Loch Lomond & the Edinburgh Tattoo

Fly to Glasgow where you'll be met by our tour manager, then head into the city to explore. With its Georgian and Victorian architecture, terraced squares and crescents, wonderful shops, galleries and museums (many of which are free to enter), Glasgow overflows with style and culture. It's a dynamic and vibrant place and often voted one of the world’s friendliest cities.

You’ll continue to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Today we're off to Edinburgh. This beautiful, historic city is always a lively place, but during the famous festival season it really buzzes. Join your tour manager to get your bearings on our included guided orientation tour of Edinburgh when you arrive, and visit some of the city’s most famous sites. Highlights will include Princes Street and Jenners (the world’s oldest department store), the Castle, St Giles Cathedral, the Sir Walter Scott monument and the Royal Mile. The tour will end at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland, which you may like to visit (entrance payable locally).

You'll have the rest of the day free to explore. There’s always so much to see and do in Edinburgh: you'll find famous sights, galleries and museums, splendid shopping and fascinating attractions everywhere, and your tour manager will be more than happy to point you in the right direction and help you make the most of your stay. Why not visit The Spirit of the Tattoo, an interactive exhibition that reveals the story and mythology surrounding the Tattoo? It’s an ideal way to learn a little more about the history of this famous event.

In the early evening, make your way to the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle for the evening performance of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Massed pipes and drums, and dancers and display teams from all over the world, combine in a magical blend of music and colour, dance and military pageantry. It's a dazzling and unforgettable spectacle. Highlights include the sight of the Massed Pipes and Drums and Military Bands as they emerge from the huge castle gates and fill the air with stirring music, and the iconic sight of the lone piper silhouetted against the night sky as he patrols the battlements above.

Spend today in the Trossachs, an outstandingly beautiful area of mountains, lochs, rivers and woodlands steeped in history and forever associated with the likes of William Wallace, Rob Roy MacGregor and Mary Queen of Scots.

Your day starts with a visit to the popular village of Aberfoyle before heading to Balloch on the southern shores of Loch Lomond. After the chance to have lunch we'll take an hour-long circular cruise on one of the most scenic parts of the Loch, enjoying the views of Ben Lomond and several loch-side castles and stately homes. The live commentary on board will ensure that you don’t miss a thing.

Your final stop today is the picturesque village of Luss. Take a five-ten-minute stroll from the coach stop into the village to see its lovely little cottages and delightful church, then relax over a cup of tea or perhaps take a short walk by the "bonnie banks" of the Loch and enjoy the stunning views across the water to Ben Lomond, Scotland’s most southerly mountain.

Experience the extraordinary Falkirk Wheel this morning (entrance payable locally). The world’s first rotating boat lift and an extraordinary feat of engineering, the spectacular 35-metre-high Wheel joins two canals with a height difference of 159 feet, and has become an iconic Scottish landmark.

Boarding one of the special boats, you'll sail into the lower caisson of The Wheel and ascend gracefully to join the Union Canal above. You'll then cruise along the Union Canal and under the historic Antonine Wall before returning for an effortless descent. The views of the surrounding scenery revealed during the trip are simply spectacular.

After time to explore the Wheel's fascinating visitor centre you'll return to Glasgow airport to check in for your flight home.