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Experience the Best of Scotland from Edinburgh Castle to the eclectic streets of Glasgow. Revel in the romance and history of the Scottish Highlands and contemplate the mysterious depths of Loch Ness, before toasting bonnie Scotland’s lochs, glens and legendary locals.
Deals, savings and exclusive private touring options available, plus if you need a different date or itinerary change we can create a custom trip. Contact us for more details >>
Experience the Best of Scotland from Edinburgh Castle to the eclectic streets of Glasgow. Revel in the romance and history of the Scottish Highlands and contemplate the mysterious depths of Loch Ness, before toasting bonnie Scotland’s lochs, glens and legendary locals.
Deals, savings and exclusive private touring options available, plus if you need a different date or itinerary change we can create a custom trip. Contact us for more details >>
Get lost in the narrow lanes of Edinburgh – the Scottish capital with a mystical air that combines ancient heritage with the verve of a modern city. Spend your day at leisure delving into its rich history and embracing the warm culture of the Scots, before joining your travel companions and Travel Director for a Welcome Reception with a light meal and drinks.
Join your Local Specialist this morning for an intriguing sightseeing tour of the city. Ascend Castle Rock and visit Edinburgh Castle, which watches over the surrounding city from its elevated vantage point. Stroll through the Old Town along the Royal Mile and see the stunning Palace of Holyroodhouse before enjoying time at leisure to soak up the city's festive atmosphere. Tickets to see the spectacular Edinburgh Tattoo are included on departures that coincide with performance dates.
Trip Summary Meals IconIncluded Meals - Breakfast
Optional Experience
Dinner And Drive To Historic Torphichen
Enjoy a scenic drive to the ancient village of Torphichen, associated with Scottish kings and Knights Templar. At the haunted Torphichen Inn your arrival will be toasted by our gracious host before enjoying an excellent dinner of local specialties and entertainment.
Adult Price: £56.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Optional Experience
Rosslyn Chapel
We’ll drive out of Edinburgh to the tiny village of Rosslyn, where we’ll hear the inside story of the famous Rosslyn Chapel from a Local Specialist. One of Scotland's most unusual 15th-century buildings, Rossyln is famed for its associations with the Knights Templar, the Masonic movement, and now 'The Da Vinci Code'.
Adult Price: £22.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Day 3
Venture into the Scottish Highlands
Tread in the footsteps of the world's golfing greats and head to St. Andrews en route to the glorious Scottish Highlands. A scenic drive takes us north and across the Firth of Tay, past the city of Dundee to Pitlochry. After lunch, enjoy some free time to explore its river-side setting. Our day in beautiful surrounds comes to an end with a cosy dinner at our hotel located within the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands.
Visit a real Highland sheep farm and meet Neil the Shepherd and his border collies. He’ll show you how he uses different whistles to command each dog to carry out different tasks. You’ll also have the opportunity to try your hand at feeding the lambs and discover his training techniques. Weather permitting.
Adult Price: £15.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Optional Experience
Pitlochry. Visit Of Blair Castle
Set in its own grounds against a backdrop of glorious scenery, we'll discover the ancient home of the Dukes of Atholl, home to Europe's last remaining private army. Unique amongst Scottish castles, Blair has hosted royalty from Mary, Queen of Scots to Queen Victoria.
Adult Price: £20.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Day 4
Explore Culloden, Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye
Follow the Great Glen towards Fort Augustus where we stop to view Loch ness, keeping a keen eye out for the elusive ‘Nessie'. The soul-stirring sight of Eilean Donan Castle is our last stop on the mainland before we cross the bridge to the isle of Skye. The tragic battlefield of Culloden will be our final stop of the day, where we pay tribute to the brave men who lost their lives in the Jacobite Uprising.
Our first stop today sees us commemorate World War II history at the Commando Memorial near Fort William, from which we admire spectacular views of Britain's highest peak – Ben Nevis. We journey through the volcanic ruins and precipitous mountains that lie just beyond Glencoe to see the 'Glen of Weeping'. Here we remember the MacDonald clansmen who were massacred in 1692. Continuing towards the River Clyde, we arrive at our final stop for the day – Glasgow.
Trip Summary Accomodation IconHotel - Hilton Garden Inn City Centre
Trip Summary Meals IconIncluded Meals - Breakfast
Optional Experience
Glasgow City Evening
You'll enjoy a chance to experience a night out in the city of Glasgow. Your Travel Director will take you for an evening of good food, a drink, and undoubtedly interesting conversation.
Adult Price: £37.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Optional Experience
Loch Lomond Boat Trip
Discover the wild beauty of the 'Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond'. As we cruise across the loch, the skipper will share stories of the area and point out Rob Roy's cave as you relax and savour the stunning scenery.
Adult Price: £15.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Day 6
Walk the Walls of Stirling Castle
Journey to Stirling, to see its hilltop fortress, which stands as a symbol of national pride. Stirling Castle was once the seat of Scottish kings and queens, including Mary, Queen of Scots. View the Wallace Monument from the castle walls, paying tribute to the Scottish hero who fought for Scotland's independence. Later, join the Wood family at their 15th-century farm on the shores of Loch Ard to Connect With Locals over a home-cooked Farewell Be My Guest experience, amidst tales of Rob Roy and a few foot-tapping ceilidh tunes during lunch. Then head to Glengoyne whisky distillery. Here we'll Dive Into Culture and learn how whisky is made, followed by a chance to sample a wee dram.
Trip Summary Meals IconIncluded Meals - Breakfast, Be My Guest
TODAY'S INCLUDED HIGHLIGHT EXPERIENCE
Day 7
Farewell Glasgow
The rugged beauty and warmth of Scotland’s people forever in your memory, we enjoy one last hearty breakfast with our travel companions before wishing them and your Travel Director a fond farewell. Find out more about your free airport transfer at trafalgar.com/freetransfers.
Trip Summary Meals IconIncluded Meals - Breakfast
All optional experiences for this trip
Book with your travel director when you travel
Available on day 2
Dinner And Drive To Historic Torphichen
Enjoy a scenic drive to the ancient village of Torphichen, associated with Scottish kings and Knights Templar. At the haunted Torphichen Inn your arrival will be toasted by our gracious host before enjoying an excellent dinner of local specialties and entertainment.
Adult Price: £56.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Available on day 2
Rosslyn Chapel
We’ll drive out of Edinburgh to the tiny village of Rosslyn, where we’ll hear the inside story of the famous Rosslyn Chapel from a Local Specialist. One of Scotland's most unusual 15th-century buildings, Rossyln is famed for its associations with the Knights Templar, the Masonic movement, and now 'The Da Vinci Code'.
Adult Price: £22.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Available on day 3
Highland Farm Experience
Visit a real Highland sheep farm and meet Neil the Shepherd and his border collies. He’ll show you how he uses different whistles to command each dog to carry out different tasks. You’ll also have the opportunity to try your hand at feeding the lambs and discover his training techniques. Weather permitting.
Adult Price: £15.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Available on day 3
Pitlochry. Visit Of Blair Castle
Set in its own grounds against a backdrop of glorious scenery, we'll discover the ancient home of the Dukes of Atholl, home to Europe's last remaining private army. Unique amongst Scottish castles, Blair has hosted royalty from Mary, Queen of Scots to Queen Victoria.
Adult Price: £20.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Available on day 5
Glasgow City Evening
You'll enjoy a chance to experience a night out in the city of Glasgow. Your Travel Director will take you for an evening of good food, a drink, and undoubtedly interesting conversation.
Adult Price: £37.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Available on day 5
Loch Lomond Boat Trip
Discover the wild beauty of the 'Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond'. As we cruise across the loch, the skipper will share stories of the area and point out Rob Roy's cave as you relax and savour the stunning scenery.
Adult Price: £15.00*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
All Optional Experiences
The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.
Notepad Icon You must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel
Trip details
Trip details
What's included
Trip Summary Accomodation Icon
6 nights
Accommodation
Trip Summary Meals Icon
10 Meals
1 Welcome Reception, 1 Be My Guest, 6 Breakfasts, 2 Dinners
Trip Summary Transport Icon
On-trip Transport
All transport shown
The Trafalgar difference
Connect With Locals
Join the Wood family at their 15th-century farm on the shores of Loch Ard for a home-cooked Scottish Be My Guest lunch, tales of Rob Roy and a few foot-tapping ceilidh tunes.
Dive Into Culture
Visit Glengoyne, known as Scotland's most beautiful whisky distillery, for a tour and a tasting of their unique Highland single malt whisky.
Sightseeing highlights
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Explore Edinburgh with a Local Specialist
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Discover Glasgow and Stirling
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Visit Edinburgh Castle, Pitlochry, the Isle of Skye, Glasgow Cathedral, Culloden Battlefield, Stirling Castle and Glengoyne whisky distillery in Glasgow
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View the 18th green at St Andrews, Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Ness, Glencoe, Necropolis and George Square in Glasgow
Daily breakfast and an average of 50% of evening meals
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Hand-picked Trip Highlights
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Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
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Audio Headsets for flexible sightseeing
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Luxury air-conditioned coach with WiFi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
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Optional Experiences and free time
Live, unedited & independent traveler reviews
Best of Scotland trip reviews
Our guests are at the heart of everything we do, their feedback fuels our innovation, inspiring us to improve continuously and craft Simply The Best vacations. That's why we ask each of our guests to leave a third-party verified, independent review after every trip. As testament to our commitment we have been given the Trusted Service Award from Feefo, recognising we deliver exceptional experiences as rated by real guests.
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Kenneth Kringle My Account Icon
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Looking forward to our next Trafalgar tour
Trip Rating
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5
We had a wonderful time. Visited so many places and learned so much. Director shared so much information about every place we went
Impressive the way the itinerary is constructed; Something for everyone to do. We always had a place to go or something to do without feeling overwhelmed.
The team of guides Gary, James, and Tommy were amazing and really made the trip easy and enjoyable. I appreciated the history and access they provided.
Hotels in the Scottish Highlands are generally simpler establishments typical of the region.
Festive Meals: The 21 December 2023 departure will celebrate Christmas in Glasgow, the 27 December 2023 departure will toast New Year's Eve in Glasgow. We have arranged a festive meal for this departure that may replace one of the included meals featured in the itinerary.
Drinking Water: Tap water is safe to drink in all of the destinations on this trip. Please remember to bring a water bottle.
Unless otherwise stated, trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discount. Discounts are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice.
Trip prices are correct at the time of the products going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. All trip information is correct at time of trips going live, however are subject to change - please confirm all details at time of booking.
Twin-share option not available for trips to South America, Costa Rica, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, South Africa, Kenya & Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia or for any holiday & cruise combination, or in Asia and Eastern Mediterranean except Highlights of Turkey (without cruise) & Best of Turkey. It's also not available on Small Group trips. Guided Vacations included in this restriction are Newfoundland and Labrador (DNLA). Does not apply to trips operated by Inspiring Journeys & our Mini-stays.
For trips that are part of our Guaranteed Room Share, please note that there is a no smoking policy in all shared rooms. Solo travel is not accepted on guided Family Experiences holidays unless traveling as part of a family group.
Travel to Europe often requires an overnight flight. Please arrange your flights to arrive on or before day 1.
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Your selected departure date will feature some seasonal itinerary changes to what is displayed. Click 'VIEW ITINERARY' below to see full details.
Active Trip Details
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What is an Active Trip? This is an "Active" lifestyle itinerary, with walks and hikes most days. Hikes will range from easy/moderate to strenuous. No technical climbing skills are required but a reasonable level of fitness is required to make the trip more enjoyable. Understanding that not all people want to hike at the same pace or even on the same trail we will, where possible, host map orientation and then let everyone disperse to enjoy the trails best suited to them. What to Pack Guests should bring lightweight hiking shoes or boots, broad brimmed sun hats, sunglasses, layered clothing, reusable water bottle(s), a hiking day pack and hiking poles (optional)
Weather & Altitude While the itinerary is laid out below, we are at the mercy of the weather and so reserve the right to adjust the program as necessary. Please keep in mind that the higher elevations and possible variations in weather and temperature can increase the perceived level of difficulty of our activities. Elevation ranges up to 9,000 feet for Utah’s Mighty Five and up to 11,000 feet for California High Country Adventure.
Everyone reacts differently to altitude and so if you do have any health issues you should check with your doctor that this trip is suitable for you.
