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Edinburgh: Rosslyn Chapel, the Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery

Recommended by 95% of travelers
Edinburgh, Scotland
Great choice
10+ bookings last month.
  • 8 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8
·
· YolandaCatalina ·
Feb 2026
Alístair was a wonderful guide. His cheery disposition and awesome playlist made this journey through the lowlands very enjoyable. You can tell he really appreciates the history of Scotland as he retells history on your way from site to site. Rosslyn Chapel is uniquely beautifully and in itself with the journey. Melrose Abbey is a wonder and the staff at Glenkinchie is the meaning of good hospitality.
· Heather_P ·
Nov 2025
Adam was our driver, guide, historian, and comedian for the day. Each of your stops are managed on your own or under the guidance of Roslyn Chapel, Melrose Abbey, and the distillery, with a view of the country along the day, which were all wonderful experiences. Two thumbs way up for Adam’s driving, music playlist, and dad jokes keeping us entertained and educated through the day.

Explore our promoted experiences

Overview

Leave the driving to the experts and journey through the majestic Scottish Lowlands on this Rosslyn Chapel and Scottish Borders tour from Edinburgh. Travel with a guide to the legendary Roslyn Chapel; take a scenic route along Scotland’s border to Melrose Abbey—believed to be the burial site of King Robert the Bruce’s heart—and learn about the art of whisky making at Glenkinchie Distillery.
  • Visit Scotland's mysterious Roslyn Chapel with a guide who reveals its secrets
  • Check off plenty of the area's highlights in just one day
  • Sip whisky like a Scot at a classic Scottish distillery
  • Learn about Scottish history and culture from your guide

What's Included

  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Knowledgeable driver-guide
  • Live commentary on board
  • Food and drinks
  • Attraction Tickets
  • Gratuities
  • Restroom on board
  • WiFi on board

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Timberbush Tours
    NCP Castle Terrace Car Park, Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2EW, UK

    Our Edinburgh tours depart from Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2EW, outside the NCP Car Park. What3Words Address: ///casino.cove.works

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.8:30 am

Itinerary

1

Rosslyn Chapel

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

2

Melrose Abbey

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

3

Glenkinchie Distillery

1 hour • Admission Ticket 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
  • Minimum age is 4 years old.
  • Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark.
  • Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or a full refund.
  • Digital translations in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian & Mandarin available on request.
  • Please arrive a minimum of 15 minutes before your tour's departure time.
  • Whisky at Glenkinchie Distillery can only be sold to passengers over 18 years old. You might need to show valid ID as proof of age.
  • Children under the age of 8 are not permitted to join the distillery tour.
  • Please note: from 3rd December 2024 our Edinburgh tours will depart from NCP Castle Terrace, EH1 2EW.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 32 travelers
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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

YolandaCatalina
Alístair was a wonderful guide. His cheery disposition and awesome playlist made this journey through the lowlands very enjoyable. You can tell he really appreciates the history of Scotland as he retells history on your way from site to site. Rosslyn Chapel is uniquely beautifully and in itself with the journey. Melrose Abbey is a wonder and the staff at Glenkinchie is the meaning of good hospitality.

Reviews

4.8
based on 176 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
We perform checks on reviews

Great adventuring in the lowlands.

Sheri_W, Mar 2026
Very fun trip. Marty was so informative and very funny. We lived our time on the road taking in the beautiful countryside.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to leave us a great review. We are so happy to hear you had a great time on your tour with Marty. They certainly know how to make a tour fun! We hope you learned plenty of new and interesting facts. Scotland has some breathtaking scenery to offer and we are so glad you agree! We hope to see on tour with us again in the future! Kind regards, Eleanor

Alístair was a wonderful...

YolandaCatalina, Feb 2026
Alístair was a wonderful guide. His cheery disposition and awesome playlist made this journey through the lowlands very enjoyable. You can tell he really appreciates the history of Scotland as he retells history on your way from site to site. Rosslyn Chapel is uniquely beautifully and in itself with the journey. Melrose Abbey is a wonder and the staff at Glenkinchie is the meaning of good hospitality.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Hi there! Thank you so much for your great review! We are so happy to hear that you had a wonderful time on tour with Alistair! His cheeful nature and fun music taste combined with his amazing knowledge of Scotland's history really makes a tour memorable! We will be sure to pass along your very kind words to him! Please don't be a stranger, we hope to welcome you back on tour with us someday soon! Best wishes, Elizabeth

Rosslyn, Glenkinchie, and Countryside

Chad_C, Jan 2026
Excellent tours. Great guide. Outstanding opportunity to get out of Edinburgh and see the borders. Only issue we had was feeling rushed in some of the areas - trying to stay on a tight schedule. Lorna from Timberbush was a delight.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Dear Chad, Thanks for taking the time to leave Lorna such a lovely review! She will be thrilled to hear about all the positive feedback, so we will make sure to pass along the kind words! Our Rosslyn Chapel and Glenkinchie tour showcases some of the reasons why Scotland is wonderful, from our beautiful architecture to the delight of our whiskey. It's great to hear that you agree! We hope we can welcome you on another tour soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Great way to spend a day

Heather_P, Nov 2025
Adam was our driver, guide, historian, and comedian for the day. Each of your stops are managed on your own or under the guidance of Roslyn Chapel, Melrose Abbey, and the distillery, with a view of the country along the day, which were all wonderful experiences. Two thumbs way up for Adam’s driving, music playlist, and dad jokes keeping us entertained and educated through the day.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hi there, thank you for your review, We are very happy to hear that you had a brilliant time exploring the Scottish borders with our driver-guide Adam. We're very happy to hear that you appreciated Adam's safe and careful driving and that you also appreciated his friendliness and his informative commentary. We will be sure to inform him of your kind review. We hope we can welcome you on another one of our tours again in the future! Many thanks, Luisa

The tour was fantastic....

Felicia_M, Nov 2025
The tour was fantastic. Jillian was a wonderful, friendly, and knowledgeable guide and made every effort to make sure everyone was having fun. The tour locations were close enough to Edinburgh that we never spent too much time driving and had plenty of time at each location. The tour van was also nice and clean and had usb ports for phones (a big plus for me!) Highly recommend- I’ll definitely book through the same company next time I’m visiting!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Dear Felicia, Thanks for the fantastic review! Gillian will be thrilled to know that you enjoyed your tour with her, and we will make sure to pass along the lovely feedback! We hope we can welcome you on another tour soon! Kind Regards, Fatima

The tour was excellent....

James_G, Oct 2025
The tour was excellent. Rosslyn Chapel was amazing. The Glenkinchie Distillery tour was very informative. We could not have asked for a better tour guide.

Awesome tour

Trinath_G, Oct 2025
The entire Scotland is extremely beautiful. In any tour the guide plays the most pivotal role to make the tour more successful, more pleasant. Our Chauffeur/guide Paul Santa was a magnificent person. His energy, his knowledge, his behaviour and most importantly his attitude to show us the best of this tour makes the tour most awesome. He stopped the bus in some of those places, which are just awesome. Apart from the same, the places to visit are also worth paying. I loved the whole tour. The people of different culture from different places of the world gel so beautifully that makes the tour more memorable. I would recommend my friends to select this tour.

Wonderful day.

Valerie_F, Sep 2025
Wonderful day spent touring the Chapel and the distillery. The Chapel especially was beautiful. Our driver/guide was knowledgeable and very pleasant to travel with.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you for your lovely review! Our Rosslyn Chapel and Glenkinchie tour showcases some of the reasons why Scotland is wonderful, from our beautiful architecture to the delight of our whiskey. We hope that you agree! We hope we can welcome you on another tour soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Definitely recommend

Anonymous, Sep 2025
Excellent experience. The driver was friendly, easy to talk to, knowledgeable, and fun. All the stops were great, especially the distillery.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hi there, Thanks for the wonderful review! really knows some of the most magical spots Scotland has to offer – and we’re glad you agree! We hope to welcome you back to Scotland soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Excellent tour

Mahrie_O, May 2025
We loved every bit of the experience! Thanks to our wonderful driver and all the knowledge at each stop.fabulous

Response from Host, May 2025

Hi there, Thank you for your lovely review, glad you enjoyed your Rosslyn Chapel, the Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery tour with us. Best wishes. Abiola.

Great day!

Maryann_D, Apr 2025
We had a great trip with Kenny. His extensive knowledge of Scotland's history and his wonderful stories made the ride very enjoyable! We felt very safe with him driving. We would recommend this trip to others!

Response from Host, Apr 2025

We are so happy to hear you had a great time on your tour with Kenny! He certainly knows how to make a tour fun! We hope you learned plenty of new and interesting facts. We hope we can welcome you on tour again soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Unexpected Surprises

Marlys_H, Mar 2025
The chapel was beautiful to visit. The docents gave a wonderful presentation and then we were given time to explore and look at the carvings. Photography is not allowed in the chapel, so give yourself time to explore the gift shop to satisfy something you may have seen in the chapel with a postcard, photograph, or booklet. Driving through the countryside to the whisky distillery was gorgeous as we had a blue sky day. Our tour guide stopped at points giving us the opportunity to take lots of photos. The whisky distillery was fabulous and fun to visit. The aroma alone walking into the building was worth the cost of the trip. As someone who has never tried whisky, this distillery gave me an unexpected surprise.

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Hi there, Thank you for sharing such a detailed and thoughtful review! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed visiting the chapel and had a great time exploring the carvings, as well as the gift shop. It's wonderful that the countryside drive to the whisky distillery was as beautiful as the distillery itself. We're also happy to hear that the whisky experience turned out to be a pleasant surprise for you, even if it was your first time! We appreciate your kind words about the tour and our guide – it sounds like you had a memorable trip, and we’d love to welcome you on another adventure soon! Kind Regards, Mirren

Eric was an excellent...

Laura_W, Dec 2024
Eric was an excellent driver and guide. Multiple photo stops in addition to the itinerary. Chapel staff and Distillery staff were incredibly knowledgeable and friendly.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Dear Laura, Thanks for the review! Our Rosslyn Chapel and Glenkinchie tour showcases some of the reasons why Scotland is wonderful, from our beautiful architecture to the delight of our whiskey. We're glad you enjoyed your time with Eric! We would love to welcome you back soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Great experience and excellent guide

Oswaldo_F, Nov 2024
Great experience, really enjoyed the overall day trip, and excellent guide, above and beyond, thanks Eric for great job

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Hi Oswald, Thank you for taking time out of your day to leave us such a kind review. We are sure Eric will be happy to hear that you enjoyed your time on tour with them, we will be sure to pass your kind comments onto them. We hope to welcome you back on tour one day soon! Kind regards, Christie

Lovely day out

Victoria_L, Sep 2024
Really enjoyed looking round the Chapel. The guide at the distillery was also very good as was Eric our tour guide.

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Hi Victoria, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your tour to Rosslyn Chapel, and that Eric kept you entertained. We would love to welcome you on tour with us again in the future. Best Wishes, Hannah

Breath taking views

Donald_R, Sep 2024
Martin was an excellent driver and commentator, quite knowledgeable. Found the stop for lunch at Melrose too rushed, by time we got our food we had to leave.

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Hi there, Thank you for your kind words. We are sure Martin will be happy to hear that you enjoyed your time on your tour with them, and we hope you learned a lot of new and interesting facts about Scotland! We will be sure to pass your kind comments onto them. We are sorry to hear that you felt rushed. As you will be aware, it takes quite a while to travel across Scotland in the allotted time we have, so in order to be able to do this tour in one day we can only make limited stops along the way. We appreciate you taking the time to write a review and hope to see you again sometime soon! Kind regards, Christie

Outstanding and fun experience!

Oliver_H, Sep 2024
The Rosslyn Chapel docent was outstanding … she brought the history of the chapel and its restoration to life. Outstanding experience! And Willie at Glenkinchie was amazing … he brought scotch whisky making to life … and he taught us the real way to drink Scotch whisky. If I could … I’d invite Willie to our next dinner party to teach our friends and family the proper way to enjoy a dram … or two … of the best whisky in the world.

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Dear Oliver, Thanks for the lovely review! Our Rosslyn Chapel and Glenkinchie tour showcases some of the reasons why Scotland is wonderful, and we hope that you agree! We hope we can have a dram with you again soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Could have been MUCH BETTER!

Claudio_H, Aug 2024
The visit to Rosslyn and to distillery were GREAT!!!!! However, the trip to Melrose was a HUGE waste of time!!! One hour and half to get there, one hour eating lunch, and one hour and half driving back. WASTE OF TIME!!

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thank you for taking the time leave a review for your tour to Rosslyn Chapel & Glenkinchie Distillery! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the visit to the Chapel & Distillery, they're lovely stops which let you try some wonderful Scottish Whisky and see a beautiful bit of History! We use Melrose as our lunch stop as it as a lovely village, that gives use the chance to show off the gorgeous scenery and rolling hills of the borders region on the drive there, before continuing North to the distillery. We can only apologise that you did not enjoy that portion of the tour. I hope that we can welcome you back on another tour soon, and show you more of the Scottish highlands! Kind regards, Clara

Great variety tour!

Josephine_S, Jun 2024
Inside Chapel history presentation was excellent! Impressive interior and history.! Distillery, in silent season, assigned us charming, experienced guide with talent for remembering names of all guest on our tour!

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Hello there, Thank you for your review of our Rosslyn Chapel tour! We're happy to hear that you enjoyed the variety of the tour. It's great to know that the history presentation impressed you with its excellent delivery and rich history. We’re also pleased that you had a memorable experience with your guide who made your tour great! We look forward to welcoming you on another tour in the future! Best wishes, Mark

Paul B with Timber bush...

William_T, May 2024
Paul B with Timber bush was great and a great source of information. Great mix of history and culture.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a lovely review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Paul and his knowledge of Scottish history and culture. We would love to welcome you back again in the future. Best Wishes, Hannah

Rosslyn Chapel

Frederick_M, May 2024
Very good day with our excellent driver, Eric. The Rosslyn Chapel was beautiful, a knowledgeable guide gave us the history of the chapel and the family. Melrose is a nice small town with several places to choose from to eat. The Abby is under restoration so we could only walk around the grounds. The visit to Glenkinchie distillery was very interesting and informative with a great guide Tony. A marvelous day in all.

Response from Host, May 2024

Hi there, Thanks for taking the time to leave such a kind review! We're glad you had an amazing time at Rosslyn Chapel, it really is a beautiful and historic building that's rich with character. We hope we can welcome you back on tour with us soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Okay experience

Brandi_V, Nov 2023
Be aware this is not a guided tour, but rather a shuttle service to three locations. Rosslyn chapel and castle ruins, next stop Melrose Abbey ( which was closed with a metal gate around it), and then the distillery. The driver of the bus was friendly.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Hi Brandi_V, Thank you for sharing your feedback on our Rosslyn Chapel, Scottish Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery from Edinburgh. I'm glad to hear that the coach driver was friendly to you. All of our drivers guide the tours as they drive, but do not provide guided tours of the locations themselves. We had staff members on the coach the day of your tour who have assured me that the driver was guiding on the coach for the entire day and that they learned lots of history about the area. I do hope you enjoyed the stops on the tour and will travel with us again int he future. Best wishes, Jodie

Rosslyn Chapel tour with the 4 Texas sisters

Houston_B, Nov 2023
Our driver and tour guide was Graham S. He was an OUTSTANDING guide and driver! We ended up with a private tour for the 4 of us, 4 sisters from Texas. Graham was EXTREMELY knowledgeable, VERY ENTERTAINING, and made for a thoroughly enjoyable tour for all of us! We were constantly laughing and enjoyed all the extra information and background he provided!!!! We would tour with him as our guide ANYTIME!!!!

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you so much for your review! We're delighted to hear that Graham made your Rosslyn Chapel tour exceptional. We're also thrilled you enjoyed his extensive knowledge and entertaining style. It was our pleasure to have the four Texas sisters on our tour. We look forward to welcoming you back for another experience! Best wishes, Mark

Skip this tour

Gary_P, Aug 2023
The guide was overly chatty and kept spewing out facts and information with no rhyme or reason. The minibus was very mini and had restricted legroom . Overall, not worth the time.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Gary_P, Thank you for sharing your feedback. I'm sorry to hear that you felt the driver-guide was overly chatty. With thousands of passengers on our tours each month it is difficult to please everyone with the commentary we provide. Our coaches have industry standard sized seats and space for legs. I hope you enjoyed seeing Scotland and will return to our beautiful country again. Best wishes, Jodie

Fun tour with a great guide

JoshDavison, Aug 2023
We were blessed with a second day with tour guide Stuart and learned even more about Scotland. It's obvious Stuart is a proud Scot who loves his homeland and is eager to share it with everyone. The churches were interesting to see and learn about, but James and I both loved the tour thanks to Stuart. Regrettably we never got to see the Glasgow Rangers, but would never would have considered a Trio if not for Stuart. He has a contagious energy for Scotland. Thanks for everything Stuart. Please look us up if you ever visit Indianapolis, we'd love to return the favor.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Hi there, thank you for your review. We are very happy to hear that our Rosslyn Chapel, Scottish Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery tour was an amazing day and that you found it informative. We are also glad to hear that you enjoyed Stuart's varied commentary and passion for Scotland so much, and we are especially happy to hear how valuable you found his guiding on each of your tours with us. We will be sure to pass your kind comments onto him. We hope we will see you on one of our tours again soon! Many thanks again, Kat

Not a great tour choice when your time is limited.

Bruce_C, Jul 2023
Not enough time provided for the stop at Roslyn Chapel. Melrose was a disappointing choice for a tour destination. Great people at Timberbush though.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Dear Bruce_C, Many thanks for your review. We are sorry to hear you found the stop at Rosslyn Chapel too short. We allocate 1.5 hours here which is in line with their entry time slots. We tend to have quite a few customers interested in Melrose Abbey, which is why this is part of the tour, but understand it might not be of interest to everyone. We hope to be able to welcome you on tour again in the future. Best wishes, Lisa

The dad jokes never stop...

Kitty_E, Jun 2023
This was an amazing tour. Marty made the experience exceptional! Helen at Glenkenchie was a delight! Can't wait to come back and experience even more of what Edinburgh has to offer.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Hi there, thank you for your review. I'm happy to hear that enjoyed our tour Ultimate Whisky Experience with Marty. Glenturret and Dewar’s Aberfeldy distilleries are great, so I'm glad you enjoyed them and hopefully we will see you again soon! All the best, Kat

Don’t miss visiting Rosalyn Chapel and Meltose Abbey and Glenkinchie for the day

merlinandjester, May 2023
Wonderful day touring these fantastic sites with Peter as a guide and driver . He did a great job and made sure we knew when interesting things were coming up . Really enjoyed his commentary .

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi there, thank you for your review. We are glad to hear that you had a lovely time out on tour with Peter and enjoyed his commentary. We will be sure to pass your kind words over to him. We agree, Rosslyn chapel, Melrose Abbey and Glenkinchie are great attractions and shouldn't be missed. We are very glad you enjoyed your day and we hope we will see you again on tour with us. All the best, Luisa

Very knowledgeable and...

Rebecca_P, Apr 2023
Very knowledgeable and punctual driver. Always made sure we were present before taking off to the next destination. Beautiful countryside and whiskey. Definitely would recommend.. the people at glenkinski are the most hospitable people I have ever met.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Its great to hear you had such a lovely time on our Rosslyn Chapel, Scottish Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery tour. The Scottish highlands certainly have some amazing landscapes and we are glad we could share them with you. We always try and get in as many extras as possible if there is time, and our drivers know the best places. Once again, thank you for your review and we hope to see you again in the future to show you more of our beautiful country! Thanks, Amy

So much history

Marchelle_R, Apr 2023
Rosalyn chapel has so much history. The 9.00 fee covered the 15 minute presentation by a member of the working church. So much to see and learn about the history! The Abby where Robert the Bruce’s heart was but a skeleton - they are going thru renovation but it was so interesting to see it this was. We could not walk thru as the. Ceiling could fall down. It may take up to five years or more until we can see it inside -the Glenkinchi was a fun tour with three samples at the end! Stephanie was our guide from France - she was awesome! All in all- very nice

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for this amazing review! Its great to hear you had such a lovely time on our Rosslyn Chapel, Scottish Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery tour. The Scottish highlands certainly have some amazing landscapes and we are glad we could share them with you. We always try and get in as many extras as possible if there is time, and our drivers know the best places. Once again, thank you for your review and we hope to see you again in the future to show you more of our beautiful country! Thanks, Amy

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