Planning Tours of Scotland
We offer a wide range of tours which you can access through the scottish tours page which is in the top menu above. We have also listed some tour companies and also companies in the USA that offer tour and itineraries in Scotland US visitors...
Tours & Tours operators in Scotland
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Introduction to Touring around Scotland
There are many companies offering general interest or special interest tours of Scotland. Travel agents will have details, or you can check the small advertisements in the travel sections of newspapers, or contact the British Tourist Authority or Scottish Tourist Board/VisitScotland for a list of operators. Tour Around Scotland has a lot of information about touring in Scotland.
Bus tours in Scotland
A great and cheap way to get around Scotland is on one of the jump-on-jump-off backpacker bus tours. These leave from Edinburgh daily, except Sunday, and stop off at independent hostels in Perth, Pitlochry, Inverness, Loch Ness, Isle of Skye, Fort William, Glencoe, Oban and Glasgow. You can hop on and off whenever you please, and you don't need to stay at any of the hostels. Prices range from around £55 to £100 for a complete circuit. The main operators are Haggis Backpackers, 11 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh EH1 1NB, Tel 0131-557 9393 and Macbackpackers, Tel 0131-558 9900, Haggis Backpackers also run trips from London to Edinburgh, calling in at several tourist sights in England en route.
These companies also run excellent-value Highland tours, leaving from Edinburgh. Prices start at £75 for three days, up to around £139 for six days. Prices do not include accommodation or food. Several other companies run similar tours, including Rabbie's Trail Burners, 207 High Street, Edinburgh, Tel 0131-226313.
Cycling tours
- Bespoke Cycle Tours, The Bothy, Camusdarach, Arisaig, Inverness-shire, PH39 4NT, Tel 01687-450272, Bespoke Cycle Tours
- Scottish Border Trails, Venlaw High Rd, Peebles, EH45 8RL, Tel 01721-722934, Email Scottish Border Trails
- Scottish Cycle Safaris, 29 Blackfriars St, Edinburgh, EH1 1NH, Tel 0131-556 5560.
- Scottish Cycling Holidays, 87 Perth St, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6DT, Tel 01250-876100, Scottish Cycling Tours
General sightseeing tours
Two recommended British companies aimed at the more mature traveller are Saga Holidays, Saga Building, Middelburg Square, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1AZ, Tel 0800- 300500; and Shearings Holidays, Miry Lane, Wigan, Lancs WN3 4AG, Tel 01942-824824. Saga also operates in the USA, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116; and in Australia, Level 1, 10-14 Paul Street, Milsons Point, Sydney 2061.
Other tour operators in the USA are
- Abercrombie & Kent, Tel: 1-800-3237308, Abercrombie of the USA Especially Britain, Tel 1-800-8690538;
- Prestige Tours, Tel 1-800-8907375;
- Sterling Tours, Tel 1-800 -7274359, Sterling Tours and
- Cross-Culture, 52 High Point Dr, Amherst MA01002-1224, Tel 800-4911148, (Cross-Culture)
- Timberbush Tours, 555 Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2ND, Tel 0131-226 6066, Run a variety of 1-2 day guided tours around the country in mini-coaches, from £21 to £58.
- For something a wee bit different there's the wonderfully quirky Classique Tours, Tel 0141-889 4050, (ClassiqueTours) 5-day tours start at £275 and their 7-day Grand Hebridean Tour is £485.
Golf tours
Golfing tours are organized from the USA by Golf International Inc, Tel 1-800- 8331389; and Jerry Quinlan's Celtic Golf, Tel 1-800-5356148, Jerry Quinlan's Celtic Golf
Guided Tours
Many groups want to tour alone with a guide. We have some details of chauffeur driven guided tours in Scotland here.
Tours In Scotland
more information about our Tours in Scotland. Tours Homepage