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What to book before you travel to Scotland?

Most visits can be booked on the spot. A few sell out days ahead. Here they are, stop by stop, with what you can do without booking underneath. Keep the rest of your time free.

Trip length
WeekendOne weekTen days

6 activities to book · about €160 per person

Edinburgh

Days 1-2
Days 1-2Edinburgh Castle, skip the line2hThe crown jewels, the Stone of Destiny and the one o'clock gun. The queue on the esplanade is the part worth skipping.€25Book on GetYourGuide →
Days 1-2Old town ghost tour2hThe closes and vaults under the Royal Mile after dark, told by someone who knows which stories are documented and which are not.€20Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: The Royal Mile · Arthur's Seat · Calton Hill · Dean Village

All activities in Edinburgh on GetYourGuide

The Highlands and Glencoe

Days 3-4
Days 3-4Whisky distillery, tour and tasting2hMalt, mash, still and cask, in that order, then the taste of what the cask did. The driver gets a sample to take away.€25Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: Glencoe itself, from the road and on foot · The Glenfinnan viaduct · The lochs and the hills · Walking routes

All activities in The Highlands on GetYourGuide

Loch Ness and Inverness

Day 7
Day 7Loch Ness cruise1hAn hour on the water with a sonar screen running, which is as close to the legend as anyone has got.€20Book on GetYourGuide →
Day 7Urquhart Castle1hA ruin on a headland over the loch, blown up in 1692 so the Jacobites could not use it.€15Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: The shores of Loch Ness · Inverness · The Falls of Foyers · The Caledonian Canal

All activities in Loch Ness on GetYourGuide

Indicative prices per person, checked when written. The button opens the GetYourGuide search for the activity and the town, on the days of the stop once your dates are known. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Frequently asked questions

How much do the activities to book in Scotland cost?

€160 per person if you do them all, across 6 bookings. The most expensive is "Guided tour of Skye: Quiraing and the Storr" at €55, the cheapest "Urquhart Castle" at €15. Prices checked when written: confirm them when you book.

What can you do in Scotland without booking anything?

16 visits on this itinerary need no ticket or time slot, starting with The Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat, Calton Hill, Dean Village. They make up most of your days: booking ahead only concerns a handful of sites with limited places.

At which stop should you book earliest?

Edinburgh, with 2 activities to book, against 1 at the quietest stop. That is where slots go first.

How long do these activities take?

From 1h for the shortest to Full day for the longest. Fit them into your days before filling the rest: a guided visit often takes half a day.

The rest of the trip

📒 The free printable Scotland guide: itinerary, map, where to sleep→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Scotland, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book: all our destinations→