The Edinburgh Gin Distillery has recently had a BIG glow-up! Now located at The Arches, they've…read morecontinued their passion for "blending gin with the city's rich botanical history" (this location is build upon the site of the historic Trinity Church). The new state of the art space is absolutely enormous, very modern and sleek, multi-leveled with enormous windows to let in loads of natural light (and, artistically I imagine, to allow visuals of the city to spill into the room with you), and has a lot going on. As of writing this, you can do a: 1. Classic Tour & Tasting (75 minutes, £28 per person) 2. Gin & Chocolate Pairing (90 minutes, £35 per person) 3. Mix & Muddle Cocktail Class (120 minutes, £50 per person) 4. Gin Making Experience (3 hours, £140 per person) I can't speak to any of them at this point, but whichever you choose BOOK IN ADVANCE. You can also stop by to simply pick-up a bottle at their shop or have a drink at their bar which is open to the public (in nicer weather, enjoy their rooftop terrace). I was lucky enough to be here on their opening weekend, and was allowed a private tasting (still not entirely sure how that happened). The Rhubarb & Ginger gin is lovely and well rounded, the Orange & Basil is a little too basil forward for me, the Raspberry Gin is good but I think Stirling Distillery has them beat there, all of the liqueurs are somehow fantastic, but most importantly: if it's available, you have to get the tiramisu gin. It's one of the most unique things I've ever tasted!!! This is my favorite gin in the world; we always have a bottle of Seaside on hand! I'm excited to return with my partner and have a new tour and tasting experience different from their previous cellars vibe.

We went for the gin + chocolate tasting and the experience did not disappoint. Start to finish it…read morewas such an interactive, educational, and delicious experience. This is great for groups or even solo travellers. It's a must do when visiting or living in Edinburgh.

Highly recommend. If…read moreyou are a Scotch/Whiskey enjoyer, you definitely should check this tour out. Recently me and my friends went and luckily because we rented an air bnb close by, we were able to walk to it. But just fyi when we went, the street that it is on was closed off for the public to walk. So just keep that in mind when thinking about parking. Highlights of the tour were some of the art and presentations they have on the history and making of Scotch. I also really enjoyed how they gave you a sheet that shows examples of some common tasting notes you can expect from each region. I learned that Islay Whiskey was my favorite region to sip from just because of how smoky their Whiskey can be. I had a great time. After the tour they give you an example of each region so you can compare and contrast. On top of everything, the people working there were very enthusiastic and friendly. If we ever came back to Edinburgh I might even want to go again just because of the fun experience.

Great experience learning about Scotch. We had a great guide and got to taste some good whiskey.read more

My wife and I have just completed the 3 day tour of the Highlands and Skye. What an incredible…read moreexperience, our tour guide Gary S. was brilliant, informative and helpful. The Highlands themselves are incredible, the scenery and the history is incredible. The trip on Loch Ness was great. I really cannot recommend this company and the tour enough. Thanks for an amazing time.

Our journey started very early 730 in the morning, and it seems they had enough bookings to fill 2…read morebuses. Starting was not so pleasant, these girls' gang (3 ladies in their 40s), they all took window seats and nowthe guide is asking politely to sit them together so that the other person can board the bus, but no one wanna leave their window, and 3 seats were vacant. Hey, aunties, what about some basic courtesy? Everyone paid the same bucks, so don't act like you own the company Coming to the topic, the guide was witty, knowledgeable, and cool. Yes, I had some difficulty understanding the Scottish accent, but it's okay. The tour started with a quick coffee break at Calendar. Then we stopped at Trossachs Woollen Mill- This is possibly the most easiest way to spot highland cows in Scotland. The second stop was somewhere in the Scottish Highlands: beautiful surroundings, so soothing. Then we stopped at Commando Memorial, Fort Augustus Locks, and Loch Ness View Point, Fort Augustus. Each stop was a 15-45 min stop, depending on how big that attraction was. Loch Ness (Fort Augustus) was 2 hrs+ stop, as a few folks had to go on a boat tour. The bus was comfortable, and the guide kept telling us about stories of the highlands, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and stuff. Overall, it was a tiring but fun day, knowing many facts, stories, and visiting such a beautiful part of the world.

I was so worried about securing a place to be able to have a gin tour and I completely forgot to…read morebuy the tickets until the week before. My worry was for nothing because we were the only ones on the tour. I'm not going to lie, it felt a bit awkward because I'm an anti-social introvert who gets stunned when asked a question by a stranger. I'm sure strangers think I'm a dolt. My fiancé is the kind of socially awkward that says weird things or makes jokes that don't land. Jamie, our amazing tour guide, was very energetic and told a lot of bad jokes (which he warned us he would), so the combination of these factors was actually kind of hilarious. We started the tour early, since we were there early and we were the only ones there. I appreciated that because we had a tight reservation for dinner and could mosey on over there now instead of swift walking. The tour started in the invention room. At first, when reading the description of the tour, I thought this part would be corny but honestly it was fascinating. I love hearing a story about people trying to make their life passion work out. We then moved onto the actual distillery part, making sure to finish our G&Ts before entering. Again, a very interesting tour seen through the eyes of Pickering's Gin. The only problem I had was Jamie asked us to smash a piece of juniper between our fingers and I may have taken that too seriously and needed to wash my hands the rest of the tour but again, not his fault, mine for being too literal of a person. The tasting at the end was the best part. I love gin. It's my favorite alcohol. And the gins here are fantastic. We actually got to try their whisky too. Jamie was so kind in giving us a sample when he found out we had just gotten engaged. I bought a few mini bottles and almost had them confiscated at the airport. Luckily, I was able to scratch by with all my bottles. The security guy told me I was a lucky girl. That's right, lucky enough to have all my mini bottles of this amazing gin.

We enjoyed learning all about the process to make gin and the many varieties. We also had fun…read moretasting the different gins. Our tour guide, Max, was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. We loved the gin!

We took the 4 day tour to Isle of Skye with Rabbie's Tours. It was amazing!! Our driver/tour guide,…read morePeter was knowledgeable and entertaining. I would highly recommend and use this company for other tours.

We went on 3 day Isle of Skye tour in July and it was fantastic. Our guide was Kaylie and she…read moregreat .. knowledgeable and helpful. She was always on time and very kind. I was taking a diabetic medicine that was causing some bathroom issues and she did an emergency stop for me and I am so grateful. I highly recommend tours to see Uk as driving on the other side of the road and a million turn about circles is terrifying so let the professionals take that stress from you. Plus they know where the cool stuff is and when to go. Our other tours in other countries the driver and guide were separate, so she gets bonus points for doing it all and to perfection. the roads are so narrow and scary but she did great. this was first time using this company but left willing to take other tours with Rabbies. She didn't say anything about tips which most do .. but bring tip money and reward exceptional service. We went on the trip with another couple and made some lovely memories. Loved going with friends even made it more special but in other trips we ended up making friends for life so either way is great. We did a stop near an ancient Village I think Vikings anyway there were some shops there where my friend bought a purse and I kicked myself for not going in there and getting one too. I thought the purse prices would be better in Edinburgh they were made with the local Fabric and real leather. When we got to Edinburgh the purses were not as well made and they were more expensive and a lot of them weren't even with real leather or made locally. The Edinburgh purse is a lot of them they use the fabric woven there but they made them out of the country probably China or India. Anyway I that is my biggest regret of the trip that I didn't buy an Islander purse. Now I'm going to have to see if I can buy one online and it'll be a lot more money. So if you go to the Isle of sky and you want a bag or a purse you might want to keep that in mind. My friend bought one that was more large than what I would have wanted but it was around a hundred and some dollars great price for the quality. It's well known that the UK is not known for its great weather. Lots of rain and can be very windy around the cliffs and water. I bought vessie shoes which are waterproof and comfortable but kind of expensive. I also took a raincoat with a hood and a hat with a brim and a chin strap because the wind around the cliffs is real. This hat is especially nice because it has a mesh netting that you can unclip in case you're getting in a buggy area which around the ferry pools we needed. If you don't need the netting you can just clip it back up and so it's really handy. The UK and pretty much most of Europe we find that they like twin beds in the hotels and especially the b&bs. I guess people don't like each other lol and want to sleep together. So we would call ahead and ask that they push the beds together before we get there if that was the case. They also don't seem to have air conditioning screens on the windows or sheets on the beds?? Sometimes places will have fans so it's worth asking or calling ahead to see if you can reserve a fan because they definitely don't have enough fans for every room. If you stay in a US-based hotel like a Hilton or Marriott Holiday Inn you don't have to deal with this as much but I guess it's just common in Europe. Traveling through the summer or heat wave months this can be a bit of a problem. The bed seemed all have these duvets which is great if it's cold out but when it's too warm it's a bit uncomfortable. Since we were roasting we had to open the window didn't love that there was no screen and a lot of the windows are made to where you can only open them about an inch so it doesn't provide much air. This was the case through all of the UK not just the Isle of Skye.

We had an incredibly enjoyable time with Neil! Thank you so much for the informative, thoughtful,…read moreand fun time. We 10/10 recommend this experience, even if you're not a gin fanatic it is worth the learning opportunity as well as a great local experience.

My friend and I had such a good time at Gary's new gin tasting session, we got a gin and tonic on…read morearrival and then got to taste a large selection of gins of different categories (which meant there was something for everyone) that Gary makes himself, with his own recipes on bespoke copper stills! At the end you even get to choose between loads of different gins he's made as a wee extra. I tasted the chilli chocolate orange gin, as well as the raspberry and ginger one. They were both fab!! All the gins we tasted were Gary's, but all around the room were lots of other scottish gins on display, and Gary would answer any questions we had about them. Gary was so informative and friendly and made the whole experience so much more enjoyable, and it felt so much more personal as it was a nice small group in a small distillery that is there to provide a fun experience rather than just make money! Overall it was a fantastic experience and I would love to come back again and try the other experiences such as the one where i can make my own gin and take it away with me at the Sip Antics Gin School!! Thanks Gary, would 100% recommend.

I took 3 different tours with Highland Experience Tours and I have been pleased every single time…read more Our 3-days to the Highlands and Skye with Dejan in July 2025 was simply incredible: he has a knack for storytelling and gives you so many historical facts. This week I book a private tour to the Highlands, Loch Ness, Fort William to show my sister how beautiful Scotland is. Our driver/guide Arina picked us up from the hotel in Edinburgh and for the next 12 hours kept us entertained with historical facts, beautiful sceneries, nice music. Then a couple of days later, we took another tour and this time Mike was our guide. We visited the Dunfermline Abbey, Sterling Castle and Rosslyn Chapel. Also this one was an incredible tour full of stories, information and history. I can't wait to be back in Scotland to see more and book another tour with Highland Experience.

Fantastic 3 day Inverness isle of skye adventure with our guide, Robin!!! Scottish Highlands is…read moremost beautiful. I will visit again one day!

I did the Glenfinnan, Fort William, and Glencoe Adventure with Timberbush, and it was fantastic…read more Our tour was run by two ladies(Vicks & driver I can't remember), who were very informative, often sharing interesting extra details that you wouldn't typically hear. They were prompt, organized, and did a great job managing a large group of 50+ tourists, keeping everyone on schedule so we could see all the sites in time. They struck a perfect balance between being flexible and being firm about making sure everyone respected each other's time. We were very lucky to see the steam train running, and it was only about 10 minutes later than our guide predicted. The only downside was the food options at the stops -- they really weren't great. I'd recommend either packing your own lunch or loading up on snacks at the first stop during breakfast. Other than that, it was a wonderful tour with great guides and excellent timing. Highly recommended!

Freddy our driver & tour guide was Fantastic. Even with rainy weather, we enjoyed our drive to…read morecastles and West highland. Hamish the HairyCoo was a photo highlight...

I thoroughly enjoyed my tour with The Cadies & Witchery Tours. I was looking for an intimate…read moreexperience where I felt comfortable asking questions and this was it!!! From the moment I walked into their storefront to inquire about the tour options... I met with Robin and felt right at home. She mentioned that this was a newer tour that Robert researched and put together in 2020. It was rich in history, unique stories, and we had the ability to ask questions along the way (while exploring Greyfriars Kirkyard). If you are looking for a tour that gives you a genuine feel for the souls that have been laid to rest in Greyfriars, this is it.

We had fun on this tour and for us that is what matters. The tour guides were fun, they dressed up…read moreas characters, got into it and were fun. One person did the tour as one character and the other came in as a character and surprised us coming in as different characters every so often. This was about the tour guides being fun and the story told around different streets. If you are wanting serious ghostly locations and happenings this maybe is not for you. It may also good for older children. We had good fun and for £10 per person was good value.

From the US. Reservation was all completed through email, was able to pay online or when I got to…read moreMilton Keynes. I was referred to them through the visiting the UK Facebook group, everybody's recommendation was excellent, some said a little pricey, but the customer service, peace of mind and everything that went along with it made it all that more worthwhile. We rented a car, 9 days, picked up a Milton Keynes England, dropped off at Heathrow airport. Took the train from London, Steve. Our reservation guy even provided us with emailed instructions on how to get to the pickup, drop off locations and our hotel all by train until we picked up our car a few days after arrival. We out there for the full insurance even though our Visa card covers insurance, was not that expensive and worthwhile for the peace of mind. We had no mechanical issues, brand new Kia with about 15,000 mi on it. Was allotted 250 mi a day, we drove north all through Scotland, England, Wales and back to Heathrow with no issues. Definitely recommend this company if you want. Peace of mind and if you're all about customer service, which is extremely important when you're visiting a foreign country from your own. The guy who dropped us off at the airport from Heathrow was awesome as was Steve, our original guy we booked with. We opted for the dash cam and found that it did not have one when we went to drop the car off because we wanted the SD card which you are able to buy. When picking up the guy said there was one in there, pointing to the dashboard, not being familiar with their system. System I took his word for it. We truly wanted the dash cam so we can have a view of our last few hours of driving to take home with us. Other than that, absolutely perfect rental for us.

We had an excellent experience with Celtic Legend. The service is absolutely incredible. They…read morerespond so quickly by email and are very polite. Unfortunately we had to return the car a bit later than expected and were charged an extra full day's fee, but since this was a last minute change on our end, I understand. It cost about $72 USD per day, which I thought was a great value. Checking in and out was relatively easy through Arnold Clarke, their contractor. I didn't like that no one welcomed us when we came in, leaving us to stand awkwardly until they decided to pay us attention. Drop off was easy and they shuttled us to the airport. Forgot to take a picture of the car but we did love taking it up to the Highlands.