Isle of Skye tours from Edinburgh last three to six days, because the island is too far for a day trip. They leave the city centre in the morning and spend at least one full day on Skye.
From 60 High Street on the Royal Mile, check-in by 7:45am. Three days with both nights in a Portree guesthouse, then back to Edinburgh by Loch Ness and Dunkeld on day three.
From $510 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
From the Burns Monument on Regent Road, leaving at 8:30am. Three days, both nights in Inverness in rooms you arrange, and a coach of up to 37. The cheapest way from Edinburgh to Skye with a guide.
From $245 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 3 days before the start.
From Castle Terrace, outside the NCP car park. Three days to Portree and back by Fort Augustus, with the room in the tour's B&B or your own. Nineteen people at most, and six days' notice to cancel.
From $282 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
From stop ZG on Waterloo Place, where check-in closes at 7:45am. Three days with both nights near the Skye Bridge, in rooms you book in Kyleakin, Breakish or Broadford.
From $312 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
From Caffè Nero on Parliament Square, check-in at 8:15am. Both nights are in an Inverness B&B, so the island is a round trip on day two. A refund needs six days' notice.
From $545 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
From Gates J and K at the Edinburgh bus station on St Andrew Square, at 8:30am. Sixteen people at most and two nights in Portree. The refund window is 21 days, the longest of the 3-day tours.
From $713 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 21 days before the start.
From 60 High Street on the Royal Mile at 7:45am, with the Jacobite steam train on the first afternoon. Two nights in Portree, and home by Loch Ness and Dunkeld. Rooms are doubles or twins, sold to two or more.
From $735 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
From outside the Jolly Botanist on Morrison Street at 7:30am. Three days, a guided walk to the Glenfinnan Viaduct on the way west, and two nights on Skye in rooms you can add to the fare.
From $749 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
From 60 High Street at 8:30am, for travellers 18 and over. Five days in hostel dorms: Oban, Portree and Inverness, then Culloden and home by Dunkeld.
From $824 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
From 60 High Street at 8:30am. Five days in 3-star B&Bs: Oban, Glenfinnan by train, a night in Portree, then two nights around Inverness and Loch Ness.
From $838 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
From the bus station gates at 9:30am. Four days: the Mallaig ferry on day two, or the bridge from October to April, two nights near the bridge and a full island day.
From $925 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 21 days before the start.
From Caffè Nero on Parliament Square at 8:30am. Four days, a night in Fort Augustus and two on Skye, and the steam train home through Mallaig in summer. Non-refundable.
From $1,076 per person
Non-refundable: this fare cannot be cancelled or changed once booked.
From Caffè Nero at 8:15am. Five days going west first, by Inveraray and Kilmartin Glen, then Glencoe and Mallaig to two nights on Skye, and home by Culloden and Pitlochry.
From $1,219 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
From the bus station at 9am. Five days going north first, to Ullapool and Assynt, then Torridon and two nights in Portree, with Eilean Donan on the way home.
From $1,245 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 21 days before the start.
From 60 High Street at 8:30am. Six days: the Ullapool ferry to Lewis and Harris, the Uig ferry to Skye, two nights in Portree, and home by the Armadale ferry and the train over Glenfinnan.
From $1,661 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
From the bus station gates at 8:30am, sixteen people at most. Six days with the Outer Hebrides first, then the ferry back to Skye for two nights in Portree. A refund needs 21 days' notice.
From $1,770 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 21 days before the start.
Your driver collects you from your Edinburgh accommodation fifteen minutes before the start. Three days in a private minivan, with the Skye ferry when the weather allows. Rooms are yours to book.
From $1,737 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
Collection from your Edinburgh accommodation for four private days, two of them touring Skye from the Fairy Pools to Neist Point. Rooms are yours to book; six days' notice to cancel.
From $2,180 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
The Highland Explorer 3-day costs $510 with two nights in a Portree guesthouse and breakfasts, and it refunds up to 24 hours ahead.
See this tourEvery tour to Skye from Edinburgh lasts at least three days. The island is too far for a return trip in one day, so the shortest tour gives you two nights away and a full touring day on Skye in the middle.
From there the tours grow. The 4-day tours add a slower route or a second island day; the 5-day tours loop through Inverness and the Highlands; the 6-day tours cross to Lewis and Harris before they reach Skye. All of them leave the city centre in the morning, between 7:30 and 9:30.
Every shared tour leaves from the city centre: the Royal Mile, the bus station on St Andrew Square, Parliament Square, Castle Terrace, Waterloo Place, Regent Road or Morrison Street. The private tours collect you from your accommodation.
The drive west goes through Glencoe and Fort William, or by Loch Lomond. You see the Highlands on the way, not only the island.
Three, four, five or six days, shared or private, hostel or B&B. No other start city gives you as many shapes of tour.
The two start cities compared, from the operators' own figures.
| From Edinburgh | From Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Shortest tour | Three days | One day |
| Time on Skye | A full touring day or more | 1 h 20 to 4 h on a shared day |
| Shared fares, per person | $245 to $1,770 | $94 to $761 |
| Rooms | In the fare on most | None on a day tour |
| Private tours | Three or four days, collected from your door | One day, most with pickup |
If you have only one day for Skye, take the train north and join one of the Isle of Skye tours from Inverness. If you have three or more, starting in Edinburgh saves you that journey.
The Hairy Coo 3-day costs $245, with both nights in Inverness in rooms you book. It leaves the Burns Monument on Regent Road at 8:30am.
Check availabilityThe road and rail routes from Edinburgh, if you would rather travel alone, are on our page about getting to Skye.
Coming from somewhere else? Compare every tour side by side on Isle of Skye Day Tours.