Inverness: 2-Day Isle of Skye, The Fairy Pools & Highland Castles
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Inverness, Scotland
- 2 days (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See the highlights of the Isle of Skye in just two days, without any of the hassle of planning your trip or renting a car, with this overnight tour. Set out from Inverness with a driver-guide, stopping at scenic viewpoints and beautiful castles, lochs, and waterfalls along the way. Choose from a package that includes accommodation in Portree or book your own for more flexibility.
- Choose from options with and without accommodation
- Learn about the Isle of Skye from your driver-guide
- Travel in the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle
- Round-trip transfers from Inverness add convenience
What's Included
- 1 night accommodation (unless 'no accommodation' option is selected)
- Knowledgeable driver-guide
- Live commentary on board
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Attraction Tickets
- Gratuities
- Accommodation, unless chosen
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Restroom on board
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Railway Terrace, Inverness, UK
Railway Terrace, Inverness, IV1 1NW. Look out for our coach or our sign on the lamp post.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.8:00 am
Itinerary
Day 1
Travel from Inverness to Portree
7 Stops
1
Loch Carron View Point
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Dunvegan Castle & Gardens
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Quiraing View
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Kilt Rock
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
The Old Man of Storr
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Lealt Falls
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Portree (Pass By)
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Not included
Day 2
From Portree to Inverness
5 Stops
1
Fairy Pools
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Sligachan Old Bridge
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Broadford
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
4
Eilean Donan Castle
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
5
Fort Augustus
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Not included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Please arrive a minimum of 15 minutes before your tour's departure time.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- If booking your own accommodation, it must be within 2km of Portree town centre.
- 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.
- Minimum age is 4 years.
- Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark.
- Luggage is restricted to one medium sized suitcase per person. For guidance: a medium sized suitcase is considered 60-69cm high and roughly 45cm in width.
- Please note: Eilean Donan Castle will be closed on the following dates: 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 15th, 16th & 24th November 2024. We will still visit the castle for a photo stop.
- If you are driving, we recommend parking at the Old Town Rose Street Multi-Storey Car Park, 24 Rose St, IV1 1NQ, conveniently located next to our departure point.
- Please note: The Fairy Pools will be inaccessible from the 4th November until 18th November inclusive.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 19 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 6 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 302 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
The tour was absolutely worth it! The Isle of Skye is a must-see destination. The Fairy Pools are breathtaking with the mountains surrounding them. Quiraing gave us views that we will cherish forever. If you love breathtaking views, this excursion is for you. Doreen, our guide, was very friendly and a good driver (considering the narrow roads). We felt safe while she was driving. I would absolutely recommend this excursion. Thank you!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review, Sylvie. We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the stunning scenery of the Isle of Skye, from the Fairy Pools to the Quiraing. It's wonderful to know Doreen's friendly guidance and driving helped make the experience both memorable and comfortable. Thank you for recommending Timberbush, and we hope to welcome you back on another Highland adventure soon!
Marita made the long drives very enjoyable with her stories and knowledge of the area. She was flexible to everyone's needs. I would definitely recommend this tour.
The bus driver was also the guide. While they were an excellent driver on the very narrow and windy roads, they did not provide any history or in deprh knowledge of the area or the sights we were seeing. The company should employ 2 seperate people — a driver and guide.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We’re pleased to hear you felt your Driver-Guide handled Scotland’s narrow and winding roads so well.
Our tours are intentionally operated by experienced Driver-Guides, who are trained to combine safe driving with commentary, storytelling and local knowledge throughout the journey. This format allows us to offer a more personal and flexible touring experience, and is a well-established way of touring Scotland.
That said, the commentary and insight provided should still be an important part of the experience, so we’re sorry to hear you felt this was lacking on your tour. We appreciate you highlighting this and will make sure your feedback is passed on to the relevant team.
Our two-day Isle of Skye tour was absolutely fantastic, and Ingy made the entire experience unforgettable. From Dunvegan Castle and Eilean Donan Castle to the Fairy Pools and so many other beautiful stops along the way, the itinerary was incredible. We never once felt rushed, and Ingy made sure we had plenty of time to enjoy each location.
What really set this tour apart were all the personal touches. Ingy listened to our interests and went out of his way to find hidden gems and unique stops we never would have discovered on our own. He even brought carrots and found a place where we could feed the Highland cows, as well as bird seed so we could hand-feed the birds—such fun and memorable experiences! He also took the time to recommend great places for dining during our trip.
Ingy is incredibly knowledgeable about the Highlands and Isle of Skye, and his enthusiasm for the area made the tour even more enjoyable. He was personable, accommodating, funny, and just an all-around genuinely nice guy.
We have taken several small-group and private tours during our travels, and Ingy was by far the best driver and tour guide we have ever had. Our two days exploring the Isle of Skye were one of the highlights of our trip to Scotland, and that was largely thanks to Ingy and his local knowledge, enthusiasm, and attention to detail. We couldn’t recommend him or this tour highly enough!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Hi there!
Thank you so much for your fantastic review!
We are absolutely thrilled to hear that you had a great time on tour with Ingy! He is known for always giving his tours a personal touch. We're very glad you had a chance to experience this when out on tour and that this helped make your tour extra special! The Isle of Skye is such an amazing place, we love that we were able to share its magic with you!
We hope we can welcome you back again soon for another adventure!
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
Amazing tour and trip! Although we traveled so many miles, I didn’t feel stuck on the bus and was truly able to explore Isle of Skye. Our guide Martin was amazing! We were delighted with this tour and would be happy to go on any tour with Martin and Timberbush again!
This was an absolutely incredible experience! Our tour guide, Martin, was wonderful. He did an excellent job of blending history with lore and making sure we knew enough to appreciate and respect each excursion site.
The one piece of advice I have— bring proper footwear and a good rain coat because there is a LOT of walking. But it is well worth it!
A great way to see Isle of Skye. Also was very happy with the accommodation that the company book for me. Skye never disappoints. And our tour guide, Liall (not sure if I am spelling his nm right) was great. He was very knowledgeable about the history, was funny and good with people. He even took us to see Old Man of Sorr on the second day, since on our first day it was covered in mist. Thank you so much for this great adventure!!!
We had a fabulous trip with our guide Lewis from Timberbach
He is really knowledgeable / informative and friendly
My only negative was the Easdale B&B - I do not recommend this accomodation on Portree
The bed was VERY UNCOMFORTABLE for 2 people to sleep in to the point that I was better sleeping on the ground
This was a fantastic two day tour! While it would take a week or more to fully explore Isle of Skye, we got a very good feel incredible for the people, nature history, and lore of this incredible island. Our guide was well prepared, interesting and knowledgeable.
I had the most incredible experience! The Isle of Skye is truly a magical place and this tour made it possible. Tour guide, Stewart, was phenomenal, informative, funny, and got us around entertained; no idea how he was able to keep talking and have so many facts available during the drives. Highly recommend this tour, 10/10!
Stephen the bus driver and tour guide was wonderful. He was knowledgeable and humorous. He added stops to accommodate people's wishes.
Excellent itinerary and tour guide. If you want to see both the northern and southern sites on the Isle of Skye, this is the perfect tour to book.
It was an amazing experience. The beauty is indescribable. This tour was the highlight of our trip! Martin, our Timberbush guide was so nice, extremely knowledgeable, and shared so much history about each sight we visited. He shared a lot of Scottish history and played some Scottish music for us which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was easy to see his genuine passion about his wonderful country. We highly recommend having Timberbush book your overnight accommodations. Our experience exceeded our expectations!
Martin was the best! We were regaled with wonderful stories, history and hidden gems of Isle of Skye. Delightful memories.
Lawrence was the best tour guide for our 2 day skye trip! He made the experience a 10/10. Showed us local places, made sure we found highland cows and gave us carrots to feed them, great jokes and company, and overall would recommend him as a tour guide!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi there,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind review!
We are glad to hear you had a great time with Lawrence on your tour!
We are so happy that you had such a good time seeing the highland cows, they are definitely a must see!
We hope that we will see you again in the future!
Kind regards,
Amy
Ben was our tour guide and he did an excellent job of teaching us about the isle of the Skye.
I highly recommend asking for Ben to tour you around.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Laurie,
Thank you for the kind review!
We're sure Ben will be happy to hear that you enjoyed your time on tour with him!
We hope to see you again soon!
Best wishes,
Faye
Isle of Sky is so stunningly beautiful that it’s worth doing this tour for 2 days.
Our driver guide Blair gave us many interesting facts and legends about the area. He also made us listen to some Scottish music and songs. He even played accordion during some stops to our delight. I truly recommend Blair as he entertained us for the 2 days and we were never bored.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi there,
Thank you for the lovely review!
We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed your time on tour with Blair and enjoyed his musical performance.
The Isle of Skye is such a special place, we love that we were able to share its magic with you!
We hope to see you again in the future.
Best Wishes,
Amy
Lawrence , our guide was amazing. He told us great stories and histories. He went out of his way to find us perfect photo ops. His enthusiasm and love for the area was infectious
Response from Host, May 2026
We are very happy to hear that you had a fantastic time on tour with our driver-guide Lawrence. We are sure he will be glad to know that you learned a lot from his commentary throughout the day. We are also very happy to hear that you appreciated the dramatic views you saw throughout the tour. Finally, we are very glad to hear you would recommend our tours to others! We hope we will see you again on one of our tours again soon!
Many thanks again,
This was an awesome trip. Great guide Ben and accommodations were amazing!!! Highlight of Scotland trip
Response from Host, May 2026
We are very happy to hear that you had a fantastic time on tour with our driver-guide Ben,. We are sure he will be glad to know that you learned a lot from his commentary throughout the day. We are also very happy to hear that you appreciated the dramatic views you saw throughout the tour. Finally, we are very glad to hear you would recommend our tours to others! We hope we will see you again on one of our tours again soon!
Many thanks again,
We had an excellent two days with Stewart and got to see a lot of things around the isle of skye as well as a lot of sights on the way as well, learned about the history of the area, and had plenty of time to visit each spot. If you’re visiting the area and don’t have a car, I would highly recommend this experience.
A good way to get an overview of Skye without having to drive yourself. It was a definite positive to have a two day experience in terms of the amount we could see
A great way to maximize your time and see as much as Skye as possible. So glad we took it as is allowed a meaningful (yet very wet and windy) trip to Fairy Pools which was a priority for us. The overnight in Portree was so much better than taking two separate day trip tours which we would have had to to see what we hoped to see. Alan was very knowledgeable and a pleasure. Well worth it.
Loved the trip, amazing views and history. Doreen was an amazing guide. Her knowledge and personality made for a great trip. The fairy pools were an amazing place to see as well as Eileen Donan Castle.
What an incredible adventure! Martin was a fantastic guide with delightful humour and lots of stories to tell to us. He was extremely kind and gave us plenty of time to explore at each location. This is a do not miss adventure and Timberbush was a such a fantastic choice and I absolutely recommend them!
It was a great tour overall. The driver was safe and experienced. We got to see alot of things. However the days are long, between 10 and 11 hours each day. Timing at some itinerary sites are a little too long in my opinion. Also by getting in later in the days on day 1, theres not alot of shopping time in Portree. If making dinner reservations anywhere, make sure theyre on the later side.
A must do. Liall, our guide/driver was awesome. Very accommodating and knowledgeable. Kept us entertained with folklore and facts.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you very much for taking the time to offer us such lovely feedback on your 2-Day Isle of Skye, The Fairy Pools & Highland Castles tour
We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed your time exploring Scotland with us and we’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to your Driver-Guide Liall.
We hope to welcome you on tour again soon!
Our guide to the highlands! Marita was a fabulous tour guide and gave us a little taste of everything on a two-day Isle of Skye trip.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi there,
Thank you so much for your review!
We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your Isle of Skye tour with us! We will be sure to pass your lovely words along to Marita, positive feedback is always great to hear!
We hope to see you on tour with us again in the future!
Kind regards,
Eleanor
We had two wonderful days, made even more special thanks to Lorenz. He is not only a knowledgeable and passionate guide, but also a pleasant presence who helped us experience each place with wonder and depth.
He went above and beyond to let us truly appreciate the magic of Skye and its extraordinary landscapes. We highly recommend this experience to anyone wishing to discover the islands at their best.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi there,
We appreciate you taking the time to review us.
We are so happy to hear you had a great time on your tour with Lorenz. They certainly know how to make a tour fun! We hope you learned plenty of new and interesting facts.
It would be great to see you on tour with us again soon so we can show you more magical scenery!
Kind regards,
Eleanor
Exceptional Experience! Our guide, Saif, went out of his way to ensure that everyone had a memorable experience. The vehicle was spotless. Plenty of leg room. We made at least a dozen stops for photo ops. Plus castle tours, waterfall hikes. It was lovely . Even better than I had hoped for. I have no hesitation whatsoever recommending this experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hello there,
thank you for your review.
We are very happy to hear that you had a brilliant time on tour with one of our knowledgeable and passionate guides and enjoyed their commentary. We are glad you enjoyed the views throughout the day and hope you were able to take some great photos.
We hope we can welcome you on another one of our tours again in the future!
All the best,
Hannah
Willie was an incredible guide for the Isle of Skye. Got to see absolutely everything we could have wanted on Skye and were given incredible accomodation.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi there,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a great review!
We love that we were able to share the beauty of the Isle of Skye with you, it really is something special!
We hope to see you again sometime soon so we can help you experience more of the magic of Scotland.
Kind regards,
Eleanor
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