Edinburgh Locals Tour in 2025

It was FANTASTIC! Wear comfortable shoes (I bought sneakers with memory foam and it was a BLESSING) and dress warm (bring a sweater and a jacket; Isle of Skye is pretty chilly and you will see some FANTASTIC scenery throughout the trip, but a lot of it is at the top of hills and the wind isn't very forgiving) and you will enjoy yourself immensely! And if you can, request Brian Smith as your guide; you will NOT regret it. He will keep you so entertained that you will be sad when the trip is over. Genuinely friendly and hilarious; a perfect example of what I was hoping for in a Scottish man/guide =) As a proud lover of warm weather (and the U.S....most days), only Brian could have me strongly considering moving to Scotland. (I hope you are reading this Brian! It's Princess, and I wrote that last part just for you. =) )

Really great tour! Euan our tour guide was very well spoken and educated on Scottish history. The bus ride was a little long, but was well worth it because of the frequent outstanding stops for pictures and snacks. We spent the extra 20 quid for the Loch Ness boat tour and that was also well worth the cost.

One of the best experiences we've had on our first trip to Scotland, recommended! We will be back! This tour exceeded all our expectations, being able to take in so many wonderful sights in a packed day was an unforgettable experience, the stops and also the sights on the coach were breathtaking, Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, and Glencoe are places everyone should visit and soak in if they can. The tour was wonderfully paced and the tour guide David, a genuine kilted Scotsman was friendly, welcoming, and assuring throughout the whole day and he made the whole tour that much more special. He wanted to make sure everyone had the best experience on the day and was very informative with the historical knowledge he shared with us all on the coach on the way to the various stops. Priceless guide and I hope we visit again and tour with him again. One thing to note for those who can suffer vehicle sickness, the coach is very big, and due to how it can bounce around on some of the roads.

John was the best tour guide! He is an incredible story teller, has an awesome playlist, excellent sense of humor, and extremely knowledgeable about Scotland. We were laughing within seconds of getting on the bus. It was the best three day trip. John is very helpful and a skilled bus driver too. I wish all my subsequent tours had been with John as well. #hairycoojohn The real king of the north. I loved the kilts. You set the bar high Sir. I’m so glad my first visit to Scotland and the highlands was with the best Scott.

The tour was really good as we didn’t need to drive. The least you want to do on holidays drive the roads you don’t know. The highlands were really impressive. The driver Rich was very knowledgable and friendly. The only thing we would change extra 45 min would be nice after we leave ship

Great trip with awesome commentary. Highly recommend if you are new to Scotland and want to see as much as possible. Don’t rely on the places you stop to get food as there are very limited options and some stops there was not enough time to be able to line up, order and eat in the short time frame you were given, in particular the ‘dinner time’ stop.

Great trip, great guide, amazing scenery. So much to see and do in the Highlands and on the Isle of Skye that 3 days only allows brief stops at many places, but amazing places they were! Wouldn't hesitate to return and I'd be happy to use the same tour company again!

If you are have limited time in Edinburgh, don't want to trouble yourself with driving and love to hear stories about the highlands, then this is it! With no doubt, Steve is a wonderful person who have tons of knowledge and histories to share with you. Also, he's very funny, very Scottish, he said, I quote "know how to speak Gaelic". He also can point to you which shops sell the best chippy and bread! The only reason I wouldn't recommend this trip is if you have motion sickness because highlands can be a little snake pass. But hey! That's a thrill for some others ;)

A quick day trip into the highlands to get a taste of the region. Definitely worth the time and money. Our driver/guide Stephen was entertaining and friendly. He clearly loves his job and enjoys what he does. The bus is fairly small and not very comfortable for such a long day, but it’s ok. There are no washrooms on board but our driver made plenty of stops to accommodate us. There are no foot rests or USB chargers on the bus so be prepared as it is a long day with lots of time spent on the bus.

Excellent tour - a long day, but you see loads and there are regular stops along the way to stretch your legs and take a closer look at particular points of interest. Colin, our driver, was very knowledgeable and made the day come alive. The boat trip was excellent. Definitely recommend; well worth the money.

It was an amazing tour, the only thing that for me would improve it, would be few more minutes to eat in the last stop. Besides that, this day is one of the highlights of my trip, was an incredible experience to know this region of breathtaking landscapes, I wish I could go back soon.

At first I thought 12 hours would be a long trip to take, and going in winter with less sunlight would make it less enjoyable. But the time was well worth it and the winter experience added to the excitement as there was changes from place to place along the way, from rain to snow, overcast to clear blue skys. Our tour guild was very good and with a wonderful way of sharing history and local knowledge. Highly recommended and will treasure my trip.

My sister and I really enjoyed this trip. We knew beforehand that it was a long drive and that most of the time would be spent on the bus so that wasn’t a surprise. Of course we wished we had more time for pictures or more stops in the highlands of Scotland, but for a day trip it was amazing. Our guid and driver, Peter, was amazing, he had lots of useful information (historical, geographical, technical, fun facts) and he even played some scottish music for us. For lunch we went to the Bridge Cafe, the food there is amazing, perfect comfort food. We had the leek and potatos soup and it was just what we needed as we watched the drizzle outside. Loch Ness has a breathtaking view, we could not make ourselves leave the place. We are so glad we decided to choose this trip.

This was an absolutely amazing experience! I cannot recommend it enough. Our tour guide Allen was so knowledgeable and kind, and we learned so much from him. The views are stunning, sure to take your breath away, and the stops are spaced out nicely so that you don’t get restless on the bus. The small villages and towns are beyond charming. Frankly, even upon returning to Edinburgh after a long 13 hour day, I would have turned around and done it all over again.

Rory was our tour guide and he was brilliant. Gave us loads of information and stories of the history of places as we passed them. He gave us plenty of time at each stop and kept us fully informed of where we were/going. He played some grate music and had some funny jokes. It was the best bus tour I've ever been on and I can't recommend him highly enough.

The tour guide, Michael, was excellent. Great driver, entertaining and knowledgeable. Felt 4.5 hours on a bus one way to look at a lake and a fair bit of commerce was a bit much. The info along the way and the highlands saved the day. I think the tour company should have warned about boat ride tickets before we left Edinburgh as we couldn't buy them later as they were sold out by the time we got to Fort Augustus.

Stephen, our authentic Scottish guide, was excellent this day, a long day to be sure! We had him tour us on 6 July 2022, and strongly recommend both him and also this tour. Beautiful scenery, animals, and stops for food during the day. But the dinner stop was too short to actually get food to bring not he bus. Be advised however u r going to go 1.5-as much as 2 hrs between bus stops and bathroom breaks, as there is no toilet on board the buses.

This was the best trip of our 4 day stay in Edinburgh. Big shout out to Bryan Smith from The Hairy Coo. He was really funny and gave a really good commentary about Scottish history, which I liked. He made the trip very enjoyable, even getting the whole coach to sing. Big thank you from your London family including Moose, your wingman!!

Great way to see the countryside, castle and cruise. Paul our tour guide was great, fun and knowledgeable. Paul went the extra mile to ensure that we had a good time. Remember to take cash for the extras, no cards accepted. It would be good to have a drop off in New Town at the end of the trip.

The tour was amazing, we were lucky enough to travel with William as our guide who was simply brilliant. He taught us so much about the history of Scotland throughout the day and I'm pretty sure he's also a comedian as he kept us laughing from start to finish. The only thing I would change is that it would have been nicer to have more time at Glen Coe and less at one of the other stop off breaks, otherwise perfect! Great way to see the sights and learn at the same time. Would 100% recommend to all.