Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
Accommodation is payable on arrival
We offer a free accommodation booking service.
If you would like to book your own accommodation, please select 'Tour Only'.
Please select your requirements:
Our brand-new 2-day Aberdeenshire, Balmoral Castle and the Northeast Coast tour departs at 09:00 from Edinburgh city centre. Enjoy views of Scotland’s capital as we head out of the city towards our first stop. Travelling across the iconic Forth Bridges, spanning 3 centuries of development, we continue through the Kingdom of Fife towards Dundee.
Famous for its publishing industry, Dundee is home to the V&A Museum. First opened in 2018, the V&A is Scotland’s first design museum and is also the first Victoria and Albert museum outside of London. With ever-changing exhibitions celebrating design from Scotland and around the world, it makes for a fascinating visit. It also makes for a spectacular photo, sitting on the banks of the River Tay. You might even notice a piece of history just next door, in the form of the steamship RRS Discovery. From Dundee, we continue north to the picturesque town of Montrose where we will stop for a lunch break. The northeast coast is famous for its delicious seafood, so be sure to try and taste some if you can.
After a short stop at the seaside village of St Cyrus we continue to the spectacular Dunnottar Castle, one of the most famous sights of the northeast. Sitting on a rocky headland and surrounded by water, not far from the village of Stonehaven, stands the castle. Tracing back to the Early Middle Ages, the castle has had a fascinating history and even played a key role during the 18th century Jacobite risings. Spend time here exploring the rugged coastline, taking in the spectacular views (don’t forget your camera) and learning all about the castle's rich history.
Following our stop at Dunnottar Castle, we will head towards the picturesque town that sits below it - Stonehaven. Here, there will be time to explore the seaside towns’ streets and shops, or even sample some local food from award-winning places like The Bay fish and chip shop, or Aunt Betty’s ice cream. Both sit on the seafront promenade and are well-known across the northeast.
Our final stop of Day 1 is Aberdeen, also known as the "Granite City" for the abundance of granite buildings, which you may notice will appear to sparkle in the sun. Here, you will check in to your overnight accommodation and have plenty of free time in the evening to explore the city.
After a hearty breakfast where you will hopefully be able to sample some local delicacies like butteries (to learn more about them click here), we will begin our second day by checking out of our accommodation and heading westwards out of Aberdeen towards Crathes Castle. Enjoy views of the Granite City and its surrounding areas as you leave.
With magnificent turrets, gargoyles and a beautiful walled garden, Crathes Castle is a fantastic place to visit. Spend time here taking in the history of the 16th century castle and explore its spectacular grounds which go back to the 18th century. Whilst here, keep an eye out for some of the local wildlife that are known to visit the area like roe deer, red squirrels and herons.
We continue westwards, through scenic towns like Banchory and the beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside, towards Ballater, where we will stop for a lunch break. Sample local food as you take in the scenery of the Victorian village, nestled in the heart of Royal Deeside and also within the Cairngorms National Park.
Our next stop is the world-famous Balmoral Castle, the much-loved Highland home of the British Monarchy. Here, we will spend time and you will be able to see the exhibitions. You will be able to learn all about the history of the castle, who has lived there, and what important events have been associated with it. As well as this, you will be able to enjoy the spectacular grounds on which the castle lies.
After our tour of Balmoral Castle, we head south towards Edinburgh. On the way, we will stop at the Devil’s Elbow viewpoint. It offers spectacular Highland views and is still part of the massive Cairngorms National Park. Keep an eye out here for much of the wildlife that is known to inhabit the area. The famous viewpoint was carved out by ice during the last ice age, much like a lot of the Highlands, which gives them the dramatic views that we all know and love.
As we continue further south, our final stop before we reach Edinburgh will be the city of Perth. The area here is known to have been occupied since the Stone Age, and there is still evidence of this nearby. After a comfort break here where you will have a short time to explore the historic city, we begin our journey back to Edinburgh. There will be another chance to get a look at the magnificent Forth Bridges as we cross the Forth for a 2nd time before arriving back in Edinburgh, the capital city, where our 2-day tour of northeast Scotland will end.
Please note: From July 15th 2024 until further notice, our Edinburgh tours will depart from 2 Johnston Terrace, EH1 2PW. Just around the corner from the normal departure point. You can view the updated departure point by clicking here.
Our tours depart from outside the green Ensign Ewart pub, at 521-523 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2PE.
View a map of our departure point
You can also find us by Edinburgh Public Transport
Check-in opens 15 minutes prior to the stated departure time and closes 5 minutes prior to the stated departure time. We recommend that all passengers arrive in this window as tours must depart on schedule.
Our multi-day tours will return to Edinburgh Waverley Station which is about a 15 minute walk from our original departure point.
No, accommodation is not included in the tour price, as we prefer to let you choose the type of accommodation you want, depending on your budget.
The tour price includes the services of a friendly, knowledgeable and experienced Driver-Guide and transportation on one of our luxury modern air-conditioned coaches.
Accommodation rates do vary between providers and seasons. For this reason we are only able to give you an estimated rate until a booking has been made.
Estimated rates are as follows:
Accommodation is payable to the provider upon check-in. We recommend that you prepare £75 per person per night in cash to cover the cost of your accommodation.
All hotels require credit card information in order to secure a booking. If you wish us to reserve a hotel room for you, we will contact you for your budget and credit card details.
Hostels are budget accommodation. Many hostels have kitchen facilities where customers can prepare their own food.
B&B's are privately owned Guesthouses. Guests are given breakfast (continental or full, depending on the B&B) but cannot prepare their own food.
Hotels are the most expensive choice of accommodation. Rooms come with a full breakfast (unless stated) and guests are unable to prepare their own food.
Double means one double bed which sleeps two.
Twin means two single beds, where you share a room but not a bed.
Ensuite rooms have a private bathroom/toilet/shower within the room.
Standard rooms have communal facilities that are shared with other guests.
While we strive to book your first choice, please note that accommodation options can be limited during the busy season. We will do our best to accommodate your preferences but if your preferred choice is unavailable, we will inform you promptly.
Yes, you are free to make your own arrangements. We offer a £10 discount to those that choose to book your own accommodation!
This means that you have complete control over where you stay, and can take some time to research all of your options and pick the perfect accommodation for you and those you are travelling with!
Simply advise us at the time of booking that you will be reserving your own accommodation, and inform us at your earliest convenience of the name and address of the accommodation once it has been booked.
We kindly ask that your accommodation provider is located in central Aberdeen, otherwise your Driver-Guide will be unable to drop you off and collect you.
Luggage is restricted to one medium sized suitcase per person.
For guidance: a medium sized suitcase is considered 60-69cm high and roughly 45cm in width.
If you have more luggage than this, you can store your surplus bags with Unbaggaged.
Unbaggaged will collect your bags at a time and place convenient to you! They then store them at a secure central location, and return them to you, again, wherever and whenever you like!
No, optional extras are not included in the price of your tour.
This is to allow our guests the freedom to choose which attractions they would like to visit.
Prices for 2025 are still to be confirmed, we will update this section when they are.
No, you don't need to worry about pre-booking any of the optional extras.
All the optional extras can be booked on the day and your Driver-Guide will advise you of how to book.
If you have any questions about this please contact our Reservations Team on +44 (0) 131 226 6066 - open 07.00 - 21.00 daily.
Yes, all of our tours are in English.
Your tour will be taken by an experienced, knowledgeable and friendly English-speaking Driver-Guide.
As you’ll be spending two days on and off the coach with the opportunity for walks, we recommend bringing warm and/or waterproof clothing, comfortable walking shoes and some sun-block or a hat for sunny days.
And don’t forget your camera to capture all of the lovely scenery and wildlife you’ll encounter on your tour!
You might also want to bring along some cold snacks and refreshments.
We welcome children over 4 years old on our tours, and children aged between 4-16yrs are eligible for the concessionary rate.
We regret we are not able to carry children under the age of 4.