Isle of Skye 5-Day Tours
Hours, prices and access verified by the Isle of Skye Day Tours team — last checked 2026-09-21.
Isle of Skye 5-day tours fold the island into a loop of the Highlands from Edinburgh, with four nights' rooms in the fare and one or two of them on or beside Skye.
5-day tours of the Isle of Skye
★★★★★ 4.8 (48 reviews · 5 days)
5 days from EdinburghHostel beds in the fareTime to enter Eilean DonanMax 30 guests
Four nights in mixed hostel dorms in Oban, Portree and Inverness, for travellers aged 18 and over. Skye gets the afternoon of day two and the morning of day three. A distillery tour and Culloden are in the fare.
From $824 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (953 reviews · 5 days)
5 days from EdinburghRooms in the fareShort Eilean Donan stop
A loop of the Highlands in 3-star B&Bs: Oban, a night in Portree, then Inverness, Culloden and a distillery. You cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct on the ordinary train. Booked in twos; cancel up to 24 hours ahead.
From $838 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (284 reviews · 5 days)
5 days from EdinburghRooms in the fareTime to enter Eilean Donan
Loch Lomond, Inveraray and Kilmartin Glen first, then two nights on Skye with a touring day through the Storr, Kilt Rock and Portree. Culloden and Dalwhinnie on the way home. Single rooms are sold; six days' notice to cancel.
From $1,219 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
★★★★★ 4.8 (175 reviews · 5 days)
5 days from EdinburghRooms in the fareTime to enter Eilean DonanMax 16 guests
Two nights in Portree and a full touring day on Skye, reached the long way: Ullapool, Assynt and Torridon first. Sixteen people at most, en-suite rooms with breakfast, and a refund only with 21 days' notice.
From $1,245 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 21 days before the start.
Five days in hostels, for travellers 18 and over
The HAGGiS tour costs $824 with four nights in mixed dorms, a distillery tour and Culloden. It refunds up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability
What an Isle of Skye 5-day tour is
A 5-day tour folds Skye into a loop of the Highlands. You leave Edinburgh, cross the
country, spend one or two nights on or beside the island, and come back by another route:
Inverness and Loch Ness, or Culloden and the Cairngorms.
So a 5-day tour is a Highlands tour with Skye in it, not a longer look at the island. The
HAGGiS and Highland Explorer loops give Skye one night in Portree; Rabbie's and Highland
Experience give it two, with a full touring day between them.
Why choose a 5-day tour
Skye and the Highlands in one trip
You see Glencoe, Loch Ness, Culloden and the island on one booking. Planning, rooms and
transport are done for you.
Rooms every night
Every 5-day tour here puts four nights' beds in the fare: hostel dorms on the HAGGiS
tour, B&Bs or 3-star hotels on the others. Most include breakfast too.
A route you would not drive
Rabbie's goes north first, to Ullapool, Assynt and Torridon, before it reaches Skye. The
Highland Experience tour starts west, at Inveraray and Kilmartin Glen.
5-day tours vs 4-day tours
The fifth day, compared from the operators' own figures.
| A 5-day tour | A 4-day tour |
|---|
| Nights on or by Skye | One or two | Two |
| Rest of the trip | A Highlands loop: Oban, Inverness, Ullapool or Kilmartin | Fort William, Mallaig, Fort Augustus |
| Fare, per person | $824 to $1,245 | $925 to $1,076 shared |
| Rooms | In every fare, hostel or B&B | In the shared fares |
| Refund window | 24 hours, six days or 21 days | 21 days, six days or none |
Check availability from $838
A 5-day tour is the better choice when you want the Highlands as much as the island. If
the island is the point, the Isle of Skye 4-day tours spend a larger share of their days on it.
What you get, and what you don't
- Rooms: four nights in every fare. Mixed dorms on HAGGiS, 3-star B&Bs on
the Highland Explorer tour, en-suite B&Bs or hotels with Rabbie's and Highland
Experience.
- Extras in the fare: a distillery tour, Culloden and the Dundreggan
rewilding centre on the HAGGiS and Highland Explorer loops, and a train across the Glenfinnan
Viaduct on the Highland Explorer tour. That train is the ordinary West Highland Line, not the
Jacobite.
- Castle tickets: not included on any.
- Not in any fare: lunches, dinners and tips.
Two nights in Portree, the long way round
Rabbie's 5-day costs $1,245 with en-suite rooms and breakfasts, sixteen people at most, and a full touring day on Skye.
Check availability
Planning a 5-day tour
- Budget: $824 to $1,245 a person, rooms included. Add
lunches, dinners and any castle entry.
- Check the refund window: 24 hours on the HAGGiS and Highland Explorer
tours, six days on Highland Experience and 21 days on Rabbie's.
- Check the age rules: the HAGGiS hostel tour is for 18 and over, and the
Highland Experience tour takes children from three.
- Winter: the Highland Explorer 5-day runs all year round. Read our
winter guide before booking between November and March.
Who should choose something else
- If you want more of Skye. A 5-day loop may give the island one night.
The Isle of Skye 3-day tours give it two nights and a full day in less time.
- If you want the islands beyond Skye. The 6-day tours cross to Lewis and
Harris first; they are listed with the other Isle of Skye tours from Edinburgh.
- If you want privacy in the evenings. The HAGGiS tour sleeps you in
shared dorms. Choose a B&B tour instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a 5-day tour that includes Skye?
Yes. Each folds the island into a loop of the Highlands through Inverness, Oban or Ullapool, with one or two nights on or near Skye. One sleeps you in hostel dorms; the others in B&Bs or hotels.
How many nights does a 5-day tour spend on Skye?
One or two. The HAGGiS and Highland Explorer loops sleep one night in Portree, and the Rabbie's and Highland Experience tours two. If the island is the point, pick one with two.
Is there a budget 5-day tour with Skye?
The HAGGiS hostel tour is the cheapest, at $824, with four nights in mixed dorms for travellers aged 18 and over. The Highland Explorer 5-day follows the same loop in B&Bs for $838.
Does the fare include rooms on a multi-day tour?
On most of them, yes: B&B, guesthouse or hotel rooms with breakfast. Some sell the room as an option on top of the fare, some leave the booking to you, and the 5-day hostel tour puts you in shared dorms. Each card says which.
Can children join a Skye tour?
Yes, from age three to seven depending on the operator; the private Explore Skye day starts at 16 and the hostel tour is for adults only. Every listing gives its own minimum age.
When is my booking confirmed?
Most day tours confirm when you book. Several multi-day tours confirm within 48 hours, because the rooms have to be held first, so wait for that email before you book trains or flights around it.