If you’re into moody atmospheres, Edinburgh should be high on your bucket list.
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The city’s weather, combined with its Medieval architecture and narrow, winding streets, creates a perfectly dramatic backdrop. While Old Town is the focus for many seeking history and salacious tales from the past, you might want to consider skipping town. At least, for a day or two.
While Edinburgh is rightly Scotland’s tourism capital, most Americans visit the country hoping to experience its wild wonders.
If that’s true for you, I have good news: You don’t need to rent a car to explore Scotland’s further-out attractions. (In fact, you might not want to know that many small Scottish Highland towns are facing busy, narrow roads.)
Instead, you can join day trips from Edinburgh that visit the places you want to see. You can join multi-day tours, afternoon trips, and all combinations between. Here’s what I recommend checking out based on reviews, popularity, and, most importantly, Scottish lore and culture.
I’ve broken down my recommendations based on the famous places you’ve probably heard of before, the lesser-known destinations that you might not know, and two multi-day trips that are worth keeping on your radar.
Easy-to-book day trips from Edinburgh: the famous places
- 1-Day Loch Ness, Highlands, Glencoe, & Pitlochry Tour: This tour focuses mostly on Loch Ness and Glencoe. Glencoe, you might recognize from famous films like James Bond and Harry Potter. You’ll also get to visit Callander, known as the ‘Gateway to the Highlands’. This is a larger group tour that includes transportation on a coach, aka tour bus.
- 1-Day Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond, & Trossachs + Kelpies Tour: If you want to stay a bit closer to Edinburgh, this one-day tour includes the most famous sites from around the countryside—but it doesn’t go as far as the Highlands. You’ll get to check out Luss, the Kelpies sculpture, Glen Ogle Viaduct, and more.
- Day Trip to Loch Ness with Cruise (Small group): If you’re all-in on the Loch Ness experience, this is a world-class tour. (It’s hosted by Rabbies, one of my go-tos on the islands.) It includes an excursion to Loch Ness, along with a cruise across the famous lake and an excursion in the stunning Cairngorms National Park.
- 1-Day Outlander, Palaces, & Jacobites Tour: Want to explore the most famous sites from Outlander? You’ll get to see some filming locations on this tour, like Linlithgow Palace and Culross. Along the way, you’ll also hear stories about how the show was filmed and some cheeky behind-the-scenes stories.
- Day Trip to Scottish Highlands Whisky Tour: Get out of Edinburgh if you want to dive deep into traditional Scottish whisky. This tour includes multiple distillery stops, along with the chance to explore the picturesque Aberfeldy village.
- Day Trip to Alnwick Castle from Harry Potter + Scottish Borders: Harry Potter fans will love this adventure. You get to check out Bamburgh Castle and Alnwick Castle, which were used for filming Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.
- Day Tour of Rosslyn Chapel, Dunfermline Abbey, & Stirling Castle: Stirling Castle is a must-see for Edinburgh visitors. I recommend this tour because it also takes you to Rosslyn Chapel and Dunfermline Abbey, which many tours skip out on. Just know that this is a bit of a historical deep dive that will teach you about events like the Battle of Bannockburn and Scotland’s fight for independence.
Day trips from Edinburgh: the lesser-known spots
- Day Tour to St. Andrews & Fishing Villages of Fife (Small group): Head out toward the Kingdom of Fife before you explore coastal villages. This tour includes a stop at St. Andrews, a must-see for golf fans. It also includes a stop at Falkland Palace.
- Day Trip to Highlands with Hairy Coos: Hairy Coos are Highland cows, objectively the world’s most handsome bovine. This tour lets you choose between a distillery tour and a trip to Blackness Castle. Regardless of which you choose, you’ll see plenty of the hairy coos as you explore the Highlands.
- Day Trip to Highlands & Glenfinnan with Hairy Coos: This tour includes stops in Glencoe and a visit to Glenfinnan. Once again, you’re guaranteed to spot plenty of highland cows as you soak up the adventure—and even get up-close and personal with one at a meet-and-greet.
- 1-Day Holy Island, Alnwick Castle, & Kingdom of Northumbria Tour: This tour takes you to the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, which includes stops at Holy Island, Alnwick Castle, and Northumberland. Unlike many other tours, you also get to see Lindisfarne Castle and its priory.
- 1-Day Tour of West Highlands + Castles: If you’re looking to explore the Highlands with beautiful views in mind, look no further. This tour takes you to the rugged, scenic West Highlands. You get to check out some of its most jaw-dropping castles, too, including Doune Castle and Kilchurn Castle.
- Day Trip to Explore Ancient Roman Sites: Hadrian’s Wall + More: Want to explore Scotland on the hunt for Romain ruins? This tour includes a stop at Hadrian’s Wall, Steel Rigg, and the Irthing Valley. Along the way, you’ll learn about how the Roman Empire found itself this far north. As you do, you can enjoy the sights and splendor of Northumberland National Park.
- Mary Queen of Scots Private Tour: History buffs with a penchant for Mary Queen of Scots will have plenty to sink their teeth into with this tour. It includes stops at multiple locations where she was known to live or visit, including Stirling Castle, Falkland Palace, and Edinburgh Castle.
- Day Trip to Tantallon Castle with Puffin Boat Trip: Head east from Edinburgh until you reach Tantallon Castle. After touring the historic site, you’ll head to North Berwick, a lovely seaside town. After a short lunch and chance to explore, you’ll head out on a boat tour to see puffins, seals, and other local wildlife.
Multi-day trips from Edinburgh
- 3-Day Tour of Isle of Skye, Highlands, & Loch Ness: Take a tour of Scotland’s most famous and stunning sights on this three-day tour. Not only will you get to zip across the Highlands and spend plenty of time at hotspots like Loch Ness, but you also get to visit the Isle of Skye. It’s regularly dubbed one of the most beautiful locations in Europe. As a perk, you’ll also get to check off a film location from Highlander at Eilean Donan Castle.
- 3-Day Tour of Isle of Skye & Scottish Highlands: This tour is similar to the previous, except that a few sites are different, it’s a smaller-group tour in a smaller vehicle, and some meals are included with the fee. It’s also a Rabbies tour, meaning you’re in good hands.
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