Visit the royal stronghold of Stirling Castle and the majestic Loch Lomond on this full-day tour from Edinburgh. Escape the city for a scenic drive through the countryside, stopping to snap photos of Highland cows, the Trossachs National Park, and Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. After touring the impressive Stirling Castle, soak up the scenery around Loch Lomond, Scotland’s largest lake. Finish your Scottish experience sampling Scotch whisky at the acclaimed Glengoyne Distillery.

Full-day tour of Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond from Edinburgh
Visit the mighty Stirling Castle, one-time residence of Mary Queen of Scots
Admire the scenery in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Sample a dram of Scotch whisky at the Glengoyne Distillery
Travel by air-conditioned Mercedes minivan
Enjoy a day away from the hustle and bustle of the city
Small-group tour ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

Live commentary on board
Local guide
Driver/guide
Transport by air-conditioned Mercedes mini-coach
Very small group tour - average group size of around 12 passengers

All entrance fees
Food and drinks
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Waterloo Place
Waterloo Pl, Edinburgh EH1, UK
This tour departs from (and returns to) Bus Stand ZE, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3BQ (opposite Howie's Restaurant). Please arrive no later than 08.30.

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Linlithgow Palace (Pass By)

Stirling Castle

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

National Wallace Monument (Pass By)

Duke's Pass (Pass By)

Aberfoyle

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Loch Lomond

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Glengoyne Distillery

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Doune Castle (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Small group tour - average group size of 12 passengers
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum age is 5 years old
Service animals allowed
Children must be accompanied by an adult

Near public transportation
Operates in all weather conditions (unless it is unsafe to do so), please dress appropriately
Most travelers can participate
Please inform us 7 days in advance if you are bringing a service animal
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Elly_P

This was such a great day trip out of the city center that really allows you to experience beautiful picturesque Scotland. Keith was a great guide and story teller that had the right balance of sharing knowledge, humor and quiet time. I would definitely take another tour with this company with Keith as a guide!

Reviews

5.0

362 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 362 reviews

Too long

Stephen_W, Sep 2023

Stirling castle and Loch Lomond quite worth it, but tour is at least 90 minutes too long with unnecessary stops. Distillery is quite average and not worth the two hours at the end of a long day. Andy was very pleasant but had a number of historical facts wrong (eg, university of Edinburgh is not older than Glasgow University)

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Hi Stephen, thanks for your review. Your comments on the itinerary are a bit unexpected but perhaps the day dragged on a bit on this occasion....the traffic etc during the main tourist season can add significant time. Apologies for any historical inaccuracies but it sounds like you had a good day all the same.

Unforgettable !!!

Nick_G, Aug 2023

You cannot miss this full day tour of Stirling Castle from Edinburgh. The tour guide is awesome, filled with history and a lot of fun while you are making your way to the castle. You cannot miss Stirling Castle when in Scotland, it is at the heart and soul of Scotland !!! A day you will never forget !!!

Great tour!

Konstantinos_T, Aug 2023

We enjoyed very much our tour! We saw the Stirling Castle as well as the Glengoyne distillery where we sampled two of their malts. My personal favourite was the short walk/hike at Loch Lomond. Our guide Angela was great and kept our interest with stories of Scotland's history as well as other interesting fun facts.

The Scotland Experience

Leslie_E, Jun 2023

Another great tour and guide. He knew his Scottish history and his stories were very interesting. The tour guide at the Stirling Castle was awesome too. She was very energetic and you could tell she loved her job. She was a fabulous story teller. Countryside was amazing.

Alan was very friendly...

Joy_M, May 2023

Alan was very friendly and knowledgeable. Booked mainly because of the whisky tour but enjoyed all the stops.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Hi Joy, thanks for your 5 star review which is much appreciated.

Great day trip

MargaretM_C, May 2023

An excellent experience. Saw a lot but didn’t wear us out! Surprisingly lovely weather. Explored the castle on our own. Enjoyed a short hike at Loch Lomond. Didn’t plan to enjoy the distillery tour but it was interesting and educational. Driver/guide Alan was knowledgeable and entertaining, knows history, geography, and miscellaneous Scottish lore. He even dropped us off closer to our hotel, when we were near rather than original pickup site. Thanks Alan!

A very nice experience

Warren_S, Apr 2023

Enjoyed the drive through the beautiful countryside, the Sterling Castle your andvghecwhidkybtour and tasting. Made for a delightful day

Keith was absolutely...

casey_m, Nov 2022

Keith was absolutely wonderful and really added to the experience. Extremely knowledgeable and fun to talk to. Would recommend to anyone.

The whole experience was great

Maria_S, Oct 2022

Day trip was excellent even the rain could spoil our adventure. Our guide providers us with great information

Amazingly Picturesque Experience

Elly_P, Aug 2022

A Day Well Spent

Judith_S, Apr 2022

Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and flexible. He didn't waste a minute and filled in extra time with interesting stops along the way. Very well organized!

Stirling g trip

Margaret_K, Sep 2021

Keith was a great trip guide. Funny informative and nothing was up much trouble. Enjoyed ye whole day !

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Thanks for this nice 5 star review of Keith and your day out to Stirling Castle and Glengoyne Distillery.

Highly recommend this tour company

James_R, Aug 2021

Keith was a great tour guide, he adapted the itinerary to meet what we wanted to do during the day and was very knowledgable about numerous areas of Scotland and their history. Would highly recommend Heart of Sctoland Tours ltd.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Hi James, thanks for your review which is much appreciated. Sounds like you had a great day out - Keith certainly did!

Sterling was “Sterling “!!

Perry_L, Mar 2020

Graham , our guide did a great job ! The Castle was beautiful and the history is remarkable! The Highland and Whiskey distillery are nice !

One day trip outside Edinburgh

Laurence_T, Mar 2020

We were a group of 11 looking for a one day trip around Edinburgh. The balance between time in the bus and time outside is perfect. The guide was really nice and very interesting. I definitely recommand this tour.

Stirling Castke

silverglate, Feb 2020

Gregor was an amazing guide and the tour was an efficient way to see some of the areas most historical and beautiful sights. I would do this tour again. Great for kids

Great tour with a great guide.

ssipos89, Feb 2020

Such a great tour. The meeting place was easy to find. The small group tours really are the way to go. They allow for more personalized and flexible tours. Our driver, Paul, was knowledge and friendly. He took us to a couple extra spots in addition to all the places in the description. It was a rainy but beautiful. The lunch spot was okay food but it was with good company. We had were given multiple photo stops. The distillery was interesting and the scotch was good. The castle was neat. We would definitely book with this company again and would definitely book with Paul again. Great guide.

Impressive tour

irinelrotar, Jan 2020

Special many thanks to Paul, our driver and guide, which was so generous in giving many interesting info about places and Scottish tradition.

Such a good your!

Giuseppe S, Jan 2020

It was very entertaining and informative tour mixing the history of Scotland and the battle around the castle with whisky and great views! Gregor was a great guide as well!

Stirling Castle and Glengoyne Distillery Tour

Sujatha M, Dec 2019

The entire trip was a blast despite the rain. Alan was wonderful and extremely considerate. I was traveling with my elderly mum who is over 70 and can barely.walk but Alan was very understanding and helpful. His knowledge and the little snippets were interesting and unusual. An excellent tour - must travel by the wee bus at least once when you're in Edinburgh.

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