finallyretired

I am thinking of an eight to ten day tour of Scotland. Tauck would be lovely but a little too rich for my wallet. Our only other bus tour was Royal Irish to see Ireland and the other participants who were seasoned bus tourers told us it was the best they had been on by far, way better than Traflager, Globus, CIE etc. Royal Irish (dba Royal Scottish) does do tours of Scotland and I would sign with them in a minute but they quit too early in the season for what I need this year as I am co-ordinating with a family event in Yorkshire. Any suggestions as to a company between the levels of Tauck and the others mentioned above?

latedaytraveler

Finally retired, I would suggest looking into Insight tours - a bit above Trafalgar, but not as pricey as Tauck.
Good luck!

historytraveler

I haven't done a tour of Scotland for years and both companies I traveled with are now out of business. I have heard good things about CIE but suggest you have a look at www.highlandexperience.com. They do shorter tours, but I believe they offer a 5/6 day trip. You could easily combine this with several days in Edinburgh which is not to be missed and Glasgow which, unfortunately, often gets short shrift.

I would also add that if willing to take the train you could visit some interesting places on your own and at your pace and it would probably be less expensive.

A caveat to tour companies is to be completely aware of exactly what's offered...a "we'll see" does not always mean a "visit". Another problem with many tours is overloading the intinerary with too much travel between sights.

historytraveler

Forgot to mention Discover Europe. I have not traveled with them but have heard some positive feedback and know they do small group tours which is the only way I'd travel with a tour. www.discovereurope.com

historytraveler

Rats, wrong website. That's what happens when you try and guess at it. It should be www.discovereuropeltd.com

By the way, they have an A+ rating from BBB.

almcd

Some years ago, I used a company called David Urquhart Tours for a bus tour of northern Scotland. They were excellent and very reasonably priced. Google the name and you should be able to get the necessary information.

texasjo

I would also suggest Insight. We have done a couple of their tours including "Best of Ireland and Scotland" and were very pleased. "Country Roads of Scotland" is very popular and might interest you. Grand European also does Scotland tours but we have not traveled with them. Good luck!

scotlib

Instead of a big bus, maybe try a minibus tour .. Rabbie's Trail Burners, http://www.rabbies.com/, offers trips from 1-day to 16.

I enjoyed a 5-day trip last year. Great tour driver, wonderful company (Aussies, Kiwis, Canadian, and a few US), and those itty-bitty roads are scary enough in the minibus; you won't see the itty-bitty in a big bus trip, at most just the itty.

finallyretired

My word, go away for the weekend and then come back to all of these hints. I shall be checking them all most carefully. Many thanks to you all for opening my eyes. I guess I was just getting lazy.