Frequently Asked Questions

All scheduled tours depart from Bus Stand ZE, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3BQ (opposite Howie’s Restaurant). See the departure stance, map and more details. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your tour departs. Due to waiting restrictions we cannot delay departure times. It’s also only fair to those customers who have arrived on time that we leave on time.

Refunds will not be issued to customers who are late / miss the tour / cannot find the departure point. See our full Terms of Service.

We don’t pick-up from accommodation. Driving around the city centre in the morning wastes your valuable tour time as well as being environmentally unfriendly. See above for details of our departure point.

All scheduled tours return to Bus Stand ZE, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3BQ.

All of our buses have 16 seats but our average group size is around 12 passengers. See our fleet of vehicles.

Seats are allocated on a first come-first served basis. All our buses are custom-built for sightseeing and all seats have good visibility.

No but we make regular comfort stops throughout the day.

No but we stop at lunchtime in appropriate locations where you will be able to buy lunch or eat your own picnic. We believe in giving you the freedom to choose where and what you eat. During our tours we stop in small, quaint towns and villages where you can choose between cafes, pubs, bakeries or restaurants; there is something to suit every budget.

Admission fees to castles, distilleries, boat trips etc are not included in the price.

We have a generous luggage allowance of up to 15 kg (33 lbs) per person. Luggage is carried free of charge but at the passenger’s own risk. Please travel light.

Most hotels and guesthouses will store luggage for you and there is also left luggage facilities at Waverley Rail Station and Edinburgh Bus Station (both 5 minutes walk from our pick-up point on Waterloo Place). Other Edinburgh left luggage services include Bounce, Stasher and Unbaggaged.

Sorry, we do not carry children under 5 years on our scheduled tours.

If you’ve had a great experience and you feel your driver/guide deserves a gratuity it will be accepted with thanks.

We believe in giving you as much time off the bus as possible, and providing opportunities for our wee ‘walk and talks’, so recommend you bring suitable clothing and footwear (flat shoes that are comfortable to walk in) for your tour.

Typically Scottish… but the weather isn’t as bad as you might think – the Atlantic Gulf Stream makes the climate very temperate. Check the BBC forecast.

Clear spoken English.

All ages are welcome (minimum age 5 years) but the majority of our customers are between 20-70 years old.

We are happy to accept bookings on the day of departure (subject to availability) but to avoid disappointment it is always best to book as far in advance as possible, especially for overnight tours.

View our full cancellation and refund policies.

We highly recommend you take out travel insurance to cover death, personal injury, medical expenses, repatriation expenses, loss of or damage to luggage and contents of same and expenses associated with cancellation or curtailment of a tour.

At the time of booking choose from hostel (£30 to £45 per person, per night), B&B single (£100 to £150 per night or £120 to £190 for single occupancy of a double or twin room, en-suite B&B double/ twin (£120 to £190 per room, per night – 2 sharing), en-suite B&B triple/ quad (£190 to £250 per room, per night – 2, 3 or 4 sharing) or hotel (£190 to £250+ per room, per night – 2 sharing).

If you would like us to pre-book your accommodation you will receive an email prior to departure confirming location, costs and payment arrangements.  The price of accommodation can sometimes fluctuate depending on season/ demand.  In the unlikely event we are unable to book accommodation within the price range outlined above we’ll contact you to discuss options.

Accommodation in rural areas such as Skye can sometimes be located 10-15 minutes walk from the town centre. We use several providers and allocation of rooms is determined by availability rather than date of booking. Taxis are available if necessary.

A Hostel is budget accommodation which usually consists of bunk beds in a dormitory. A mixed dormitory is standard but single sex dormitories are sometimes available. Hostels have cooking facilities. Bed linen is provided but you should bring your own towel or rent on-site. Typical cost £30 to £45 per person, per night.

A Bed & Breakfast (B&B) is traditional holiday accommodation within a private home. Guests are accommodated in bedrooms with private en suite bathrooms. Towels and bed linen are provided. Breakfast is included in the price, is served in a communal dining room and usually consists of a cooked breakfast (bacon, eggs, etc) or a ‘continental’ alternative (croissants, cereals, etc). There are no cooking facilities (hostels can provide self-catering facilities). Towels and bed linen are provided. Typical cost £120 to £190 per room, per night (2 sharing).

Hotels guests are always accommodated in bedrooms with private en suite bathrooms. There will be a bar and restaurant available for guests. Typical cost £190 to £250+ per room, per night (2 sharing) depending on star rating and time of the year.

Single room = 1 single bed and sleeps 1 person
Double room = 1 double bed and sleeps 2 people
Twin room = 2 single beds and sleeps 2 people
Family room for 3 people = 1 double bed and 1 single bed
Family room for 4 people = 1 double bed and 2 single beds

Single rooms are often in short supply. Some Bed & Breakfasts will rent a double or twin room for single occupancy with a supplement.