Loch Ness and the Highland Experience
LOCH NESS TOUR
- Tour runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays - 07:45 - 20:15 (approx)
- 5th April 2025 - 28th October 2025
Buy Your Tickets
Live guide
Our live guide offers a unique and unforgettable experience
Departure point
This tour departs from Waterloo Place, Edinburgh
Travel in style
Our luxury coaches feature WiFi, USB charging and air-conditioning
FAQs
Find answers to frequently asked questions about our tours here
Tour Highlights
Glencoe
Fort Augustus
Loch Ness
Pitlochry
About this tour
Callander
Heading into the Highlands we pass some of Scotland’s most important historical sites, including Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument. From there we travel into the Trossachs National Park amid magnificent Scottish scenery to our first stop in the pretty town of Callander.
Glencoe
Next we take in breath-taking scenery as we head through the remains of the ancient super volcano that is Glencoe. Your guide will tell you about the significant events that have shaped this land, from the Picts of the Iron Age to the Highlanders, who fought clan battles on these very hillsides. Your driver will stop at the best spots for photo opportunities.
Loch Ness
Arriving in Fort Augustus in time for lunch by the impressive Caledonian Canal and its series of lochs, we look out over the famous Loch Ness. You can even venture out onto the loch on one of Cruise Loch Ness’ modern boats (optional, admission not included). Keep your eyes peeled for Nessie!
Pitlochry
Leaving the banks of Loch Ness, we journey south passing through the stunning Cairngorms National Park – the UK’s largest National Park. We then stop off at the beautiful town of Pitlochry, reputed as Queen Victoria’s favourite highland town and sure to become yours too!
What's included?
- Transport by luxury coach
- Air-conditioning, reclining seats, WiFi and USB charging
- Professional driver
- Dedicated live guide
- Admission fees of attractions are not included but can be purchased at a discounted rate
- Food and drink is not included
Buy Your Tickets
Accessibility
-
Loch Ness Tour – Absolutely amazing experience. Saw some of the most beautiful parts of Scotland. Our tour guide Rae was fantastic, very informative and had so much knowledge about Scottish History. Alongside this… read more we had an excellent driver Craig. Would definitely recommend this tour when visiting Scotland or if you just fancy a day out like we did!
August 22, 2024Beautiful views and bus tour full of scottish history – Wonderful trip through the Highlands to Loch Ness. Our bus driver
Craig and guide Ray made this an exciting and memorable adventure. Bus is comfortable – even for such… read more long tours They showed us the best views in the Highlands and Ray provided us with tons of exciting Scottish history, landscape and architecture.
Can definitely recommend it.
August 17, 2024Highlands Tour – On the 6th of August, Me and my partner joined the Highlands/ loch ness tour. We honestly had one of the best days of our lives. The motorcoach was stunning.… read more Clean and comfy. Our driver was first class and our tour guide was an absolute gentleman. Very funny and knowledgeable. We were blessed by the weather and got to view some of the most amazing scenery we have ever seen. We had multiple stops and lunch at the beautiful town of Fort Augastus where we joined the ferry for a cruse on the Loch ness. It was a dream come true to be in the Scottish Highlands and I thanks Lothian Motorcoaches for a day I’ll never forget. Highly highly recommended!!!
August 7, 2024Loch Ness Coach Tour – We had an excellent day on the Loch Ness coach tour. Joyce and Josh were great – both knowledgable, friendly and approachable throughout the day. We felt really safe in… read more the hands of Josh whilst driving through beautiful, scenic routes in the Highlands. Josh was always happy to help if we had any questions. Joyce was a great tour guide, her mix of knowledge, story telling and songs kept us entertained all the way there and all the way back! Thank you so much to you both for such a great day.
August 4, 2024 -
Exceptional driver and guide – We recently joined the Loch Ness and Highland tour, and it was a great experience. Rae, our guide, was incredibly knowledgeable and brought the folklore and history of the areas… read more we drove through to life with her engaging storytelling. Her organization skills were top-notch, having seamlessly arranged our lunch and Loch Ness cruise, allowing us to relax and enjoy the day.Karl, our driver, was exceptionally skilled. Navigating the narrow and challenging roads with ease, he ensured a smooth and safe journey throughout. My husband, a lorry driver himself, was thoroughly impressed by Karl’s driving prowess.The bus was spacious and comfortable, with reclining seats and an onboard toilet, adding to the overall comfort of the trip. We were very happy with the tour and highly recommend it to anyone looking to explore the beautiful Highlands.
July 17, 2024We took the Loch Ness tour from Edinburgh on Tuesday, 10 October, 2023. Our driver Stewart was very safe and professional and our guide Brian was fantastic. Both were… read more full of information and easy to talk to. We would definitely ride again.
October 11, 2023Fantastic day trip! – What a day! Left Edinburgh at 7.45am and travelled through the Highlands via Callander onto Glencoe and Fort Augustus for an amazingly scenic Loch Ness boat trip (price not included… read more in coach tour but well worth the money! £16). Back via A9 and Pitlochry. The sun was shining and Scotland looked stunning. Our tour guide and driver, Joe and Kyle, were knowledgeable, professional and had great banter with the group. Would thoroughly recommend this tour, great value for money!
August 8, 2023Great experience! – Great tour! We took the day tour to Loch Ness and The Highlands. Dave, the driver, and Brian, the guide, were absolutely amazing. This tour was cheaper than other… read more similar tours and we had a great time and learned a lot about Scotland and enjoyed some breathtaking scenery.
August 1, 2023 -
Memories forever!! – For my first time in Scotland, Brian was extremely informative and personable! I felt safe in the hands of our driver, Dave! I was overwhelmed by how close… read more the vehicles come while passing. But Dave was one of the best drivers I’ve ridden with. Thank you both!! If you’re on the edge on deciding to venture out with them, just do it!!! You’ll love seeing half the country in a day! Thank you for a memory of a lifetime!! Doug
August 1, 2023Excellent Loch Lomond and Trossachs day trip – Excellent day trip. We had plenty of time on the boat and at the castle. Comfortable temperature coach even in the summer heat. Friendly knowledgeable guide Gwen and super helpful… read more coach driver Colin both ensured that a limited mobility passenger had a safe and enjoyable trip with access to all the sites visited. Great service, good value with an excellent team.
July 10, 2023Great experience – Had a enjoyable trip to the Highlands with Gary and Brian.
Gary was very knowledgeable and funny, and we are local we learnt some new facts.
Brian… read more was a very careful driver and it was a pleasure to have him as our driver.
The Trip was very good .maybe could have spent a bit more time in places to take in the atmosphere but that is just a personal thing but not to take anything away form the day it was really good .
June 21, 2023 -
very generous guide and driver – We had a terrific trip, thanks to Scott and Cammy!! A very good balance of humor and information. My son and I had a great time discussing with… read more Scott in between his interventions. He gave us some tremendous cues about where to go in town to listen to live music. Thank you so much Scott!!!!
June 15, 2023Outstanding!!! – Our guide Scott was Hilarious and extremely informative. Even though we encountered some unexpected road issues due to weather, he kept us all in good spirits with his stories and… read more sense of humor. The driver, Cammy was also amazing. Very cautious and attentive. Thanks so much to you both for a wonderful day to the Lochs!
June 14, 2023Great Edinburgh day trip – It was a great day trip from Edinburgh with Scott who made the day fun and easy. Very well organised, clean coaches with a toilet inside, well versed and knowledgeable… read more tour guide it definitely became the highlight of my trip.
For Edinburgh day trips, don’t look elsewhere.
June 6, 2023A fun and informative way to get a taste for what Scotland has to offer. – I was staying in Edinburgh for little under a week, visiting friends. It being my first time in Scotland (Shameful to admit, as I’m from Ireland, just a short hop,… read more skip and a jump across the Irish Sea), I wanted to see as much of the country as I could within a limited timeframe and budget. I was therefor delighted when I discovered this day trip with Lothian Coaches in a tourist office just off Princes Street. Booking at the tourist office was extremely easy, and more straightforward than trying to research various package deals online.
The tour began just before 8am, in that wrist refreshing morning mist that Scotland is oh-so famous for. I was greeted by Scott a gentleman of the highest calibre, and superb tour guide. Charismatic, funny and deeply passionate about the history, geography and storytelling tradition of his native land. From there, the 12 hour excursion took us to some of the most magnificent highlights of the Highlands, foremost of which being perhaps a boat tour of Lock Ness, a true wonder of the natural world.
The only criticisms I have of the tour are quite minor and personal. For instance, the boat tour of Loch Ness and lunch in the nearby Fort Augustus cost extra (albeit it, discounted) which I hadn’t fully realised when I booked the trip. Still a very good deal overall, but something worth keeping in mind. As an avid walker/hiker, I would like to have spent a bit more time wandering and exploring some of the landmarks we stopped at for breaks. Granted, this is a purely personal qualm, and a compromise that is perfectly understandable given the impressive geographical area the tour covers within such a tight schedule.
Overall, I would highly recommend this tour to almost anyone wanting to get a taste of the Scottish highlands and lochs. Comfortable coaches, qualified drivers and a particularly passionate and engaging tour guide in Scott. When I’m next in Scotland, I hope to revisit some of the same areas by foot, but this tour provided an excellent initial taste for all the wonders rural Scotland has to offer. I would strongly recommend it!
June 2, 2023 -
Magical Day in the Highlands – Take this tour!! My mother and I spent an absolutely magical day in the Highlands and Loch Ness. Beyond the unbelievable beauty of these landscapes, Scott – our tour guide… read more – made this an unforgettable experience. He had the entire bus laughing and engaged, telling us about the rich history of this area and the Scottish people. I learned and laughed a ton, danced a Scottish dance, and enjoyed the many twists and turns through the Highland landscape thanks to our driver Cammy’s careful driving. I’ll also mention that part of what made this tour so enjoyable is the forethought Scott and Cammy put into it; ordering Loch Ness cruise tickets and lunch ahead of time for those interested, to reduce waiting times when we got to our destination, for instance. I can’t recommend this tour highly enough, seriously – ask for Scott and Cammy. It really was a magical experience
May 29, 2023We very much enjoyed the this tour. Scott, our guide, shared his knowledge of the area and Scottish stories. He was very witty and personable. Cameron, our driver, provided a… read more smooth ride. Both were very professional when we had to double back to pickup one of the passenger’s forgotten items.
May 24, 2023Highlands and Loch Ness Tour – Great commentary on sites and history from Scott including all the jokes.
Liked the references to each country and will test the midge effect when back in AUS.
Thanks to… read more you and driver Cammy for a great trip. Felt very safe on the drive.
Cheers Daryl & Helen -Australia
May 23, 2023Stunning Scenery – We had a fantastic time on this tour!
Our tour guide, Scott, gave academic-quality description on sites, along with historical, religious and political relevance for the time. … read more He took the time to find out a bit about all of us, especially where we were from. Scott encouraged our questions. Many of his comments and discourse related to our home countries. His manner was light-hearted and humorous.
The trip itself boasted beautiful mountains, flowering fields, peat bogs, windmills, lochs, streams, canals, waterfalls, dams, villages, sheep, goats, cows, hairy cows, pine forests, castles and aqueducts. I took oodles of photos!
As seniors, we were pleasantly surprised by the number of stops for bathroom breaks, refreshments and meals. The on-bus toilet was a reassuring bonus.
Our driver, William, skillfully navigated our coach over 250 miles with complete safety, and avoided incidents with pedestrians, autos and very narrow passageways.
It was a long day, but well worth the journey. I can’t recommend it enough!
Sincerely,
Your friends from Kentucky!
May 17, 2023
We’d love to hear your about your Lothian Motorcoaches experience!
Please leave us a review on Tripadvisor after your tour.
We are here to help
We’re here to help! If you have any questions or would like some help choosing which of our vehicles are best suited to your group, please get in touch with our friendly team.
Call us
Give us a call on 0808 169 8888
Email us
Email us at [email protected]