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We had the best tour through the highlands with our tour guide Stefan. He's a very safe driver and kept us entertained the whole time. He's took our interests into consideration and included it into our tour. The sights were beautiful and he knew all of the best spots. Would love to tour with Rabbie's and Stefan again.
My family of 4 did a 3-day tour from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye. Everyone on our bus felt like good friends by the time the tour was over. There were plenty of stops along the way, and so many opportunities to get some lovely pictures and learn about the history of Scotland. By the last day of the tour, I was ready to be done. I had taken hundreds of pictures, and there wasn't much else I felt like I needed to see or learn. By the time we made it to Loch Ness, I was just ready to be back home. My gripes are few: our initial tour guide had a family emergency a few hours into our trip and had to be replaced with another guide, which was unfortunate but can't blame anyone for that. Rabbie's did a great job of getting us a replacement guide relatively quickly, and our new guide was great (he got us to Portree around 9pm). Also, there are so many stops along the way to get out and take photos, but there weren't any special excursions or Rabbies-specific perks at any of the stops, which I think was fine for most of our bus, but would've been a nice touch. Only once or twice did we stop somewhere that didn't have other tour buses stopped as well. My kids had a remarkably good time during the 3 days, which was a nice surprise. We would definitely go through Rabbies again in the future, if only to get a feel for where we would want to visit longer on a later trip to Scotland.
Iain saves the day! We booked the 9 day trip Highlands (Syke Iona and Orkney). The review is twofold. 3- Stars Five Day, including Skye, was led by Peter. The trip was not a Rabbies trip for us. Where we found our driver and guide distracted by the rider in the shotgun seat of the bus. Their conversations were a distraction, and after five days, I felt we were not getting the treatment I've come to love about Rabbies. Peter did not lead from the front, and as the five days wore on, I considered earphones and my audio book even. If our trip ended here. I would not return to Rabbies. 5-stars Four Day, including Okrney and 900 square miles of the upper part of Scotland lead by Iain (Pictured). Restoration and faith from the moment we were added to the group who left Edinburgh the day before. Ian shared so many facts, history, and landscape thoughts that was never ending. He hiked down to caves, over title pools where the tide was out, over cliffs, and so much more. He took time to care for everyone on the trip. He knew us so deeply and incorporated folks by name through the trip. He was the embodiment of the Rabbies way as we first experienced in Dublin as we traveled with them in 2019 on two trips. Peter needs to be retrained and reoriented to the experience. Iain the Magnificent ... thank you, thank you, thank you!
Not my favorite for several reasons. I'll start with the positive: The 11 passenger van was clean and in good condition. The tour guide knows a lot of facts and history. The negative: we were a group of 9 for the Loch Ness tour. They would not put us all in the same van, insisted on splitting us up in 4/5 between two vans, mixed with other groups. They said this was so we would not "take over" the van. I think perhaps they were concerned with a raucous group that would distract from the tour. Not to worry. The tour guides did that himself with frequent political opinions and dad jokes. There was never a moment's peace to just look out the window and enjoy the scenery. It was just too much talking. We are a close knit group, including several professional photographers. We wanted to take photos together at the stops along the way, but since we were in two separate vans, we didn't stop at the same time, so no group photos or technical discussions at the various stops, until we got to Loch Ness. It was disappointing. The other part of about the Loch Ness tour that they make a lot of stops along the way, for a few minutes each. I recognize that there are 11 people on the van who might need to use the facilities, but I think I would rather make one or two less stops and then spend more time at Loch Ness.
My wife and I had an amazing time on our 1 day Loch Ness tour with Chaz! If I could do it over, I'd definitely book a longer tour because some stops felt rushed, but that's not the tour's fault, it just has to be that way to get there and back in a day. I really recommend booking their longer tours. But Chaz was informative, funny, engaging and made our day really positive and worthwhile!
Great tour provider Quality transportation Excellent experience My family took the Kelpies, Loch Lomond, and Stirling Castle tour, with great results. Our ride was comfortable, the background information given was helpful (and occasionally funny), and our guidance for how the day would unfold was clear and sensible. Our 16-passenger van was comfortable, afforded good views throughout, and made the tour feel less overpopulated than large-scale bus tours. Stephen C was an excellent guide and a pleasure to tag along with. I would use Rabbies again in a heartbeat - highest recommendation.
This is my third tour with Rabbie's. It was a three day tour of Skye. Our driver/tour guide was William. The tour itself was absolutely perfect: we saw so many great places: Callender, Glencoe, Portree, Neist Point, Tallisker distillery, Fairy Glen and so much more. William was patient and knowledgeable . He was the perfect combination of funny, kind, interesting and professional. Everyone on the tour enjoyed his stories and his grasp of the history of Scotland. If you told me he was a professor at the University of Edinburgh, I wouldn't doubt it at all. If I had one piece of advice for Rabbies it would be : clone William. If you can do it with Dolly, you can do it with William.
We took Rabbie's one-day tour from Edinburgh to Rosslyn Chapel & the Scottish Borders, a seven-hour journey that included not only Rosslyn Chapel but also Melrose Abbey, Scott's View, the Tweed Valley, and the William Wallace Statue. It was a cold and blustery day in March (although thankfully there was little rain), so it was a good choice because most of our time was spent indoors with only brief forays into the weather. Our tour guide, Mark, kept us educated and entertained during the whole day. He answered all of our questions and had no shortage of interesting stories to keep us occupied for the entire trip. It was clear that he enjoys his job. We know from experience that tour guides are not all created equal. Mark easily ranks among the top three (and we have had many)! We would definitely take another Rabbie's tour if we made another visit to Scotland.
My best day in Scotland so far. Our driver Peter made our trip to Kelties, Loch Ness, and Sterling Castle one of the best experiences I've had. He was kind, engaging, knowledgeable, funny and set the mood for our trip through history. We came back and watched Braveheart and will watch Outlaw King tonight. Thank you for a experience I will never forget . Grateful traveler from California
Experienced three guides on our isle of Skye tour. All were excellent. The small group tours provide enough diversity to make it interesting, but also easy to corral the group vs. the large coach buses. Michael L. was a great story teller and had a great Scot sense of humor.
James M. was our driver for a trip to Glencoe, the Highlands and Loch Ness. It was the kind of day where it was cloudy, then drizzly, then downpours and even some spots of sun. James was very knowledgeable about the areas he took us through, but more importantly, he had a good sense of humor and was just fun to listen to. We had the sense that he may have wanted to be a deejay, as he had a little story -- or, if not, at least the artist and title -- of most of the music he chose. We didn't stay too long in any one place, but we did a lot of stopping for "a wee photograph" where there were some magnificent views. At the places we did stop for longer periods of time, he gave us his recommendations of places to go in the towns. It was a long day but very enjoyable. And, in my opinion, James M. looked a wee bit like Hugh Grant, which is always a good thing. If you're looking for a day trip, you'll do well to choose Rabbie's. And, if you're heading off in the morning, they have a nice little cafe as well. Very good baked goods and breakfast sandwiches. read more
4 years ago
11 years ago
This is for the Loch Ness and the Highlands tour. The group was small - about 16 of us - which I absolutely prefer. Our guide's name was Mackenzie (Mac), and should we ever want another tour in Edinburgh, I'd request to be put on his tour in a heartbeat. It's not that he got us from start to finish safe and sound (though that does count for a lot, right?), or that he kept us on schedule. Mac was funny. Mac was intelligent. Mac wore a kilt and had a thick Scottish accent. But most importantly, Mac was an excellent storyteller. He shared stories about the histories of the Clans, the battles that were fought and the impact on the countryside. He shared stories that could be corroborated, and he shared local myths and legends. But he didn't just tell the stories - no. That would be ordinary! Mac relived the stories, and had us reliving them right along with him. He wove sound effects, gestures (sometimes alarmingly so - 10 and 2, Mac, 10 and 2!) and music into the stories, and it was magical (or was that just me?) He also dropped some knowledge on us in the form of "...and that's where the phrase [enter phrase here] comes from." I made notes of all the ones he mentioned, and fully intend to look them up. I hope he wasn't just blowing smoke up our crack. But hell, even if he was, he was such a great storyteller, I think I can forgive him! Finally, Mac talked about how his company cares for the environment, which was great, but at every stop he showed that to be true for him, as well. He carried several empty trash bags and a trash-picker-upper, and at every stop picked up rubbish. I have to mention that because he wasn't doing it for accolades from the group. He did it because he loves the country, and hates that people are so careless with their litter. I find that to be highly commendable. He also found a way to work in extra stops along the way, which allowed us to see and learn more about the lochs and Scotland. This is actually the biggest reason we were so exhausted. You wouldn't think that sitting in an air conditioned bus being driven around the Scottish countryside would be tiring, but Mac made us work. We'd drive, he'd pull over to tell us about the area then we'd get out for pictures and to hike. We must have made four or five stops before actually getting to our first "real" stop, which was Rannoch Moor in the Highlands. This is what Mac called "the last great wilderness in Britain", and I really hope it stays that way. The pictures will not do it justice. Pictures will never be able to capture the depth of color or the expanse of nature. I know we've all experienced nature before - mountains, deserts, oceans, parks - but these places felt more...is "hushed" the right term? Battles have been fought on these lands - whole clans have been slaughtered and allegiances changed - and you can feel that in the air. Or maybe I'm just being a namby-pamby. The biggest stop for this tour was, of course, Loch Ness. And I will say that it's not at all as I expected it to be. It's huge, yes, and very picturesque. But I was preparing myself for the visual and capital onslaught of a street or two full of "I SAW NESSIE!" merchandise. I was surprised to find that there were only two shops off the main drag, and that they kept their Nessie merchandise levels low. We opted to skip the loch boat cruise in favor of having a nice lunch in town and touring the city of Fort Augustus. As I said, it was a beautiful day, so once we were full, we were able to walk along the Caledonian Canal down to the banks of the loch. It was on our way to the loch that we passed Mac, who had produced a small set of bagpipes from the bus and was camped out on a bench, playing his heart out. At the shoreline, we paused to take it all in and, of course, pose for some pictures. The loch is the second largest in Scotland, though a claim can be made that it's the largest, when comparing volume. Lookit that - I just dropped some knowledge on y'all. We didn't really have a whole lot of time at the loch - for those that took the boat tour, they basically got off the bus, waited for tickets, hopped on the boat, sailed around for an hour, got off the boat, and boarded the bus. I'm glad we decided to stay ashore, because we at least had a chance to explore. We made several more stops on the way back to Edinburgh. At one point, Mac stopped us in an area he referred to as "Scotland as it was before humans came along to screw it up" - basically forest and streams and waterfalls. Pure beauty. This was the second time we came across Mac and his bagpipes, and it set the mood so perfectly. Here we were, viewing a fast-running stream that ended in a waterfall, surrounded by trees and blueberry bushes and heather, and you could hear the faint strains of a bagpipe on the wind. This is the only tour I've been on where I was actually sad at the end. I wanted more stories, more Scottish countryside, more folklore. read more
4 years ago
Can't say enough kind words about how wonderful our tour and especially our tour guide where. Donald was engaging, entertaining and educational. Our 3 day tour of the the Scottish Highlands was absolutely incredible. I highly recommend. read more
4 years ago
7 years ago
Super professional tour company. We did Loch Ness and Highlands. Our tour guide Ally knew exactly where to stop to take in the views and was extremely friendly. Not to do with the company itself- but I did think Loch Ness was not much to look at. Glencoe on the other hand must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. read more
Scotland offers many types of tours that can be overwhelming to choose from. I was between Rabbies and Highland but ended up with Rabbies because of the reviews and price. Starting out at 8 AM, the check in process was seamless. Our driver and tour guide was Grant. He was phenomenal. He made the entire day more of an experience than a checklist. There are plenty of photo opportunities available on the entire tour and there are frequent stops to allow for them. He was full of historical and also pop culture knowledge which made the trip from being boring. He supplemented the pop culture knowledge with music which was a great vibe. I would recommend doing the boat tour over Loch Ness as that is a great way to see it! Overall, very very happy and looking forward to doing another trip with Rabbies! read more
8 years ago
We took the tour to Glencoe and Loch Ness on the recommendation of my older daughter. I was very pleased with the tour, our guide was wonderful. I had a nice chat with the woman working in the Glencoe gift shop, and I wish I'd gotten her name. We made several stops for pictures, and we were able to get some wonderful ones. My younger daughter loved the various whisky tastings, and even had whisky ice cream! I highly recommend any tour with Rabbie's, they're definitely worth it! read more
Booked online a few days in advance, we did the Glen Coe, Loch Ness, and Highlands 1-day tour. Everything was well-organized, informative, and pretty cheap overall at £45 each for a 12-hour luxury van tour. Michael was our guide for the Glen Coe, Loch Ness, and Highlands 1-day tour. We arrived at the specified time near the Balmoral and Edinburgh Waverley Station. You can go into their cafe and stock up on snacks and eat breakfast. We brought our own food with us for breakfast and lunch. Our specific tour was the most popular that day with 5 groups of 16 people each. We were then escorted to the buses, which are actually pretty small Mercedes vans. These are pretty awesome since they are cozy, nicely air conditioned, have phone chargers, and you can hear the tour guide/driver clearly. There are no toilets on the van, however, so we made ample toilet breaks. Our guide, Michael, was hilarious and super informative. Essentially during the entire day tour, which was nearly 12 hours long, we learned interesting facts about Scotland and the countryside. The pictures of Glen Coe really don't it justice. That was the highlight of our tour by far along with just winding through the mountains in the mist. Our guide was funny and charming and the tour was incredible. Highly recommended! read more
5 years ago
6 years ago
We explored the Scottish Highlands in a day trip and our guide was very knowledgable. We had a number of stop along the way. As you can tell from our excitement, we highly recommend if you dont have much time to explore the vastness that is the Highlands. Unfortunately, we saw no Highland Coos but we think it was due to the cold weather. read more
4 years ago
3 years ago
7 years ago
5 stars easily for this! This was valuable & meaningful experience (that I would highly recommend!) in large part because of the tour guide, William Drummond. This was my first day trip and I will likely only book with Rabbies from this point. It is very well organized and worth the money. The tour was efficient and covered a lot of ground for a day trip!! We had as much autonomy as we could at each stop and each stop was important. Will be booking another. And thank you, William, for your story-telling & Scottish music!! read more
This was an absolute blast. My husband and I chose to do the Highland Lochs, Glens & Whisky 1 day tour and our tour guide was Jim. While making our way to our first stop, Jim educated us on some fun facts about Scotland and it's amazing landscape. He also played some "traditional" Scottish music, although I'd describe it as just oldies. We traveled through multiple beautiful areas including Dunkel, Hermitage, Loch Tommel, The Queens View (oh my gosh, the most beautiful place to see on a sunny day), and tummol valley. We also stopped for lunch in Pitlochary and had a great lunch at McKays. Dispite it being a touristy area, it was still very nice. We ended the tour with a trip to Dewars for some whiskey. Big shout out to our tour guide though. He really made the trip interesting, fun, and kept us safe. He also was extremely accommodating and patient with everyone's different backgrounds and languages. read more
3 years ago
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7 years ago
We did two Rabbie's Tours and they were both amazing. Our favorite was the West Highlands, Castles, & Lochs with William (Will G). Our guide was so much fun and he was so knowledgeable. We learned a lot about the rich culture and history. It was one of the best days of my life. The highlands are gorgeous and Will stopped at the best places to take pictures and took pictures for all of us. These are the moments that last a lifetime. We are visiting from the US for the first time but it definitely will not be our last! My cousin from Edinburgh recommended Rabbie's to us and he wasn't kidding--- you get to see so much even just in a day trip! Well worth the money. Highly recommend!!! read more
7 years ago
15 years ago
During an eleven day holiday in the UK, the only formal tour we took was the Stirling and Loch Lomond tour from Rabbie's. We made a good choice. Our guide was full of entertaining, educational stories that brought Scotland to life! And the scenery was the most amazing of any we saw on the whole trip. Granted, the credit for that goes to Scotland, but Rabbie's got us there. Be sure to bring your camera, you're going to want to take a lot of pictures! read more
7 years ago
Took the Highlands, Lochs and Whiskey Distillery tour with Bruce. It was very well done. I enjoyed his narration and the fact that he was patient with the group. I will definitely book with them again if I'm back in Edinburgh. read more
8 years ago
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9 years ago
We took an awesome tour to the west highlands castles and lochs today. It is a marathon trip that takes you to some fantastic castles, lochs, and sights in the highlands. Our guide Fran was top notch, giving the history in a fun and enjoyable way. The group caps out at 16 making it better than the larger tour groups you encounter. I would definitely recommend Rabbies and Fran while in Edinburgh! read more
9 years ago
Go on the Isle of Skye 3 day tour from Edinburgh and request Chris. I could end the review there and you wouldn't be disappointed, trust me. As a young couple that travels the world and NEVER takes a guided tour, I cannot say enough about how impressed I was with this tour. We had a short amount of time in Scotland and knew the only way to see a lot would be to take a tour. The locations we visited were amazing, and the scenery was breathtaking, but our guide Chris made the tour what it was - he was a wealth of knowledge and was one of the best storytellers I've ever heard. I absolutely recommend this tour and if we go back to Scotland, we'll definitely be looking into another Rabbie's tour. read more
7 years ago
7 years ago
11 years ago
I used scoff at organized bus tours as being something for the old and/or lazy traveler. But on our trip to Scotland, my boyfriend and I wanted to see as much as possible. As lovers of single malts, we also had to get our drink on in whisky mecca. Driving ourselves around in a foreign land didn't quite jive with that idea, so we chose Rabbies 4 day tour of Islay, which was pretty much perfect in every way. Our phenomenal driver and guide Sarah literally grew up in a pub in Aberdeen and worked there from the age of 9, so she definitely knew her whisky and also peppered the drive with interesting stories about Scottish history. We saw so many awesome things on the trip, from epic castles to hairy coos (highland cows!) to churches to beaches to lochs to glens to ancient monuments...it wasn't just about whisky. We stayed in a really nice cottage at the Bowmore Distillery which had a full kitchen complete with washer/dryer, dishwasher, wi-fi, and the best surprise of all- a welcome bottle of Bowmore 12 year whisky. On the whisky front, we saw a total of 7 distilleries and did several tours so we learned about each step of the whisky making process in great detail. Bruichladdich was hands down our favorite distillery, but they were all pretty good. One other thing I really appreciated about the Rabbies tour was that it wasn't cheeseball at all. We weren't forced into get-to-know you games with our group or scheduled group dinners (though that did kind of happen naturally by the end). There was a nice balance of planned activities during the day and on-your-own time at night. We were able to truly relax since we didn't have to worry about getting lost or figuring out what sights to see. I just got back 2 days ago and I'm already thinking about going back to Scotland to do Rabbies Speyside tour. Tour skeptic= converted! read more
My husband and I went on the West Highland Lochs and Castles tour with Mike. He was such a sweet man--very friendly and happy to answer questions--and he was very knowledgeable of the area and its history. The tour we went on took place on a 15/16 passenger bus (can never remember which), and all seats were filled. During our drives to different sights, he told us a lot of the history of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, and then on the longer segments he played Scottish music (classic and contemporary) for us to listen to. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour! We saw multiple castles, spent time at Loch Lomond (gorgeous scenery), had a lovely lunch in Inverary (cute town in which Inverary Castle is found), and got to get a taste of the breathtaking beauty that is the Scottish Highlands. After our tour with Mike, I decided I needed to take another trip JUST to the Highlands next time, because one day was simply not enough. I would say my favorite parts of the tour were getting to see Doune Castle (I'm an Outlander fan; my husband is a Monty Python fan) and getting to pass into the Highlands to see the enornous hills and mountains. It was incredible! I wish I could go back tomorrow. I HIGHLY recommend this tour, especially with Mike (though I don't believe you get to choose your guide). P.S. We went on this tour the day after our flight, so we were quite tired. Thankfully, there are many opportunities for mini-naps while going from site to site--if you don't mind missing out on the scenery, that is! read more
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6 Waterloo Place
Edinburgh EH1 3EG
United Kingdom
New Town
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0131 226 3133
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