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What to do and see in Scotland, United Kingdom: The Best Historical & Heritage Tours
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1. Crime and Punishment: Explore Aberdeen's darker history on a walking audio tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
From bodysnatching and beheadings to witchcraft and whippings, we share real life stories of crime and punishment from the last 500 years on this self-guided GPS audio tour. Along the way you’ll see major Aberdeen landmarks, from Marischal College to the Mercat Cross, and learn how they were witness to darkest chapters in the city’s history. Scot Free Tours sheds a light on the baffling and often unjust laws of the last five centuries – and reveals that past is not as far away as we think. Thousands of people have loved our 5-star rated live tours and now you can experience them with freedom of an audio guide! The tour plays audio automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smartphone's GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which also works offline. Start the tour in the app, put your phone in your pocket, and let us guide you around Aberdeen. The total walking distance is 3km and takes about 45 minutes without stopping, but you can pause anytime!
Inclusions: Lifetime access to this tour in English, VoiceMap app for Android and iOS, Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
Exclusions: Smartphone and headphones, Transportation, Food and drink, Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Reviewed By nickjtravels
A very informative tour of Aberdeen that we did on our brief stop in Aberdeen earlier this year. When we return we will be doing one of the other tours on VoiceMap. Altogether a great experience that is perfect in a COVID-19 world as you go around by yourselves and will still work well when this pandemic is well behind us. We were so pleased with this tour we did another one in Liverpool on the same trip and this was of the same quality. Just make sure you have plenty of charge on your phone!
2. Private 4 Hour Tour of Edinburgh in a Spacious 6-seater Mercedes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 28 reviews
Soak up the amazing sights of both the Old and New Town of Edinburgh in the comfort of a Mercedes 6-seat vehicle during this 4 hour tour. This private tour is perfect for the visitor who has limited time and who wants to see all of the major attractions. You will have time to get out, walk around and take photos and to learn about this beautiful medieval city from your guide. Or perhaps, you are a visitor who simply wants a shorter tour to orientate yourself to the layout of the city with hints and tips from your guide on the best places to visit, eat and shop in your own time. Here are just some of the places that you will be able to stop at on your tour: Edinburgh Castle Grassmarket Greyfriars Bobby Royal Mile St Giles Cathedral Mercat Cross Palace of Holyrood House Arthur's Seat Calton Hill Walter Scott Monument New Town Dean Village
Inclusions: Driver/guide, Live commentary on board, Local guide, All activities
Exclusions: Food and drinks, Gratuities
Reviewed By Anna P
We had a complicated itinerary coming to Scotland when moving our oldest over from the US to attend university here and having to do a mandatory two week quarantine upon arrival. There were many logistics and details that had to work out just right from our arrival with many bags to collecting us after quarantine and then picking up a special order of essentials at the local department store. We simply could not have done it without Andy. Starting with the original email correspondence, he was extremely professional, friendly and helpful and through it all he offered excellent communication and handled our few curveballs with grace and a great attitude. He's very knowledgeable about this great country and it's history and landscape and is such a great guy that we've invited him and his wife to come stay with us sometime in California. That's how much we trust and appreciate Andy and Edinburgh Cab Tours. Highly recommend for an airport transfer or better yet, a tour of the the city and beyond.
3. Full-Day Loch Ness Glencoe and the Highlands Tour from Glasgow
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 9 reviews
Visit Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Highlands on this one day tour from Glasgow. Departing Glasgow you'll have the opportunity to enjoy morning refreshments and take some great photos at Loch Lomond. Your tour will then continue through the desolate Rannoch Moor, one of the last remaining wildernesses in Europe. We will stop for photographs in Glencoe which has very dramatic scenery and a dark past. Travelling through Fort William with Ben Nevis looming overhead, you will follow the Great Glen Canal on it’s journey to Fort Augustus at the southern top of Loch Ness. You’ll have time to enjoy some lunch here and explore the town.You can then choose to purchase tickets for a 1 hour monster spotting cruise on the loch, you may even see Nessie!. We'll travel through Inverness and the Cairngorms National Park before reaching our final refreshment stop in the Victorian town of Pitlochry. After some time there we continue back to Glasgow.
Inclusions: Air-conditioned vehicle, Services of your Driver-Guide
Exclusions: Meals and Refreshments, Loch Ness 1 Hour Cruise. Can be purchased on the day: Adult £16.00 Concession £16.00, Child £10.00.
Reviewed By CannonisGod
Another Quality day trip completed (10th May 2021) Jeff was excellent with his knowledge and is very caring and makes the whole trip come together. Will definitely be back again.
4. The Ultimate Isle of Skye Day Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 177 reviews
Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and stories of this magical island with a local Highland company. We are proud to be able to offer you the best rated tour guides and the most spacious and well-appointed mini-coaches. We are a 5 star Visit Scotland rated operator, who are number 1 rated on TripAdvisor in Inverness. However, we don’t just offer tours; we offer you the opportunity to fall in love with the place we call home.
Inclusions: All taxes, fees and handling charges, Experienced driver, Live commentary on board
Exclusions: Hotel pick-up/drop-off, Lunch, Snacks/drinks, Gratuities
Reviewed By Liam G
In the words of Bill Medley... "Now I've had the time of my life No I never felt like this before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you..." I went on this incredible tour on Saturday 1st May 2021 and loved every second. Gordon and Rob's knowledge of the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye is second to none! Not only did we get a tour of the modern day Scotland that we ventured through but we also got a tour of Scotland through hundreds of years. It takes incredible skill to navigate the roads that we drove through as well as constantly describing the areas we are driving through and tell stories, jokes and play a soundtrack relevant to the area at the same time. I went away with a great deal of knowledge of Geology, History, questionable comedy and Politics. Gordon's unwavering passion and knowledge of his home country is masterful and provides you on the tour with everything you need to know about why you are there. The bus for the tour was comfortable, impeccably clean and covid measures and social distancing were at the forefront throughout the tour. I felt nothing but safe and well informed the entire tour. Wow Scotland were also able to pick me up and drop me off right outside the door of where we were staying! This tour is highly recommended and being run by a local family you know you are getting nothing but the best. Particular highlights were Eilean Donan Castle, the Quiraing, Urquhart castle and "You'll never find a Nessie in the Zoo" 11/10 and I can't wait to do another one!
5. The Potter Trail Private Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 165 reviews
Founded in 2012, we are the original Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh. Our guides have the most experience of any tour company in Edinburgh and we are consistently rated most highly by visitors across all platforms. Booking a private tour with us will ensure the ultimate experience for Harry Potter fans as you'll be able to take the tour at your own pace and ask as many questions as you like! All of guides are trained comic performers so we can guarantee they will captivate and entertain you as well as impress with their extensive knowledge. We are also happy to customise this tour to suit you! We take on lots of bookings for hen parties and school groups and our guides are skilled at catering the tour content for any audience. Edinburgh is as magical to us as it is to JK Rowling and we hope this passion will inspire you too!
Inclusions: Guide
Exclusions: Please bring something that you can use as a wand. This can be anything roughly wand shaped - a pen or umbrella will work well!
Reviewed By rebeccajT8303LU
Our family did a virtual tour and just loved it! Our guide, Gemma, was so engaging and knowledgeable. We enjoyed our time so very much. It was like a little escape while still at home.
6. Skye In A Day From Portree Visiting The Most Scenic Spots
Overall Ratings
4.9 based on 16 reviews
We are the longest running independent tour company offering full day group tours of Skye and 2021 is our 10th year of showing visitors this beautiful Isle. Our driver guides are either born and bred on Skye or have a strong family connection so you will be sure to have a real experience when touring with us.
Inclusions: Air-conditioned vehicle
Exclusions: Please bring a packed lunch with you onto the tour as there is no lunch stop
Reviewed By CydDesMoines_Iowa
We had two wonderful days off touring the Isle of Skye with Donald. He tailored the two days to our wishes and was flexible around the weather. It was so relaxing to have him drive and he's a wealth of historical and cultural knowledge. Highly recommend.
7. The Isle of Skye & Eilean Donan Castle from Inverness
Overall Ratings
4.9 based on 207 reviews
Leave the city for the day and explore the beautiful Isle of Skye. Visit Eilean Donan Castle; one of Scotland's most photographed castles and cross the bridge to the scenic Isle of Skye. Visit Portree, it's village-capital and marvel in the beautiful scenic nature all in one day.
Inclusions: Driver/guide, Live commentary on board, Local guide
Exclusions: Food and drinks
Reviewed By Beardless92
Truly a one of a lifetime experience! Marita is a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide! I should also add she is a great driver, cause those Highland roads can get a bit narrow ???? The experience is very immersive, and just listening to Conquest of Paradise while driving through the Highlands is EPIC! Hope you get lucky with the weather as we did, cause all the main photo stops, the sky was clear and lighting was just perfect! ???? The views are stunning, the castles bring their own stories and mysteries and the Isle of Skye is truly another world in itself! I would like to thank the whole Timberbush Team for this ride! I can only wholeheartedly recommend to anyone!! ????????????????????????????❤️
8. Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Small-Group Day Tour from Inverness
Overall Ratings
4.9 based on 168 reviews
Sharp geological formations, crumbling coastlines and wind-swept valleys: Skye is mother-nature at her dramatic best. And on this day-tour you explore the best of it in the comfort of a luxury, 16 seat mini-coach. Let our experienced driver-guide take you on a journey through the stories, history, and sights of the island; while also giving you a taste of the most breathtaking scenery that Western Scotland has to offer.
Inclusions: Driver/guide, Small-group tour (16 people max), Transport by top of the range Mercedes minicoach
Exclusions: Entrance fees (Eilean Donan Castle), Food and drinks, unless specified, Gratuities
Reviewed By L2821ZTkates
I would like to say a massive thank you to my guide Seana for my trip in early November. I live in Scotland and it was nice to be able to see so many beautiful places in one day. I was a a solo traveller and Seana was so kind and informative it felt like I was on a day trip with friends. Clava Cairns is such a beautiful and atmospheric place, when we arrived early morning we had the whole place to ourselves. So had a lot of opportunities for amazing photos. There was two of us on the trip, so it felt like we were on a VIP tour. Next stop was Culloden, we really lucked out for weather and had time to walk the old battlefield. There was enough time to go into the exhibition, but it was so nice to be outside in the open. We stopped for lunch at Beauly and it was a pretty little Scottish town. At the top of the high street there is a really nice shop for gifts, clothes and home decor. So if you like shopping then make sure you have some spending money. The priory was a great place to walk around. There's benches out the front if you'd like to get some chips for a quick lunch. The bistros were bustling, so if you just wanted a sit down meal, there's a few to choose. Glen Affric was so beautiful in the autumn sun, Seana was in her element as we walked over the rocky path towards the water. She mentioned to us about her mountain climbing and took us on a little hike up to the view point. We even had time to visit another Cairn just as dusk arrived. She made sure we had left early enough for the sunset. It was a really memorable trip, Seana was an excellent guide and I wouldn't hesitate to book another tour. I can not give her enough praise. She is excellent in her job. A really nice people person.
9. Isle of Skye Full Day 8-Seater Bus Tour from Inverness
Overall Ratings
4.9 based on 500 reviews
Enjoy a day trip exploring Isle of Skye in a comfortable, air-conditioned bus that seats up to 8 people. Relax as your professional, Scottish, kilted tour guide takes you on a journey through Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Eilean Donan Castle, Old Man of Storr and much more. Eat a 1-hour lunch in Portree (own expense). Take home precious memories on this small-group tour that is limited to 8 people for a more personalized experience.
Inclusions: Bottled water, Professional driver, Live commentary on board, Local guide, Transport by air-conditioned bus
Exclusions: Gratuities, Lunch (own expense), Hotel pickup and drop-off, Entrance to Urquhart Castle, Entrance to Eilean Donan Castle
Reviewed By 953naomip
We loved this tour so much that we booked another Happy Tour for the next day! Our man in a kilt, Drew, and trainee, Robert, were knowledgable, funny and full of stories. There was only the 3 of us as we had to book a private tour due to COVID and we really got to know our guides. The scenery is stunning and the tour covers a lot of history and sights. The Viaduct is a great highlight especially for the Harry Potter fans but you see so much more too. The bus is also very comfy and spacious and the guides go out of their way to ensure you’re happy, would strongly recommend!
10. Oban, Glencoe, Highlands Lochs & Castles Small Group Day Tour from Glasgow
Overall Ratings
4.9 based on 274 reviews
See epic ruined castles, listen to tales of old clan rivalries, and venture through brilliant mountain scenery on this tour to the Scottish Highlands.
Inclusions: Driver/guide, Transport by air-conditioned mini-coach, Small group tour (max 16 people)
Exclusions: Food and drinks, Gratuities, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Admission fees
Reviewed By marcobasaglia
Excellent tour of Oban, Glencoe, Highland Lochs and Castles. I was the only one on the tour when lockdown eased and Stuart the tour guide showed up just for me! Great policy. Stuart was humble and a great tour guide. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on tour. He was very knowledgeable and a good taste in traditional Scottish music. Amazing sights of Scotland, cannot miss if you're in the country.
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