tour in Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,183 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $33

Explore Edinburgh’s underground vaults, dark history, torture displays, and ghostly tales on this lively one-hour walking tour.

“Such a great tour. Our guide, Dom, was absolutely excellent - knowledgeable, interesting, and very funny. Learned a lot about the city, and the stories were so crazy!”

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