Enchanting Scotland Family Tour through Cities and Countrysides

The Glenfinnan Viaduct railway in Scotland

What to expect on this itinerary

Embrace ancient legends and explore beyond the imagination on this 9-day family Scotland tour. From the Hogwarts Express to monster hunting on Loch Ness, explore the country’s iconic destinations and highlights. Scotland rewards slow travel, and over nine days, you can enjoy something special for all ages, including mountain biking with reindeer, the Isle of Skye, and Edinburgh’s history.

Countries Visited

Scotland

Places Visited

Edinburgh, Pitlochry, Aviemore, Fort William, Glencoe, Stirling, Loch Ness

Suggested Duration

9 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Edinburgh - Traditional Scottish Music Show

After landing in Edinburgh, you will be met by a local guide and transferred to the city center. Your hotel is within walking distance of the Royal Mile, meaning there is plenty of history and restaurants near your doorstep. After some time to rest, your guide will lead you on a short orientation tour that will culminate in dinner and dancing at a large theater. This Scottish music show will be a great introduction to local traditions and for spending the evening together.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Activity
Day 2

Edinburgh - The Old City and Royal Mile

Day 3

Aviemore - Scottish Whisky and Biking With Reindeer

Day 4

Loch Ness - A Day of Monster Hunting

Day 5

Loch Ness - Kayaking on the Lake

Day 6

Fort William - Riding the Hogwarts Express

Day 7

Fort William - Waterfalls, Mazes, and Mountain Biking

Day 8

Stirling - Mystical Mountain Scenery

Day 9

Stirling - Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Take your children on the Hogwarts Express steam locomotive for a morning of recreating Harry Potter scenes
  • Search for the Loch Ness Monster on a private zodiac ride across the mystical lake
  • Discover Highland’s folk history and safely try your hand at some of the strange traditions, such as axe throwing
  • Explore Edinburgh’s glamorous highlights, including the Royal Mile and its enormous castle
  • Wander into the wilderness during a fabulous day on the Isle of Skye, which is cut off from the rest of the world
  • Get lost in ancient royal hunting grounds and a touchstone maze that narrates Scotland’s history
  • Taste whisky and soft drinks in Pitlochry, participate in a tapestry workshop, and go kayaking on Loch Ness
  • Enjoy two mountain biking excursions, which are easy and active means for exploring Scotland’s iconic scenery

Starting Price

$4,400 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.

5.0

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 3 reviews

Scotland Tour Review: Palaces, Lochs, Castles, Museums, Sword-Fabricating Forge, Local Cuisine, 13 Days

After 15 years of vacationing on small, live-aboard, scuba-diving ships around the world, we wanted our first land-based tour to be extraordinary. We sought a plan to include all drivers, transfers, and hotels, and an itinerary to include private walking and car tours of culturally significant sites and museums. Our goal was to cover, on our first trip to Scotland, the Scottish lowland and highlands, significant city centers, as well as the legendary palaces, lochs, castles, and museums. Moreover, my husband requested we focus on the Pict time period, especially the carved stones, swords, and other fighting devices used throughout the last 3,000 years of Scotland’s “recent” past.  

Our travel company was one of three firms we solicited for a proposal on a luxury vacation in Scotland. Only this Zicasso company hit these targets out of the box with a much better agenda than the competition and very competitive pricing. Moreover, their tour included a recommendation for a two-hour sword-fighting lesson, followed the next day by a visit to a private sword-fabricating forge!!

We returned home four days ago from our remarkable 13-day trip. The highlights of our trip are too exhaustive to even list. Three fantasy-fulfilling high points comprised three nights in a luxury castle bed and breakfast on the west coast, and visits to Inner Hebrides islands, including Iona, where I purchased two sterling Celtic penannular brooches. This was topped off with the commissioning of two swords from the forge, a Claymore and a basket hilt to be custom made using ancient techniques that will result in a pair of one-off customized designs including scabbard carvings and decorated multi-layer battle-ready blades.  

Overall, the tour used amazing guides, including two who wore kilts and full Scottish dress throughout their tours, provided a plethora of castles, and enough alone time to explore the local area and relax while eating the best meat and seafood imaginable, culminating end-to-end in the best vacation of our lives!!

Based on our experience, I cannot entreat you strongly enough to at least get an offer of services from this travel company. We submit you will not be disappointed in the offer or the fulfillment.

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Scotland Vacation Review: Castles, Gardens, Palaces, The Great Tapestry of Scotland, The Kelpies, Private Driver, Distillery Tour, 1 Week

Zicasso’s tour planner did a wonderful job responding to us and tailoring our 8-day Scotland trip to our desires. At her recommendation, we utilized a driver rather than rent a car, and that maximized our experience and minimized driving anxiety. Our driver was fantastic! He moved us comfortably and smoothly through our itinerary with humor, local knowledge, and history.  Lodging and required entry tickets were prearranged and any questions that arose were speedily handled by our driver and agent.

Trip highlights to the central Highlands included garden and ground visits at Edinburgh, Glamis, Drummond, and Sterling castles, Scone Palace, Branklyn Gardens, Jupiter Artland, and The Kelpies. My wife wanted to include The Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels, which is not a convenient spot to visit. By having our driver pick us at the Edinburgh airport upon our arrival, we were able to maximize our first day and include Abbotsford House. Our tour company was great.

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England, Ireland, Scotland Vacation Review: Edinburgh, London, Cardiff, Llanybydder, Aberystwyth, Windsor, Family Heritage, 15 Days

Zicasso's tour planner and her associates at the travel company did an excellent job of putting together a long-awaited trip to the UK to explore our father's roots.

Starting in Edinburgh, Scotland, and extending down into London and on to our father's birthplace in mid-Wales, she and the company found us great accommodations centrally located within our areas of interest. Our various walking tour guides were excellent and our agent's recommendations for places to see were wonderful and fit within the timeframe and parameters of our travels.

Our wonderful Welsh guide was able to locate our father's childhood farm and even discovered some previously unknown family members still in residence there. We had a truly memorable trip and highly recommend our agent and her travel company!

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

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