The 8 Best Scottish Borders Tours

1.Rosslyn Chapel and Scottish Borders Small-Group Day Tour from Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 673 reviews · 6 hours 45 minutes (approx.) · from $47Our pick

Ride in a 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach from Edinburgh to Rosslyn Chapel, Melrose Abbey, Scott’s View and the William Wallace Statue. Your driver-guide provides Scottish history and local stories along the way. Rosslyn’s carved stonework is the star, while the Borders bring abbey ruins and wide views. Guides vary, and admission arrangements depend on your travel date.

“Dunkin’ was well wonderful! He was well spoken as well as informative! He was attentive to questions, gave the group time to visit the sites and responded to bathroom requests. I would highly recommend this tour!!!!”

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2.Hadrian’s Wall & The Borders Tour from Edinburgh Incl. Admission

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 607 reviews · 10 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $72Top rated

Ride from Edinburgh in a 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach with an English-speaking driver-guide, stopping at Jedburgh, Carter Bar, Hadrian’s Wall and Vindolanda. Admission to Vindolanda’s Roman Army Museum is included. Guides vary, with past tours led by Andy, Alex, Jim and Sean. Expect scenic border country, Roman sites and a long day on the road.

“Andy was a brilliant guide. It was so lovely to have someone engaging with everyone on the bus and making the trip feel unique. Andy was very knowledgeable about the area and the site. The trip was great, the bus was comfortable and the time spent on the road was broken into manageable chunks of time.”

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3.Harry Potter’s Alnwick Castle and Scottish Borders Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 431 reviews · 9 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $88

Travel from Edinburgh to Bamburgh Castle, Alnwick Castle, and Coldstream on a guided day trip of about nine and a half hours. Expect coastal views, castle history, and Harry Potter filming connections. Castle admission costs extra, and the group is usually limited to 16 people.

“Our tour guide, Tom, was knowledgeable and funny. The sites were beautiful and we enjoyed walking through both castles. Highly recommend paying the extra bit to get inside the castles.”

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4.Alnwick Castle, Northumberland and Borders Tour with Admission

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 299 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $135

From Edinburgh, travel in a 16-seat Mercedes minicoach through Kelso and the Scottish-English borderlands to Alnwick Castle, with admission included and about three hours to explore. Your English-speaking driver-guide provides local stories along the way. The route also takes in the Northumberland coast and a short stop in Dunbar; some departures may add brief coastal castle stops.

“A wonderful day out, including beautiful Alnwick castle. Our guide Nathan was the best-- so many stories, knowledge of history, and a great sense of humor.”

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5.Alnwick Castle and Scottish Borders Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 209 reviews · 9.5 hours · from $129

Spend 9.5 hours crossing the border from Edinburgh with a driver-guide, stopping in Kelso and visiting Alnwick Castle, whose grounds appeared in Harry Potter films. Castle admission and a ride in an air-conditioned mini coach are included. Coast stops vary with the day, and guides such as Jim Scott, Ally and Dave have led trips.

“It was quite amazing! The Alnwick Castle is BEAUTIFUL, our guide was amazing, and we even got to go to Bamburgh. It was a great day!!”

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6.Rosslyn Chapel, the Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 173 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $66

Leave Edinburgh at 8:30 am for Rosslyn Chapel’s intricate stone carvings, lunch and free time in Melrose, and a visit to Glenkinchie Distillery. A driver-guide provides live commentary on the road; site entry fees are extra. The small-group vehicle holds up to 32 people, and the distillery tour is not open to children under eight.

“The chapel was beautiful to visit. The docents gave a wonderful presentation and then we were given time to explore and look at the carvings. Photography is not allowed in the chapel, so give yourself time to explore the gift shop to satisfy something you may have seen in the chapel with a postcard, photograph, or booklet. Driving through the countryside to the whisky distillery was gorgeous as we had a blue sky day. Our tour guide stopped at points giving us the opportunity to take lots of photos. The whisky distillery was fabulous and fun to visit. The aroma alone walking into the building was worth the cost of…”

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7.Alnwick Castle and Scottish Borders Tour from Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 172 reviews · 9.5 hours · from $68

Travel from Edinburgh through the Scottish Borders to Bamburgh’s beach and castle, then spend up to 2.5 hours around Alnwick Castle, a filming site for Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Castle entry is optional. Your guide shares local history along the way, and Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Italian and Portuguese audio guides are available.

“Dusty es un guía excelente. Fue una experiencia muy rica e intensa. Le daría media hora más a bamburgh para poder disfrutar también de la playa junto con el castillo. El lugar es hermoso.”

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8.1 Day Alnwick Castle, Holy Island & Scottish Borders

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $82

From Edinburgh, The Hairy Coo takes you by air-conditioned midi-coach through the Scottish Borders to Holy Island, Alnwick and Bamburgh. A local driver-guide shares stories along the way. Tide times can change the order of stops, and Alnwick Castle admission is extra. Expect a full day, scenic views and a brisk pace.

“If you are a Harry Potter fan, this tour is for you. Craig was an awesome tour guide and driver. Highly recommend.”

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