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Edinburgh Tour: Whisky Experience with Visits to Stirling and Loch Lomond
4.5
173 Ratings
Edinburgh
Immerse yourself in a 1-day exploration of Scotland as you experience three of its most notable aspects: its castles, its lochs, and its whisky. Starting from Stirling, journeying to Loch Lomond, and then visiting a distillery, get a chance to understand Scotland through its rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and passion for the perfect whisky.
Immerse yourself in a 1-day exploration of Scotland as you experience three of its most notable aspects: its castles, its lochs, and its whisky. Starting from Stirling, journeying to Loch Lomond, and then visiting a distillery, get a chance to understand Scotland through its rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and passion for the perfect whisky.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Stirling Castle - As you approach Stirling, listen to the tale of the real “Braveheart,” William Wallace. Discover Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s largest and most significant castles (entry at own cost), and enjoy stunning views from the battlements to the Wallace Monument. Alternatively, wander through the historic streets of Stirling’s old…
- Stirling Castle - As you approach Stirling, listen to the tale of the real “Braveheart,” William Wallace. Discover Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s largest and most significant castles (entry at own cost), and enjoy stunning views from the battlements to the Wallace Monument. Alternatively, wander through the historic streets of Stirling’s old town. Opt to explore the city of Stirling or purchase a castle ticket for £18.50.
- Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park - Venture into the heart of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, arriving at the charming conservation village of Luss, one of Scotland’s most picturesque and photogenic spots. Enjoy free time to stroll along the loch shore, explore quaint historic cottages, browse local shops, or relax over lunch amidst breathtaking Highland scenery.
Maximize your time in Luss with one of two optional experiences available for booking on the day:
Loch Lomond Circular Cruise – Embark on a relaxing 90-minute boat journey across Scotland’s largest loch, enjoying breathtaking views of mountains, islands, and open water. Cruise tickets are £19 for adults and £13 for children.
Distillery Experience – Visit a nearby distillery visitor centre, enjoy optional whisky or gin tastings, and learn about the rich heritage and craftsmanship behind Scotland’s renowned spirits. Tastings range from £15-£25 per person.
- The Kelpies & The Helix - On the return trip to Edinburgh, pause to admire one of Scotland’s most remarkable and distinctive modern landmarks. Standing 30 metres tall, The Kelpies are the world’s largest equine sculptures, crafted from gleaming steel and inspired by the mythical water horses of Scottish folklore. Celebrating both Scotland’s rich industrial heritage and its ancient legends, these extraordinary structures offer one of the most striking and memorable photo opportunities of the entire journey.
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Live commentary on board
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- Driver/guide
- Live commentary on board
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Admission fees
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Admission fees
Additional Information
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Children under 3 years not accepted. Valid proof of ID may be required at check in.
- On occasion another distillery will be visited on this tour instead of Clydeside.
- Prior to departure you will be contacted with details of the optional whisky tastings, Loch Lomond cruise and Stirling Castle tickets.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Children under 3 years not accepted. Valid proof of ID may be required at check in.
- On occasion another distillery will be visited on this tour instead of Clydeside.
- Prior to departure you will be contacted with details of the optional whisky tastings, Loch Lomond cruise and Stirling Castle tickets.
Location
1 Parliament Square
Parliament Square
Please check in with Highland Experience staff inside/outside Caffe Nero by 08:45
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(173 Ratings)
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542ralus
May 15, 2025
Perfect tour - We had an incredible time on this tour! Our guide, John S., was fantastic—friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about Scottish history. He gave us fascinating insights into both the sites we visited and Scotland’s past.
The day began with a whisky tour, where we tasted three distinct types and learned all about the distillation process. Afterward, we stopped for lunch at Loch Lomond—highly recommend trying the locally caught haggis, a true Scottish delicacy!
Our final stop was the stunning Stirling Castle, which is beautifully preserved and rich in history. On the drive back to Edinburgh, John wrapped up the experience by tying everything together with stories and historical context from the day.
Highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting a perfect mix of culture, scenery, and storytelling!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
53cl_udiag
Mar 18, 2025
Incredible experience - We had a day tour from Edinburgh to a distillery in Glasgow, Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle and it was very good. Iain was our guide and the trip with him was so good! The tour is well structured, you have enought time in the stops to see everything and his explanations were superb! He also explained some jokes and insights which made the trip very funny and entertaining. He was super fun and even had a playlist with scottish songs for us to hear. He had good recommendations not only for the places we were visiting but also for Edinburgh. You can tell that when a guide is passionate about his country, the experience is going to be great. Definitely would book again with this company!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christianfs8090wj
Oct 6, 2024
Very nice private tour - Amazing private tour with this company, reasonable price and brand new Mercedes car. Excellent tour guide and super safe driver. Very knowledgeable. Paul must be a big asset for the company, would recommend him to all my friends and family.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ivan_p
Sep 13, 2024
Enjoyed our guided tour experience - It definitely helps to have a knowledgeable guide to make the most of your time in Edinburgh. We enjoyed our visit. The Whisky Tour was very informative about the process and the history of how whiskey came about in the region. Even if you are not crazy about whiskey, it's worth attending the tour. You can take just a sip, not at all, or enjoy the full tasting. Loch Lomond was a nice break for lunch in the afternoon. Our most enjoyable spot was Stirling Castle, of course. We wish we had more time to see everything!
Review provided by Viator
49lainey
Aug 21, 2024
Five star day trip from Edinburgh - Very enjoyable day trip to Glasgow Clydeside Distillery, Loch Lomond and Stirling. Brodie, our driver/guide, provided an excellent entertaining and informative commentary as we went along. Would certainly recommend for solo travellers. My second day trip from Edinburgh with Highland Experience and definitely plan to arrange more. Five stars 🌟.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Medialer
May 19, 2024
Day tour with castle, nature and whisky - Great tour with Nestor: lots of historical knowledge, well presented; he took the group's wishes into account. Pleasant driver. Really recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cristiana_o
May 14, 2024
Good Scottish trip - The trip was great and the guide was very good and knowledgeable.
Stirling Castle is definitely a must to visit while in Scotland.
Review provided by Viator
Tautog
Aug 16, 2024
Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond and Distillery Tour - This was a fun, informative tour led by our guide and driver, Michael. Michael is well versed in the history of the area, and could readily answer questions. Sandy traveled along, and he was also quite knowledgeable. Both were pleasant and focused on the passengers.
The van was comfortable and not crowded. Michael added in an extra stop at the three bridges ( or was it four?). Anyway, that was appreciated. We also saw parts of Edinburgh that were new to me. We arrived in Glasgow at the distillery. The tour and presentation were interesting, and the drams of whiskey were warming. The setting in the area of the old shipyards was intriguing.
Our lunch stop by Loch Lomond was under heavy rain, so I personally did not venture very far, but the lunch was fine. The lunch stop was pleasant.
Finally, we arrived at Stirling Castle, which is quite well preserved, and has beautiful views. I downloaded the audio tour, which was worthwhile.
The furnishings and decoration of the castle are not original, but the castle itself is very nice, and definitely not a ruin.
When we arrived back in Edinburgh, Michael kindly dropped me off at a tram stop, that I had requested.
All in all, a good day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guy_m
Sep 13, 2024
Very disappointing - Where do I start… first off, the tour started 15 minutes late (because of traffic, they said, but 5 other tour buses were on time…), with minimal apology for the delay or info as to when the bus was due to arrive.
The distillery tour, which should have been part of the tour and not an extra since there is absolutely nothing else to do at this distillery, was very simplistic and with very little guidance from the distillery staff was provided (other distilleries do much better).
The pause at Loch Lomond was nice, but was no more than a lunch stop. There was no photo stop or toilet pauses other than this on the tour, even if some passengers requested it
Stirling Castle was the highlight of the tour but, unfortunately, this stop (90 minutes) was way too short to really take in this sight.
Throughout the tour, the info provided by our guide/driver was fine but very sparse. It almost felt like we were shuttled from one place to another in a city bus
Very disappointed with the experience, considering this was our first tour with this provider: other providers during our stay in Scotland fared MUCH better
Review provided by Viator
Angelos_t
Jun 14, 2024
Not worth it! - First we were told that because we booked the last 24 hours before the excursion it was not possible to go to a distillery! We complained and they told us that they will try but there is no chance of a refund even if it doesn't happen!
We ended up going to a completely uninteresting distillery in the center of Glasgow instead of what was on the schedule. We didn't see a single barrel of whiskey!
Next we went to Loch Lomond. The program said we would stay there for an hour. The driver only gave us 7 minutes (it wasn't raining in case you were wondering) and took us for an hour to an ugly village that wasn't on the schedule. He guided us to a poor quality tourist shop with lousy food.
After wasting our time there unwillingly, we went to Stirling Castle which is very beautiful on the outside but the rooms very fake made on the inside. After 1.5 hours there we returned to Edinburgh.
We spent 6 hours in an uncomfortable minivan, we saw beautiful nature along the way but we only had the opportunity to walk in nature for 7 minutes out of the 10 hours of travel!
Overall a disappointing experience, on a day that was wasted on this tour.
Do yourself a favour and don't repeat our mistake of trusting our precious time to these tour operators. The driver was funny.
Review provided by Viator
