Skye is an island, but you can drive onto it. A free road bridge crosses from Kyle of Lochalsh, and a ferry sails from Mallaig in the south. Here is how each crossing works, which way the Isle of Skye tours go, and how to reach the island without a car.
The Skye Bridge carries the road from Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland to Kyleakin on Skye. It has been free to cross since 21 December 2004, when its toll was abolished. It is open at all hours, and you need no booking.
This is the way almost every tour comes in. The road from Inverness runs west past Loch Ness and Eilean Donan to Kyle, so the day tours reach the bridge after the morning's stops. From the far side, Portree is the main town, in the middle of the island.
The other way on is CalMac's ferry from Mallaig to Armadale, in the Sleat peninsula in the south of Skye. The crossing takes 45 minutes. CalMac strongly advises you to book ahead, especially with a car, and to add a bike to your ticket if you bring one.
Mallaig is also the end of the railway from Fort William, and the Jacobite steam train runs there, so the ferry suits you if you come that way by train.
Where you start decides which way your tour crosses, and how many days you need. No day tour leaves Edinburgh or Glasgow: the island is too far for a return trip in one day.
| You start in | How the tours cross | Shortest tour |
|---|---|---|
| Inverness | West past Loch Ness and Eilean Donan to the Skye Bridge | A day tour, back the same night |
| Edinburgh | Most by the bridge; some by Mallaig and the ferry | Three days, with two nights away |
| Glasgow | North by Loch Lomond and Glencoe to the bridge | Three days, from 19 Killermont Street |
| Portree | You are already on the island | A day on Skye |
From Inverness the road is shortest, so it is the home of the day tours. From Edinburgh and Glasgow the tours take at least three days and sleep two nights on or near the island. Each start city has its own page with every meeting point: see the tours from Inverness for the day trips.
You do not need a car to reach Skye, but you need a plan for once you are there. The famous stops are spread across separate peninsulas, with long roads between them.
A tour does the crossing and the parking for you. From Inverness it is a day; from Edinburgh, three days with the rooms in most fares.
Most tours cross by the bridge. These use the Mallaig ferry on at least one leg, as their own itineraries say:
The steam-train tours reach Mallaig by rail and carry on by coach. None of the day tours from Inverness uses the ferry.
From Uig, in the north-west of Trotternish, CalMac ferries sail to Harris and North Uist. The 6-day Outer Hebrides tours use this link between Harris and Skye: the Highland Explorer tour lands at Uig, and the Rabbie's tour includes the round-trip ferries. From Sconser, south of Portree, a smaller ferry crosses to the island of Raasay.
| Crossing | From | To | How long | Book? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skye Bridge | Kyle of Lochalsh | Kyleakin | A few minutes' drive | No: free, no toll |
| CalMac ferry | Mallaig | Armadale | 45 minutes | Yes, strongly advised |
| CalMac ferry | Uig | North Uist and Harris | Onward to the Outer Hebrides | Yes |
| CalMac ferry | Sconser | Raasay | Onward to Raasay | Check CalMac |
The ferry routes, the crossing time, the booking advice and the bus are from CalMac's Skye page, checked 21 September 2026. Which tours use the ferry is from each tour's own itinerary, captured 20 September 2026.
Six days from Edinburgh with every ferry in the fare, the Harris crossing to Uig and the Mallaig boat among them, and five B&B nights. Doubles and twins for two or more; refundable up to 24 hours ahead.
From $1,661 per person
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Four days from Edinburgh that cross to the island on the Mallaig boat on the second day and tour it all of the third, with three en-suite nights and breakfast in the fare. 21 days' notice to cancel.
From $925 per person
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Three days from opposite the bus station in Glasgow, round the north of the island and back down the Great Glen, ending in Edinburgh with a prepaid train ticket home. Rooms optional; six days' notice to cancel.
From $282 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: see where every tour meets on the map, what it all costs on the visitor guide, or compare every tour on Isle of Skye Day Tours.