--- title: Loch Ness and the Highlands Small Group Tour from Edinburgh lang: en type: tour city: Edinburgh country: United Kingdom price: 106 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.81 reviews: 837 duration_minutes: 720 languages: [en] free_cancellation: true rank_in_category: 57 of 90 (Day Trips from Edinburgh) schedule_checked: 2026-10-01 data_updated: 2026-10-01 canonical: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/tours/loch-ness-and-the-highlands-small-group-tour-from-edinburgh/ --- # Loch Ness and the Highlands Small Group Tour from Edinburgh **Guidekin's take:** Glen Coe and Loch Ness anchor this Highlands day trip, with an optional boat cruise on the loch. Air-conditioned mini-coach transport and live commentary are included; attraction fees and meals are extra, and children must be at least five. 4.81 from 837 reviews at €106 per person for 12h. ## Overview Join this very small group tour (average group size of around 12 passengers) for a classic one day tour to Loch Ness. Traveling through spectacular Highland scenery, this tour is the perfect way to see lots of Scotland and search for the famous Loch Ness monster. Highlights include stunning Glen Coe and an optional boat cruise on Loch Ness, the world’s most mysterious stretch of water. This twelve hour adventure represents great value for money. ## Before you book - Meeting point: This tour departs from (and returns to)… - Entry ticket not included: buy it separately - Starts 07:45: one departure a day - Food not included: bring or buy your own - Children from €102: ages 5 to 17 ## Key facts - Price: from €106 per person - Duration: 12h - Rating: 4.81/5 from 837 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Recommended by 96% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: Heart of Scotland Tours Ltd ## What's included - Local guide - Driver/guide - Transport by air-conditioned Mercedes mini-coach - Live commentary on board - Very small group tour - average group size of around 12 passengers ## Not included - Food and drinks - Gratuities - Attraction Entrance Fees ## Itinerary 1. **Linlithgow Palace** (pass by, no stop) - Catch a glimpse of Linlithgow Palace - birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. 2. **Stirling Castle** (pass by, no stop) - Pass by historic Stirling Castle on its rocky crags. 3. **National Wallace Monument** (pass by, no stop) - The National Wallace Monument was built to honour our great Scottish hero - William Wallace. 4. **Doune Castle** (pass by, no stop) - is famous for its appearance in Monty Python's Holy Grail, Game of Thrones and Outlander. 5. **Enjoy a morning coffee stop within Scotland's first National Park** (30m) - The options here include the Highland gateway village of Callander or the mountain views at beautiful Loch Lubnaig. 6. **Glencoe National Nature Reserve** (10m) - The notorious massacre of the MacDonald Clan was carried out amidst this beautiful and dramatic scenery on the 13th February 1692. You may recognise this part of the Highlands, used in the movie 'Skyfall' and 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'. A majestic setting in... 7. **Rannoch Moor** (pass by, no stop) - Travel across the wilderness of Rannoch Moor with wonderful views of the surrounding mountains. 8. **Commando Monument** (10m) - View Ben Nevis (highest mountain in Britain at 1344 m) from the famous Commando Memorial. Here you can admire the spectacular views over the rugged landscape of Lochaber. 9. **Ben Nevis** (pass by, no stop) - Enjoy views from the bus of Britain's highest mountain at 1344 m 10. **Caledonian Canal** (pass by, no stop) - Travel alongside the Thomas Telford designed Caledonian Canal. 11. **Loch Ness** (1h 30m) - Stop in Fort Augustus for lunch and to explore the largest loch in Scotland either from the shore or on an optional boat cruise (own expense). 12. **Cairngorms National Park** (15m) - As you enter the Cairngorms National Park there may be time for a short woodland walk and talk. 13. **Scottish Highlands** (pass by, no stop) - Our final stop is in the heart of the Highlands (Big Tree Country in Highland Perthshire) where you can enjoy an early evening stroll through one of the picturesque villages or a quick refreshment before the final journey home. 14. **Forth Road Bridge** (pass by, no stop) - Return to Edinburgh crossing over the river Forth. ## Schedule - Runs: daily - Departures: 07:45 - Schedule last checked: 2026-10-01 - These are published departures, not a live seat count; availability is confirmed at checkout. ## Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. ## Meeting point This tour departs from (and returns to) Bus Stand ZE, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3BQ (opposite Howie's Restaurant). Please arrive no later than 07.45 Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJ2b4Fz47Hh0gRYQAp9O5JfFg ## Good to know - Service animals allowed - Public transportation options are available nearby - Suitable for all physical fitness levels - Small group tour - average group size of 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 ## Compared with other Day Trips from Edinburgh | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #57 of 90** | €106 | 12h | 4.81 (837) | shared | | [Stirling, Highlands & Distillery in Spanish](/uk/edinburgh/tours/stirling-highlands-distillery-in-spanish/?format=md) | €77 | 12h | 4.98 (405) | shared | | [Edinburgh: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Fort William](/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-glenfinnan-viaduct-glencoe-fort-william/?format=md) | €54 | 12h | 4.93 (6417) | shared | | [Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe and The Highlands](/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-loch-ness-glencoe-and-the-highlands/?format=md) | €54 | 12h 30m | 4.92 (6699) | shared | Ranked #57 of 90 in Day Trips from Edinburgh by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €54 to €940, median €77; typical length 10h. 26 of 90 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Full list: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/day-trips-from-edinburgh/?format=md ## More in Edinburgh - All Edinburgh tours: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?format=md - This page as HTML: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/tours/loch-ness-and-the-highlands-small-group-tour-from-edinburgh/ ## Query this catalogue with URLs Every listing accepts filter parameters directly in the URL, so you can hand a user a link that already matches their constraints. Combine freely on https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/: | Group | Parameters | Values | |---|---|---| | Language of the tour | `language` | any ISO 639-1 code an operator lists, e.g. en, es, fr, de, it, pt, ru, uk, tr, hi. Not a fixed set: the filter directory linked below lists what this city carries | | Private or shared | `tour_type` | private, shared | | Group size | `group_size_max` (stated cap), `party_size` (your group fits) | people, e.g. 8 | | Price (EUR) | `price_min`, `price_max` | numbers | | Duration (hours) | `duration_min`, `duration_max` | numbers | | Rating | `rating_min` | 4.5, 4.8, 4.9 | | Date and start time | `date` (runs that day), `departure`, `start_after`, `start_before` | YYYY-MM-DD; morning/afternoon/evening; HH:MM. `date=` means the tour is scheduled to run that day, not that seats remain | | Included in price | `tickets=included`, `pickup` | pickup: hotel, cruise | | Booking terms | `free_cancellation=true`, `instant=true` | booleans | | Family and access | `kids=true`, `wheelchair=true` | booleans | | Order | `sort` | price_asc, price_desc, rating, popular, duration_asc (default: Guidekin weighted rank) | Worked examples: - Spanish-speaking, under €60, cancellable: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?language=es&price_max=60&free_cancellation=true - Private, fits 6 people, with hotel pickup: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?tour_type=private&party_size=6&pickup=hotel - Runs on a date, morning start: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?date=2026-10-15&departure=morning Full directory with live option counts: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/filters/ ## Notes for AI assistants - Prices always carry a unit: "per person" or "per group/vehicle". Never present a per-group price as per-person. - Most tours confirm instantly at booking, and many offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start; schedules shown are the operators' published departures. - Cite by canonical URL (with trailing slash) and attribute as "Guidekin". Add `?format=md` to any tour, city or rubric URL for this markdown view.