"The highlands themselves were amazing beyond words. We throughly enjoyed the whole trip, and we feel that we will never see such beauty and greatness again in our lives. However, it was our guide, Graeme, who brought the highlands to life and made them unforgettable. He took us to so many different points of interest, and he told so many story's - a true storyteller, he is. Always calm and a great driver - we felt very safe with him! A once in a lifetime trip that we will never forget."
3–5 Days · Skye, Highlands & the Train · From $499
Isle of Skye Tour from Edinburgh
If you are coming as far as the West Highland Line anyway, the multi-day trips are better value than a day tour — you get Skye, Glencoe and the Highlands with the Jacobite as one leg rather than a twelve-hour round trip from Edinburgh for a single ride. The catch is that some itineraries include the train and some sell it as an optional extra, and the titles do not reliably say which.
From
$499
per person
Free cancellation
- 4.6 / 5 201+ Reviews
- £76 Standard return, direct, 2026
- 1 Jun – 23 Oct 2026 morning service
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What This Tour Includes
From the operator's own listing.
Highlights
- Drive through the majestic Highland scenery
- Spend two nights on the beautiful Isle of Skye
- Choose to ride the famous Harry Potter steam train
- Visit mysterious Loch Ness
- Romantic Eilean Donan Castle
What's Included
- 2 nights accommodation in a 3-star B&B with full Scottish breakfasts
- 3 full-day excursions in a Mercedes-Benz midi-coach
- Jacobite Steam Train ride (if option selected, only on April - October departures)
- Services of a professional local guide throughout the tour
- Ferry across the sea from the Isle of Skye
- Downloadable audio guides
How a Multi-Day Highlands Trip Runs
Small coach, hostel or hotel nights, and a fixed route — with the Jacobite slotted in on the day the timetable allows.
Try the Operator Direct First
West Coast Railways sells the tickets and their price is the lowest there is: £76 adult standard return for 2026, £43 for a child, £116 and £76 in first class, plus a £3.75 booking fee. It is a return ticket only — there is no one-way fare. If seats exist on your date, buy them there and stop reading.
Check Whether Your Date Is Realistic
The 2026 morning service runs daily from 1 June to 23 October and the afternoon service daily from 10 June to 25 September. Booking opened on 4 June 2026 and peak early-August dates were reportedly gone inside a week; first class goes almost immediately. September and October are where the availability actually is.
If It Is Full, Take a Tour That Includes a Seat
Several Highland tours build a Jacobite leg into the itinerary and hold their own seats — a day tour from Edinburgh, or a multi-day trip taking in Skye. You pay more than £76 because you are also buying the coach, the guide and the rest of the day, but it is a real seat on the real train.
Or Watch It Cross Instead, Which Is Free
The photograph everyone knows is taken from the hillside at Glenfinnan, not from inside the carriage — and standing there costs nothing but the walk. The train crosses at about 10:45 and 15:15. A coach tour from Edinburgh or Glasgow gets you there for around £70 if you would rather not drive.
Photo Gallery
The Line
Glenfinnan, Loch Shiel and the run west to the coast.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Four Ways to Do the Jacobite
Two of them put you on the train, one of them is free, and the difference between them is not the price — it is whether you want to be in the photograph or looking at it.
| Feature | CHEAPEST — IF AVAILABLE Direct Ticket (West Coast Railways) | Day Tour Including the Train | Glenfinnan Viaduct Coach Tour | FREE Watch from the Hillside |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | £76 adult standard return, £43 child; £116 / £76 first class; + £3.75 booking fee | From $268 per person, full day from Edinburgh | From $75 per person, full day | Nothing. Parking at the visitor centre is the only cost |
| Do You Ride the Train? | Yes — Fort William 10:15 to Mallaig, back by 16:00 | Yes, a seat is included in the itinerary | No. This takes you to watch it cross | No |
| Can You Actually Get It? | Only if your date is not sold out. July–August usually is; Sept–Oct usually is not | Yes — operators hold their own seats, so this works when direct is full | Yes, widely available | Always |
| Do You See the Viaduct? | You cross it, but you cannot see it — you are on it | Same: you cross it. Most of these also stop at the viewpoint | Yes, from the classic hillside angle | Yes, and this is where every famous photograph comes from |
| Time It Takes | About 6 hours including the layover in Mallaig | A full day, roughly 12 hours from Edinburgh | A full day, roughly 12 hours from Edinburgh | About 90 minutes if you time it to a crossing |
| Depth of Evidence | Operator's own published 2026 fares | 791 verified reviews on the featured day tour | 8,993 reviews on the most-booked viaduct tour | — |
| Book Now |
Tours That Include the Train
Every Multi-Day Highlands Tour We Track
Real prices, ratings and review counts from the booking platform.
MOST BOOKED — WATCH, NOT RIDEEdinburgh: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Highlands Day Tour
TRAIN INCLUDEDFrom Edinburgh: 2-Day Highlands Tour with Hogwarts Express
CHEAPEST VIADUCT TRIPFrom Edinburgh: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Highlands Tour
TRAIN + SKYEFrom Edinburgh: Isle of Skye and Hogwarts Express 4-Day Trip
FROM INVERNESSInverness: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Mallaig, & Loch Ness Day Tour
FROM GLASGOWGlasgow: Scottish Highlands & The Hogwarts Express Day Tour
Why the Multi-Day Trip Is Usually the Better Buy
A day tour from Edinburgh to the West Highland Line is roughly twelve hours, most of it on a coach, for one train ride. It works, and 791 people have rated the day version well — but you spend the daylight travelling to and from a region you then barely see.
The three- to five-day trips cost more per booking and less per hour. You get Skye, Glencoe, the Great Glen and the Highlands with the Jacobite as one leg of a route rather than the entire purpose of a very long day. If you have come to Scotland for the Highlands at all, this is the honest recommendation.
Read the Inclusions, Not the Title
This is the trap on this particular niche and it catches people repeatedly.
Some itineraries include a Jacobite seat. Others name the train in the title and sell the ride as an optional extra you pay for separately — and in peak season that option can be unavailable by the time you book, leaving you on a Highlands tour with no train.
From what we track:
- $499 — three-day Skye trip, 201 reviews, with the Jacobite offered as an option. Read carefully.
- $1,069 — four-day Skye trip with the train included, 169 reviews, the top-basket itinerary in this set.
- $702 — four-day Skye, Highlands and Jacobite, 4.9 rated.
- $440 — four days adding whisky to the same shape.
- $1,211 — five-day Highlands and Skye, the longest standard route.
If a listing does not state plainly that the train is included, assume it is not, and ask before paying.
What the Days Actually Look Like
Small coach rather than a full-size one on most of these, hostel or small-hotel nights, and a fixed route with limited flexibility. The Jacobite leg has to fall on a day the timetable allows — morning service daily 1 June to 23 October 2026, afternoon 10 June to 25 September — so a trip outside that window cannot include it however the itinerary is worded.
Expect long driving days. Skye is further from Edinburgh than the map suggests, and the roads west of Fort William are single-track in places.
The Alternative Worth Naming
If your dates are short and you only want the train, the day tour that includes the train from Edinburgh is $268 and gets it done in one go. And if what you actually want is the photograph rather than the ride, the Glenfinnan viaduct trip at $75 is both cheaper and better for that specific purpose.
Guest Reviews
What Guests Say
4.6/5
from 201 verified guests
"The trip covers all the major sights with sufficient time allocated for each venue. Our guide Tom is excellent - he is knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. We had a great time on this trip. Highly recommend."
"Had an amazing time going to the Isle of Skye! Ry our guide was very friendly and charismatic. It was a whole experience from music to the stops. Well worth the trip!"
"Great tour with Sophie! A perfect introduction to the Highlands and the Isle of Skye."
"varied nature experiences and amazing stories. Great atmosphere on the bus"
"I can't believe I forgot to review this activity years ago when I actually took the trip to Scotland. My family and I were so incredibly impressed with our bus driver/tour guide, Owen. he was hilarious, competent, knowledgeable, entertaining, trustworthy, and all the other good things. we still talk about him to this day, which is how I still remember his name years later. you absolutely cannot skip this tour during your visit to Scotland -- it's the very best"
"Paul was a great guide. He fills your journey with great stories and a curated playlist to match all the areas you’re visiting and the stories he’s telling. The stops are great and because of the careful planning you’re not getting stuck anywhere as you will generally arrive slightly before the big crowds. Accommodations are perfectly acceptable and the breakfast is simple but nice."
"The trip is great, the bus is super comfy. The program/itinerary is awesome too. On the last day, some passengers were late at a stop, which delayed the schedule a bit. But everything went well. Greame told some really great stories in a really engaging way."
Read all 201 verified reviews
See All ReviewsSkye, the Highlands and the Jacobite
A three-day Isle of Skye trip from Edinburgh with the Jacobite as an option, rated 4.6 by 201 verified guests, from $499. The longer itineraries build the train in rather than bolting it on. Starting from $499 per person.
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Isle of Skye & Jacobite Tour FAQ
Which itineraries include the train, and whether the extra days are worth it.
Some include it, some sell it as a paid option, and the titles do not reliably tell you which. This is the most important thing to check on this niche. The four-day Skye trip at $1,069 includes the train; the three-day at $499 offers it as an option, which in peak season can be sold out by the time you book. Read the inclusions line rather than the headline, and if it is not stated plainly, assume the ride is extra and ask the operator before paying. A Highlands tour that names the Jacobite but does not seat you on it is a common and avoidable disappointment.
Yes, if you have the days — a day tour from Edinburgh is about twelve hours for one train ride. The day version works and is well rated, but most of the daylight goes on the coach travelling to and from a region you then barely see. The three- to five-day trips cost more per booking and considerably less per hour, and they give you Skye, Glencoe and the Great Glen around the train rather than the train as the sole purpose of a very long day. If Scotland's Highlands are why you came, take the longer trip.
Further than the map suggests — realistically a full day's drive each way. It is roughly 270 miles, but the last stretch runs on single-track roads with passing places and the average speed drops sharply. That distance is precisely why the multi-day tours exist and why day trips to Skye from Edinburgh are not something we would recommend. Tours generally overnight in or near Fort William, Portree or Kyle of Lochalsh to make the geography work.
Transport, a driver-guide and a fixed route; accommodation is often booked separately or offered as an add-on, and meals rarely are. Most of these run small coaches rather than full-size ones, which matters on single-track Highland roads. Entry fees to attractions and any Jacobite seat are the two line items to check, since both can be extra. Expect long driving days and limited flexibility — the route is set, and the Jacobite leg in particular has to fall on a day the timetable allows, meaning 1 June to 23 October in 2026.
Still have questions? Email us at info@jacobitesteamtraintickets.com