Only one free day? · Day trip from Edinburgh
Loch Ness and the Highlands or Stirling Castle?
| Field | Loch Ness and the Highlands | Stirling Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Travel time | 3 h 18 to Inverness, then a bus along the loch | 41 min + 20 min walk uphill |
| Transport | Tour coach, or train + bus | Train |
| Self-guided | – | £ 31.10–33.10 |
| Tour | € 77.99 | € 65.99 |
| Time needed | 12–13 h | 3–5 h |
| Closed | Urquhart Castle: 25-26 Dec | 25-26 Dec |
| Best time | May-Sep for daylight; in Oct the castle shuts at 17:00 | All year; Apr-Sep open until 18:00 |
| Verdict | Only with a tour | Worth half a day |
Our verdict
Stirling, unless the Highlands are the point.
With one free day, Stirling Castle is the safer choice: 41 minutes by train, £ 12.60 return, £ 18.50 for the castle, and you are back in Edinburgh by mid-afternoon. Loch Ness costs from € 78 for the coach alone and takes 12.5 hours, of which about one is spent at the loch. Pick Loch Ness only if you will not return to Scotland and want to see Glencoe and the Highlands through a window at least once. The road is the attraction that day, so do not expect much from the loch itself.
Last checked: · Train times from Trainline listings of ScotRail services; return fares from the Scottish Government and Lothian Buses; opening days from each attraction's official site.