Scottish Highland Games Day Trip from Edinburgh
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Edinburgh, Scotland
- 9 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Immerse yourself in the spirit of Scottish revelry with a full-day trip to the Scottish Highland Games from Edinburgh. Enjoy the rugged natural beauty of the highlands as you pass lochs, mountains and sweeping glens en route to the gaming site. Watch men in traditional Highland dress compete in hammer throwing, tug-of-war and tossing the caber. Book early to ensure a place at this popular event!
- Day trip to the Scottish Highlands Games from Edinburgh
- Scenic drive past lochs, mountains and glens
- See the tossing of the caber, Highland dancing and piping competitions
- Experience unique Scottish hospitality
What's Included
- Transport by air-conditioned midi coach
- Local English Speaking Guide
- Highland Games Entry Ticket
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Highland Explorer Tours60 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1TB, UK
This tour will depart at 8:30 am from 60 High Street, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 1TB (except for Braemar Games which leaves 8:00 am). Meet 15 minutes before departure and look for the check-in staff wearing blue high-visibility vests there to greet you.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Your gaming adventure begins in central Edinburgh. Meet your local guide and board the coach for the ride to the games site. The site changes throughout the season, with the most popular gathering taking place in Braemer on the first weekend in September. As you travel through the stunning Scottish Highlands, hear fascinating facts about the Highland Games, descended from the 11th-century event held by Malcolm when Scottish Clans went head-to-head in tests strength and stamina.
When you arrive, spend several hours watching exciting competitions like hammer throwing, wrestling and caber tossing. Enjoy some traditional Scottish music and vibrant dancing before heading back to Edinburgh, where your 9.5-hour tour concludes at the starting point on Royal Mile.
Please Note: Event runs from late-May through September.
When you arrive, spend several hours watching exciting competitions like hammer throwing, wrestling and caber tossing. Enjoy some traditional Scottish music and vibrant dancing before heading back to Edinburgh, where your 9.5-hour tour concludes at the starting point on Royal Mile.
Please Note: Event runs from late-May through September.
1
Blair Castle & Gardens
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Glamis Castle
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Luss Visitor Centre
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
4
Strathallan Games Park
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
5
Crieff Highland Gathering
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
6
The Braemar Gathering
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
7
Pitlochry Highland Games
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 23 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- The Highland Games tours all depart at 8:30am with the exception of Braemar, which departs at 8:00am.
- Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them to board and disembark
- It is recommended to book transport to the departure point in advance. Please also allow extra time to get to the departure point for check-in. We advise you arrive at least 15 minutes before the tour departure to allow time to check-in for the tour. Unfortunately, we are unable to hold the bus or refund for any late arrivals.
- Children under 5 years old, including infants who do not require a seat, are not permitted to travel. We are unable to accommodate any child under the age of 5.
- Return times are approximate and subject to road conditions and weather. Please ensure you allocate sufficient time for any onward travel plans, allowing at least 3 hours after the scheduled return time for connections or activities.
- The tour may operate with our sister company, HAGGiS Adventures.
- The order of the itinerary route is subject to change.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 34 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
Featured review
Rhonda_L
The Highland Games were wonderful! If you have an opportunity to catch one, don’t miss it! The stops were timed out well for restroom breaks and leg stretching in Dunkeld. Our guide was knowledgeable and shared great stories of Scotland’s history.
Reviews
4.5
based on 78 reviews
Mark_L, Sep 2025
Tim was so much more than a bus driver. He was awesome. His brief Scottish history put so much into perspective and the tidbits along the way broke up the journey. The experience itself was well planned from travel to admission and all the rest.
Krish_R, Aug 2025
The driver guide just drove us to the Highland Games Town and told us that we have six hours and to return by 4PM. WE never saw him again until we returned to the bus.
He could have taken us to the games site and provided an overview of where all the activities were and then let us go on our own. By not doing this we all had to learn on our own which was not a good use of time.
The driver guide was one of the last persons to arrive at the bus but before 4PM where all of us were waiting outside in the sun. Then the air-conditioning did not function and it was miserable ride back to Edinburgh. No attempt was made to improve the interior climate as it was hotter than outside for all the two hours.
JanaJH, Oct 2024
We enjoyed visiting the picturesque town of Pitlochry and watching the events at the Highland Games. The Games are clearly a labor of love for the local community and it was fun to watch the full spectrum of events from children's relay races, caber tossing and pipe band competitions. The announcer was great at explaining each event and we felt that we learned a lot about the Highland Games and local culture. Highland Explorer Tours organized a good tour to the Games. The process of checking in was efficient and on time. Our guide for the day was friendly and told us interesting stories about Scotland during the drive to and from Pitlochry.
Pauline_K, Sep 2024
Must go on this trip to Scottish Highland Games. See it all with bus driver so you can relax and enjoy.
Jane_M, Sep 2024
i enjoyed the caber toss the most. i could not see the other activities because of green netting. I wish we could have had seats.
Driver was very pleasant.
Rhonda_L, May 2024
The Highland Games were wonderful! If you have an opportunity to catch one, don’t miss it! The stops were timed out well for restroom breaks and leg stretching in Dunkeld. Our guide was knowledgeable and shared great stories of Scotland’s history.
Janet_W, May 2024
Interesting and lively event. A great way to experience music, culture and entertainment. Thank you.
Molly_B, Sep 2023
The games were exactly as I was expecting- fun! Braemar is a cute little town complete with ruins! Bonus: King Charles and Camilla were there! And Paul was a great tour guide and incredibly helpful.
Gina_C, Sep 2023
Phil was a great guide for our day trip to the Braemar Gathering. He was informative, pleasant and professional. A++++++++
The bus was clean and comfortable with no issues.
patricia_s, Jul 2023
Loved tour guides stories and song playlist during journey. would have been nice to have seats somewhere to view the games . all in all it was a fun time
Hannah_V, Jun 2022
This trip was great! Highly recommend. It was so fun to see the Games, and our guide stopped at some really nice, off the beaten path places on the way there. Overall a really great day trip.
Paula_S, May 2019
Great to see Highland Games. They were amazing. Caitlin was a wonderful guide, articulate and amusing. It was refreshing to have a young female guide.
Response from Host, May 2019
Hello, thank you for your kind review! We are glad you found Caitlin to be a wonderful guide and you had an amazing time at the Highland Games. We hope to see you on another tour.
Best, Victoria
Joy W, Sep 2017
This was a great trip from Edinburgh. Our driver, Kelly, was fun and had interesting stories and history to tell us. We went to the Pitlochery Highland Games. A really pretty small town.
rita j, Sep 2017
The tour to the Highland games was somewhat disappointing. The area where the athletes were showing off their skills was too far away from where the spectators were standing. They may want to shorten the distance so the guests can fully enjoy the games.
MichaelPatrick_P, Sep 2017
This was an amazing tour! Our driver/ tour guide Sandy did a fantastic job! And getting to see the Highland games in
Scotland was a dream come true.
Joan M, Sep 2017
It rained the entire day which made walking in a field somewhat precarious. Guess I have watched too many movies involving Scottish Highland Games as this seemed more like a county fair. Did walk into town and enjoy a lunch at a wonderful little cafe. The bus driver was enjoyable.
Yvonne R, Sep 2017
Loved the tour guide- Sandy! He was interesting with great sense of humor.
You're on your own at the games but they were fun to watch and announcer did a good job explaining things. Lots of bagpipes! Definitely recommend.
avantgarde000, Jun 2017
We went to the Blair Atholl Highland Games and had a blast. We got to see bag pipers, dancers, caber toss, etc. Sandy was our guide and he was great. He shared some history about Scotland and was very fun to listen to on the way to and from the Games. Great job!
Victor H, Nov 2016
The full-day affair was worth it. The guide was knowledgeable and helped explain all the events and the history behind them.
Bridget W, Aug 2016
This is simply a bus ride to the games. While this is what I wanted I did expect more for the price. When asking questions about the history of the games the guide was able to provide little additional information. I would recommend you find your own way to the games and save money.
Elizabeth_M, Jun 2016
Chris P our driver made the trip !!!!! He was funny kind accommodating ...he took our feelings and desires into account ... He played superb Scottish music ... I have already purchased two CDs he played music from ... He sang along to some songs ... He was very personable ! A plus job !!!!!!!!!
Douglas P, Dec 2015
The tour was extremely wet, but the host made it as well organized as possible. It rained approx 3 inches during the day and most of the field events were cancelled. The dance competition was held at a local hotel fortunately for us to dry out! We wouldn't go again if it rained!
fsterlingrn, Oct 2015
I think I would have really liked this had the weather cooperated a bit more. It rained so hard all day long. Our guide did the best she could but it was really disappointing.
Jenna A, Sep 2015
How fun!!! I had such an amazing time on this trip! The Queen even came! Dougie was our tour guide and quite awesome. I think the only thing I didn't realize is that you have to pay for seats to sit down close to the action. As a photographer, this frustrated me but it ended up alright! REALLY long day, so be prepared!
Kelvin S, Sep 2015
The Highland Games Tour filled the Sunday between attending the Edinburgh Military Tattoo on Saturday 15th and starting the 5 day Isle of Skye Tour on Monday 17th. Unfortunately we were only able to spend a couple of hours at the games and did not get to see as many of the highland sports as we would have liked. This however did not detract from the day and we had a very enjoyable and relaxing time.
MyViator, Aug 2015
Tour guide OK. Games were very disappointing. More like a local carnival with local kids competing in some races, etc. Enjoyed the local bag pipes. We were told that the games in August are more professional with more traditional types of competition that we had expected. I would not recommend this tour.
Daniela G, Aug 2014
Fantastic! the most impressive part: the tour guide! She was amazing! Good mood, great stories and historic details. I loved it all! Wonderful day!
Kenneth M, Aug 2014
It was quite rainy on this tour. Not tour operator's fault obviously, but wish there was a "Plan B" for heavy rain days.
Deborah M, Aug 2014
Excellent guide who gave us very good information and interesting. Loved seeing the Highland Games in Scotland as my family had attended the Highland Games in Los Angeles for 30 years. A Must for visiting Scotland to walk around with the locals and enjoy the Games tradition.
Peter O, Jul 2014
We found the day to be perfect even though we had a break down on the way back.
The Games were amazing and there was no tourist theme to them at all - it was just pure Scottish traditional that we were fortunate enough to witness.
Our guide was first class- he was extremely knowledgable and funny
From $160.45
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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