The 15 Best Castle Day Trips from Inverness

1.Loch Ness Cruise and Urquhart Castle

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,241 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $76Our pick

Cruise Loch Ness, explore Urquhart Castle, and hear Highland stories on a well-priced half-day trip from Inverness.

“Spent the day exploring the Loch Ness and Urqhhart castle after being transported by a bus and boat combo. Perfect amount of time to spend at the castle and afterwards we were driven to the Loch Ness centre to experience a video walk through of the Loch Ness monster history and myths. Very fun and I recommend doing this. The guide was awesome!!”

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2.The Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,039 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $58Top rated

Review of the Inverness to Isle of Skye tour, with Eilean Donan Castle, Portree, scenic stops, price, timing, and practical tips

“Get to see great views that you wouldn’t think to visit and have plenty of time at each stop. Highly recommend this tour”

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3.Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,440 reviews · 12 hours · from $57

Review of Rabbie's 12-hour Isle of Skye tour from Inverness, with Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Ness, Portree, and the Trotternish Peninsula.

“Considering how long the day was, everything was well spaced out and given enough time to enjoy everything!! The guide (Dave) was very knowledgeable able passionate about it every sight, stop, and tale! We had an absolute blast and we’re blessed with great weather on our trip!!! Perfect weather in every aspect! Gloom, shine, rain, and snow!!! We would definitely recommend going in this tour to anyone and go again ourselves!!! Definitely a must if coming to the highland capital!!!”

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4.Loch Ness Cruise, Outlander & Urquhart Castle Tour from Inverness

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,384 reviews · 9 hours (approx.)

Review of a Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Outlander, Culloden, and Clava Cairns day tour from Inverness, with practical booking tips.

“If you have one day in the highlands, this is the tour to do. Group was small and manageable, about 16 of us total and we had time on our own for lunch and exploring the different sites. Our tour guide Emily was amazing and kept us laughing all day. Definitely the tour to choose!”

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5.Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Day Tour from Inverness

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,236 reviews · from $94

See Loch Ness, Eilean Donan Castle, and Skye highlights on a 12-hour small-group tour from Inverness with an entertaining local guide.

“Amazing Experience, just do it. We were lucky enough to have clear skies and beautiful weather when we did this tour. You see so much great stuff on the isle of Skye. Just a pro tip, pack motion sickness medicine for the bus ride if you experience this. If you forget, you can pick up some from the shop in portree.”

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6.Loch Ness 1-Hour Cruise with Urquhart Castle Views

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,102 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $30Best value

Review of the one-hour Loch Ness cruise from Clansman Harbour, with Urquhart Castle views, Nessie stories, onboard sonar, and practical tips.

“Excellent river cruise. The boat had plenty of space. Great views from top deck. Was great to see the castle from the loch. Staff all very friendly.”

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7.Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Small-Group Day Tour from Inverness

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 796 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $69

Review of the Skye and Eilean Donan Castle day tour from Inverness, with route details, guide tips, costs, stops, and booking advice.

“Great tour. Seana was very knowledgeable. Definitely recommend her. Added extra stops for a quick photo shoot. Not over crowded and everyone was great. Would definitely do a tour with that company again.”

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8.Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 748 reviews · 12 hours · from $55

Review of the Inverness to Isle of Skye day trip, with Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Ness, Portree, scenic stops, value, and practical tips.

“This tour was absolutely worth recommending. Karen was a fantastic guide – very knowledgeable, friendly, and full of interesting facts that made the journey even more enjoyable. Seeing Eilean Donan Castle in real life was truly unforgettable – even more stunning than in the photos! I highly recommend booking this tour if you want to explore places that are difficult to reach by public transport or if you don’t have a rental car. This was my second time traveling with Highland Explorer, and just like before – it was amazing!”

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9.Loch Ness Cruise, Castle, and Outlander Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 668 reviews · 9 hours · from $47

Review of Inverness’s Loch Ness cruise, Urquhart Castle, Beauly, Culloden, Clava Cairns, and Outlander sites in one day.

“the tour is nice to see a lot of things but the Destillery they could skip because you can only buy whiskey at the bar ...which you can do everywhere else”

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10.Loch Ness Cruise and Urquhart Castle visit from Inverness

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 572 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $78

Cruise Loch Ness from Inverness, explore Urquhart Castle and visit the Loch Ness Centre on this practical four-hour Scottish outing.

“Our tour guide Kieran was great. The cruise was beautiful and it was fun to wonder around the castle ruins. We even got to feed a couple of Highland coos(cows) on the way back.”

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11.2-day Isle of Skye, Fairy Pools & Castles Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 366 reviews · 2 days · from $196

Review of the 2-day Isle of Skye tour from Inverness, with Fairy Pools, castles, Loch Ness, scenic stops, guide tips, and honest value advice.

“Fantastic Tour – Highly Recommended! We had a wonderful experience on this tour. The selection of sights and stops was excellent – all the must-see highlights of the Isle of Skye were included. Our driver, Chris, did a fantastic job tailoring the trip to both the weather and the group's preferences, which made the day even more enjoyable. It was clear how much Chris knows about the area and how deeply he loves his homeland – his passion really brought the landscape and its stories to life. On top of that, we learned so much about everyday life in Scotland, which made the tour not only beautiful but also incredibly…”

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12.John O’Groats, Dunrobin Castle & the Far North

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 292 reviews · 11 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $87

Review of Timberbush’s Inverness tour to John O’Groats, Dunrobin Castle and the far north, with stops, costs, tips and honest drawbacks.

“After waiting for 30 minutes at the meeting point, the driver hadn't arrived, so the tour was eventually canceled. No advance warning or any apologies. I do not recommend these unreliable people.”

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13.Loch Ness Cruise Including Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness Centre

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 247 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $111

Review of Loch Ness by Jacobite’s four-hour cruise, Urquhart Castle visit, and Loch Ness Centre stop from Inverness.

“Although I am sure we spotted her, the tour was a lot of fun and a really nice day out on the water. The castle was fun to visit and an outstanding video of the history was a great element of the tour.”

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14.Loch Ness, Skye, & Eilean Donan Castle Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 241 reviews · 11.5 hours · from $66

Review of the Inverness to Loch Ness, Skye, and Eilean Donan Castle tour, including stops, value, weather tips, guides, and practical advice.

“The view where amazing and breathtaking. Definitely will be doing this trip again . I well recommend it .”

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15.2-Day Isle of Skye, The Fairy Pools & Highland Castles

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 225 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $223

Explore Skye’s Fairy Pools, castles, waterfalls, and Portree on a small-group two-day tour from Inverness with expert guiding.

“It was all it was described to be. Our tour guide Owen was superb. Answered any questions asked as well as offered his vast knowledge of the Isle.”

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