Loch Ness Tour: Explore Urquhart Castle

Embark on a luxury tour of Urquhart Castle, Culloden, Loch Ness, Inverness, and Outlander sites. Experience local knowledge, expert guides, and personalized service.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Culloden Battlefield - ⸻
    Culloden Battlefield
    • Located on Culloden Moor, near Inverness, this is the historic site of the Battle of Culloden (16 April 1746), the last major battle on British soil.
    • It signified the conclusion of the Jacobite Rising of 1745, where Prince Charles Edward Stuart – “Bonnie Prince Charlie” – attempted to restore the…
What's Included
  • Parking fees
What's Not Included
  • Snacks
Additional Information

Please Note: Starting in the 2026 cruise ship season, this tour will no longer include a visit to the Nessie Centre. Instead, it will feature a trip to Outlander’s Clava Cairns, which inspired the concept of Creag na Dun.
This tour includes a visit to Loch Ness and its visitor centre to explore the legend of Nessie, as well as a tour of Urquhart…

Location
Invergordon Tours
King Street
In 2026 walk from the shop along the designated pathway a few hundred yards to the west harbour, cross at the pedestrian crossing to meet the independent tour guides. Thistle guides wear purple/burgundy (females), and carry clipboards saying Thistle Excursions. There may also be Thistle flags.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(112 Ratings)
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1 star
William_s
Jun 2, 2026
Great Excursion Experience - The operator was well organized and our guide Niall was exceptionally knowledgeable about history and thorough. It was a pleasure to spend the day with him. He made the tour special.
Review provided by Viator
Daydream63126769454
May 30, 2026
June was an amazing tour guide. - June was our tour guide. It was a small group and June was an excellent guide. She was very knowledgeable and she really tried to make sure we saw as much as we could in our short stay. We had a very lovely day and even had a special stop at the end of the tour that was an added bonus.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richard_f
May 22, 2026
Great day tour - This was a great tour. We really liked the small group and our guide was great. We were a bit concerned it would be difficult to find the van but it was easy to find them as they were just outside the cruise terminal. The stops were all great. Urquhart, despite being crowded, is one the most picturesque castles we have been too. Don't skip the short movie on the history when you first get there. It is well worth the few minutes.
Review provided by Viator
Jackie_p
May 21, 2026
Great for Outlander fans - Our guide Laura was amazing and couldn’t do enough for us. She was very knowledgeable and friendly and gave us lots of information. If you are an Outlander fan I would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Linda_l
May 7, 2026
Wonderful experience! - We really enjoyed our tour!! Niall was an excellent guide who provided us with so many facts and history. A very enjoyable day!!
Review provided by Viator
Jgilbert813
Apr 24, 2026
A great day spent in the highlands - We actually saw a YouTube video of another cruiser’s day in Invergordon where he had taken a tour with Thistle Excursions and we are so glad we did because we just had the most wonderful day exploring the highlands with them! Our guide, Eleanor was absolutely fantastic. She was funny and nice and you could tell she loved to share her homeland with us. She always made sure we were taken care of and felt comfortable all day. We made 5 stops today and never felt rushed at any of them. This was one of our all time favorite shore excursion tours we have ever taken. We can not recommend this tour enough!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jgilbert813
Apr 24, 2026
A wonderful day in the highlands - We actually saw a YouTube video from another cruiser’s day in Invergordon and they took a tour with Thistle Excursions. I’m so glad we saw that because we got to spend an amazing day exploring the highlands! Eleanor was the best guide, she was wonderfully friendly and funny. You could tell she was truly excited to share her love and knowledge of Scotland with us. She always made sure we were taken care of and comfortable in the van. We never felt rushed at any of the locations we visited. Since we had a small group (6 of us) we were able to pull right up to everything saving us time and energy from having to hike to any of it. I can’t recommend this tour enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sabrina_l
Oct 30, 2025
Engaged at the Urqhart castle - This was our favorite shore excursion on our trip. Our tour guide Niel is someone we will never forget. We got engaged at the Urqhart castle, so at the end of the tour, Niel played a traditional wedding song for us on his bagpipes. We appreciated all of the knowledge he shared with us regarding Scotland. We can just tell he was so proud to be a Scottish citizen. Every element of the tour was well placed, and well worth the money spent. The highland cows were also an amazing highlight of our trip.
Review provided by Viator
Suzanne_p
Jun 3, 2026
Boat arrived late,... - Boat arrived late, confusion at departure (a guide left without us). Fortunately, other guides were still on site and Danny took very good care of us. A huge thank you to this very kind gentleman. However, we had to shorten all the visits but we saw all the attractions scheduled on the itinerary.
Review provided by Viator
Lilian_f
May 10, 2026
Very good, especially the guide - Excellent walk through amazing places. Our guide Danny fabulous. The only bad thing was the van they took us in, very uncomfortable.
Review provided by Viator
From $212
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).