We are considering this trip in 2026, mid September. Please comment if you went on this trip in 2025.
How many people in your group?
How was the weather?
Did you have sufficient free time for exploring?
What was your favorite experience?
Did you make good friends in the group?
Have you taken a Scottish tour with another company and how did this compare?
Please add anything else of note and thank you very much.
Welcome to the forum!
Have you read the reviews on the tour page?
I'll just add that all Rick Steves tours are limited to 28 people, and the weather in Scotland is known for varying widely even in a 24 hour period.
I haven't taken a RS tour in Scotland, but we did a walking tour with a different tour company in early September of 2023, we loved it. We lucked out with the weather and had beautiful sunshine the entire week we were in the Highlands. We arrived in Edinburgh just as the Military Tattoo had ended on August 31st, spent a few days there on our own and then took a train to Glasgow to meet up with our tour group. I wish I had spent more time in Scotland and hope to make it back someday soon.
We did not take this trip in 2025 but in mid August of 2019 and it was wonderful. We had the average number for RS tours in our group and all were good to travel with. The weather was rainy (hard rain a couple of days and more misty a few days and some sunshine too- prepare for everything I would say).
We had a lot of time for exploring everywhere but would have liked more time in St Andrews, it seems the adjusted itinerary may allow for that extended time.
We were able to go to the Tattoo which was a favorite thing, we also really enjoyed Oban and the trip to Iona. We saw Glasgow on our own with a guide but that is included in the itinerary now which is nice.
We traveled with some of our hometown friends and also another couple that we met on a previous RS tour, all the other tour members were friendly and we enjoyed them.
We have not gone to Scotland with another tour company, but would love to go back on our own and explore more. This tour was a good mix of guided tour and time on our own.
I really loved the Greyfriar's cemetery - it was really interesting to look through and we went back a couple of times. We also toured the Royal Yacht after the end of our tour as we stayed an extra night.
I took this tour in September 2023. It was my ninth RS tour and one of my favorite! The scenery was gorgeous, great food, and a lovely group of 29. That is the largest number for the tour, but we really got to know the group well. I felt there was sufficient time on our own. I like to geocache, so taking walks and caching was on my agenda. The tour ends in Edinburgh, so if you really want to explore there more add a day or two. We were blessed with very good weather overall. Our day at Culloden was very cold and rainy, however. The whiskey waiting for us was a welcome warm up. There was also one short sudden down pour in Edinburgh that I was completely unprepared for, because we had been having such nice weather (not rainy but cool). It's hard to say a favorite experience, because they were all unique in their own way. Before the trip start in Glasgow, we took a private tour with Stewart Gunn (Tartan Tours) to the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel. That was something I would recommend.
