Edinburgh Base: 2 Days of Scotland Trips
Edinburgh Base: 2 Days of Scotland Trips
Two days based in Edinburgh trades a second city day for two of the best trips beyond it: Stirling Castle, a 40 to 50 minute train, and the Highlands and Loch Ness, a genuine 12-hour coach day from about GBP 69. It’s a tight introduction to Scotland outside the capital, not a leisurely one. For the city itself, see the Edinburgh 2-day itinerary instead.
Book these before you go
- Book the Highlands and Loch Ness day tour : about GBP 69, pickup around 7:45am, the one fixed departure time on this itinerary.
- Check Old Town and New Town rates : stay close to Waverley Station, since both mornings start there.
- Book a Stirling Castle tour : worth it if you’d rather have a guide than go self-paced.
| Day | Focus | Travel time from Edinburgh |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival, Stirling Castle | 40 to 50 min train each way |
| Day 2 | The Highlands and Loch Ness | 3.5 to 4 hrs each way (about 12 hrs round trip) |
Day 1: Arrival and Stirling Castle
Morning: drop bags at an Old Town or New Town base, both a short walk from Waverley Station, where every trip on this itinerary starts. Take a ScotRail train to Stirling, 40 to 50 minutes each way, roughly every 30 minutes through the day.
Afternoon: Stirling Castle is run by the same body as Edinburgh Castle and costs less to enter, roughly GBP 17.50-20 adult, though it skips the Crown Jewels that Edinburgh’s version has. The Wallace Monument and the Bannockburn battlefield site sit close by if you have another hour to spare.
Evening: back in Edinburgh by early evening for dinner in the Old Town or Grassmarket.
Day 2: The Highlands and Loch Ness
Morning: an early pickup, typically around 7:45am, starts the standard coach day tour through Glencoe toward Fort Augustus and Loch Ness itself.
Afternoon: a 50-minute cruise on the loch is the usual highlight, with lunch around Fort Augustus. Once the roughly 3.5 to 4 hour drive each way is subtracted, expect only an hour or two actually at the water. This is a scenery day built around the journey through Glencoe, not a long stay at the loch.
Evening: return to Edinburgh around 8pm, roughly 12 hours door to door. Keep dinner simple, it’s a long day by the time you’re back.
Is the Highlands and Loch Ness day worth losing a whole day to?
Yes, if you go in expecting a scenery day rather than time at the water. The genuine trade-off is roughly 7.5 to 8 hours of driving against an hour or two actually beside the loch, with Glencoe’s scenery as the real payoff along the way. Anyone who wants more time at Loch Ness itself should plan an overnight in Inverness or Fort William instead.
Is 2 days enough for an Edinburgh base trip?
It’s enough to sample the idea, not to do it properly. Two days covers exactly one easy day trip and one long one, with no room for Glasgow, Rosslyn Chapel or St Andrews. Anyone who can stretch to 3 days or further gets a noticeably more complete Scotland base trip for one extra hotel night.
Book the Loch Ness tour the moment your dates are fixed, it’s the only piece of this itinerary with a real departure time. Everything else, including which day comes first, can flex around it. Check VisitScotland for current Stirling Castle opening hours before you go.