Itinerary Details
CIE Tours: Scottish Isles & Glens
Day 1: Glasgow Arrival
Depart from your hotel at 2:30 PM for a tour of Glasgow, famed for its Victorian and Art Nouveau architecture. Once a prosperous port city due to international trade and shipbuilding, today Glasgow is Scotland’s cultural hub. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group and dinner at your hotel.
Hotel: Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel
Meals: (D)
Day 2: Isle of Bute & Mount Stuart House
Take a ferry to the Isle of Bute for stunning island scenery and a guided tour of the 19th-century Mount Stuart House. Spend time in Rothesay, the main town on the island. Enjoy a free evening in Glasgow and dine independently.
Hotel: Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel
Meals: (B)
Day 3: Loch Lomond & Eilean Donan Castle
Travel along famous Loch Lomond, renowned for its unsurpassed beauty. Journey through Glencoe, one of Scotland’s most beautiful regions. Travel through Fort William and visit romantic Eilean Donan Castle, spectacularly situated on an island at the meeting of three lochs.
Hotel: Balmacara Hotel
Meals: (B, D)
Day 4: Isle of Skye, Dunvegan Castle & Portree
Explore the Isle of Skye and its associations with Bonnie Prince Charlie. Tour Dunvegan Castle, the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and former stronghold of the Chiefs of MacLeod. Enjoy photo opportunities including stunning Kilt Rock. Stop in picturesque Portree with its brightly painted houses clustered around the bay. Enjoy free time before dinner at your hotel.
Hotel: Balmacara Hotel
Meals: (B, D)
Day 5: Inverewe Gardens & Gairloch
Take in the Highland scenery as you head to Inverewe Gardens, a colorful loch-side garden filled with rare species of trees and flowers from around the globe, created in the wilderness by a father and daughter in the 19th century. You’ll likely see wildlife including deer, otters, seals, and golden eagles, as well as huge California redwoods towering into the sky. Continue on to your hotel in Gairloch, where you can relax in tranquil and scenic surroundings before dinner with your group.
Hotel: Gairloch Hotel
Meals: (B, D)
Day 6: Ullapool, North Coast 500 & Ferry to Orkney
Journey along Scotland’s dramatic coastline on one of the world’s most spectacular drives as you follow the North Coast 500 route, pausing for photos along the way. Visit the quaint harbor town of Ullapool, then have lunch near the iconic Kylesku Bridge, famed for its sweeping views and striking architecture. Continue through wild Highland landscapes to an afternoon stop near the village of Tongue, where rugged mountains meet vast sea lochs. Travel on to Scrabster and the ferry to the Orkney Islands, where you’ll spend the next two nights.
Hotel: Ayre Hotel
Meals: (B, L)
Day 7: Orkney Sights, Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae & St Magnus Cathedral
Explore Neolithic Orkney, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take a scenic drive around the north of the main island, past the Earl’s Palace at Birsay. Visit Skara Brae to see this amazing 5,000-year-old village, the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe. Explore the 400-year-old Skaill House, filled with fascinating archaeological items, art, and furniture collected by the twelve generations of Lairds of Breckness who once lived there. Travel on to the Ring of Brodgar, a ceremonial stone circle. Return to Kirkwall for a visit to St Magnus Cathedral. The afternoon is free; dinner is at the hotel tonight.
Hotel: Ayre Hotel
Meals: (B, D)
Day 8: Italian Chapel & Dunrobin Castle
Drive across the historic Churchill Barriers, causeways built during World War II to protect the British fleet from German submarines. Visit the tiny Italian Chapel, a moving symbol of hope and reconciliation created by Italian prisoners of war. After returning to the mainland by ferry, continue to the grand Dunrobin Castle, set in a fairytale landscape with breathtaking coastal views. Explore its stunning architecture and majestic gardens, inspired by the Palace of Versailles. Travel south to Strathpeffer, an elegant Victorian spa town, where you’ll enjoy dinner at your hotel.
Hotel: Highland Hotel
Meals: (B, D)
Day 9: Loch Ness Cruise, Culloden Battlefield & Sheepdog Demonstration
Embark on a scenic cruise along the historic Caledonian Canal, leading you to the legendary Loch Ness. Next, visit Culloden Battlefield, site of one of the most pivotal events in all of Scottish history. Visit a sheep farm to watch highly skilled sheepdogs demonstrate how they herd their flock. Dine at your hotel this evening.
Hotel: Crieff Hydro Hotel
Meals: (B, D)
Day 10: Whisky Tasting & Scottish Evening
Hotel: Novotel Edinburgh Centre Hotel
Day 11: Edinburgh Panoramic Tour & Edinburgh Castle
Explore the wide streets and elegant mansions in Edinburgh’s Georgian “New Town” and the Royal Mile, the oldest part of the city. Tour the imposing Edinburgh Castle to see the Scottish Crown Jewels. Enjoy an evening to explore independently. August 1 – 17 departures attend the spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade.
Hotel: Novotel Edinburgh Centre Hotel
Meals: (B)
Day 12: Independent Sightseeing in Edinburgh
Enjoy a day of independent sightseeing using the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus voucher.
Hotel: Novotel Edinburgh Centre Hotel
Meals: (B)
Day 13: Tour ends in Edinburgh
Your tour ends after breakfast.
Meals: (B)
Meal Abbreviations: B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner
