Scotland is very much open in winter — and so are all our tours, all year round, with the same 8:00 AM pickup from your Edinburgh hotel. The big difference is daylight: around 7 hours in Edinburgh in late December, rising to about 9½ hours by mid-February. That makes our shorter day tours the easiest in winter, while the long Highland days still work but finish their drive home after dark. A few seasonal things close, most notably the Harry Potter steam train at Glenfinnan.
By Waseem Abuaglain, Founder & Driver-Guide
Daylight Hours in Edinburgh, November to March
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-November | 7:50 AM | 4:05 PM | About 8 hours |
| 21 December (shortest day) | 8:40 AM | 3:40 PM | About 7 hours |
| Mid-January | 8:35 AM | 4:10 PM | About 7½ hours |
| Mid-February | 7:40 AM | 5:15 PM | About 9½ hours |
| Mid-March | 6:30 AM | 6:15 PM | About 11½ hours |
Approximate times for Edinburgh, UK winter time (GMT). Further north in the Highlands, days are a little shorter still. With an 8:00 AM start, you set off around sunrise in the darkest weeks — and with clear skies, the low winter sun gives some of the best light of the year for photos.
Which Day Tours Suit Winter Best
Back before dark: the 7 and 9-hour tours
Stirling, Perth & the Kelpies and St Andrews & Fife have you home by around 3:00 PM, so the whole day is in daylight. The Outlander & Royal Palaces, Loch Lomond & Glencoe and Castles & Whisky days finish around 5:00 PM, with all the main stops in daylight and a short drive home after dusk.
The long Highland days: 11 hours
Loch Ness, Inverness & Loch Ness and Glenfinnan run all winter too, returning to Edinburgh around 7:00 PM. In the darkest weeks the last part of the drive home is after dark, so the scenery is front-loaded into the day. The optional Loch Ness cruise runs all year.
What's Open — and What Isn't
- All our tours run all year round, including the multi-day tours and the Isle of Skye.
- The Loch Ness cruise (optional on our Loch Ness tours) runs all year.
- Lochs, glens and viewpoints — Glencoe, Loch Lomond, the Kelpies, the Glenfinnan Viaduct and the Forth Bridges are outdoors and always there to see.
- ✕The Jacobite steam train ("Hogwarts Express") doesn't run in winter — it's seasonal, typically from late March or April to late October. See our Glenfinnan guide for the season.
- ✕Cairnie Fruit Farm's Funyard and Maize Maze on our St Andrews tour are seasonal (the Funyard March–October, the maze mid-July–October) — in winter, ask us which afternoon option suits your date.
Castles, palaces and museums often have shorter opening hours in winter. Because the tour is private, your driver-guide adjusts the order and timing of stops on the day to make the most of them.
What to Pack for a Winter Tour
- Warm layers and a waterproof jacket — viewpoints and lochsides can be cold and exposed.
- Hat, gloves and a scarf for the Highland stops.
- Waterproof boots with good grip for paths that can be wet or icy.
- A phone charger or power bank — cold weather drains batteries quickly.
If snow or ice ever makes a route unsafe, we'll cancel and give you a full refund. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your tour.