Discover Glasgow with your Travel Director on a city orientation that takes in its grand public buildings, including George Square. Visit St Mungo’s Cathedral to encounter one of the city’s most important historic and religious sites.

Dedicated to Glasgow’s patron saint, the cathedral links the modern city to its medieval origins. The pairing of civic streets and sacred architecture offers a useful introduction to Glasgow’s character beyond its reputation as a centre of industry and design.

• 5 Dinner (D)
• 12 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Edinburgh: Explore the city with your Local Specialist as you travel along Princes Street to see the Scott Memorial, the neoclassical Adam facades of New Town and the official Scottish residence of the King, Palace of Holyroodhouse.
• Jedburgh: See the impressive 12th-century Jedburgh Abbey that dominates the centre of town. 
• Melrose: Visit the historic ruins of Melrose Abbey and appreciate its many carved decorative details.
• St. Andrews: Visit the university town where the famous beach scene from ‘Chariots of Fire’ was filmed and see the golf course where the sport was created.
• Glamis: Visit Glamis Castle, and appreciate the building’s illustrious history and picturesque setting.
• Inverness: At the exciting Culloden Visitor Centre, discover why the Battle of Culloden lasted only an hour yet changed the Highland way of life forever.
• Golspie: Explore the grand castle and admire its magnificent gardens during your visit of Dunrobin Castle. 
• Orkney Islands: Cruise to the windswept Orkney Islands. Come face-to-face with relics spanning human history, from pagan stone circles to reminders of wartime tragedy.
• Scottish Highlands:
  Take in the beauty of the Highlands on a scenic drive past glens, lochs and dramatic peaks. Watch the landscape shift as you travel deeper into one of Scotland’s most striking regions. 

   

• Eilean Donan: See one of Scotland’s most iconic castles, set where three lochs meet. Framed by rugged mountains and often shrouded in mist, it’s a favourite film location and one of the country’s most photographed landmarks. 
• Isle of Mull: Explore the Scottish Highlands in depth as you travel to the Isles of Mull and Iona. Visit the Reilig Odhrain, sacred burial ground of 48 Scottish Kings. 
• Glasgow: See the grand public buildings of Glasgow, including George Square. 
• Glencoe: Drive through Glencoe, a Highland valley known for steep mountains, open moorland and clan history. Your Travel Director shares context on the area’s past as you follow the road through one of Scotland’s best-known landscapes, with views that show the scale and character of the Highlands.
• Stirling: Visit Stirling and see its castle, once the seat of Scottish royalty.

• Wick: Warm your heart with a little Scottish whisky at a traditional distillery in the Scottish Highlands.

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• Standard regional accommodation

Travel through Glencoe as steep mountains and open moorland frame one of the Highlands’ most recognisable valleys. Listen as your Travel Director shares context about the landscape and its clan history.

Glencoe is closely associated with the 1692 massacre of members of Clan MacDonald, a story that gives the dramatic scenery a sombre historical dimension. This narrated scenic passage is an experience of the glen rather than a stated hike or landmark entry.

Tour Glamis Castle with a guide and explore its gardens. Inside, discover the history of a family home closely connected to the British royal family; outside, take in its turrets and landscaped setting.

Glamis was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the birthplace of Princess Margaret. It is also linked in popular imagination with Shakespeare’s Macbeth, adding a literary layer to its long Scottish history.

Trafalgar

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over an included dinner in Edinburgh. It is an opportunity to share introductions and get to know the people travelling with you through Scotland.

Edinburgh, long nicknamed Auld Reekie, makes a fitting starting point: its winding Old Town lanes and grand Georgian streets reflect centuries of Scottish history. The hosted meal offers a relaxed welcome before the sightseeing begins.

Explore Edinburgh with a Local Specialist, seeing the Royal Mile, Palace of Holyroodhouse and Scottish Parliament before visiting Edinburgh Castle high on Castle Rock. The tour also takes in Princes Street and the contrasting architecture of the New Town.

The castle’s volcanic setting has made it a commanding landmark for centuries. Together, the medieval Old Town and planned Georgian New Town reveal how Scotland’s capital grew around its royal and civic institutions.

Watch the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo against the floodlit backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, with massed bands, pipes and drums, and military pageantry filling the castle esplanade.

The performance brings together music and ceremonial traditions in one of the city’s most distinctive settings. Tickets are included only on departures that coincide with performance dates; this experience is not available on every departure.

View the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey, whose towering stonework still dominates this Scottish Borders town. See the remains of the great abbey church and consider the scale of the religious community once based here.

Founded in the 12th century for Augustinian canons, the abbey stood in a border region repeatedly affected by conflict between Scotland and England. Its surviving arches and walls offer a striking introduction to the area’s medieval heritage.

Visit Melrose Abbey to examine the carved details and atmospheric ruins of one of Scotland’s most celebrated monastic sites. Its surviving masonry rewards a closer look, from elaborate window tracery to decorative stone figures.

The abbey is traditionally associated with the burial of Robert the Bruce’s heart, giving it a place in Scotland’s national story as well as its religious history. Its Borders setting adds to the quiet character of the visit.

Discover St Andrews, viewing its ancient university and the famous golf course associated with the sport’s long history. Look out across the links and see the 18th green of the Old Course.

Golf has been played at St Andrews for centuries, while the university is Scotland’s oldest. The combination of academic streets, coastal air and closely cropped links gives this Fife town a character unlike any other stop on the tour.

Visit Culloden Battlefield and its Visitor Centre to learn about the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite rising. Explore the site where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s forces were defeated and gain context for the battle through the centre’s interpretation.

Fought in 1746, Culloden lasted less than an hour but had far-reaching consequences for Highland society. The open moor makes the scale and solemnity of the event especially tangible.

Stop at Loch Ness and look across the long, deep waters that have made this Highland loch known around the world. Take in its wooded shores and expansive views while keeping an eye out for the legendary Nessie.

Beyond its famous folklore, Loch Ness is part of the Great Glen, a dramatic natural corridor through the Highlands. The visit offers a chance to experience the landscape behind one of Scotland’s best-known stories.

Explore Dunrobin Castle near Golspie and spend time in its formal gardens. The castle’s towers and conical spires create a château-like silhouette above the coast, while the grounds invite a closer look at its grand setting.

Long associated with the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland, Dunrobin reflects the wealth and changing tastes of a powerful Highland family. Its gardens draw inspiration from French formal design, providing a contrast to the surrounding northern landscape.

Visit a traditional Highland whisky distillery to learn about the local industry and taste Scottish whisky. Discover how distilling transforms grain, water and time into a spirit closely identified with the region.

This guided cultural visit offers insight into a craft sustained by generations of makers. A tasting provides the chance to notice the aromas and flavours for yourself, rather than simply hearing about Scotland’s much-loved golden spirit.

Stop at John o’ Groats on Scotland’s far northern mainland coast. Take in the open seascape and the sense of distance that has made this small settlement a familiar name to travellers across Britain.

Often paired with Land’s End in journeys spanning the length of Great Britain, John o’ Groats is a landmark of geography as much as a destination. Its exposed coastal setting offers a memorable perspective on the Pentland Firth.

Cross by ferry to the Orkney Islands for an organised excursion through a landscape shaped by the sea. Travel among low-lying islands and visit sites that span thousands of years of human history.

Orkney’s position off Scotland’s north coast has given it a distinctive heritage, from Neolithic settlements to wartime memorials. The return ferry crossing is included and makes the journey across the Pentland Firth part of the island experience.

Visit the Italian Chapel on Orkney’s South Ronaldsay, where a modest exterior gives way to richly painted decoration. See how its builders transformed available materials into a place of worship.

The chapel was created by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War. Its carefully crafted interior stands as a personal expression of faith and skill, as well as a moving reminder of Orkney’s wartime history.

See the standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar rising from Orkney’s open landscape. Walk in the presence of this vast prehistoric stone circle and take in its setting between nearby lochs.

Part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site, the monument dates back thousands of years. Its original purpose remains uncertain, which makes the surviving stones a powerful prompt to imagine the communities that raised them.

Visit Skara Brae and discover the remarkably preserved remains of a Neolithic village on Orkney. Look into stone-built homes and learn how their inhabitants organised everyday life beside the sea.

Older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, Skara Brae offers an unusually intimate view of prehistoric domestic life. Its surviving rooms and furnishings make this UNESCO-listed site distinctive: the focus is not on rulers or monuments, but on how people lived.

Pause for photographs at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney’s main town. Its red and yellow sandstone walls make it a striking landmark in the island capital.

Founded in the 12th century during Orkney’s Norse era, the cathedral reflects the islands’ historical ties across the North Sea. This is a photo opportunity rather than a stated interior visit, offering a chance to appreciate its architecture from outside.

Meet the makers at 57° Skye Distillery for a guided tasting of small-batch spirits crafted on the Isle of Skye. See the copper stills and learn how local ingredients, including heather and seaweed, influence production.

Gaelic storytelling and place-name pronunciation connect each pour to the island’s language, landscape and history. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience supports small-scale local production and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for sustainable cities and communities.

See Eilean Donan Castle on its small island where Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh meet. Admire the stone bridge, mountain backdrop and waterside setting that make it one of Scotland’s most photographed landmarks.

First established as a stronghold in the 13th century, the site is associated with Clan Mackenzie and Clan MacRae. The tour describes a visit to the castle’s setting but does not specify an interior tour.

Sail to the Isle of Mull and cross its countryside before taking a second ferry to Iona. Explore an island whose quiet shores hold an important place in Scotland’s religious history, and view Rèilig Odhrain, a burial ground associated with Scottish kings.

Iona was home to an early Gaelic monastic community centred on Iona Abbey. Ferries are subject to operational conditions; if services are disrupted, the Mull and Iona visits may be replaced with an alternative experience.

See the battlefield at Bannockburn and reflect on a defining event in Scotland’s struggle for independence. The site marks the area where Robert the Bruce’s Scottish forces defeated the army of Edward II of England.

Fought in 1314, the Battle of Bannockburn remains central to Scotland’s historical memory. This visit provides a chance to place the story in its landscape; entry to a visitor centre is not specified.

Visit Stirling Castle and explore the grounds of a fortress that was once a seat of Scottish royalty. Discover stories connected with Mary, Queen of Scots, James V and Bonnie Prince Charlie, and see the Royal Palace and celebrated Stirling Heads.

Set above the town, the castle occupies a strategic position in central Scotland. Its royal associations and richly decorated palace bring court life into focus alongside the military history of this commanding site.

Join the Wood family for a home-cooked Scottish lunch at their 15th-century farmhouse beside Loch Ard in Kinlochard. Share conversation with your hosts, hear tales of Rob Roy and enjoy the sound of a lively ceilidh tune.

This Be My Guest experience offers a personal introduction to Highland hospitality in a family setting. Food, local stories and music bring the region’s traditions together in a way that goes beyond a standard restaurant meal.

Visit The Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel on an optional excursion from Glasgow. See the towering horse-head sculptures inspired by Scottish folklore and discover the engineering behind the rotating boat lift.

These contrasting landmarks celebrate Scotland’s waterways through art and innovation: one evokes the working horses once used along canals, while the other reconnects two historic canals. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; specific admissions are not stated.

Experience an evening of Highland-themed entertainment at The Corinthian in Glasgow, with dinner, bagpipes and a Highland dancer. Music and performance add a celebratory Scottish dimension to an evening out with your Travel Director.

The Corinthian’s grand city-centre surroundings provide the setting for this specially selected Optional Experience. It is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the precise optional evening offered may vary.