13 Castle Tours in Inverness to Build a Day Around

1.Loch Ness Cruise and Urquhart Castle

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

From Inverness Bus Station, ride with a live English-speaking guide to Loch Ness, cruise toward Urquhart Castle, and spend about an hour among its ruins. Guides such as Linda, Kieran, Katie, and John are known for lively local stories. Winter departures also include the Loch Ness Centre.

“Both guides - Katie and Peter (guide on the boat) are brilliant. The tour is very interenting, educational and fun. One can experience and appreciate this wonderful area even more with them. I wholeheartedly recommend booking this tour. P. S. Try the hot chocolate on the boat.”

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2.Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Tour

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

Join Rabbie’s from Inverness for a full day across Loch Ness, Eilean Donan Castle, and the Isle of Skye. Your English-speaking driver-guide, such as Amy, Mick, Ryan, or Nick, handles the long route while you enjoy Portree, the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, and the Quiraing.

“I had the most amazing day! Ryan was the perfect guide, he was funny and he had a lot of tips, and also, it was incredible to hear the history behind every single stop.”

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3.Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Day Trip

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

Set out from Inverness with an English-speaking guide such as Karen, Iain, Harrison, or Torquil. See Loch Ness, explore Eilean Donan Castle at extra cost, eat in Portree, and stop at Skye icons including the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, and the Quiraing.

“Sonia was the best guide. She spent the whole time telling us about the history, traditions and myths. It was the most incredible experience. Highly recommended”

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4.Loch Ness Cruise, Castle, and Outlander Tour

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

From central Inverness, you’ll cruise 30 minutes across Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle, then visit Beauly, Culloden Battlefield, and Clava Cairns. Guides such as Sonia, Donnie, Iain, Karen, and Emily bring Scottish stories to life. A whisky stop is optional, and lunch is at your own expense.

“Sonia was an absolute ray of Scottish sunshine ☀️ Great tour fitting in everything I wanted to do in Inverness!”

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

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

Travel from Inverness through the Highlands to Skye with a driver-guide such as Allan, Marita, Owen, or Willie. Expect castle visits, short walks, folklore, photo stops, an overnight in Portree, and time at the Fairy Pools, with accommodation optional.

“It was great! We enjoyed all the places and Owen was a great guide!”

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

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

Join an English-speaking driver-guide from Inverness for a full day through Loch Ness, Glen Shiel, Eilean Donan Castle, and the Isle of Skye. You’ll have time in Portree, photo stops at Kilt Rock and the Old Man of Storr, and stories from guides such as Mike, David, Jon, and Chloe.

“Great tour !!! We saw so much! The guide mike is so friendly , informative and we will definely be back :)”

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7.Torridon, Applecross, & Eilean Donan Castle

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 155 reviews · 11 hours · from $45Best value

Ride from Inverness in a 16-seat Mercedes minicoach through Beinn Eighe, Torridon, Shieldaig, and Applecross. You’ll cross Bealach na Bà, visit Eilean Donan Castle, and hear Highland stories from an English-speaking Rabbie’s driver-guide such as James, Claire, Scott, or Amy.

“funny guide! loved his sense of humor. tour was great, brought us to all the aforementioned places with fantastic scenery. Me and my husband managed to capture some unforgettable moments during the trip!”

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8.Highlands Guided Tour with Cawdor Castle Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 43 reviews · 7 hours · from $125

From Invergordon, join guides such as Murdoch, Gordon, Rob, or Andrew for a packed seven-hour Highlands outing. Walk Culloden Battlefield, explore Cawdor Castle with an audio guide, see Clava Cairns, stop at Loch Ness, and get a brief taste of Inverness.

“Gordon was great. I was so glad that we did this trip as opposed to the one with our ship. We were first at the castle & I was glad to avoid the crowds. Gordon was a font of information & made the trip great.”

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9.Dunrobin Castle and Easter Ross Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 35 reviews · 9 hours · from $72

Travel from Inverness to Dunrobin Castle, Dornoch, and Tarbat Ness Lighthouse in a small group of up to 16. Your English-speaking driver-guide shares local stories, leaves time for the castle and gardens, and may stop at Pictish stones and a bronze mermaid along the coast.

“I really enjoyed the castle ,the rest wasn't much to see but the trip was amazing,the guide was very good,the weather was fantastic and view even more.”

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10.Inverness, Cawdor Castle & Highland Whisky Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 16 reviews · 8 hours · from $92

From Invergordon, explore Cawdor Castle, Bronze Age Clava Cairns, Dores Beach on Loch Ness, and Inverness before a Glen Ord Distillery visit. English-speaking guides such as Fiona, Willie, and Marita lead the day. Bring rain gear and cash, since meals and attraction fees cost extra.

“Our driver Willie was very informative and funny. We loved the Cawdor castle and the visiting the Cain stones”

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11.Cawdor Castle, Clava Cairns & The Cairngorms

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · 8 hours · from $58

You’ll visit Clava Cairns, Cawdor Castle, Castle Roy, Aviemore, Loch Morlich, and Rothiemurchus with an English-speaking local guide. Expect history, Scots Pine woodland, Highland cows, free time, and a farm-shop stop. Castle admission, meals, and hotel transfers cost extra.

“Our guide Harrison was delightful, and very knowledgeable. I loved that we spent a lot of time in nature. Cawdor castle was interesting, but I would gladly have traded less time there for the opportunity to spend a longer time at Clava Cairns.”

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12.Cawdor Castle, Culloden, and Loch Ness Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $182Top rated

From Invergordon, join an English-speaking guide for a seven-hour Highlands circuit covering Cawdor Castle, Culloden Battlefield, Inverness, and Loch Ness. You’ll hear Scottish history and Outlander connections, enter Cawdor Castle with its audio guide, and travel by bus, minivan, or small car.

“Wir waren eine Kleingruppe mit 6 Leuten und Mo , eine Lehrerin im “Ruhestand“ war unser Guide. Sie war phantastisch und hat sehr interessante Dinge über Land und schottische Geschichte erzählt. Sie ging auf individuelle Wünsche ein. Cawdor Castle war ein Highlight . Es war eine seeeehr schöne und unvergessliche Tour!”

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13.LOCH NESS ,CAWDOR CASTLE ,CLAVA CAIRNS & MORE FROM INVERNESS

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 7.5 hours

Travel with an English-speaking guide from Inverness to Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Beauly Priory, Glen Ord, Culloden, Clava Cairns, and Cawdor Castle. Stuart is a standout guide, adding local stories, Outlander connections, whisky tips, and quieter stops often missed on a self-drive day.

“Our day was wonderful! Our guide, Stuart was absolutely amazing! We were able to see so many things that we would have never been able to get to on our own: the tour of Culloden battlefield, along with Stuart’s explanations and the visuals provided were incredible- visiting Clava Cairns and going off the beaten path to see the ancient cupping marks, touching THE real Outlander stone would surely have been missed if not for Stuart - seeing Cawdor Castle and hearing the history (Stuart even so kindly sat with my 81 year old mother who was hesitant to tackle the medieval stairs ;-) - a whisky tasting where Stuart taught…”

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