Loch Ness Cruise, Outlander & Urquhart Castle Tour from Inverness
Overview
Available languages
9 hours
Mobile ticket
Depart central Inverness on this small-group tour and journey to the world-famous Loch Ness, where you will join a cruise to view the ruins of the 13th century, Urquhart Castle. Entrance to Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness Cruise is included. Free time to enjoy lunch in one of the charming local cafés in beautiful Beauly and walk it off exploring Beauly Priory; featured in the Outlander novel series.
Enjoy a Highland whisky experience, where you have the option of sampling a wee dram.
Listen to tales of the Jacobite rebellions and the brutal Battle of Culloden, on our visit to Culloden Battlefield. Outlander fans will love the mysterious burial chambers and standing stones at Clava Cairns. Return to Inverness in the early evening.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
It is recommended to book transport to the departure point in advance. Please also allow extra time to get to the departure point for check-in. We advise you arrive at least 15 minutes before the tour departure to allow time to check-in for the tour. Unfortunately, we are unable to hold the bus or refund for any late arrivals.
Return times are approximate and subject to road conditions and weather. Please ensure you allocate sufficient time for any onward travel plans, allowing at least 3 hours after the scheduled return time for connections or activities.
Children under 5 years old, including infants who do not require a seat, are not permitted to travel. We are unable to accommodate any child under the age of 5.
In cases of extreme weather, the Loch Ness boat cruise may be cancelled on short notice. If you have purchased ticket for this you will be refunded.
Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them to board and disembark.
If downloading an audio guide, remember to bring your headset.
Due to vehicle availability, there may be instances where this tour runs on a bigger bus.
The tour may operate with our sister company, HAGGiS Adventures.
The order of the itinerary route is subject to change.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Loch Ness Cruise (30mins)
Local Scottish English Speaking Guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Urquhart Castle Entrance
Food and Drink
Culloden Battlefield Exhibition (buy on site)
Gratuities
Highland Whisky Experience
What To Expect
Urquhart Castle
Take a cruise* on the Loch and explore the ruins of the 13th century Urquhart Castle. *cruise time is approx 30mins and varies depending on weather conditions
Beauly Priory
Free time to enjoy lunch in one of the charming local cafés in beautiful Beauly and walk it off exploring Beauly Priory; used in the filming of Outlander.
Options
Loch Ness Cruise, Outlander & Urquhart Castle Tour from Inverness
Reviews
1,151 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great tour that covers...
Frida N,
Aug 31, 2025
- Viator
5.00Great tour that covers most of the "must see" places in and around inverness. Amazing tourguide named Iain who told interesting facts and history about places during the drives between stops.
Very expensive for lacklustre tour
Brittney S,
Aug 21, 2025
- Viator
3.00This was one of the tours I was really looking forward to and I think that’s why it felt so disappointing. The tour design itself I found problematic because it was such a slow start to the day. Loch Ness and the castle were great BUT there was too much time here. We did a pretty thorough tour of the castle, but we had an hour where we just sat and did nothing. Then Having lunch and the whiskey distillery back to back meant there was about a two hour time Period Where there wasn’t anything to do or see, especially if you aren’t interested in buying whiskey. In total that three hours felt like wasted time when you pay so much for a tour. I would take the whiskey stop out of this tour because it wasn’t interesting. Lastly, this is marketed as an outlander tour, but our guide had absolutely zero information to share on the show. Our tour guide in general wasn’t very interesting and really didn’t fill the driving time with anything that was engaging. His name was Craig and he was the weakest tour guide we had out of our five tours we did on this trip. I am hoping it was an off day for him, but we learned quickly that tour guides are what really make these tours feel valuable. I did not feel like this was a good investment of my money since most of the attractions we went to were free and they really weren’t that far from Inverness. We probably could’ve just done this by ourselves. I would still hit the sites on this tour on my own and would recommend everyone to do so, but I would skip paying the fee for this unless there are better tour guides
Adventures around Inverness
Terri B,
Aug 16, 2025
- Viator
5.00Great to start off with the boat ride and Castle before the crowds. Just know that the busses meet up the hill from the car park. Lunch in Beauly was okay. Recommend going through the museum if you don’t know the history of Culloden Battle but it gives you less time on the fields which were beautifully haunting. Clava Cairns were peaceful and fun to take disappearing videos at the stones using the pause button.
Loch Ness and Ouland
Anne C,
Jul 27, 2025
- Viator
5.00Very well organized visit, our guide Emily super nice and funny, the different sites visited very interesting
Very good
CRISTOBAL N,
Jul 21, 2025
- Viator
4.00Very good humoured and informative guide All went well we felt that the stop at the distillery was not so interesting as very commercial driven We have been to other stops in Skye where the whisky experience and bar has a great variety of brands not just one Urquart and the cruise the two highlights also Culloden Museum good value
Related Experiences
Operated by Highland Explorer Tours Ltd