We took the Rabbie's Tour in September 2017 to Lacock, Bath, and Avebury. Our tour guide was Nick. We had a terrific time. Nick's knowledge of the region, including information about London itself as we left the city, was so impressive and very interesting. We learned a lot, saw some tremendous sights, and can't wait to return to the UK for another Rabbie's Tour. Highly recommended! read more

Ok I was really looking forward to touring with this company because they offered small group tours for a reasonable price. However, I was let down by how the tour went. First, my cousin and I arrived at the check in point early and sat down for breakfast in the little cafe. We were told it would be announced when the tour was ready. It so happened that my cousin was in the restroom when they called us. There was at MOST a 5 minute delay from when they called to when we started walking towards the bus, but the tour guide started waving at us impatiently to hurry as if we were errant kids. The tour guide is also a former salmon farmer now tour guide and is dressed in a kilt. I would have preferred a friendlier guide without the gimmick - just be yourself! We arrived at our first castle and it was "closed" so we moved onto the town. We were told that we are stopping there for a meal and were recommended certain cafes for pies. We were not told this was for a light bite and that we are getting a lunch break later so we made sure to get the pies. We then rushed back only to see that the one other couple that was on the tour was already on the bus and the driver and the couple were both sarcastic with us for being slow. We simply replied that we only ate the pie that the driver recommended! Plus, he told us we were not allowed to bring food on the bus and so we didn't get it to go. Come to find out that the first castle is actually open but the driver got the time wrong so that's why he's in a rush (the older couple happened to find out by having gone to a tourist center). So he drives like mad back so we can see the castle and the driver specifically tells my cousin and I to be sure we are on time. I also felt the tour was marketed differently than how it played out. I specifically chose this tour because it was to focus on lochs and castles without the hype of Loch Ness. We barely stopped at any Lochs!! The first one we stopped at (which was breathtaking) we were given literally only 5 minutes to take pics and hop back on the bus!! Same thing with the last loch. Also, on the way back to the city he drove us through scenery and stopped at a scenic viewpoint, but we had to specifically request if we could get off the bus to take pics and the driver seemed so exasperated by this! Lastly, the whole time the driver did not stop talking. I mean the guy barely took a breath and his stories weren't that interesting or well told. I'm a fan of history and site seeing, but I could not take away anything from what he was saying. My cousin and I were seated towards the back of the bus and so we sometimes whispered to each other our own conversation. Finally the driver took a break and in the silence I guess you could hear our tone of voices and occasionally laughing. We were actually having a serious discussion, and so no way we were super loud because it was private information - but the driver decided to announce please be quiet back there - there are other people on the bus. Uhhhhh, there are literally 5 ppl on the bus (driver, my cousin and I, and the older couple) and we are supposed to just be silent the whole ride back? I could understand if were being rowdy teens or the bus was crowded or something, but my cousin and I are both well educated, well mannered young women in our late twenties. Clearly, if we were the party type we would not be opting for a small group tour of Scottish scenery and would have been partying it up in Edinburgh! I just thought the driver was rushed and rude and I didn't appreciate how the tour was organized. read more

Visited the highlands including several small towns and villages capped off by a tour at Dewar's Aberfeldy. Our tour guide was Doug or "Dougie" and he was an absolute hoot! Great at explaining the countryside and telling historical stories about the areas we traveled through. If you have a chance to check out any of their tours they seem to hire knowledgable people which is a huge plus. Thanks again Doug! read more

Simply the best! Loved both tours and guides Liam and Ali. Plenty of time to roam. Clean and comfortable buses. Affordable and informative.

PERFECTION! Booked the three day highlands tour. Our guide was fantastic, had the best stories and sooo nice! My sister and I are hugeee Harry potter fans, and she would point out stuff that was in the movies. everything was perfectly organized, we were picked and dropped from our hotel. they answered questions and were super accommodating! Would definitely take another tour with them! read more

One of the worst tour experiences I've ever had. The only reason I gave one star was because there was not an option for zero stars. Our tour guide was nice enough but he permitted a single passenger to unduly influence the trip. About 30 minutes into the drive in the morning a passenger asked if we could swing by a destination that was close to our planned route. Our spineless tour guide agreed to this modification and this decision compromised the entire day. It took us about 45 minutes out of the way where we were going. As a result we had to rush to this place - Culloden Battlefield - which meant 4 solid hours of driving with only one stop. Then once we arrived, it is just this field and the tour guide tells us to be back in the bus in 30 minutes after grabbing lunch. So we cram back into the car and rush through Inverness to try and catch up to our original itinerary. The itinerary the entire bus full of passengers bargained for. An itinerary that included riding a boat in the Loch Ness. Well, we left Glasgow at 8AM for a 1PM boat ride and were late for the boat. So we missed it entirely. The tour guide just dropped us off in Inverness for an hour and a half to just mill about. Inverness is a nice place but i didn't pay money and sit in a van for 4 hours to walk around some town for an hour and a half. I'm sure they're are nice towns much closer to Glasgow which are also more inexpensive to get to. It only gets worse. As a result of our detour, we also missed our next destination. We were scheduled to make the Glencoe Visitor's Center. However when we arrived it was closed. So we stopped in this random overlook for maybe 5 minutes then it was back in the bus. It was absurd. Paying all this money to ride around in a bus for over 12 hours. Of course the scenery was beautiful but we literally were in the bus the whole damn day. We left Glasgow promptly at 8am and did not get back until 845PM. If we had spent the amount of time at the advertised destinations that we expected to we would've gotten back at midnight. Just because the clueless and myopic tour guide folded like a cheap lawn chair to this loud mouth yankee from Maryland, the whole tour bus suffered and was deprived of the opportunity they were promised. It's unacceptable and is unfortunate because this could've been a wonderful experience. The company should adopt a strict no improvisation on the itinerary policy. I'll never be booking with these clowns again. read more

We took the 3 day Speyside Whisky Tour, May 4-6, 2016, with Duncan as our guide. It was excellent. Although three distilleries were "promised" we toured six. The nature walk, tours of historical site, and information provided were very good and useful If I were to need another tour that Rabbie's offered, I'd use them. read more

Although our rating is obviously based on the tours we took, this review is about Rabbie's in general, not specifically our Isle of Skye or Hadrian's Wall trips, which would each garner five stars on its own; and it is about only the Scotland version of Rabbie's, which is a well oiled machine. Now in its 25th year, it has worked out all the kinks and offers a first rate experience in comfortable 16-passenger mini buses (no wifi, but get real people: you're doing this for the scenery, not the interweb). Both guides we had were excellent: personable, knowledgeable, thoughtful, careful, creative...brave, clean, and reverent. Boy Scout jokes aside, they are top notch pros, and they'll take you to see things bigger buses or other companies don't. The guides have thoroughly researched their topics and explain many aspects of what you're seeing or traveling through--mythology, geology, economy, history, sociology, art--in some cases even tailoring their patter to the interests of the group. They'll also vary the route a tad or add or skip attractions as requested. (We had a convivial group. I don't know what would happen if the passengers disagreed. Fisticuffs, I suppose.) The start point in Edinburgh is Rabbie's Café, so you can buy a coffee and a pastry for the bus or sandwiches for lunch. We've always been chary of group tours, but we're sold on Rabbie's. read more

Took the 1 day tour. The driver of the van was good. It was still tight with 16 people. Was disappointed with our guide.

O-U-T-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G!! Honest to God - the BEST TOUR EVER! We took the 3-day Isle of Skye tour May 2-4, 2014 1) Phenomenal Guide - we had Peter, and I thought we were SO lucky to get him. (But read the other reviews - it looks like ALL of the guides are rated as amazing!) Peter was funny, entertaining, knowledgeable on a wide range of subjects, helpful, friendly, and took us to a lot of truly outstanding locations. 2) Super comfortable 16-passenger van with great audio system -- I would absolutely NEVER go on a large bus tour again after experiencing the higher quality of a small-bus tour) 3) Great itinerary - we got to see a large number and variety of sights, with a good mix of high and low activity levels, and group and individual time. 4) Very comfortable and clean accommodations with a good price range. After taking this tour I want to spend more time in the Scottish Highlands and plan to return. It was the highlight of our entire UK trip :) read more

We went on the Alnwick Castle/ Borders tour. Gill was our guide. She did a great job! Her love of Scotland and history made this a fun trip. She shared wonderful information and kept the trip lighthearted, even though we traveled many miles on the coach! I would recommend this tour and Gill anytime! read more

My husband and I did the 5 day Iona, Mull, and Skye tour with Jamie, and it was amazing! He was extremely knowledgeable and fun, and the sites were incredible. I'll definitely be back. What an amazing tour of a beautiful place! read more

Just returned from a 5 day tour of the highlands and Isle of Skye. Travelling on a small bus was good. Only had 15 passengers and Jamie our guide,driver and entertainer. The scenery was spectacular as we had 5 great weather days. Lots of stops for photos and exploring. The best bit was the story telling - rare breeds of Scottish long necked sheep which turned out to be llamas. The fairies on the Isle of Skye, and the awful battles that happened over hundreds of years brought to life. I'm sure our passengers would walk 500 miles again with Jamie. read more