Itinerary - Scotland Express: Edinburgh and the Highlands Like a Local

Flights to/from Italy are not included in the package, so you can decide which airport to leave from, at what time and with the airline you prefer... This is to give you maximum freedom of choice!

Hotel check-in and welcome meeting, here's how the meeting works!

Arrivals day. If you arrive early, you can start exploring the city. We will all meet at 6pm and, over a pint in a typical pub in the city, we will start this WeRoad Scotland trip.

We begin with a guided tour of the medieval Old Town with its imposing castle. Did you know that it stands on the crater of an ancient volcano? The Old Town is the oldest part of the city and the street names - Grassmarket, Cowgate, Lawnmarket - evoke the agricultural and commercial past of the city. While the old town now impresses with its medieval architecture , colorful buildings, many cafes and souvenir shops, before the construction of the New Town this was an overpopulated and unhealthy area - the narrow spaces forced the city to develop upwards, a sort of Manhattan of the Middle Ages ! From the castle we walk down the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament, which we can visit to understand Scottish politics a little better and why we sometimes hear talk of independence.

After a quick lunch in one of the city's many cafes, we cross the magnificent Princes Gardens to discover the new town. The architecture here will be totally different; 19th century buildings in typical Georgian style with large windows, large boulevards and the North Sea on the horizon . We can decide whether to visit one of the many museums in the New Town, for example immersing ourselves in Scottish history at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery or discover the Gallery of Modern Art with its gardens. Alternatively, we can continue towards Stockbridge , one of the city's most fashionable residential areas, and do some low-cost shopping in one of the many vintage shops.

Today we get up early and pick up our rental cars and head off to the Highlands . We plan the day with our coordinator and, weather permitting, we can make our first stop at Stirling Castle . For some it is even more spectacular than Edinburgh Castle; its location, architecture, historical value and sweeping views make it a truly unique fortress.

And here we are in the Highlands. We will be greeted by landscapes that will leave us breathless: very green mountains, very white sheep, lakes and immense valleys. Glen in Gaelic means 'narrow valley' and Glen Coe is undoubtedly the most famous (and Instagrammed!) glen in Scotland. We can decide whether to park and go trekking through these breathtaking landscapes or continue towards the Glenfinnan bridge , which Harry Potter made famous. Glen Lyon, on the other hand, was defined by Sir Walter Scott as "The longest, loneliest and most picturesque of the glens". It is a little out of the way, but the effort to get there will certainly be rewarded! Afternoon tea like in the Queen's time?

We arrive in Oban just in time for dinner and if we are lucky we will be able to enjoy the sunset over the sea. Fish dinner is the order of the day!

We can decide whether to take it easy and discover the beautiful town of Oban, tasting a good single malt whisky at the local distillery, and then take a ferry that will take us to Kerrera in just 5 minutes. Kerrera is the ideal place for an easy walk where we will try to meet the characteristic Soay sheep, but also wild goats, otters, eagles, hawks and seals. If we wake up early, the effort will certainly be rewarded. We embark early for the island of Mull , where the variety of the landscape will leave us speechless: steep mountains, white beaches and transparent sea await us! Oh, and since we are in Scotland, there is no shortage of distilleries and castles here too!

If we haven't been too late, on the way back to Edinburgh we can take it easy and explore this incredible region made of lakes, thick forests and mountains. Who wants to go for a swim after trekking? Here we can decide whether to walk part of the many long-distance walking routes - did you know that in Great Britain they are crazy about walking, and that in Scotland you can cross any private property without any problems?! - or take a boat trip on Loch Lomond , which after Loch Ness is the largest British lake.

If despite all these options we managed to return to Edinburgh early, we can take advantage of it to visit neighborhoods that we certainly haven't seen yet, such as the Leith neighborhood and Leith Walk, a street dotted with pubs and restaurants that descends from the city to the sea, or go to Portobello, Edinburgh's beach, where half the city moves as soon as the sun peeks out. In the evening we look for a local pub for a few pints and our last dinner together.

After this short but intense journey, it won't be easy to say goodbye. It will only be a goodbye, see you at the next weroad!