Edinburgh Scotland Trips in 6 Days on a Budget
Six days nests Loch Ness, Stirling, Rosslyn Chapel, Glasgow and St Andrews from the 5-day version, then adds a cheap Glenkinchie whisky day trip, about GBP 23 by local bus, as day six. Book the Highlands seat first; everything else runs on ordinary tickets. The 7-day version adds one more, a flex day.
Book these before you go
- A Loch Ness, Glencoe and Highlands day tour , the one genuine sell-out risk here
- A Stirling Castle and whisky day tour , if you would rather skip the ScotRail timetable
- Six nights somewhere central, compared on Booking.com
| Day | Trip | One-way travel time | Return cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loch Ness / the Highlands | 3.5 to 4 hours, coach tour | from about GBP 56 |
| 2 | Stirling | about 50 min, ScotRail | GBP 12 to 13 |
| 3 | Rosslyn Chapel + Forth Bridges | 45 to 60 min bus; 20 min train | GBP 10.50 entry plus bus and train fares |
| 4 | Glasgow | about 50 min, ScotRail | GBP 12 to 20 |
| 5 | St Andrews | about 1h45, direct coach | roughly GBP 10 to 15 |
| 6 | Glenkinchie whisky day | about 1h15, bus X7 plus a local connection | about GBP 23, bus plus tasting tour |
Is Loch Ness worth one of six days, or should it be two?
One is enough for a budget trip. Turning Loch Ness into two days, an overnight in Inverness or Fort William, gives you far more time at the loch itself, but it also doubles your accommodation cost on the one leg of this itinerary the Visitor Levy and hotel rates hit hardest. A single 12 to 13 hour day keeps the six-day trip on one Edinburgh hotel bill.
Does a whisky day trip fit after five days of trains and buses?
Yes, and it is deliberately the lightest day in the itinerary. Glenkinchie is only about 1h15 away by bus, the tasting tour runs about 1.5 hours, and the whole day, transport and tour together, costs roughly GBP 23. After five days of earlier starts, day six is a late-morning start and an early return.
Day 1: Loch Ness and the Highlands
Book early, since this is the one day in the trip that needs advance planning. The Loch Ness, Glencoe and Highlands day tour booked above leaves central Edinburgh around 8am and returns close to 9pm, a genuine 12 to 13 hour round trip.
Day 2: Stirling Castle by ScotRail
Direct ScotRail trains to Stirling run roughly every 30 minutes and take under an hour; the current ScotRail fare sits around GBP 12 to 13 for a day return. Stirling Castle, run by Historic Environment Scotland , charges roughly GBP 17.50 to 20 online.
Day 3: Rosslyn Chapel in the morning, the Forth Bridges in the afternoon
Take Lothian Bus 37 out to Roslin, 45 to 60 minutes each way; entry to Rosslyn Chapel runs about GBP 10.50. In the afternoon, a 20 minute ScotRail hop to Dalmeny and a 15 minute walk reach South Queensferry and all three Forth bridges, free to view from the shore.
Day 4: Glasgow, the day trip people skip
The direct ScotRail run to Glasgow takes about 50 minutes at roughly GBP 12 to 20 return. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery, the Riverside Museum and the Burrell Collection are all free, making this one of the cheapest full days in the itinerary.
Day 5: St Andrews, worth it beyond the golf
A direct coach covers the roughly 55 miles to St Andrews in about 1h45. Even if you do not golf, you can walk near the Old Course and the Swilcan Bridge, and the ruined cathedral and castle grounds cost nothing.
Day 6: Glenkinchie, the whisky day trip that is actually cheap
Skip the distillery’s own shuttle-and-tour bundle at about GBP 26 per person, verified via visitscotland.com , and take Lothian’s X7 to Haddington instead, then a local connection on to the distillery near Pencaitland, about 1h15 total for under GBP 10 return on a day ticket. Add the standalone Flavour Journey tasting tour at about GBP 13 and the whole day runs about GBP 23, cheaper than the shuttle bundle and far cheaper than the roughly GBP 40 one-way a taxi costs.
Six days covers every gateway trip in this family except the flex day. Book the Highlands coach seat as soon as your dates are set, and leave the rest, Stirling, Glasgow, St Andrews and Glenkinchie, for the mornings you actually travel.