Balmoral Castle & Royal Lochnagar Distillery From Inverness

Embark on a captivating tour of Balmoral Castle and Royal Lochnagar Distillery from Inverness. Explore the stunning grounds, gardens, exhibitions, and gift shop, and indulge in a delightful audio tour. Don’t miss this royal experience!

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Carrbridge - Stop in Carrbridge to capture a photo of the renowned pack horse bridge.
  • Crathie Kirk - The historic Kirk can be seen from the car park, and visitors may stroll around the grounds before heading to Balmoral Castle. There might even be an opportunity to look inside.

Please note, this is a community church and may not be open for visits on the day of the tour.

  • Balmoral Castle - Tickets are included for a visit here, allowing up to 3 hours to explore the castle and its grounds. Consider visiting the Pipers Café for a meal.
  • Royal Lochnagar Distillery - Conclude the tour with a visit to the Royal Lochnagar Distillery, a perfect end to the day before returning to Inverness.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Opportunity to shop and try whisky (own cost)
  • 45 minutes of free time post-castle visit
  • Hotel pickup included
Additional Information

Balmoral Castle & Royal Lochnagar Distillery From Inverness

Before visiting the castle, there will be a 30-minute stop at Crathie Kirk Church before proceeding to Balmoral Estate.

In 2025, the grounds, gardens, exhibitions, gift shop, and cafe will be open to the public daily from April 1st to July 31st. Opening hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the last recommended admission at 4:30 p.m.

It is recommended to allocate at least one and a half hours for your visit to Balmoral. This will allow ample time to explore the grounds, gardens, exhibitions, gift shop, and the Pipers Hall Cafe.

Visitors will have access to the formal and vegetable gardens, exhibitions in the stable area, and the largest room in the castle, the Ballroom.

An audio handset tour is available in English, as well as Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations. Please note that the audio tour is only available for admissions before 4:30 p.m.

Location
Carrbridge
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.7
(3 Ratings)
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Barbara_s
Jul 16, 2023
On the way to Balmoral - Seeing the Highland Cows, Balmoral itself, the gardens were beautiful. The river Dee flowing by. We had a great driver, Andy, lots of great stories and laughs. He was very knowledgeable. Totally recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Michael_r
Apr 21, 2023
Great Visit to Balmoral - Our driver and tour guide Andy was the best. He was fun to chat with, as well as knowledgeable, and did a great job driving. We recommend this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Rose_d
Jul 6, 2023
Would not recommend - Balmoral was lovely and worth the trip, but for the price of this tour, would recommend renting a car and driving instead. Our tour guide again wasn’t clear on the itinerary, and kept saying that “this is what Andy said.” The listing first says that we visit Crathie Kirk with admission included. We asked about this stop, but we’re we’d go after Balmoral. After we finished at Balmoral, our guide didn’t know about the church, how to get there, or if we needed tickets. Then, we went to the distillery, which per the listing, said that there was a tour included. The distillery did not have us scheduled for a tour, and they were completely booked. We asked our guide who again said he didn’t know. We asked him to call Andy to ask for clarification. He then got angry and made us really uncomfortable. Andy eventually texted us and said that he refunded us $80 for the misunderstanding, but that was after they both told us that we were wrong. It’s one thing for the listing to be wrong, but it’s another to be rude and get angry at us for asking for what we paid for. This is unacceptable behavior, and three women traveling alone in a foreign country should not have to experience something like this. Of note, when we reached out to Andy with our concerns, he said that the church is a private building and can only be viewed from the outside, so again this listing was inaccurate.
Review provided by Viator