Luxury Scotland Tour: Highlands, Castles, and Lochs

Luxury Scotland Tour: Highlands, Castles, and Lochs

Ratings of Zicasso's Service
Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist

Countries Visited

Scotland

Places Visited

Edinburgh, Inverness, Pitlochry, Armadale

Suggested Duration

9 Days

The picturesque beauty of Edinburgh comes second to the natural grandeur of the Highlands and unique fairytale scenery of the Isle of Skye during your luxury Scotland tour. The country has inspired magical stories and freedom fighters, archeological discoveries and elegant architecture spreading from cities to towns, villages to remote woodlands. Relish a chance to enjoy the opulence of Scotland’s iconic accommodations on an intimate group excursion highlighting the proud history and distinctive...

Customizable Itinerary

Expand All

Trip Highlights

  • Discover the fairytale landscape of Scotland’s secluded scenery on the Isle of Skye
  • Relish a scenic and elegant ride connecting Fort Williams to Mallaig on a steam train captured in the Harry Potter movies as the Hogwarts Express
  • Experience the grandeur of the Highlands at Cairngorms National Par, which hosts woodlands, mountains, and glistening lakes, including Loch an Eilein
  • Visit the marvelous castle grounds of Eilean Donan and Urquhart to uncover historic architecture and mythology near the shores of famous Loch Ness
  • Venture to the Cawdor Castle, an estate forever associated with Shakespeare’s Macbeth
  • Bask in the aromas and historical cultivation of a scotch distillery on a guided tour ending in a delicious tasting
  • Embrace Scottish culture and history upon your arrival by witnessing the grandeur of the William Wallace Monument
  • Indulge in the irresistible ambiance of Edinburgh to find the Stone of Destiny, grand castle grounds, charming alleys, and alluring historic architecture

Detailed Description

Move beyond the images of kilts and bagpipes to witness secluded castles and magnificent Highlands during your 9-day Scotland tour. The fabric of the unique landscape inspires countless explorations amidst the wealth of cultural history in the cities and spreading to the remote towns and villages protected famously northern position. Fabled battlefields lead to trails blazed by poets and writers. Remote heathers open to the wilds of hidden beaches. Mountain slopes fall into famous lochs revealing the true nature of Scotland’s captivating combination of scenery and history.

Your Scotland tour begins with your arrival in Edinburgh. Your semi-private transfer greets you at the airport and escorts you out of the cultural capital to reach the welcoming sights of the William Wallace Monument and neighboring Stirling Castle. The banks of Loch Lomond showcase the largest inlet of water in Great Britain. The countryside along the Ayrshire coastline highlights the beauty of historic bridges and Robert Burns’ Cottage. The grandeur of Culzean Castle battles for supremacy against the opulence of Stirling Castle.

Outside of Loch Lomond, the Trossachs National Park offers a stretch of woodlands and mountains enticing weekenders and tourists eager to relax in the tranquil scenery. Ride the exciting scenic Jacobite Express steam train from Fort William to Mallaig before taking the ferry to Armadale on the Isle of Skye. The island landscape resembles the contours of a fairytale through fairy glens and pools, along with hills meant for giants and natural rock formations resembling castles. Spend time exploring the archeological foundations of the Eilean Donan and Urquhart castles, the latter of which overlooks the shores of Loch Ness.

Traverse the Highlands outside of Inverness to find battlefields and the castle used as the setting for William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The final leg of the journey takes you closer to Edinburgh, stopping en route to discover the beauty of Cairngorms National Park, home to staggering woodlands, mountains, lakes, elegant castles, and a number of historic distilleries. The city of Edinburgh embodies the splendors of Scotland within a single area featuring dramatic strongholds, historic architecture, lively cobblestone streets, fascinating artifacts, and splendid scenery to discover.

Starting Price

$5,200 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service

4.94 stars based on 54 reviews.

Scotland Travel Review: St. Andrews, Edinburgh, Golf, 9...

Zicasso's trip coordinator had every detail covered for a smooth vacation. The driver was incredibly pleasant and fun to spend time with. We highly recommend Zicasso for anyone considering a trip to Scotland!

Reviewed By Suzanne T.

Scotland Travel Review: Private Driver, Highlands, Culloden...

This was my first time planning an overseas trip for myself, plus a friend, and integrating a third person into the trip halfway! There were lots of moving parts. Thanks to Zicasso's tour company, I started out not knowing what I wanted to see, to having a perfect trip, with fantastic accommodations, wonderful drivers, and amazing adventures!

Reviewed By Laura T.

Scotland Tour Review: Isle of Skye, Glencoe, 6 Days

We had an awesome experience! There was impeccable attention to detail! The driver/guides were terrific to work with. I will definitely recommend Zicasso’s tour company to my friends.

Reviewed By Krishna S.

England, Scotland, Ireland Vacation Review: History, Local...

We had an exceptional experience with the team at Zicasso's travel company, particularly our agent. She listened to our hopes and needs for a very complex trip, and created a journey that exceeded our expectations in every way.

Reviewed By Lorraine M.

Ireland, Scotland Travel Review: Galway, Cliffs of Moher,...

The trip was fantastic and the Zicasso travel agent was very attentive to our wants. We felt very well taken care of.

Reviewed By Christine S.

Scotland Family Trip Review: Glasgow, Staffa, Port Ellen,...

To celebrate our daughter’s graduation from the University of Glasgow, Julie and I decided to organize a family driving trip through the islands and Highlands of Scotland. We wanted to see everything in Scotland.

Zicasso's travel agent helped us refine our plans to fit our timeframe and budget. She planned an efficient route and found us memorable accommodations in each of our stops. She also suggested some places not on our original wish list, including a boat trip to Staffa, which turned out to be one of the most memorable parts of our trip.  

Our driver truly made it feel like the family vacation we had envisioned. While on some days we had a definite timeline to meet (the ferries will leave without you!), most of the time we were able to decide what we were in the mood for and he would happily accommodate us. We even were able to have an unscheduled stop on the drive back to Glasgow to see where our daughter had spent time last summer on an archaeological dig.

Where we stayed and what we ate were not big factors in our vacation planning request, but our travel agent found us lovely accommodations that made our day trips and ferry trips convenient. The restaurant specialist made dinner suggestions that made sense for where we were staying and arranged reservations for us so that we did not have to worry about finding a place to eat at the end of a long day.

Reviewed By George C.

Your Dream Vacation

in 3 simple steps

  1. 1

    Describe your dream trip

  2. 2

    Get matched with top travel specialists

  3. 3

    Book the trip

Free service - no credit card required