Highland Bus tour: Experience Outlander, Culloden, Castles, and Loch Ness in One Day

Experience the best of the Scottish Highlands on our Highland Bus tour. Explore Outlander locations, visit Culloden, discover castles, and search for Nessie at Loch Ness. Book now!

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Culloden Battlefield - The tour will visit the Culloden Battlefield, the site of the Jacobites’ significant loss during the 1746 uprising. This was the final battle fought on British soil. If time permits, guests will have the opportunity to walk on the battlefield. Depending on the tour schedule, there may be a drive-by instead of a stop.
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What's Included
  • Entrance to Inverness Castle included in the booking price.
  • Note: Inverness Castle is currently closed for refurbishment.
Additional Information

This bus tour from Invergordon features highlights from Outlander, Culloden, Castles, Loch Ness & Nessie! It packs in a lot for one day’s tour and is very affordable and good value for money. Entrance to castle is INCLUDED. Our website contains full details of all tours and booking.
Our tours are specially put together after taking feedback from YOU. We…

Location
Invergordon Shore Excursions
King Street
In 2025 the cruise ships will dock at Quay West. Passengers disembark and get onto a shuttle bus which takes them to our meeting location on Shore Road. We are the first stop. All the independent tour guides wait there so look for our Thistle Guides.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.5
(330 Ratings)
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1 star
Gjpjoep
Oct 1, 2025
Great Guide in a Great Place - This was one of our best tours and with the very best guide of our entire trip in the British Isles and France. "Mo" is a retired school teacher from Inverness and is a great guide, very knowledgeable and very proud of her city and the Scottish Highlands. She gave us excellent orientations at Inverness along the Ness River, the Culloden Battlefield and the Cawdor Castle, which was the highlight for us with an audio guided tour of the castle interior. We also saw the beauty of the highlands and took many photos on this sunny day. No, we did not see Nessie, but we did stop to see some highland cows.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristy_b
Sep 29, 2025
Don’t miss this one - Great guide and driver. Loved the scenery as we drove as well as the interesting stops snd history comments
Review provided by Viator
James_h
Sep 27, 2025
Ability to overcome obstacles. - Tour operator was so helpful in fixing my reservation when I booked the wrong day. Mo, our tour guide was great and calm under pressure when the bus stalled. She went right to work to make sure we would get back to the ship in time despite the hiccup. Anybody can do a great job when things go perfect but what separates the best is how well they pivot when things don’t go as planned and despite the mechanical issues we had a wonderful day, saw everything we were supposed to and got back together the ship in time. Thank you Thistle Tours.
Review provided by Viator
Dreamer769807
Sep 26, 2025
Day outing - Our guide was wonderful. We got to hear about life in Scotland and see all the places. And had us back to our cruise ship on time. Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessy_r
Sep 25, 2025
Excellent tour of Inverness and surrounding areas - We did this tour as a shore excursion and had a wonderful time. There's alot to see in the area and they take you to everything and allow ample time at the stops. Emma is a great and knowledgeable tour guide and Ross is an excellent driver. Highly highly recommend this tour with this company!
Review provided by Viator
Delex2019
Sep 25, 2025
Good company to deal with. - Good value for money, guide knowledgeable, interesting places visited. Only downside, bus to small a bit cramped. Overall happy
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauramk9254bp
Sep 24, 2025
Great day - We had a great day touring. Inverness, Castle, learning the history of the area. Mo was a great tour guide and Gordon a friendly safe driver.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marita_t
Oct 1, 2025
Not so great - Tour guide (Mo) was nice, but would say “over here there is xyz”, no idea if it was to right or left and often couldn’t see off bus. Loch Ness was very lame. The Robertson farm had 2 cows, no bathrooms, waste of time. Then the bus broke down. Would not recommend
Review provided by Viator
Elizabetha768
Sep 26, 2025
Good tour with BIG caveats - Wasn't really expecting all the Outlander stuff. Thought it would be more of a historical tour. It was quite good in that our guide Emma was historically knowledgeable as well. She was friendly with all on board. Would have liked more time at Culloden and less time shopping in Inverness, but that is just personal taste. Two stars removed for the following reasons. The coach was small and brutally uncomfortable especially for those unlucky enough to land in the back row. There is a step at the back not clearly marked as an elevation change and 2 of us fell on it twisting knees and ankles (fortunately not seriously). Instead of ramming us in like sardines, we needed a bigger coach/fewer people on it. Thistle tours cuts it WAAYYYY to close for all aboard if you are on a cruise. Their plan was a half an hour to spare (which does NOT leave enough time for emergencies). Another of their coaches broke down in front of us and we stopped to help them. We were back at 5:32 for a 5:30 all aboard. Whilst we did make it, it was a very uncomfortable feeling for the people on both coaches. Other tours we took allowed an hour before all aboard to be back which is much more comfortable for unforseen circumstances. For this reason, I would not use Thistle Tours again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_a
Sep 26, 2025
Ok with BIG caveat - Wasn't really expecting all the Outlander stuff. Thought it would be more of a historical tour. It was quite good in that our guide Emma was historically knowledgeable as well. She was friendly with all on board. Two stars removed for the following reasons. The coach was small and brutally uncomfortable especially for those unlucky enough to land in the back row. There is a step at the back not clearly marked as an elevation change and 2 of us fell on it twisting knees and ankles (fortunately not seriously). Instead of ramming us in like sardines, we needed a bigger coach/fewer people on it. Thistle tours cuts it WAAYYYY to close for all aboard. Their plan was a half an hour to spare (which does NOT leave enough time for emergencies). Another of their coaches broke down in front of us and we stopped to help them. We were back at 5:32 for a 5:30 all aboard. Whilst we did make it, it was a very uncomfortable feeling for the people on both coaches. Other tours we took allowed an hour before all aboard to be back which is much more comfortable for unforseen circumstances. For this reason, I would not use Thistle Tours again.
Review provided by Viator
From $171
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).