Jacobite Steam Train day tours get you to the train and home again the same day, from Edinburgh, Inverness or Glasgow. You ride the train one way, or stop at Glenfinnan to watch it cross.
Thirteen hours from Edinburgh. The ticket in the fare is one way, Mallaig to Fort William, over the viaduct; the bus does the rest, across the Forth Bridge in the morning and Rannoch Moor at night. You can download the audio guide.
From $261 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Twelve and a half hours from 15 Union Street, opposite the Victorian Market in Inverness. You ride from Fort William to Mallaig, about 105 minutes on the train, then have 2 hours 15 minutes by the harbour before the drive back.
From $261 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Twelve hours from Charlotte Square. Callander, the Three Sisters of Glen Coe and a lunch stop in Fort William come before 90 minutes at the viaduct and Loch Shiel, then Pitlochry on the way home. You watch the train rather than ride it.
From $60 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Twelve hours from Castle Terrace, leaving at 7:15am or 8:15am. You get 75 minutes at Glenfinnan with visitor-centre entry and the viewpoint walk in the fare, and children from four can come. Food and drink are yours to buy.
From $75 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Fourteen hours from George IV Bridge, with 30 minutes at Glenfinnan and an hour in Mallaig. With the train option you ride standard class, and on some dates you board the afternoon train at Mallaig. Full refund up to 21 days ahead.
From $78 per person
Full refund if cancelled up to 21 days in advance
Thirteen and a half hours from George IV Bridge at 6:00am. Pay the coach-only fare to watch, or the dearer option for about two hours on the train from Fort William. It cannot be refunded once booked, so be sure of your date.
From $79 per person
Non-refundable: this fare cannot be cancelled or changed once booked.
Twelve hours from your Glasgow hotel, collected at 8:30am. The day takes in Stirling Castle, Dalwhinnie, the Commando Monument, the Three Sisters and Loch Lomond, with 90 minutes at the viaduct. One price covers up to four.
From $955 per group, up to 4
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Twelve hours for your party alone, from an 8:30am pickup in Edinburgh. You watch the train from the viaduct for 90 minutes. Infant seats are available and the car takes a stroller. Priced per group of up to four.
From $1,063 per group, up to 4
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Ten hours door to door from your Edinburgh address in a private minivan. You spend 90 minutes at the viaduct watching for the train, with water and snacks in the car. Lunch is not included; one price covers up to four.
From $901 per group, up to 4
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Ride from Fort William to Mallaig, about 105 minutes on the train, then 2 hours 15 minutes by the harbour, for $261 a person.
Check availabilityIt is one long day that gets you to the train and back to your bed. You leave Edinburgh, Inverness or Glasgow in the morning, reach the West Highland Line by road, and return the same evening. Nothing is left in a hotel on the way.
On the day tours that ride, the ride is one way. West Coast Railways sells only returns from Fort William, so the tour buys the seat and the coach meets you at the other end. On the viewing tours, you watch the train cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct instead.
No packing, no second check-in, no luggage limits. You leave with a day bag and come back to the same room. That suits a city break with one Highland day in it.
Edinburgh has the widest choice, Inverness the shortest road to the train, and Glasgow a private day from your hotel. Each start is compared on jacobite steam train tour from edinburgh and jacobite steam train tour from glasgow.
A direct ticket makes you ride out and back. A riding day tour gives you one crossing and the coach for the other leg, so you see Glen Coe or Rannoch Moor as well as the line.
Most day tours refund in full up to a day before. The exceptions are the Gray Line days: one needs 21 days' notice and the other cannot be refunded.
The alternative is a trip with nights. Here is how the two compare, from each listing's own details.
| Day tours | Multi-day tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 10 to 14 hours | 2 to 4 days |
| The Jacobite | One way, as an option, or watched | One way, or as an option |
| Skye | No | On most |
| Beds and breakfast | No | In the fare |
| Luggage | A day bag | 15 kg and a carry-on on the Edinburgh trips |
| Fare | $60 a person to $1,063 per group | $469 to $1,044 a person |
| Full refund | Up to 24 hours ahead on most | 24 hours to 28 days ahead |
If you want Skye, or cannot face 13 hours in one go, the trips with nights are on multi-day tours with the train. How the Skye trips work is set out in the Jacobite and Skye in two to four days.
75 minutes at Glenfinnan with visitor-centre entry and the viewpoint walk in the fare, leaving at 7:15am or 8:15am, for $75 a person.
Check availabilityAnyone who wants time in Mallaig or on Skye. A day tour gives you one to two hours by the harbour at most. Take a trip with nights instead.
Anyone sleeping in Fort William. You are already at the station. Book a direct return and ride both ways; see the Jacobite without a tour.
Families with small children. Most day tours take children from four or five, and every one runs 10 hours or more. A night on the way makes it easier.
Anyone set on first class. Tour tickets are standard class. First class and the private table for two are sold only direct.
Day tours, trips with nights and the direct ticket sit side by side on Jacobite Steam Train Tours.