Isle of Skye Tours from Inverness
Hours, prices and access verified by the Isle of Skye Day Tours team — last checked 2026-09-21.
Isle of Skye day tours from Inverness make the round trip in twelve hours, and the longer tours from the city give the island a night or two. Inverness is the closest city with a choice of them.
Tours of the Isle of Skye from Inverness
Best seller
★★★★★ 4.9 (2,391 reviews · 12 hours)
Day trip from InvernessBack the same nightTime to enter Eilean DonanMax 16 guests
Meet at 15 Union Street, across from the Victorian Market, by 7:45am. Twelve hours, sixteen people at most, an hour at Eilean Donan, then Portree, the Storr and the Quiraing.
From $98 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Best value
★★★★★ 4.8 (2,370 reviews · 12 hours)
Day trip from InvernessBack the same nightTime to enter Eilean Donan
From Railway Terrace by the station at 8am, the lowest fare from the city. Almost an hour and a half at Eilean Donan, then Portree and the Storr viewpoint. Up to 32 on board.
From $94 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (621 reviews · 12 hours)
Day trip from InvernessBack the same nightEilean Donan photo stopMax 16 guests
Meet at 25 Union Street by 7:45am. The waterfalls day: Kyleakin, an hour and a half in Portree and as long at the Fairy Pools, then back over the bridge past the castle.
From $107 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (207 reviews · 12 hours 30 minutes)
Day trip from InvernessBack the same nightEilean Donan photo stopMax 16 guests
From 15 Union Street at 7:30am, for twelve and a half hours. Rogie Falls on the way out, then the Fairy Pools and Dunvegan Castle, with castle entry as a fare choice.
From $117 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Top rated
★★★★★ 5.0 (1,381 reviews · 12 hours)
Day trip from InvernessBack the same nightEilean Donan photo stop
From 15 Union Street at 8:15am, with a driver's commentary in place of a guide. Portree, Kilt Rock, the Storr and the Fairy Pools walk, for bookings of up to four people.
From $162 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.8 (308 reviews · 2 days)
2 days from InvernessRoom sold as an optionTime to enter Eilean DonanMax 19 guests
From Railway Terrace at 8am, two days with both on Skye and a night in Portree, in the tour's B&B or your own. Dunvegan, the Quiraing and the Storr on day one; the Fairy Pools on day two.
From $207 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
★★★★★ 5.0 (200 reviews · 3 days)
3 days from InvernessRooms in the fareTime to enter Eilean DonanMax 16 guests
From 15 Union Street at 7:30am. Three days from the city itself: the Jacobite steam train to Mallaig, two nights in Portree, and back by Eilean Donan, Culloden and Clava Cairns.
From $761 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.8 (6 reviews · 12 hours)
Day trip from InvernessBack the same nightTime to enter Eilean DonanYour group only
Collection from your hotel in the Inverness area at about 8:30am. A private day for four to seven people aged ten and over, with the Fairy Glen and the Quiraing on the island.
From $486 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (96 reviews · 12 hours)
Day trip from InvernessBack the same nightTime to enter Eilean DonanYour group only
Collection in Inverness or on the way, or meet at St Mary's Church on Huntly Street at 8am. Twelve hours, about six and a half of them on Skye, for your party only.
From $744 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.8 (1,073 reviews · 9 hours)
Day trip from InvernessBack the same nightShort Eilean Donan stopYour group only
Collection from your Inverness accommodation, or from the Columba Hotel on Ness Walk at 8am. Nine hours in a Land Rover or minibus for your party alone, priced per group.
From $1,062 per group, up to 3
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Union Street to the island and back
The Highland Explorer day costs $98: an hour at Eilean Donan, then about three hours of stops on Skye. Sixteen people at most.
See this tour
What an Isle of Skye tour from Inverness is
Inverness is the closest city to Skye with tours that leave every morning. That makes it
the home of the day tour: twelve to twelve and a half hours there and back, past Loch Ness
and over the Skye Bridge, with a stop at Eilean Donan on the mainland at Dornie.
It is also where the shorter multi-day tours start. The Timberbush 2-day spends both days
on the island with a night in Portree, and the Highland Explorer 3-day adds the Jacobite steam
train and two nights in Portree.
Why choose a tour from Inverness
A day trip is possible
From Edinburgh or Glasgow the shortest tour is three days. From Inverness you can see
Skye and sleep in your own bed that night.
The lowest fares to the island
Shared days cost $94 to $162 a person. The 2-day costs $207
with the room as an option.
Private days with pickup
Several private days leave Inverness, and most collect you from your hotel. The Happy
Tours day is priced per vehicle, for up to three people.
Tours from Inverness vs tours from Edinburgh
The two start cities compared, from the operators' own figures.
| From Inverness | From Edinburgh |
|---|
| Shortest tour | One day, 12 to 12.5 hours | Three days |
| Time on Skye | 1 h 20 to 4 h on a shared day; a night on the 2-day | A full touring day or more |
| Shared fares, per person | $94 to $761 | $245 and up |
| Meeting points | Union Street or Railway Terrace | Across the Old and New Town |
| Refund window | 24 hours on the day tours | 24 hours to 21 days |
Check availability from $98
If Edinburgh is your base and you have three days, the Isle of Skye tours from Edinburgh save you the
journey north. If you are in Inverness anyway, a day from here is the cheapest way onto the
island.
What you get, and what you don't
- The Eilean Donan stop: on almost every tour from Inverness, from a photo
stop of ten minutes to an hour and a half. The ticket is never in the fare.
- A guide: on every tour but the WOW Scotland day, which has a driver who
gives live commentary.
- Rooms: on the 2-day as an option, and on the 3-day in the fare.
- Not in any fare: lunch, tips and a toilet on board.
Both days on the island, a night in Portree
The Timberbush 2-day costs $207, with Dunvegan and the Quiraing on day one and two hours at the Fairy Pools on day two. Six days' notice to cancel.
Check availability
Planning a tour from Inverness
- Be early: the shared days leave between 7:30 and 8:15am from Union
Street or Railway Terrace. The map of the start points shows both.
- Budget for extras: lunch, and £13 if you go into Eilean Donan. Tickets
are sold only at the castle door.
- Allow for the return: twelve hours is the listed length, and the time
back is approximate.
- Arriving from Edinburgh: travel up the day before. Our page on
getting to Skye covers the routes.
Who should choose something else
- If you are staying on Skye. A tour from Inverness spends most of its day
on the mainland. The Portree days on the Isle of Skye day tours page spend all of it on the island.
- If you want Neist Point or the Storr walk. No shared day from Inverness
has time for either. The private Isle of Skye tours give the Storr up to two hours.
- If you can give Skye three days. The Isle of Skye 3-day tours from Edinburgh give the
island a full day and two evenings.
Frequently asked questions
Where do day tours from Inverness start?
Most leave from Union Street, across from the Victorian Market, or from Railway Terrace by the station. The private tours collect you from your accommodation or meet at the Columba Hotel on Ness Walk or St Mary's Church on Huntly Street.
Which day tour from Inverness should I pick?
Pick by the longest stop. The Highland Explorer and Timberbush days give Eilean Donan an hour or more; the Highland Experience, WOW Scotland and Highland Explorer Dunvegan days walk to the
Fairy Pools. Each card lists its stops.
Is there a tour from Inverness longer than a day?
Yes. The Timberbush 2-day spends both days on Skye with a night in Portree, from $207, and the Highland Explorer 3-day from Inverness adds the steam train and two nights in Portree.
How long is a day tour to Skye from Inverness?
Twelve to twelve and a half hours on the shared tours. Most of that is the drive to the Skye Bridge and back, so the stops on the island itself add up to anything from just over an hour to about four hours.
Is Eilean Donan on Skye?
No. It stands at Dornie on the mainland, just before the Skye Bridge. Every day tour from Inverness passes it, and most stop.
What time do the tours leave?
Most leave between 7:45am and 8:30am, and several ask you to check in 10 to 15 minutes before. The Glasgow coach leaves in the middle of the morning, so read the time in your confirmation.
Is there a toilet on the minibus?
No. The day-tour minibuses do not carry one, so toilet stops are built into the day. Ask the driver if you need one sooner.