Day Trips from Edinburgh

It’s clear you’re looking for excursions outside of the city, and Stirling/Stirling Castle would be a wonderful itinerary. There’s also the nearby Kelpies giant horse head sculptures, and the Falkirk Wheel, an engineering marvel designed to lift boats from one canal to another, and you could all take a “ride” on it. We had a rental car, so I can’t give you personal suggestions for a tour company, although many here have mentioned Rabbie’s (Scottish version of the nickname Robby) Tours.

But, for a visit technically outside Edinburgh city limits, but still inside the Edinburgh metro area, be sure to go to the nearby Leith suburb (we took the bus), and tour the royal yacht Britannia. Elizabeth II stopped using it several years ago, and it’s now permanently moored in Leith, just offshore from a shopping mall. The girls can be Queen (or Princess) For A Day, inspecting the captain’s wheelhouse and the gleaming engine room, but also the Sunroom, bedrooms, dining room, etc., used by the royals when they sailed on it. There’s even a Rolls Royce that could be moved ashore when needed. We really enjoyed touring it, and you can even book a fancy lunch there, if you desired.

I recommend the Endinburgh Black Cab Tours. I used them in April when Timberbush cancelled my tour at the last minute. We did the Rosslyn Chapel (featured in Di Vinci Code) and Glenkinchie Tour. It was great. Our driver picked us up from our hotel, was very pleasant and informative and drove us all over. He added in a few more interesting stops and made it a very pleasant experience. Since you pay by the cab and there are 4 of you, it might be close in price to the more crowded bus tours offered by the other companies.

Rosslyn Chapel of Da Vinci Code fame is less than 1 hour by local bus. Amazing

Rabbies offers numerous tours out off Edinburgh. They are in 16 passengers vans. They are highly rated on this board and I have taken a few of them. Thoroughly enjoyed them.

They have numerous tours out of Edinburgh and you can filter the search on their website to departure city and number of days. (There are numerous one day tours.)

Thank you Cyn for the suggesting Stirling and Stirling Castle. Do you recommend taking the train there? I was thinking the train ride could be part of the experience.
Itsv, for the Black Cab Tour you took, was that literally in a taxi or in a small van? Was that just your group, or were there other passengers as well? Just wondering if it’s private or not.

Thanks to everyone for their responses!

Apart from Stirling there are many other options for day trips that are easy to do using regular public transportation.

We visited Stirling Castle by train. It was quite easy to do on our own. When we weren’t able to arrange a Rabbies tour, we took a one day tour out of Edinburgh with The Heart of Scotland, aka The Wee Red Bus. It was nicely paced and very enjoyable. The driver was pleasant and conversant and the small van was about 3/4 full. Safe travels.

Hi Denny,

Where did you go with the Wee Red Bus Tour? Just wondering how much time was spent in the vehicle as opposed to actually outside seeing the sights. These tours tend to pack a lot in, which is understandable, but that sometimes leads to excessive hours spent driving.

Thanks,
Vlad

Vlad, I’m sorry to say I can’t recall for certain. I’ve looked over the day tours offered on their website and it seems to have been Tour 4, sans cows, which is temporarily unavailable according to the webpage except perhaps as a private tour. I do know we didn’t feel as if we spent more time on the bus than on the ground as that would have been very frustrating. We aren’t tour guys. It was our first tour, even for a day, in nearly 50 years of travel, so “well paced” for me meant balanced driving/visiting time with no rushing. We also waited to schedule according to weather and found our options reduced, Rabbies being completely sold out. I can’t compare but our Heart folks did an excellent job or so we thought. We joined up near the train station. Also, we have driven in the UK and manage well enough, but I’d think for a day trip you’d spend more time picking up, leaving the city and returning the car than actual touring time. Good luck.

The train to Stirling is an easy 40 minute or so ride, with many trains both ways. It's about a half mile walk up the hill from the station to the castle, and while it is a steep hill, perfectly enjoyable (we are in our late 60s and just did this). Falkirk Wheel is also an easy train ride, a bit shorter than Stirling, from the Camelon Station it is an interesting walk off just over a mile, the last half through open countryside. Both make for a good most-of-a-full-day trip each, and return well in time for dinner. I don't think you can easily access the Kelpies from the two stations around Falkirk without a car, the distance between them and the Wheel is too great and they are in opposite directions from the train line. Note that for both Stirling and the Falkirk Wheel you really need to book your ticket and time in advance.

If you decide to rent a car, and like abbey ruins, there are a few abbey’s a little over an hour drive from Edinburgh; Melrose, Jedburgh, and Dryburgh. Nearby is the Lochcarron of Scotland Visitor Centre, a woolen store and mill. You could combine them with a stop at Rosslyn Chapel.