Hostel, B&B or Your Own Room: Where You Sleep on the Isle of Skye
The short answer. Most multi-day Skye tours put you in a B&B or guesthouse in Portree, with breakfast, in the fare. The HAGGiS 5-day puts you in mixed hostel dorms, for travellers aged 18 and over. Some sell the room as an option, and a few leave you to book your own. If you travel alone, check that the tour sells a single room: some are sold only to two people sharing.
Four ways a fare handles the night
When you compare guided tours of the Isle of Skye that last more than a day, the fare is only half the price. The other half is the bed. Each tour handles it in one of four ways, and the listing always says which.
| What the fare does | Where you sleep | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Rooms in the fare | B&B, guesthouse or hotel, mostly in Portree | One price; breakfast included |
| Hostel beds in the fare | Mixed shared dorms | Cheaper per night; aged 18 and over |
| Room sold as an option | The tour's B&B, or your own within 2 km of Portree | You choose, and pay for it |
| You book the rooms | Where the listing tells you | Low fare; you do the booking |
Every tour card says which of the four it is, so you can see the model before you open the listing.
Rooms in the fare: the usual model
Most of the 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-day tours include the rooms. You get two nights on or near the island, in a B&B, guesthouse or 3-star hotel, with breakfast each morning. Lunch and dinner are yours. The 3-day tour from the Royal Mile is typical: two nights in a 3-star guesthouse in Portree for $510 a person.
Where the rooms are matters as much as what they are. Most tours sleep in Portree, the island's main town, where the restaurants and the harbour are. The Rabbie's 4-day sleeps in Kyleakin or Kyle of Lochalsh, near the bridge, and moves to Broadford from 31 October to 31 March. Some 3-day tours sleep both nights in Inverness and only visit Skye for the day. How the island is laid out is on the Isle of Skye map.
Hostel beds: cheaper, and only for adults
The HAGGiS 5-day from Edinburgh puts you in hostels. You sleep in mixed-gender shared dorms for all four nights, in Oban, Portree and Inverness, and the minimum age in the hostel is 18. It costs $824 a person and includes a distillery tour.
A dorm suits a solo traveller on a budget who is happy to share a room with strangers. It does not suit a family, a couple who want privacy, or a light sleeper. Its sister tour, the Highland Explorer 5-day, follows the same route with guesthouse rooms for two.
Room as an option: the Timberbush model
Timberbush sells its 3-day tours from Edinburgh and Glasgow two ways: with its own B&B, or without. If you book without, your own room must be within 2 km of Portree town centre. Its fares start at $282 a person, and the price changes with the option you pick.
This is a good model if you already have a place in Portree, or if you want to choose your own hotel. It is also the one where you should read the terms most carefully. The tour asks for six days' notice to cancel, and it allows one medium suitcase each.
You book the rooms: the lowest fares
A few tours leave the beds to you, which is why their fares look low. The Discover Scotland 3-day asks you to book your own room in Kyleakin, Breakish or Broadford. Kyleakin is where the bridge lands, as the getting-to-Skye page explains. The Hairy Coo 3-day costs $245, the lowest 3-day fare, and you book two nights in Inverness. The private Macleod tours also leave the rooms to you.
Add the cost of two nights before you compare these with a fare that includes them. A cheap fare without a bed is no bargain if you cannot find one.
What a room adds to the fare
The fares on multi-day tours are not like for like, and the room is the reason. The Hairy Coo 3-day costs $245 and includes no rooms. The Highland Explorer 3-day costs $510 and includes two nights in a Portree guesthouse and two breakfasts. The gap between them is the price of those two nights, plus the difference between sleeping on Skye and sleeping in Inverness.
So when you compare, add two nights to any fare that leaves the rooms out. Then ask where the nights are. Two nights in Inverness mean a round trip to Skye on the middle day, with the long road twice. Two nights in Portree put you on the island for an evening, a full day and a morning. That is worth more than its price difference suggests.
Travelling alone
This is where the fare models matter most. Some tours are sold per double or twin room, so one person cannot book them. Others sell a single room, at a higher fare. Before you fall for a tour, check which it is.
- Sold for two sharing: the Highland Explorer 3-day tours, including the steam-train one. The booking needs two travellers.
- A single room sold: Rabbie's 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-day tours, the Timberbush 3-day, and several Highland Experience tours.
- A dorm bed: the HAGGiS hostel tour, for travellers aged 18 and over.
- No rooms at all: the Discover Scotland and Hairy Coo tours, where you book your own.
The Rabbie's 3-day tour from Edinburgh is the simplest choice for a solo traveller who wants a private room: two nights of B&B in Portree, a group of sixteen at most, and a single room sold. It needs 21 days' notice to refund.
Food, luggage and the rest of the night
Breakfast comes with the room on most tours, and dinner does not. Rabbie's strongly advises you to book your evening meals ahead, for after 7pm. Luggage is limited too: Rabbie's allows 14 kg, Highland Explorer one 15 kg suitcase, and Timberbush one medium case. What to pack for the island's weather is on the weather page, and the rest of the practical questions are on the visitor guide.
Which should you choose?
If you are two people who want no admin, take a tour with rooms in the fare and a Portree night. If you are alone, pick a tour that sells a single room, or the hostel if you are happy in a dorm. If you already have somewhere to stay, a room-optional tour saves you money. The 3-day options are on Isle of Skye 3-day tours, the longer ones on Isle of Skye 5-day tours, and how many nights to give the island has its own post.
Three ways to spend the night
Edinburgh: 5-Day Isle of Skye, Inverness & Loch Ness Tour with Hostel
Five days from the Royal Mile for travellers aged 18 and over, sleeping in mixed dorms in Oban, Portree and Inverness. A distillery tour and a rewilding centre are in the fare; castle tickets are not.
From $824 per person
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Edinburgh: Isle of Skye, Highlands and Loch Ness 3-Day Tour
Three days from Castle Terrace with two nights in Portree, in the tour's B&B or a room of your own within 2 km of the town centre. A single-room fare is sold, and the group is 19 at most.
From $282 per person
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3-Day Isle of Skye and Scottish Highlands from Edinburgh
Three days from the Edinburgh bus station, sixteen people at most, two nights of B&B in Portree and a flexible island day. A single room is sold; cancel 21 days ahead for a refund.
From $713 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Plan the walk you will want dry socks for in our post on the pools under the Cuillin. Every fare sits side by side on Isle of Skye Day Tours.