Balmoral & Royal Deeside Tour: Walk in the Footsteps of Royals from Aberdeen
4.8
15 Ratings
Aberdeen City
Experience the Balmoral & Royal Deeside Tour from Aberdeen and walk in the footsteps of generations of Royals. Explore charming villages, ancient stone circles, and Queen Victoria's favorite views.
Duration: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Balmoral Castle - Balmoral is a treasured family home for the Royal family since 1850, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert chose this beautiful region to create their great escape. A landscape with stunning views of the hills and mountains, fields of heather and the majestic river Dee that flows through it.

The estate was the late Queen Elizabeth’s private country retreat in Scotland and a beloved home. King Charles III has a great affection for the castle and grounds and often spends time walking through the estate.

We highly recommend listening to the audio tour. The audio will share stories and guides you around the estate.

The Ballroom is only room open to visitors within the Castle. The objects in the Ballroom are from within the Castle, and are all objects that belong to the Royal Family.

Note:
*Balmoral Castle & Estate usually closes on the 1st of August 2024. This tour stop will be changed to the National Trust for Scotland’s- Crathes Castle thereafter.

What's Included
  • On-board WiFi
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities
  • Entries & Tour fees
Additional Information

Beginning in Aberdeen, we follow the path of the river Dee all the way to Balmoral, a place steeped in royal history. Here, you’ll have the chance to walk where many members of the Royal Family have resided. Walk around the delightful Victorian township of Ballater, delve into the regional heritage, see the Victorian railway station, and soak up the beauty of the surroundings.

Our next stop is the renowned Cambus O’May suspension bridge, before heading off to the Tomnavarie Stone Circle and Migvie Kirk to gain insights into the olden Pictish culture.

As we return to Aberdeen, we pause at a viewpoint cherished by Queen Victoria, to appreciate the breathtaking scenes of Aberdeenshire.

(Note: During Balmoral’s off season, the tour includes a visit to Crathes Castle instead.)

Location
William Wallace Statue
Union Terrace
Next to the William Wallace Statue in front of His Majesty's Theatre on Rosemount Viaduct. (AB10 1NP)
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(15 Ratings)
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Mitch_monroe
May 18, 2024
Outstanding full-day tour! - Our touring party is two American couples on a 10-day visit thru Scotland. We had 1 full day in Aberdeen and needed to find the best tour possible for our limited time. We hit the jackpot with Grampian Escapes and Tours! We were astounded by the depth of the tour (visited so many spots on the way to and from the castle) and by our tour guide’s knowledge. Jacqueline was thoroughly engaging, very knowledgeable, and so much fun with which to travel. Even after doing this for 7 years, she is still enthusiastic about sharing her love of all things Aberdeen. We learned about local history, plants, flowers, and the best places for shopping and dining. The self-guided tour of Balmoral Castle was very enjoyable and worth the tour as a single event. When you factor in everything Jacqueline brought to the tour, this trip was worth every penny. Highly recommend!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ann_g
May 17, 2024
Great trip to Balmoral - Fabulous tour. Our guide, Jamie, was excellent. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. The castle and environs were stunning and the Balmoral gardens unbelievable.
Review provided by Viator
M8356fkdavidd
May 4, 2024
A great day - Alex our guide was perfect His intimate knowledge of the area it’s history and topography was second to none He was most welcoming and amiable We would return when the opportunity arises Full marks to Alex !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christy_h
Apr 21, 2024
Great Tour! - This was a great tour! Alec was a great guide with tons of information to share. A smaller group kept things more personal and we also had time to do our own exploring. Great all around!
Review provided by Viator
Dwight_h
Sep 9, 2023
Tour guide Alex Duncan... - Tour guide Alex Duncan impressed us with his breadth and depth of knowledge. We learned more about Scotland and the Deeside than we ever expected to.
Review provided by Viator
Douglas_d
Sep 2, 2023
Our tour and guide were exceptional. - This was an exceptional experience. We really enjoyed it and learned quite a bit. Our driver and guide, Alex, was informative, entertaining, and always safe. We felt we were on a private tour. He encouraged questions and often combined his answers within stories to help give more context to his responses. The weather was wonderful which made the tour even more enjoyable. Having only 4 visitors on the tour made a real difference and we highly recommend a small tour in the future for everyone.
Review provided by Viator
Thomas_s
Aug 24, 2023
Callum was a great guide... - Callum was a great guide and was very informative and very understanding. We had a great time. Thanks for the memories
Review provided by Viator
Eric_f
Aug 3, 2023
Once in a lifetime experience - Breathtaking views, excellent tour guide, quick witted, punctual, knowledgeable of everything Aberdeen. Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Gordon_f
Jul 2, 2023
Balmoral Castle - Alex the driver was excellent kept us well informed and looked after my wife who has some walking difficulties by driving us up to the Castle to get a mobility scooter
Review provided by Viator
Felicia_f
Jun 23, 2023
Balmoral Great But not sufficient time was allowed to explore. - Balmoral was wonderful. The bad part was that not enough time was given to explore Balmoral. Considering that most people came on the tour to see Balmoral- 2 hours was insufficient and that some the other sites could have been sacrificed to give proper time to Balmoral.
Review provided by Viator
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