The Beauty Of A One-Day Tour From Glasgow to Inverary, Oban And Glencoe

If you’re visiting Glasgow and want to explore the surrounding Scottish coast and the Highlands, then a one-day tour is a great option.

Scotland’s compact size makes exploring its countryside, lakes, and coastal areas easy on a day trip from major cities like Glasgow.

Many historical sites, charming villages, and scenic Glens and Lochs are only a few hours away making it the ideal scenario for one-day trips.

Take a one-day tour during your stay in Glasgow to visit some stunning locations in Scotland.

Recently we took a wonderful day trip from Glasgow that took us to Loch Lomond, Inverary, Oban, and Glencoe.

In this post, we share the one-day tour we took to help you plan your trip itinerary to Scotland.

How to do a One Day Tour from Glasgow

The easiest way to take a one-day tour from Glasgow is to use a tour company.

This eliminates the hassle of renting a car, driving in and out of Glasgow, and dealing with parking at the places you visit.

Scotland has a variety of tour operators that specialize in day tours from all the major cities.

You can choose between touring in traditional coaches or by small vans.

We prefer the smaller vans because groups are typically smaller, they move faster and go to places the big coaches can’t go.

Our experience has been that local tour drivers/guides are passionate about their work, deeply knowledgeable about the area, and eager to share fascinating stories.

Here is a list of tour operators if you decide to take a day tour out of Glasgow.

• Rabbie’s – Rabbie’s is a local tour operator and our favorite. We’ve used this tour company several times on separate visits. Their vehicles, drivers, pick-up locations, stops, and itinerary are great. We’ve loved every one of the tours we’ve taken with them. They also have day tours leaving from Edinburgh.
• Get Your Guide – a well-known tour company and easy to book through their app.
• Viator – another established tour company you can easily book through their app.
• Travel Scotland – this is another local tour company that uses smaller minivans to get around, but we have never traveled with them.

Each tour company has a slightly different route they take for equivalent tours.

By no means are these the only tour companies offering one-day tours out of Glasgow but they are a great place to start your search.

Of course, you can always rent a car if you prefer to drive and visit the area at your own pace.

Whichever way you decide to go with your day tour, Scotland is a great place to see a lot in just one day.

One Day Tour Stops from Glasgow

Our tour met at Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow.

This a great departing location, it’s centric and provides a sheltered well-lit area while you wait for the vans to arrive.

The drivers arrived fifteen minutes before the 8:30 am tour start, which gave us plenty of time to get sorted.

Since several routes leave from the same location being early allows you to find the correct bus and tour.

This area also sheltered us from the cold and wind in the morning and when we returned at night.

Loch Lomond

We started the day with a stop at Loch Lomond.

This is one of the most popular and well-known lakes in Scotland.

Loch Lomond is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area.

This lake is also important because it is considered by many the boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands of Central Scotland.

We arrived just as the sun was rising at Loch Lomond. The view was beautiful!

Because the lake is so large there are many places where you can stop along the lake with varied things to do.

If you’re traveling on your own some activities you can do in Loch Lomond are:

• Take a cruise on the lake
• Visit the Loch Lomond Birds of Prey Center
• Visit Sea Life Loch Lomond
• Hike at any of the parks/green areas surrounding the lake

You can find many more options for activities to do around Loch Lomond on their official website, Visit Scotland website.

As our time was limited we walked in the green areas surrounding the lake and took some lovely photos of the sunrise.

Inverary

The most famous landmark of this town is Inverary Castle, which was featured in Downtown Abbey.

The castle is open for visits at certain times of the year.

Unfortunately, we visited during the winter when the castle was closed.

Nevertheless, this charming town of white-washed buildings on the shore of Loch Fyne is worth a visit even when the castle is closed.

On the day we visited, the lake was so calm that it beautifully reflected the sky, clouds, mountains, and boats on its surface.

In addition to the castle this small town, has some other attractions worth visiting.

The Duke’s Tower or Inverary Bell Tower is the detached bell tower of All Saints’ Church.

The church is located off The Avenue and can be seen from the shore.

This bell tower contains the second-heaviest ring of ten bells in the world.

It is open to the public and the bells are rung regularly.

The Inverary Church is a square building at the center of town. You can see it as you walk up A83 the Main Street.

From the church, you will see another Inverary attraction, the Georgian Inverary Jail.

The Inverary jail was a former jail and courthouse.

Today it is a museum and an Escape Room experience.

At this point, you might be ready for a short break.

We grabbed some delicious cake from Brambles on Main Street (A83) to enjoy with our tea.

Main Street (A83) is filled with tourist shops with great alternatives if you’re looking for wool hats and clothes in general.

There are also arts and other crafts and of course sweets and whiskey.

If you’re traveling independently and reach Inverary near lunchtime, there are three or four restaurants, at least, in this area where you can catch a bite and a drink.

Oban

We arrived on a clear warmish day at Oban around lunchtime.

Oban is a town in the Firth of Lorn and because of its protected bay has been inhabited for centuries.

Today people take ferries to the nearby islands of Kerrera and Isle of Mull.

It is also famous for Oban Whiskey (of course).

On a day tour, a walk down the harbor and promenade is a great way to experience the town.

As an alternative, you can climb up to McCaig’s Tower & Battery Hill for incredible views of the town and the nearby islands.

Although it looks like a Roman coliseum, it is actually a folly—a monument built to honor McCaig’s family and provide winter work for local stonemasons.

Eating in Oban

The best things to eat in Oban are fish and seafood. The following places we tried or were recommended by our guide.

• For Fish & Chips – the Oban Fish & Chip Shop, Nories (we ate at Nories some very good fish and chips)
• For Seafood – Caun Mor (this place was packed for lunch with mostly locals so it’s probably very good), EE-USK on the pier
• For Ice Cream – Pokey Hat. Unfortunately, this was closed on the day we visited so we couldn’t try the ice cream.

If you’re allergic to seafood don’t worry there are plenty of places to eat other things. From Scottish to Thai you’ll find plenty of options.

Whiskey in Oban

Oban whiskey is unique in its flavor.

Its unique coastal location where the Highlands meet the sea influences the flavor profile of the Whiskey.

The flavor profile combines the robust, peaty notes of coastal whiskies with the lighter, fruity characteristics of Highland malts.

The Oban Whiskey Distillery is open for tours and tastings. If you’re short on time just go directly to the 2nd floor for a tasting without the tour.

Glencoe

This valley takes its name from the River Coe that runs through it.

For many, Glencoe is regarded as the home of Scottish mountaineering.

This area is popular with climbers and walkers.

This is also an area frequently visited for its breathtaking scenery.

We arrived at Glencoe just before the setting sun.

We entered through the south side where many of the highest peaks and the skiing area are located.

At this time of the year, we could still see some waterfalls.

The grazing fields were shifting in color, taking on the distinctive orange-brown hues that define the Scottish Highlands.

As we stopped to appreciate the stunning Three Sisters the sun covered them with some of the last light of the day.

The stunning views in Glencoe are why many consider it the highlight of their day.

Enjoying a Day Tour from Glasgow

As night fell over Glencoe, we began our journey back to Glasgow.

It took about an hour and a half to get back into the city.

It was a great way to spend one day in Scotland.

Staying in a city like Glasgow and taking a one-day tour of coastal villages, historical places, and the Highlands is easy and convenient.

In our case, we used a tour company to have this great experience and we would recommend it for anyone who wants to explore outside of Glasgow without having to drive.

But if you prefer to drive, we hope this itinerary inspires your planning and helps you define where to go and how much time to allocate.

Now finish your planning, do some packing, and have a wonderful time in Scotland!