Seven day tour of Scotland – the very best of Highland and Lowland

Options for your own seven day tour of Scotland. Use this outline itinerary with great ideas and handy checklist on what to see and do. Discover where to eat and stay and how far you could travel with this starting point for your Scottish travel plans.

This self-guided tour suggestion of a seven day tour in Scotland – where you’ll certainly cover a lot of ground! – is just one of many possible itineraries you could do – and there are more route planning suggestions on this site, many linked from this page. 

The tour outlined in the page below is not definitive. Treat it more as a starting point for an idea of how far you could travel in a week in Scotland. 

Seven Day Tour of Scotland – Day 1

OK, so you have arrived in Edinburgh and find yourself, in the morning, blinking in the sunshine somewhere on Princes Street, wondering what to do first. See that castle on the skyline…? Now over to your guide. (“Clears throat and tries to sound friendly…”)

Edinburgh Castle & The Royal Mile

This most famous of Scottish castles has a complex history.

Today it houses the Honours (Crown Jewels) of Scotland, the Stone of Scone (the crowning seat of the Scottish monarchy), St Margaret’s Chapel (Edinburgh’s oldest building), the Prisons of War, the famous 15th-century gun Mons Meg, the One o’ Clock Gun and the National War Museum of Scotland.

The Old Town

Edinburgh’s Old Town features the atmospheric skyline of an ancient settlement running from the Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Alleys (known as closes) run like ribs off the backbone of the main through-route – the Royal Mile.

It is pleasant to stroll downhill from the castle exploring the Royal Mile, with its shops, bars, restaurants and various visitor attractions such as The High Kirk of St Giles, The Museum of Edinburgh and Canongate Kirkyard.

They recall the days when the crowded tenements housed ordinary people and aristocrats all living close together in the same building.

For some of the most interesting shops and a good choice of food and drink, explore the Grassmarket via Victoria Street.

By the middle of the 18th century Edinburgh was still confined within its defensive wall and was very crowded with very high tenements – early skyscrapers!

The New Town

But it had a plan. The civic authorities announced a competition to plan a New Town.

The winner was a young architect, James Craig, whose symmetrical plan had its axis on today’s George Street – a street whose width was intended to be just wide enough for a coach and horses to do a U-turn!

Today, George Street is one of the premier shopping streets in Scotland. Both the Old Town and the New Town of Edinburgh are Unesco World Heritage sites.

Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street Gardens
Looking up at Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street Gardens
A postcard from Edinburgh
Well, somebody is still sending postcards the old way, judging from this Edinburgh display!

Linking Old Town and New today is The Mound, built from the foundations dug out to build the first New Town. At the foot of the Mound stand two important art galleries – the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland (this one is free).

The Royal Yacht Britannia

Another Edinburgh visitor option is The Royal Yacht Britannia, docked at Ocean Terminal in Leith (Edinburgh’s historic port). This Clyde-built ship was the cruising home of the British royal family.

The self-guided tour covers five of Britannia’s decks, by way of the state apartments, the crew’s quarters, and ending in the engine room. You can take afternoon tea on board too.

Is the Is the Royal Yacht Britannia worth visiting?  It’s a love it or hate it kind of visit. (I hated it! Click the link to find out why…Och, it’s probably just me.)

Seven Day Tour of Scotland – Day 2

Head north to Fife, and the small town of St Andrews – miles of golden sands, the oldest university in Scotland, a ruined castle as well as a ruined cathedral that was once a place of pilgrimage, and of course, the Home of Golf.

St Andrews also gives non-golfing visitors plenty to see and do and is a fascinating medieval town to explore.

The main shopping areas are around Market Street and South Street, with Bell Street and Church Street connecting the two principal streets. 

St Andrews for Golf

The six golf courses at the Links, which include the Old Course, are open to all, as are the golf practice centre and the two clubhouses.

The St Andrews Links Trust Golf Practice Centre (The new Golf Academy) offers state of the art golf technology. In this Fife excursion, you should try to visit the pretty villages of the East Neuk of Fife such as Anstruther, Crail and Pittenweem.

There is also a small whisky distillery you can visit near St Andrews at Kingsbarns.

Seven Day Tour Scotland – Day 3

Anstruther, Fife, seafront east of harbour
Anstruther, Fife – seafront from harbour – you’ll get great fish and chips here! (Anstruther fish bar)

OK, it’s the third day on the road of this seven day tour of Scotland

A week-long tour of Scotland leaves plenty of time to enjoy our magnificent Highland scenery.

After breakfast – head north to the Scottish Highlands (via Perth and main road north – the A9, sometimes called ‘The Highland Road’.)

Take in the little resort town of Pitlochry and nearby Edradour Distillery – the smallest whisky distillery in Scotland.

Blair Castle then the Cairngorm Mountains

Also take in Blair Castle, seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl, Scotland’s most visited historic house.

An extensive castle tour takes in some 30 rooms, including an impressive ballroom with 175 pairs of antlers, the China Room, displaying 1700 individual pieces, and an ornamental armoury which includes targes (Highlanders’ shields) and muskets used at the Battle of Culloden. Nice gift shop here plus small cafe.

Then continue north to Aviemore. Options around here include: The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre. See Scotland’s only herd of reindeer. They are free ranging, but tame and friendly.

There is a daily guided visit plus you see them being fed – and it’s only about a 30 minute walk to reach the reindeer, weather permitting, departing from the Centre.(You can’t book in advance, so get there early.)

The Rothiemurchus area has beautiful landscape, natural history and lots of activities – walk or cycle around marked paths, or enjoy fishing, pony trekking and mountain biking. Later, head north to Inverness – ‘the Capital of the Highlands’.

Cairngorms path network
An enticing path network runs through the Cairngorms National Park.

Seven Day Tour of Scotland – Day 4

Today, visit Culloden Battlefield – 7 miles (11.5km) east of Inverness. No tour of Scotland is complete without a visit to the excellent visitor centre and exhibition and battlesite walk.

The centre explains this historic site and the significance of the famous 1746 battle that accelerated the breakdown of the Highland clan system and the continuation of large-scale emigration from the Highlands.

Take a self-guided tour of the centre and the battlesite – which has been restored to look like it did in 1746. You can take a city bus tour which visits Culloden – if you don’t want to drive.

Loch Ness and down the Great Glen

In the afternoon, take a boat trip on Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle with Jacobite Cruises. Then drive south down the Great Glen towards Fort William (the town at foot of Ben Nevis, highest mountain in Britain).

Urquhart Castle - often a must see on a seven day tour of Scotland
A very popular Great Glen stopping place – Urquhart Castle by Loch Ness

Touring Scotland – Day 5

Today, on your seven day tour of Scotland, in the morning, continue by heading south on the main A82 through Glencoe – experience dramatic scenery here.

Stop at the National Trust for Scotland’s Glencoe Visitor Centre – to learn the history (about the infamous Massacre of Glencoe), geology and wildlife of this famous glen.

There is a small cafe and gift shop at this centre. The Glencoe Folk Museum in the village of Glencoe is also interesting.

Later, continue south via Rannoch Moor for Crianlarich and (pictured) Loch Lomond. For more information on the loch, follow that link. Later, continue south to Glasgow and overnight.

Loch Lomond cruising, Ben Lomond beyond. Probably on many visitors'  seven day tour of Scotland
A good choice of cruises and ‘water-taxis’ are on Loch Lomond. Ben Lomond on skyline.
On Tour – Day 6 of 7

A seven day tour of Scotland gives you time for the two largest cities. Explore Glasgow – one of Europe’s most vibrant city destinations. It is sometimes described as ‘Britain’s finest Victorian city’.

But Victorian architectural exuberance sits comfortably with the Art Nouveau of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the glass and steel of the contemporary city.

Glasgow has more than twenty museums and galleries – many of them free.

These include the stunning Mackintosh House at the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art and the outstanding Riverside Museum, Scotland’s Museum of Transport and Travel. It was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Glasgow is also one of the top shopping destinations in the UK. Typical high street malls such as the ultra modern Buchanan Galleries and the St Enoch Centre are close to the more exclusive Italian Centre and Princes Square as well as the boutique shops of the Merchant City.

George Square, Glasgow in autumn
George Square, Glasgow in autumn

The Willow Tearooms – Charles Rennie Mackintosh had control over every aspect of the design of this tearoom.

This included not only the exterior but also the interior details, right down to the teaspoons and even the waitresses’ dresses!

The Willow name comes from its address in Sauchiehall Street, from old Scots, ‘saughie haugh’ – where sauchies are willows and a haugh is a low-lying ground.

Gallery of Modern Art – GoMA is the second most visited contemporary art gallery outside London, offering a thought-provoking programme of temporary exhibitions and workshops.

Buchanan Street – The Golden Z – the main shopping area of Glasgow consists of Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyle Street – also known as the “Style Mile” – it gives the city its impressive retail statistics. 

Last Day in Scotland!
On the final day of your seven day tour of Scotland, continue south to Ayrshire and Burns Country to see the birthplace of Scotland’s national poet. Burns Cottage was built in 1757 by Robert Burns’ father, William Burnes. On January 25, 1759, Robert Burns was born here.

It is now part of  – and thereby close to – the interesting Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

Continue south to Culzean Castle (pronounced “Kull-ane“) on its dramatic coastal clifftop site. Culzean is probably the finest Georgian castle in Scotland.

A suite of rooms at the top of the castle was gifted to General, later President Eisenhower, for his use during his lifetime, by a grateful nation via the National Trust for Scotland. 

Just for comparison with the seven day tour of Scotland described on this page, here’s the simplest and most popular tour in Scotland. And here are some suggestions on how much time you really need to see Scotland. A seven day tour of Scotland could really just be the beginning of your discoveries.

You’ll need accommodation in Edinburgh. Book well in advance!

Some other Scottish itineraries

More really helpful itinerary ideas: