2-Day Inverness and the Highlands Very Small Group Tour from Edinburgh
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Edinburgh, Scotland
- 2 days (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
To make the most of your time in the Scottish Highlands, a tour that packs plenty into your itinerary is a must. On this small-group option from Edinburgh, check off multiple highlights in just two days—with all the logistics taken care of. Make the most of photo ops at Loch Ness and Glen Coe, delve into the history of Culloden Battlefield, take a riverside stroll at Dunkeld, and admire Glenfinnan Viaduct (seasonal), famed for its role in the "Harry Potter™" movies.
- Learn about Scottish history and culture—your guide's local knowledge goes beyond the guidebooks
- Skip the hassle of driving or navigating public transportation
- Check off such major attractions as Loch Ness, Glen Coe, and Culloden
- Enjoy the intimate atmosphere and relaxed pace of a small-group tour
What's Included
- Small group tour - average group size of around 12 passengers
- Live commentary on board
- 5-star reviewed driver/guide
- Transport by air-conditioned Mercedes mini coach
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Attraction Entrance Fees
- Accommodation (B&B): See Additional Info section below to select your preferred accommodation£150.00 per person
- Accommodation (Hotel): See Additional Info section below to select your preferred accommodation£150.00 per person
- Accommodation (Hostel): See Additional Info section below to select your preferred accommodation£45.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Waterloo Pl, Edinburgh EH1 3BQ, UK
This tour departs from (and returns to) Bus Stand ZE, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3BQ (opposite Howie's Restaurant). Please arrive no later than 08.15
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.8:15 am
Itinerary
Your 2-day tour begins with a morning pickup from Edinburgh city center. Settle into a minicoach for a journey that takes you past Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument.
Continue to the haunting valley of Glen Coe—setting of the infamous massacre of Clan MacDonald in 1692. After a lunch break (own expense), head to the Glenfinnan Viaduct (April through October only), which featured in the "Harry Potter" movies and overlooks the site where the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion began.
Make a photo stop at Ben Nevis, Britain's tallest mountain, before winding through the Great Glen to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. Afterward, head to your overnight accommodation in Inverness.
Day 2: Rejoin your guide in the morning and travel to Culloden, where the Jacobites were finally defeated by British government soldiers in 1746—the last battle fought on British soil.
Next, visit the Clava Cairns, one of Scotland's most evocative prehistoric sites, before traveling south through the Cairngorms National Park.
After lunch (own expense) in one of the park's charming villages, visit the town of Pitlochry. You have free time here before your final stop at Dunkeld for a gentle riverside walk.
Your tour concludes back at the original departure point.
Continue to the haunting valley of Glen Coe—setting of the infamous massacre of Clan MacDonald in 1692. After a lunch break (own expense), head to the Glenfinnan Viaduct (April through October only), which featured in the "Harry Potter" movies and overlooks the site where the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion began.
Make a photo stop at Ben Nevis, Britain's tallest mountain, before winding through the Great Glen to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. Afterward, head to your overnight accommodation in Inverness.
Day 2: Rejoin your guide in the morning and travel to Culloden, where the Jacobites were finally defeated by British government soldiers in 1746—the last battle fought on British soil.
Next, visit the Clava Cairns, one of Scotland's most evocative prehistoric sites, before traveling south through the Cairngorms National Park.
After lunch (own expense) in one of the park's charming villages, visit the town of Pitlochry. You have free time here before your final stop at Dunkeld for a gentle riverside walk.
Your tour concludes back at the original departure point.
Day 1
Edinburgh to Inverness
9 Stops
Stirling Castle (Pass By)
National Wallace Monument (Pass By)
1
Glencoe National Nature Reserve
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
Glenfinnan Viaduct
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Ben Nevis
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Fort Augustus
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Loch Ness (Pass By)
5
Urquhart Castle
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
6
Inverness
14 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Not included
Day 2
Inverness to Edinburgh
7 Stops
1
Culloden Battlefield
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Clava Cairns
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Cairngorms National Park
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Ruthven Barracks (Pass By)
4
Pitlochry
1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
The Hermitage
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Forth Road Bridge
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Not included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Accommodation: Please let us know in the Special Requirements box which type of accommodation you would prefer or if you will be booking your own accommodation. Choose from Hostel £30 to £45 per person, per night. B&B single £100 to £150 per night (or £120 to £190 for single occupancy of a double or twin room. B&B en-suite double or twin £120 to £190 per room, per night (2 sharing). B&B en-suite triple or quad £190 to £250 per room, per night (3 or 4 sharing). Hotel £190 to £250+ per room, per night (2 sharing)
- Small group tour - average group size of around 12 passengers
- Minimum age is 5 years old
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions (unless it is unsafe to do so), please dress appropriately
- Please inform us 7 days in advance if you are bringing a service animal
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 199 reviews
Wins_Y, Jan 2026
The two days tour was amazing and the driver/tour guide is incredible and full of passion that truly makes us in love with Scottland.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thanks for your review - Calum will be pleased to hear you enjoyed the tour so much.
Paul_A, Dec 2025
À great trip through this wonderful part of the world. Our guide, Cullum, was magnificent and never stopped telling abiut the rich history of Scotland. We were lucky with the weather which made it even more mesmerising. Thank You!!!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Paul, thanks for your 5 star review of our 2 day Inverness and Highlands tour. Much appreciated.
Adele_S, Sep 2025
Phenomenal experience! We had an amazing two-day tour with Roddy as our guide and driver. He was kind, friendly, and professional from start to finish. His knowledge and passion really shone through, and it’s clear he truly cares about the experience of everyone on the tour. I can’t say anything but great things—highly recommend!
Alison_W, Jul 2025
This was a very enjoyable experience. Our guide made sure we saw the best of the Highlands. We stayed at the Glen Moor in Inverness and it was a real treat.
Dawn_K, Apr 2025
Euen was an amazing guide. Personable, kind, informative, knowledgeable , thoughtful and patient! The tour is worth a lot more than its price.
GEORGINA_P, Oct 2024
What an AMAZING 2 days!! Callum the tour leader/driver was so exceptional in providing information on locations and general discussion of interest....it was so enlightening to listen to him. Thank you Callum!!
Nicole_M, Sep 2024
Loved this tour! James made the whole tour! It was a cool mix of history and then time to look and explore! I will use this company every time I come to Scotland!
Bradley_Z, Jun 2024
James was our tour guide and was excellent. His knowledge and humor was great during the two day trip. I would highly recommend booking this as you see so much and don’t want to miss the Highlands.
Sheila_N, Apr 2024
The tour bus driver Callum was amazing! He knew so much about Scotland's history and folklore. We had so many interesting stops-hidden gems. A small group was great as we got to know a little about our fellow travelers. Undoubtedly the best tour we've been on.
Kandice_C, Aug 2023
Loved it all. So very lovely! Would have liked more day time in Inverness. Howard was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of great information! We learned a lot and enjoyed our time in beautiful Scotland.
Ariane_H, Aug 2023
It was a great time, our Guide Howard was perfekt in Storytelling and bring us to the History. He changed quickly if it was needed. Big hugs!!
Lauren_H, Jul 2023
Angela was a great tour guide with extensive knowledge of Scottish history. The pace of the tour was great with enough time at each stop to enjoy each attraction with lots of history between destination. She also arranged for a great distillery tour at Dalwhinnie on our way back into Edinburgh.
Restaurants in Inverness city center were very busy, and by the time we arrived for dinner, we spent a bit of time looking for a restaurant that wasn't fully booked. We would recommend pre-booking a spot for dinner if possible.
Angela was always prioritizing our safety and comfort during the whole tour, and I would highly recommend doing the Highlands tour with her.
Christopher_S, Jun 2023
The tour stops, pacing and accommodations were perfect!
Angela, our guide, was amazing! She was very knowledgeable of Scottish history and even brought some Gaelic language. She tied it all together with great song selections.
She exhibited great care for all the participants and always made sure our needs were the first priority.
She really went above and beyond.
Tricia_A, May 2023
Enjoyed this trip immensely. The guide was especially knowledgable and engaging. He stopped enough times at interesting sites that we did not feel trapped in a vehicle. I would highly recommend this trip for a taste of Scottish history and culture.
Jari_K, Apr 2023
Beatiful Highland scenery, Glenfinnan Viaduct, Culloden Batlefield. Lot of beatiful sightseeings. Hole trip was wonderful experience. Suitably rhythmic driving and pauses. Our driver/guide James was avesome. He told interesting stories about places and keep travelers in good mood.
Virginia_D, Mar 2023
Our tour guide was the absolute best. Thank you Euing for a phenomenal tour. And thank you for the amazing history of Scotland.
Ane_R, Nov 2022
Amazing tour, great and informative guide. Even though the weather wasn't really on our side our guide Euan made sure that it was still a great experience.
Zhen_W, Aug 2022
Our guide Euan is fantastic! The program is very well designed. The views are breathtaking. We also learned so much about the Scottish history.
Susan_N, May 2022
This was our second HOS tour. Wonderful trip, driver/guide Keith was great, informative, personable. We stayed overnight in a delightful B&B. The Highlands are a very peaceful special place. We would recommend this tour to our family and friends. Plus the weather was perfect! Thank you
jdelaney2019, Oct 2019
My wife and I decided to book a highlands tour when we were visiting Edinburgh. There are many offerings by different companies and it it hard to tell them apart from the web materials. We chose this tour based on a very good experience my brother and I had with the same company earlier in 2019. The highlands tour was excellent. The driver/guide, Keith, was fabulous and did everything possible to enhance the experience for everyone on the tour. The scenery was spectacular and there was enough to do despite the distance that needed to be driven. The sites visited were all worthwhile and allowed the telling of a variety of Scottish stories that put everything in context. We were very glad we took the tour.
Linda_S, Oct 2019
My husband and I took the two-day Inverness and the Highlands Small Group Tour on 10/3-4/2019 and really enjoyed the tour. Our guide, Eddie Boyle, was a really good guy - great sense of humor and very knowledgeable as well as being a great driver too. There were 13 people on our tour and I think everyone had a wonderful time learning about Scotland and its history. Would highly recommend.
Nina_W, Aug 2019
Thank you so much Euan for this great trip! It was the perfect route, in only 2 days we got to see so much. He was a very funny and flexible driver and guide and gave us many opportunities to take pictures. Also the times for the visits and breaks were perfectly timed. Can highly recommend this tour. Thank you!
Robin S, Oct 2018
We very much enjoyed our 2 day tour to the Highlands. Even though it rained continuously the first day, our terrific tour guide kept our spirits and interest up with it seemed unending information on what we were seeing. The pace was good with frequent stops and very organized.
Christin_B, Sep 2018
Lovely scenery. George was a fun and knowledgeable guide. Would definitely book with The Wee Red Bus again.
Darlene H, Jun 2018
This was exactly what we were hoping for! This tour took the guesswork out of the planning. It offered 2 days of seamless sightseeing. Our guide, Euan, was knowledgeable and easy going. Wonderful time!
Fernanda C, Apr 2018
It was an amazing tour, it totally cost every pound. Paul the guide was very relaxed and really leave us enjoy every place and always asked the whole group if we wanted to spend more or less time in each place. About the tour, it was what I really expected, saw many beautiful and interesting things and also learned a lot about it. Totally recommended tour! I would tell my friends for sure.
Laura B, Dec 2017
This tour was just great! Our driver/tour guide Andy was funny and full of so much knowledge. The stops were beautiful and Andy added in some extra stops because the weather was great. The B and B was lovely and reasonably priced. It was far nicer than some of the hotels I've stayed in on my trip.
Joan B, Oct 2017
Tour was wonderful. Alan our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history and all the places we went. I loved how passionate he was about his country. I would recommend him as your guide. He made our trip great even though we had lots of rain.
ThaiTan_W, Oct 2017
Very interesting tour with Allen, our driver and tour guide, being a great story teller. Stops at Culloden, Doune Castle and the Clava Cairns were noteworthy. Allen actually noticed that I had a wee bit of a mobility issue although did not require any special assistance and parked the van at handicapped spots a few times for added convenience. Thanks, Allen. Scotland is such a beautiful country, 2 days were hardly enough to skim the surface but Allen did his best to give us a very good sense of the place, its history, people and above all its heart and soul. Great experience.
Vicki H, Oct 2017
Wonderful tour!!! Our driver and tour guide, Paul MacIntosh, was very knowledgeable and fun. We highly recommend him to anyone looking to learn and see this very beautiful part of Scotland. We loved our overnight hotel and the choice of side trips and walks when off the bus. The bus was quite comfortable and our group was great! This will be the company we go to for tours on our next trip to Scotland!
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