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Fairytale Castle Tour: Explore Dunrobin Castle
4.4
43 Ratings
Highland Council
Experience the magic of Dunrobin Castle, Millionaire’s View, and Dornoch Village & Shops with our specially curated tours. Enjoy a quality experience with knowledgeable guides, complimentary water, and free rainmacs. Book now!
Experience the magic of Dunrobin Castle, Millionaire’s View, and Dornoch Village & Shops with our specially curated tours. Enjoy a quality experience with knowledgeable guides, complimentary water, and free rainmacs. Book now!
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Struie Hill - Known as the Million Dollar viewpoint, this spot offers a breathtaking view over the Dornoch Firth. Take a 10-minute break here for some stunning photos.
- Dornoch Cathedral - This cathedral gained fame from the wedding blessing of Madonna and Guy Ritchie.
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Jail Dornoch - A charming shop that is definitely worth a visit.
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- Struie Hill - Known as the Million Dollar viewpoint, this spot offers a breathtaking view over the Dornoch Firth. Take a 10-minute break here for some stunning photos.
- Dornoch Cathedral - This cathedral gained fame from the wedding blessing of Madonna and Guy Ritchie.
- Jail Dornoch - A charming shop that is definitely worth a visit.
- The Dornoch Bookshop - Explore a vast collection of books.
- Dornoch - Enjoy a leisurely exploration of Dornoch village and its many attractions, some of which are mentioned above. The village features shops, cafes, bars, history trails, a museum, Cocoa Mountain cafe, Eagle Tavern, Castle Inn, the Jail gift shop, a bookshop, the renowned Cathedral where Madonna married Guy Ritchie, historical information about the last witch to be hanged, charity shops, ice cream parlors, and a fantastic antique shop.
- Dunrobin Castle and Gardens - As the most northerly of Scotland’s large castles, Dunrobin Castle boasts 189 rooms and is one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited homes, dating back to the early 1300s. It has been the residence of the Earls and later the Dukes of Sutherland. The castle is set in a stunning location with beautiful gardens.
During your visit, enjoy an impressive falconry display in the enchanting castle gardens, where birds of prey will captivate you. Afterwards, explore the castle museum before touring the elegantly furnished castle itself.
The Castle, reminiscent of a French chateau with its towering conical spires, showcases the architectural influences of Sir Charles Barry, designer of London’s Houses of Parliament, and Scotland’s own Sir Robert Lorimer.
What's Included
- All fees and taxes included
- All fees and taxes included
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Lunch
Additional Information
This tour features a Fairytale Castle theme, along with historical and scenic attractions. It offers a comprehensive experience for a single day’s tour and is both affordable and excellent value for money. Admission to Dunrobin Castle is INCLUDED.
Occasionally, this tour provides the option to include an additional stop, such as visiting Black Rock…
This tour features a Fairytale Castle theme, along with historical and scenic attractions. It offers a comprehensive experience for a single day’s tour and is both affordable and excellent value for money. Admission to Dunrobin Castle is INCLUDED.
Occasionally, this tour provides the option to include an additional stop, such as visiting Black Rock Gorge, the Seaboard Mermaid sculpture, the Cadboll Stone, the Glenmorangie whisky shop/distillery for photos, or witnessing salmon jumping in August at Shin Falls. The guide will discuss these options with participants on the day, depending on the schedule.
Our tours are carefully crafted based on feedback from YOU. We have gathered your preferences and requests to design our tours. Our guides will share their extensive knowledge of the local Highlands and are ready to answer any questions you may have.
Typically, tours depart 30 minutes to 1.5 hours after the ship’s arrival and return at least 1 hour before the ship’s departure. Please visit our website for the precise tour departure and return times for each tour.
- Wheelchair travellers difficult
Location
37 Shore Rd
Shore Road
Invergordon pier - Disembark cruise ship, walk 2 minutes to the coach park on Shore Road, Invergordon IV180DH or look for our Thistle Guide wearing purple or we can meet you at our booking office, 64 High Street. Please book on our website via PayPal
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.4
(43 Ratings)
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1 star
Karen_m
Sep 21, 2024
A lovely day spent in Dornoch and Dunrobin Castle - We had a wonderful day!! We really didn't know what to expect but Thistle Tours really came through for Viator. Laura was our guide. She was knowledgeable, flexible, and kind. We had a small group of 8 and this allowed some flexibility in our tour. None of us cared about Whiskey so we skipped it. That gave us more time for Dunrobin Castle, the gardens and falconry show. This is a really great castle to visit. We had adequate time everywhere. Dornoch is a really sweet town where we found some good souvenirs and spent time in the church there. Delightful. Viator has NEVER let us down and we have used them a lot over the years. Well done Laura, well done.
Review provided by Viator
Teamco4
Aug 20, 2024
Book Thistle excursions! - We took this Thistle Excursion with June and we had the best day! She modified the trip a bit due to weather, but we saw everything we wanted to see and were back to the ship in plenty of time. When next I go to Invergordon, I will not hesitate to book with Thistle. I highly recommend Thistle!! They will even work with you to plan a specific itinerary of what you want to see. It was such a wonderful day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meghanco4313lt
Aug 20, 2024
Fantastic Experience for Invergordon Cruise Port - This tour was the best decision we made on our cruise. It was packed full of beautiful views, good information, and fun sights. Our guide was June, and she was a delight. I would do this again and again. Really cannot recommend this tour enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Evelyn_k
Aug 7, 2024
Fun day with Mo on this full day tour. - Our driver & guide, Mo, was delightful. She drove us to Dunrobin castle (beautiful) where we saw the falconry demonstration, to the village of Dornoch and the Glenmorangie distillery and many interesting sights along the way. Mo is a wealth of information and fun facts. I recommend this tour, and ask for Mo to be your guide.
Review provided by Viator
Arné
Aug 1, 2024
Cinematic and impressive excursion to Dunrobin Castle with Harry Potter vibes. - Great field trip. First stop the dragon rocks from Harry Potter's Goblet of Fire. Then the picturesque Dornoch and as a bouncer the beautiful Dunrobin Castlle. Beautiful castle which takes you back in time. The falconry show was also great. The excursion was led by guide and driver Loraine.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tishrum
Jul 24, 2024
David O’Brien, an excellent tour guide. - There were eight of us on the tour. Our tour guide gave David did an excellent job of catering to our wants and needs! He showed us some fantastic places, and his knowledge of the history of the area was great!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susiebee58
Jun 20, 2024
An excellent and interesting tour - This tour appealed to me and my husband as we did not want to do a whiskey tour. Our main interest was Dunrobin Castle and Dornoch. I booked the tour and was expecting lots of people but there were only 6 of us in a minibus, which was nice. Our tour guide Laura was exceptional and gave us lots of information about the Highlands, history, culture and environment as we drove through the countryside and villages. Unfortunately, due to the weather we could not go to the Black Rock Gorge and gave us the opportunity to see if there was anything else, we wanted to see or do. In Dornoch we had some free time to explore on our own, which was a pretty village. We could have spent some more time there as we had started a self-guided walking tour but did not have enough time to finish it. We also discovered a museum which looked interesting. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, we could not go into the Cathedral as there was a service on. However, we did go back in the afternoon. The Cathedral was well worth a visit. The highlight of the tour was Dunrobin Castle, gardens and the falconry display. We also went to the Million Dollar viewpoint which had spectacular views over the Dornoch Firth. Thank you for a wonderful tour despite the weather.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susanna_b
Jun 20, 2024
A wonderful interesting tour - This tour appealed to me and my husband as we did not want to do a whiskey tour. Our main interest was Dunrobin Castle and Dornoch. I booked the tour and was expecting lots of people but there were only 6 of us in a minibus, which was nice. Our tour guide Laura was exceptional and gave us lots of information about the Highlands, history, culture and environment as we drove through the countryside and villages. Unfortunately, due to the weather we could not go to the Black Rock Gorge and gave us the opportunity to see if there was anything else, we wanted to see or do. In Dornoch we had some free time to explore on our own, which was a pretty village. We could have spent some more time there as we had started a self-guided walking tour but did not have enough time to finish it. We also discovered a museum which looked interesting. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, we could not go into the Cathedral as there was a service on. However, we did go back in the afternoon. The Cathedral was well worth a visit. The highlight of the tour was Dunrobin Castle, gardens and the falconry display. We also went to the Million Dollar viewpoint which had spectacular views over the Dornoch Firth. Thank you for a wonderful tour despite the weather.
Review provided by Viator
Svetlana_g
Sep 26, 2024
Incomplete experience due to the guide - September 8, 2024 was a cloudy day with some light fog in the morning. We went to Dornoch first and Fairytale Dunrobin Castle last. It would be a better experience, due to the weather, if we went to the Dunrobin Castle first and enjoyed the museum and the Falconry Displays/Show at 11:30 and in the afternoon went to Dornoch. The tour guide made a decision to skip the Million $ view and instead to stop in the middle of nowhere with a view of a random field. She said she knows that the Million $ view would be too foggy and we wouldn't be able to see anything. She was wrong, by that time the fog cleared up and when we droved by the Million $ view the view was clear. The driver Kenny suggested to her to make a stop but she refused. Fairytale Dunrobin Castle was very nice but not enough time was given to see the castle, the castle museum and even the Falconry Display. The Falconry Display stats at 2:30 down in the Gardens and lasts 35-40 minutes. She told us to be back on the bus at 3:00. The hike from the Gardens back to the bus takes at least 15 minutes if you are fit. We ended up rushing through the castle, stopping at the toilets and going to the Gardens but were not able to see the Falconry Display since we had to be back on the bus at 3:00, even before the show ends. Also, we didn't have time to stop at the castle museum. Additionally, she didn't explain anything, such as, where the castle museum is and how far down in the Gardens is the Falconry Display and how long does it last. For some reason she clearly didn't want us to see it and/or the museum because we had plenty of time and ended up having an extra 50-60 minutes that she didn't know what to do with. After we left the castle she decided to take us to a whisky distillery, that was not a part of the itinerary, but when we got there it was closed. After that in her own words she took us on a wild goose chase going through random fields and stopping to see a stone that was not on the itinerary as well. The driver, who was very good, is a local and he said that he'd never been there. In conclusion, we didn't have a complete experience, as promised per itinerary purely due to the poor planning by the guide. We didn't book this tour and paid our money to stop in the random field instead of the Million $ view, chasing the wild goose, or to see the stone that we'd never heard about. Most likely we will not visit this part of the world again and are very disappointed with the experience. Because of the above, it was a poor value for us and we don't recommend it.
Review provided by Viator
Noswalmot
Sep 8, 2024
Deaf and Blind - The microphone on the bus didn’t work. The backup that the guide had echoed so bad we couldn’t understand stand him. The places we visited were uninspiring. It was a waste of time and money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
