The short answer: 2 days covers Loch Ness and Glencoe, 3 days adds the Harry Potter bridge at Glenfinnan and the castles of Argyll, 5 days adds St Andrews, Stirling and the Kelpies at a gentler family pace, and 7 days is the complete picture, including Edinburgh itself and the Outlander locations. All four use Edinburgh as your base — you stay in one hotel and come back each evening.
By Waseem Abuaglain, Founder & Driver-Guide
Compare the Itineraries
| Tour | Price per group | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 2-Day Highlands Tour from Edinburgh | £1,395 from £175 pp for 8 | Seeing Loch Ness and Glencoe when time is short |
| 3-Day Tour of Scotland from Edinburgh | £1,995 from £250 pp for 8 | Harry Potter fans; castles, lochs and Oban |
| 4-Day Isle of Skye Tour from Edinburgh | £2,800 from £350 pp for 8 | Island scenery — stay on Skye (see our Skye guide) |
| 5-Day Tour of Scotland from Edinburgh | £3,195 from £400 pp for 8 | Families — shorter days built in, free evenings |
| 7-Day Tour of Scotland from Edinburgh | £4,495 from £562 pp for 8 | The complete Scotland, including Edinburgh and Outlander |
What Each Extra Day Adds
Our multi-day tours are built from our best private day routes, so it's easy to see exactly what you gain with each extra day:
| Day route | Length | 2-Day | 3-Day | 5-Day | 7-Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh city highlights Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Holyrood, Victoria Street, Calton Hill | ~9 hrs | – | – | – | |
| Inverness, Loch Ness & Clava Cairns The Hermitage, House of Bruar, Inverness, Loch Ness, Clava Cairns, Pitlochry | ~11 hrs | ||||
| Loch Lomond, Loch Tulla & Glencoe Luss, Loch Tulla viewpoint, Glencoe's Three Sisters, Loch Lubnaig | ~9 hrs | – | – | – | |
| Stirling, Glencoe & the Harry Potter Bridge Stirling Castle, Callander's Highland cows, Glencoe, Glenfinnan Viaduct, Falls of Pattack | ~11 hrs | – | |||
| St Andrews, Loch Leven & Fife Loch Leven, the Old Course, St Andrews Castle & Cathedral, Cairnie Fruit Farm or Perth | ~7 hrs | – | – | ||
| Loch Lomond, Argyll's castles & Oban Luss, Inveraray, Kilchurn Castle, St Conan's Kirk, Oban | ~11 hrs | – | |||
| Stirling, Perth & the Kelpies The Kelpies, Old Stirling Bridge, Stirling Castle or Wallace Monument, Perth Museum | ~7 hrs | – | – | ||
| Outlander, royal palaces & film locations Midhope Castle, Blackness, Linlithgow Palace, Culross, Falkland, Forth Bridges | ~9 hrs | – | – | – |
All days depart at 8:00 AM. ~7 hrs = back by around 3:00 PM, ~9 hrs = around 5:00 PM, ~11 hrs = around 7:00 PM.
Which Length Is Right for You?
2 days — the Highlands in a weekend
Day one heads north through Perthshire to Inverness, Loch Ness and the Clava Cairns; day two heads west to Loch Lomond and Glencoe's Three Sisters. The best two-day introduction to the Highlands. See the 2-Day tour
3 days — add Glenfinnan and Argyll
Keeps the Loch Ness day, then adds Stirling, the Highland cows at Callander, Glencoe and the Glenfinnan Viaduct, plus a day of Argyll castles — Inveraray and Kilchurn — and lunch in Oban. See the 3-Day tour
5 days — the family favourite
All three days of the 3-day tour, plus two shorter days back by mid-afternoon: St Andrews and Loch Leven (with the Cairnie Fruit Farm option for children), and the Kelpies, Stirling and Perth. A more relaxed rhythm for younger and older travellers. See the 5-Day tour
7 days — the complete Scotland
Everything in the 5-day tour, opening with a guided Edinburgh city day and closing with Outlander's royal palaces and film locations. Our most complete week away. See the 7-Day tour
Want the Isle of Skye? It's too far to visit from an Edinburgh base, so our 4-day Skye tour stays on the island — read Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye: Day Trip or 4 Days?
