2 Day Tour – Inverness & the Highlands

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Tour Details‍ ‍Itinerary

Times

Please check in with your driver/guide at Bus Stand ZE, Waterloo Place 15 minutes before departure

Departure08:30
Return19:00
Duration2 days

Prices & Booking Terms

Adults £179 per person
Discount* £169 per person

*Students, over 60s & children 5-17

Included

  • A fully guided tour from one of our 5-star reviewed driver/ guides
  • Transport in a luxury Mercedes Wee Red Bus
  • Free cancellation/rebooking up to 8 days before departure
  • Luggage allowance of up to 15 kg (33 lbs)

Not Included

  • Entry fees to attractions
  • Meals and refreshments
  • Accommodation (see below)

Tour Highlights

  • Average group size of around 12
  • Loch Ness and Inverness
  • Outlander filming locations
  • Glenfinnan Viaduct
  • Culloden Battlefield
  • Glen Coe
  • Prehistoric standing stone circles
  • Both Scotland's National Parks

Dates

2026 Season

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1 April 2026 to 3 January 2027

2027 Season

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1 April 2027 to 2 January 2028

Tripadvisor

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Your Accommodation

Your tour price does not include the cost of accommodation. Accommodation is pre-booked by Heart of Scotland Tours (or by yourself) and you pay card or cash at check in or check out. Please note some Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) only accept cash. Choose from:

  • Hostel £30 to £45 per person, per night

  • B&B single £100 to £150 per night (or £120 to £190 per night for single occupancy of a double or twin room)

  • B&B en suite double or twin £120 to £190 per room, per night (2 sharing)

  • B&B en suite triple or quad £190 to £250 per room, per night (3 or 4 sharing)

  • 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.

Your accommodation options explained in more detail.

Wee Red Bus at Accommodation

Itinerary

Enjoy our popular 2 day escape to the Highlands. Travelling through spectacular scenery, this tour is the perfect way to see Scotland. The itinerary includes stops Glen Coe, Glenfinnan Viaduct (April – October only) and Loch Ness. Overnight is in the Highland capital of Inverness followed by visits to Culloden battlefield, prehistoric standing stones, Highland Pitlochry and a riverside walk at Dunkeld. For fans of Outlander and Harry Potter, this tour includes stops at several featured locations.

Day 1

Leaving Edinburgh we pass Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument on our 2 day adventure into the stunning Scottish Highlands.

Iconic Highland scenery

Iconic Highland scenery

Small groups of around 12 passengers
Small groups of around 12 passengers

Small groups of around 12 passengers

As we continue north the mountains and lochs provide a dramatic backdrop for our journey to Glen Coe, perhaps the most famous of all Scotland’s glens.

'Glenfinnan Viaduct features in several Harry Potter movies'

This narrow valley is where the bloody massacre of the MacDonalds took place in 1692. You may even recognise this part of the Highlands, used as a backdrop for many movies including Skyfall.

Glen Coe

Glen Coe

The Wee Red Bus in the Highlands
The Wee Red Bus in the Highlands

The Wee Red Bus in the Highlands

Glenfinnan Viaduct as featured in several Harry Potter movies

Glenfinnan Viaduct as featured in several Harry Potter movies

After lunch we visit the Glenfinnan Viaduct (Apr-Oct only) which famously features in several Harry Potter movies as the Hogwarts Express train crosses the bridge.

Historically this stunning viewpoint also marks the spot where Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) landed on mainland Scotland and raised his standard prior to the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion.

More time off the bus and extra photo stops

More time off the bus and extra photo stops

Monster hunting at Loch Ness
Monster hunting at Loch Ness

Monster hunting at Loch Ness

We stop for a photo of Britain’s highest mountain (Ben Nevis) before continuing along the Great Glen to the world’s most mysterious lake, Loch Ness.

There will be an opportunity for photos and souvenir shopping in the charming village of Fort Augustus. We continue along the full length of Loch Ness for a photo of Urquhart Castle… eyes peeled for monsters!

Our overnight stay is in the northernmost city of the UK and pretty capital of the Highlands, Inverness. There are numerous pubs, cafes and restaurants for evening entertainment.

'Our overnight stay is in Inverness, the northernmost city of the UK. There are numerous pubs, cafés and restaurants for evening entertainment'

Inverness - your base for the night and capital of the Highlands

Inverness - your base for the night and capital of the Highlands

Day 2

After being collected from your accommodation it’s only a short drive to Culloden Moor where the Jacobites were finally defeated by government soldiers in 1746, the last battle to be fought on British soil.

You will have time to walk on the battlefield and learn more about this tragic event that killed 700 Highland clansmen in three minutes.

Walk and talk at Culloden Battlefield

Walk and talk at Culloden Battlefield

Visit Outlander filming and story locations

Visit Outlander filming and story locations

Standing stone at Clava Cairns

Standing stone at Clava Cairns

From there we visit one of Scotland’s most evocative and sacred prehistoric sites, the nearby 4000 year old stone circles and burial mounds at Clava Cairns. As we drive south through the Cairngorms National Park you’ll hear about the flora and fauna of this wonderful wilderness which was officially protected in 2003 and is the largest national park in the British Isles.
After lunch in one of the charming villages inside the national park we arrive at the lively Highland town of Pitlochry with an elegant main street packed with shops and restaurants.

'We visit 4000 year old standing stone circles at Clava Cairns'

Ruthven Barracks in the Cairngorms National Park

Ruthven Barracks in the Cairngorms National Park

During our break here options include souvenir shopping, a short stroll to the famous hydro electric dam and salmon ladder or a lovely woodland walk to the Black Spout waterfall. Our final stop is a gentle riverside walk through Big Tree Country at Dunkeld, a beautiful way to finish the tour all seasons of the year.

Highland town of Pitlochry

Highland town of Pitlochry

The Hermitage woodland and waterfall walk

The Hermitage woodland and waterfall walk

As we return to Edinburgh we cross the Forth Bridge with stunning views of the Forth Rail Bridge and the new Queensferry Crossing. The rail bridge amazed the world when it was completed in 1890 and has become an enduring symbol of Scotland’s engineering heritage.

The Highland Folk Museum
Highland cows - everyone's favourite photo stop

The Highland Folk Museum

Highland cows - everyone's favourite photo stop

Relax in the safe hands of our friendly driver guides - the best in the business

Relax in the safe hands of our friendly driver guides

The Forth Bridges and farewell toast at the end of a tour

The Forth Bridges and farewell toast at the end of a tour

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