Check 8 night Itinerary from Edinburgh...Advice???

Day 1- Both of the main bus services from the airport terminate at Waverley Bridge, not the Bus Station. Only the hourly (ish) #909 from Dunblane goes to the Bus Station
So depending where your hotel is the Tram may be the better option. Yes it costs a bit more than the bus but in the overall cost of the trip the extra is totally inconsequential. On average the Tram takes marginally longer than the bus, but 5 minutes or less.
Day 9 - for long haul flights the airlines say a 3 hour check in. Others might choose to argue with that, but I comply.
That means an 0640 check in. The only transport from Stirling to achieve that is the 0521 train, change at Edinburgh Park (not Haymarket) into the tram.
If that train doesn't run there is no Plan B as the train is hourly and the first bus from Stirling arrives at the Airport at 0722.
That would influence my planning for the last night. I wouldn't even want to drive down in case the road was blocked by an RTC (or the car had a breakdown/flat tyre etc).
The equation changes if you opt for a later flight.

isn31c

Thanks so much...this information sure changes our plans somewhat...Think we will not get a car and just go to Stirling by bus or tram and spend only one night there...then go to hotel near Airport the evening before our flight...This sounds much safer...

Your trip seems quite hectic filled with back and forth to Edinburgh and riding on a bus quite a bit of the time. But you're sure to see some glorious Scottish sights.

Have you already booked these tours? Would you share which tours to Skye and Glenfinnan/Highlands you have booked? There may be a better way to these sights.

jeanm

I have not booked the tours yet...1) From Edinburgh: Isle of Skye 3-Day Tour with Accommodation from Get Your Guide site. 2) From Edinburgh: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Highlands Tour also from Get Your Guide site. So many questions...I've been trying to figure everything out so we can see the most we can see in our short time...

To me, it seems like you are going back into Edinburgh on Day 5 and then heading straight out again, likely covering some of the same road, the next day. If possible I would try to stay in the highlands- it would be better if you could get one longer tour that covered all the things outside of Edinburgh you want to see so you are not spending so much time just getting between Edinburgh and the highlands. If you don't mind time on the bus then what you have would be fine. You can visit Stirling itself very easily by train as a day trip from Edinburgh, tho I'm not sure if you have other things in the Forth Valley you want to see. I agree it would be easiest if you are flying home in the morning to spend the night before in Edinburgh.

Just wanted to make a comment…Get Your Guide is a 3rd party consolidator who does not actually run tours. I know on the Viator site you can see who actually runs a tour but I’ve not looked at GYG site enough to know if that information is available.

I’m flying to Edinburgh in a week and also staying near St Andrews Square. I’m planning to take the tram BUT if I’m too tired or feeling flaky from the overnight flight I’ll get a cab from the taxi rank. You might not have as much flight/layover time as flying from the Inland Northwest.

I agree with the others that you are spending a lot of time on buses…and this is from someone who enjoys group tours!

Is this the Get Your Guide tour you are looking at?

The tour operator is Rabbie's, a reputable company that gets many positive recommendations from posters here. You can do a search on this website to see recent comments and trip reports on Rabbie's. Rabbie's sells tours with or without accommodations. Here is the link to The Isle of Skye 3 day tour. Be sure to make your dinner reservations ASAP in Portree. Restaurants book up quickly on Skye.

You will be having very long days on the minibus to and from Skye. But you'll be driving through some spectacular areas.

Personally, I wouldn't want to do another long bus day immediately after the Skye tour.

I would consider the following:

Book 3 nights at an Edinburgh hotel.

Take a day trip to Sterling Castle during this stay, either on your own or with a group tour.

Then 2 nights on Skye with your tour.

The last 3 nights back in Edinburgh.
Take your long day tour during this stay after your refreshed from the Skye tour.

Scotland is a beautiful country. I hope you enjoy your time!

The tram doesn't go to Stirling (yet!!).
Your choices are the train (the way everyone here goes), the #909 city link bus or the service bus changing at Falkirk.
I know the service bus has been ridiculed on the forum but It has its subtle merits - time expended not being one of those merits!
It really worries me the way this forum concentrates exclusively on Stirling Castle. They simply are not getting the whole story of the city.
There is also the Church of the Holy Rude (whose history is interlinked with the castle), the Wallace monument, Cambuskenneth Abbey and the (Battle of) Bannockburn Centre.
They all form one historical narrative, together with Stirling Old Bridge (and that battle).
All reachable by bus. In fact bus to Cambuskenneth links the story up better than if you just drive down there.
Someone posted recently about the old naval and trading port of Stirling, which again is part of the whole story. If you walk back into town from Cambuskenneth you pass the port and the interpretation panels- which you would probably miss in the car.
Due to tour timing constraints (which I fully understand and appreciate) I feel RS sells Stirling short.
Even the open top bus serves the University campus- an attraction in its own right.
Also close by, and reachable by bus or train is the spa town Bridge of Allan and Dunblane Cathedral.
If you want some countryside there is the hourly bus to Aberfoyle in the Trossachs or the every two hours bus to Crieff (with hourly extensions to Perth.
I'm not sure what you need a car for in Stirling, at least for a day or two.