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Scotland's Treasures

12 days from $8,696 | includes airfare, taxes and all fees

Featuring the Royal Military Tattoo (on select dates)*

From the sweeping Highlands to Edinburgh’s storied Royal Mile, experience the enduring appeal of Scotland on a journey that celebrates its natural and cultural treasures. Explore history and architecture in Glasgow and trace tales of Scottish clans from Glencoe to Culloden. Spend a day on the mystical Isle of Skye before traveling east to seaside St Andrews. Along the way, encounter timeless Scottish traditions such as falconry, whisky distilling, and sheepdog training.

Land Journeys

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Highlights

  • Glasgow: On a city tour, discover Glasgow’s distinctive architectural style and visit the remarkable Kelvingrove Art Gallery. Enjoy a curator-led tour of the acclaimed Burrell Collection, which showcases a wide range of art from the medieval to the impressionists, and see the unique Riverside Museum, designed by modern architectural legend Zaha Hadid. 
  • The Highlands: Savor the enchanting landscapes of Loch Lomond and learn about historic sites such as Glencoe and Glenfinnan Monument. Follow the shores of fabled Loch Ness and explore the ruins of the 13th-century Urquhart Castle. Visit Culloden Moor, site of the last battle of the Jacobite Rising. Then witness a falconry demonstration on a tour of Dunrobin Castle and Gardens, and sample handcrafted single malt whisky at a 180-year-old distillery.
  • Isle of Skye: Set off on a full-day excursion to the Isle of Skye, known for its strong Gaelic influence and breathtaking landscapes. Enjoy a traditional pub lunch in Portree and explore the mystical Black Cuillin mountains.
  • Kincraig, Pitlochry, and St Andrews: Make your way across the interior, gaining insight into Scottish traditions. Watch a sheepdog demonstration in Kincraig, located in Cairngorms National Park. On the North Sea coast, explore St Andrews, renowned for Scotland’s oldest university and as the birthplace of golf.  
  • Edinburgh: Immerse yourself in magical Edinburgh, exploring the “Old Town” in depth on a castle visit and a walk along the Royal Mile to Holyrood House. Then tour the 18th-century Georgian “New Town” and take part in a private whisky tasting. Enjoy your afternoons at leisure to pursue your own interests.
  • Edinburgh Military Tattoo:* On selected dates (July 30, 2026, August 10, 2026, July 29, 2027, August 9, 2027), attend an evening performance of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the spectacular annual pageant set in the floodlit esplanade of Edinburgh Castle

This was my first experience traveling with a group, and for me it was a major success. I'd recommend a Smithsonian tour to anyone who wishes to let a knowledgeable team expedite the process of planning and facilitate the pleasure of travel.

— Smithsonian Journeys Traveler

Itinerary

To see itinerary, please click on an option below.

Days 1-2 — Depart the U.S. for Edinburgh, Scotland/Glasgow

Fly overnight to Edinburgh, and transfer by coach to Glasgow, where you check in at your hotel. After time at leisure, meet your group for a briefing on the journey ahead. Then enjoy a welcome dinner at the National Piping Center or the well-appointed Corinthian Club. (D)

voco Grand Central Glasgow

Day 3 — Glasgow

Set out to discover the city’s unique architectural heritage on a morning tour. Learn about “the Glasgow Style,” born at the turn of the 20th century, and see some of its most celebrated buildings, including the Glasgow Central Station, the Royal Exchange, and Glasgow City Chambers. Then browse the collection at the remarkable Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a Victorian gem that houses important Renaissance and Impressionist works. Later, take a private, curator-guided tour of The Burrell Collection, a superb museum that showcases the private collection of early 20th-century Scottish business magnates Sir William and Lady Constance Burrell. View artwork that ranges from medieval stained glass to paintings by Cézanne and Degas, as well as a remarkable Chinese art,  and enjoy lunch in the museum restaurant. Next, see  the unique Zaha Hadid-designed Riverside Museum before returning to your hotel. (B,L)

voco Grand Central Glasgow

Day 4 — Loch Lomond, Glencoe, and Fort William

Head for the sweeping landscapes of the Highlands, Scotland’s vast, sparsely populated northern region. On the way, stop in Luss for a view of Loch Lomond. The island-dotted lake is Great Britain’s largest and part of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Continue to beautiful Glencoe, a place of emerald valleys and lochs flanked by vertical slopes that gained infamy as the site of the Clan MacDonald massacre in 1692. Turn north toward Fort William, the second largest settlement in the Highlands, and arrive late this afternoon. Dinner tonight is at the hotel. (B,D)

Nevis Bank Hotel

Day 5 — Isle of Skye

Embark on a full-day excursion to the Isle of Skye, the largest of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides known for its Gaelic culture and stunning scenery. En route, visit Glenfinnan Monument honoring “Bonnie Prince Charlie” for his leadership in the Jacobite Rising in 1745. Board a ferry for Armadale on the southern tip of Skye, then set out on a scenic drive, passing through the jagged peaks of the Cuillin Hills, often known as the “Black Cuillin” for their dark, rocky summits. In the fishing town of Portree, sit down to lunch at a local pub. Your tour of Skye continues this afternoon. Return to the mainland via the Skye Bridge, and stop to see iconic Eilean Donan Castle, situated at the junction of three lochs. Dine tonight at the hotel. (B,L,D)

Nevis Bank Hotel

Day 6 — Loch Ness, Culloden Moor, and Inverness

Spend today exploring the northern Highlands, beginning with fabled Loch Ness. Drive the full 23-mile length of the lake, taking in the scenery and hearing local tales of the mythical creature said to inhabit the deep. Visit the ruins of the 13th-century Urquhart Castle, perched on a bluff at the water’s edge. At Culloden Moor, hear about the last battle of the Jacobite Rising, which took place here in 1746. Settle into your hotel in Inverness early this evening. (B,D)

Macdonald Drumossie Hotel

Day 7 — Inverness and Highlands

At Dunrobin Castle and Gardens, learn about the age-old practice of falconry and witness a falconry demonstration. Then stop in for a tour and tasting at Glenmorangie Distillery, where single malt whiskies have been crafted since 1843. A late afternoon drive along the coast brings you through rolling farmland, where sheep, cows, and Shetland ponies graze in verdant pastures. (B,D)

Macdonald Drumossie Hotel

Day 8 — Kincraig, Pitlochry, and St Andrews

Start the day in Kincraig, within Cairngorms National Park, watching border collies adeptly herd their charges during a sheepdog demonstration. Travel to Pitlochry, a town in the heart of Scotland, and enjoy some free time to stroll through the charming town center. Continue to Scotland’s eastern coast, where your home for the night is the historic university town of St Andrews, renowned as the birthplace of golf. Dine together at the hotel tonight. (B)

Old Course Hotel

Day 9 — St Andrews and Edinburgh

Get acquainted with the medieval seaside town of St Andrews on a morning walking tour and enjoy time to explore further on your own. Then journey to Edinburgh, where you’ll have a free evening to enjoy the city’s vibrant culinary scene. (B)

Tigerlily Edinburgh

Day 10 — Edinburgh

Set off on foot to discover the two sides of Edinburgh: the 18th-century Georgian "New Town" and the medieval "Old Town." Tour Edinburgh Castle, built on the volcanic Castle Rock some 900 years ago. Enjoy a full afternoon at leisure to experience Edinburgh as you wish; museums, galleries, and shops abound. Select departures in July and August include an evening performance of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the spectacular annual pageant set in the floodlit esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. (B)

Tigerlily Edinburgh

Day 11 — Edinburgh

Explore the Royal Mile, the historic boulevard connecting Edinburgh Castle with the Palace of Holyrood House. Visit the State Apartments at Holyrood, where Mary Queen of Scots and other royals lived and ruled. The remainder of the day is yours for independent exploration. Gather this evening for a private whisky tasting. Then celebrate your sojourn at a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Please note: The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the British monarchy in Scotland and is occasionally closed to the public when in use. Should this arise, you will instead visit the Royal Yacht Britannia, a royal residence for more than 40 years.

Tigerlily Edinburgh

Day 12 — Depart for the U.S.

Transfer this morning to the airport for return flights to the U.S. (B)

Included meals are denoted as follows: Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), Reception (R), Dinner (D)

Skyline of Edinburgh with Edinburgh Castle

Slideshow

Optional Extension

Post-Tour Ext.: Edinburgh

Details Coming Soon

Dates & Prices

Click on the departure date to see pricing. Click the for more information.

Dates

Availability

Price

Jul 30 - Aug 10, 2026
Call to Inquire
from $10,196

Special Value

Airfare Included! This tour is specially designed for a small group of 16 to 24 Smithsonian travelers and offers outstanding travel value. Along with airfare, prices also include airline taxes and departure fees, as well as transportation, accommodations, daily activities and excursions, and most meals.

Expert: Miriam C. Davis

Tour cost including airfare: Boston, New York

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,196 $12,291
Ask us a Question

Tour cost including airfare: Newark

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,296 $12,391
Ask us a Question

Tour cost including airfare: Chicago, Washington, DC

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,496 $12,591
Ask us a Question

Tour cost including airfare: Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,596 $12,691
Ask us a Question

Tour cost including airfare: Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,696 $12,791
Ask us a Question

Land only (tour cost not including airfare)

Occupancy Double Single
Price $8,995 $11,090
Ask us a Question

Aug 10 - 21, 2026
Available
from $10,196

Special Value

Airfare Included! This tour is specially designed for a small group of 16 to 24 Smithsonian travelers and offers outstanding travel value. Along with airfare, prices also include airline taxes and departure fees, as well as transportation, accommodations, daily activities and excursions, and most meals.

Expert: Rab Houston

Tour cost including airfare: Boston, New York

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,196 $12,291
Book reservation

Tour cost including airfare: Newark

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,296 $12,391
Book reservation

Tour cost including airfare: Chicago, Washington, DC

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,496 $12,591
Book reservation

Tour cost including airfare: Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,596 $12,691
Book reservation

Tour cost including airfare: Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa

Occupancy Double Single
Price $10,696 $12,791
Book reservation

Land only (tour cost not including airfare)

Occupancy Double Single
Price $8,995 $11,090
Book reservation

Sep 5 - 16, 2026
Available
from $8,696

Special Value

Airfare Included! This tour is specially designed for a small group of 16 to 24 Smithsonian travelers and offers outstanding travel value. Along with airfare, prices also include airline taxes and departure fees, as well as transportation, accommodations, daily activities and excursions, and most meals.

Expert: Rab Houston

Tour cost including airfare: Boston, New York

Occupancy Double Single
Price $8,696 $10,391
Book reservation

Tour cost including airfare: Newark

Occupancy Double Single
Price $8,796 $10,491
Book reservation

Tour cost including airfare: Chicago, Washington, DC

Occupancy Double Single
Price $8,996 $10,691
Book reservation

Tour cost including airfare: Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia

Occupancy Double Single
Price $9,096 $10,791
Book reservation

Tour cost including airfare: Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa

Occupancy Double Single
Price $9,196 $10,891
Book reservation

Land only (tour cost not including airfare)

Occupancy Double Single
Price $7,495 $9,190
Book reservation

Please call if your city is not listed in the price chart above or if you wish to customize your arrival and departure dates. Air inclusive prices include airline taxes, fuel surcharges, and departure fees of $901 (Jul-Sep 2026) or $701 (all other departures), which are subject to change until final payment is made. Business class upgrade on round-trip flight: $7,495 (2027) or $6,995 (2027) per person (subject to change). Prices are per person based on double occupancy and all upgrades are subject to availability. Limited to 24 Smithsonian Journeys guests.

Prices are based on rates of exchange, airfare & fuel (where applicable), tariffs, taxes, and other costs as of the tour publication date. We reserve the right to correct errors and to increase program prices to cover increased costs, tariffs, and taxes received after prices are published and to reflect currency fluctuations.

Experts

Miriam C. Davis
Departures: Jul 30 - Aug 10, 2026  |  Aug 9 - 20, 2027

Miriam C. Davis

Historian

Miriam Davis is an expert in medieval history and archaeology. After graduating from Emory University, Miriam studied history and archaeology at the University of St Andrews on …

Miriam Davis is an expert in medieval history and archaeology. After graduating from Emory University, Miriam studied history and archaeology at the University of St Andrews on a Bobby Jones Scholarship. She went on to earn an MA in medieval archaeology from the University of York on a Fulbright grant, and a Ph.D. in medieval history from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has participated in archaeological excavations in Mississippi, Alabama, England, and Scotland. Currently, Miriam is a freelance writer. She has written for the popular press on archaeology, history, and travel and has lectured throughout the U.S., Great Britain, and Israel. Her work has also been featured on The Travel Channel. As a history professor at Delta State University for 16 years, she taught a wide variety of courses, including ancient and medieval history, the Renaissance and Reformation, English history, and the history of Christianity. Miriam is the author of Dame Kathleen Kenyon: Digging Up the Holy Land and The Axeman of New Orleans: The True Story. She has served as a Smithsonian Journeys Expert for trips since 2011.

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Rab Houston
Departures: Aug 10 - 21, 2026  |  Sep 5 - 16, 2026  |  May 15 - 26, 2027  |  Sep 4 - 15, 2027

Rab Houston

Historian & Author

Professor Rab Houston was an undergraduate at St Andrews and, after six years in Cambridge as a research student and research fellow, came back as …

Professor Rab Houston was an undergraduate at St Andrews and, after six years in Cambridge as a research student and research fellow, came back as a lecturer in Modern History in 1983. He has held visiting professorships at the universities of Adelaide and Erasmus, Rotterdam as well as visiting fellowships at the Huntington Library and the Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University. Between 2006 and 2009 he held a prestigious Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Member of the Academia Europaea, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In July 2023 King Charles III invested Rab with the title MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to higher education.

Rab has written ten books, co-authored one, and edited another four as well as authoring eighty articles and book chapters, most of them in the fields of early modern British and European literacy, British demography and urbanisation, Scottish society, and the history of mental abnormality.

Outside academia Rab is a keen scuba diver, often to be seen diving wrecks off the east coast of Scotland – or visiting warmer waters around the world. He enjoys yoga and Tai Chi, both active forms of meditation.

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Roff Smith
Departure: Jul 29 - Aug 9, 2027

Roff Smith

Writer & Archaeologist

Roff Smith originally trained as a geologist and archaeologist but preferred the world of storytelling to that of science or academia. Over the course of …

Roff Smith originally trained as a geologist and archaeologist but preferred the world of storytelling to that of science or academia. Over the course of a thirty-year career as a writer and photographer he has covered science, history archaeological stories all over the world winning numerous awards along the way, most recently a British Archaeological Award for his coverage of discoveries made beneath the streets of London during major construction projects. He has a particular interest in Neolithic Britain and has spent several field seasons in Scotland's remote Orkney Islands following the on-going excavation of the 5000 year-old walled temple complex at the Ness of Brodgar - the discovery of which is presently rewriting British prehistory.

 As a lover of literature, he taught himself Old Norse in order to be able to read the Viking sagas in their original language and earned a masters degree in mediaeval history while attending the University of Sydney. He has travelled widely throughout Britain, visited every county, often travelling by bicycle - cycling the length of Hadrian's Wall, exploring Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides and travelling across the Scottish Highlands following the route taken by Alan Breck Stewart and David Balfour in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Kidnapped. An Australian, he now lives in Hastings, an old seaside town on the Sussex Coast, with his English wife and two daughters.

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Tom Dawson
Departure: Aug 28 - Sep 8, 2027

Tom Dawson

Archaeologist

Tom Dawson is an archaeologist and principal research fellow at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He started his archaeological career in London, excavating …

Tom Dawson is an archaeologist and principal research fellow at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He started his archaeological career in London, excavating trenches up to 20 feet deep in the heart of the city. He then conducted excavations in Japan, Italy, Ireland and France, and spent three years in Sri Lanka, training archaeologists at World Heritage Sites and doing underwater archaeology on the south coast.

Since joining Scotland’s oldest university, Tom has pioneered ways of working with sites threatened by climate change. He is the CEO of SCAPE (Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion) and together with his team, has inspired creative ways of recording threatened heritage. As he is a strong advocate of public archaeology, most projects were developed in collaboration with local communities.

Tom regularly appears on TV shows in the United Kingdom and has written many academic papers. His edited publications include Archaeology and Coastal Erosion in Scotland and Public Archaeology and Climate Change. He sits on a number of international panels and advisory boards and was formerly a commissioner with the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and vice president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

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Tour Details

Accommodations

voco Grand Central Glasgow
Glasgow, Scotland

Set in a historic building adjacent to the Glasgow’s celebrated train station, this hotel combines Victorian elegance with contemporary charm. Rooms are modern and bright while common spaces are adorned with marble floors, chandeliers, and grand balustrades. The hotel features two bars, a stylish restaurant that offers small plates and afternoon tea, and a separate restaurant for breakfast.

Nevis Bank Hotel
Fort William, Scotland

Perched near the River Nevis in the picturesque Fort William region just one mile north of the Fort William town center, this 20-room inn provides travelers comforts in a modern setting. An onsite restaurant and bar caters to all tastes with a wide range of food and drink, both contemporary and traditional. Guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, coffee- and tea-making facilities, complimentary wireless Internet access, TV, and phone. Please note that lodging alternatives are limited in this area of Scotland; while your stay in this locale should be enjoyable, the amenities at the hotel will be lower than elsewhere on your tour. Also, because of the unique nature of this hotel, room sizes and views vary.

Macdonald Drumossie Hotel
Inverness, Scotland

Set in nine acres of parkland near the Moray Firth, the Drumossie Hotel is an art deco resort just ten minutes from Inverness city center. This 44-room hotel also features a bar, lounge, terrace, and a garden. Amenities include laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee) and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access.  Guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, minibar, coffee- and tea-making facilities, in-room safe, TV, and phone. 

Old Course Hotel
St Andrews, United Kingdom

The world-famous Old Course Hotel sits adjacent to the 17th fairway of the renowned Old Course at St. Andrews, the spiritual “home of golf.”  In fact, Phil Mickelson’s misplayed tee shot during the 2015 British Open came to rest on the balcony of room 130.  The elegant hotel offers six dining options (including the Jigger Inn, golf’s most famous 19th hole), fitness center, indoor swimming pool, spa, rooftop hot tub, laundry service, and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access.  Each air-conditioned guest room includes private bath with hair dryer, tea- and coffee-making facilities, minibar, TV, and phone. 

Tigerlily Edinburgh
Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Sitting in the heart of Edinburgh’s city center, the unique Tigerlily has become one of Edinburgh’s most talked-about hotels.  This contemporary hotel boasts stylish, comfortable common areas decorated in a variety of bright colors, and features a popular restaurant and bar, complimentary Wi-Fi internet access, and laundry service.  Each of the 33 air-conditioned guest rooms has private bath with hairdryer, minibar, in-room safe, TV, and phone.

Activity Description

Expectations: One of our Classic Land Journeys, this tour is comprehensive, but well paced and finely tuned. Expectations include longer touring days with many full-day motor coach excursions and five different hotels. Mostly full-day excursions last from four to six hours, and five afternoons are at leisure. Expect standing and walking for long periods of time during city tours, museum visits, and outdoor activities; daily walks of up to three miles, sometimes over difficult terrain (e.g. cobblestones, city hills, stairs without handrails, absence of elevators); some longer walks to get to city centers where coaches are prohibited. The longest drive is approximately five hours, but stops are made along the way. There will be a 30-minute ferry ride between the mainland and Isle of Skye; return is by coach via Skye Bridge. Departures featuring the Edinburgh Tattoo will encounter a city with more crowds than usual.

Appropriate for: Travelers who are physically fit and comfortable with longer days of touring (both walking tours and coach time).

Reading List

*As an Amazon Associate, Smithsonian Journeys earns from qualifying purchases.

Highly Recommended

Stone Voices: The Search for Scotland
By: Neal Ascherson
The rediscovery of Scotland's past and a wake-up call about its future, from a leading scholar-journalistScotland has a new Parliament and it has North Sea oil, but is it yet an independent, self-sustaining democracy? Is it a true nation? In Stone Voices, Neal Ascherson launches what he calls an imaginative invasion of his native land, searching for the relationships, themes, and fantasies that make up "Scotland."Beginning with a breathtaking portrait of the country's landscape, and of the way humanity has indelibly marked even its rockiest contours, Ascherson takes us on a journey through Scotland's past, interweaving his historical accounts with a rollicking report on a back-country bus expedition he joined during the 1997 referendum campaign that led to Scotland's first modern Parliament. He asked voters then what kind of country they hoped for, what they feared, and what they expected―questions that animate his book as well.In his search for a nation, Acherson explores many themes: the slow, hybrid formation of the Scottish people over centuries of successive immigrations; the way their most renowned intellectuals and writers came to hate the national church; the peculiar nature of their diaspora; the coexistence of their search for an "authentic" Scotland with the myths others create; and the Scots' proud sense of true independence. Stone Voices enlightens us about Scotland, about Europe, and about the conditions for freedom that we must all seek today."Greatly accessible compendium of scholarly passion." - Kirkus Reviews
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Scotland: A Very Short Introduction
By: Houston, Rab
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A History of Scotland: Look Behind the Mist and Myth of Scottish History
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Scotland - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
By: John Scotney
Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships. Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include: * customs, values, and traditions * historical, religious, and political background * life at home * leisure, social, and cultural life * eating and drinking * do's, don'ts, and taboos * business practices * communication, spoken and unspoken 
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The Scottish Highlands (Interlink Cultural Histories)
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The Scottish Highlands form the highest mountains in the British Isles, a broad arc of rocky peaks and deep glens stretching from the outskirts of Glasgow, Perth and Aberdeen to the remote and storm-lashed Cape Wrath in Scotland's far northwest. The Romans never conquered the region, and in the Dark Ages the island of Iona became home to a Celtic Church that was able to pose a serious challenge to the Church of Rome. Few travellers ever ventured there, however, disturbed by the tales of wild beasts, harsh geography, and the bloody conflicts of warring families known as the clans. But after the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie at the Battle of Culloden the influence of the clans was curbed and the Scottish Highlands became celebrated by poets, writers, and artists for their beauty rather than their savagery. In the nineteenth century, inspired by the travel reportage of Samuel Johnson, the novels of Walter Scott, the poems of William Wordsworth, and the very public love of the Highlands espoused by Queen Victoria, tourists began flocking to the mountains - even as Highlanders were being removed from their land by the brutal agricultural reforms known as the Clearances. With the popularity of hiking and the construction of railways, the fate of the Highlands as one of the great tourist playgrounds of the world was sealed.Andrew Beattie explores the turbulent past and vibrant present of this landscape, where the legacy of events from the first Celtic settlements to World War II, to the construction of military roads to mining for lead, slate, and gold have all left their mark.* Disputed Land: From Rob Roy, William Wallace, and Robert the Bruce, to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the clansmen who participated in the notorious massacre at Glencoe, the Highlands have provided the arena for centuries of conflict.* Folklore and Tradition: The wildness of the mountains has inspired a unique popular culture, from legendary tales of water-beasts and people with ''second sight'' to popular gatherings such as Ceilidhs and the Highland Games.* Scenic Inspiration: From visiting English poets such as Wordsworth and Byron, to native Scots writers such as Neil Gunn and Hugh MacDiarmid; from Turner to Mendelssohn; the scenery of the Highlands has inspired novelists, composers, poets, filmmakers, and artists through the centuries.
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To the Hebrides: Samuel Johnson's Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and James Boswell's Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides
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Samuel Johnson and James Boswell spent the autumn of 1773 touring through the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland as far west as the islands of Skye, Raasay, Coll, Mull, Inchkenneth and Iona. Both kept detailed notes of their impressions, and later published separate accounts of their journey. These works contain some of the finest pieces of travel writing ever produced: they are also magnificent historical documents as well as portraits of two extraordinary men of letters. Together they paint a vivid picture of a society which was still almost unknown to the Europe of the Enlightenment. Entertaining, profound, and marvelously readable, they are a valuable chronicle of a lost age and a fascinating people. For the first time, Ronald Black's edition brings together Johnson's and Boswell's accounts of each of the six stages of the two men's journey—Lowlands, Skye, Coll, Mull and back to the mainland. Illustrated with prints by Thomas Rowlandson, it includes a critical introduction, translations of the Latin texts and brief notes.
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Sea Room: An Island Life in the Hebrides
By: Adam Nicolson
"Nicolson's chronicle is a fine book . . . Readers will be duly awed by his delicately layered story." -The New York Times Book ReviewIn 1937, Adam Nicolson's father answered a newspaper ad for a small cluster of three islands-The Shiants (Gaelic meaning "holy" or "enchanted")-which lie east of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Sheer black cliffs drop five hundred feet into the cold, dark, rip currents of the Minch, lounging seals crowd at their feet and thousands upon thousands of sea birds swarm overhead in the sky. Nicolson inherited the islands when he was twenty-one and in this spellbinding and luminous book, he recalls his keenly deep connection to the wild, windswept, and yet enchantingly beautiful property. Not merely a haven of solitude, the islands, with a centuries-old past haunted by restless ghosts and tales of ancient treasure, came to be for Nicolson his heartland and a "sea room"-a sailing term he uses to mean "the sense of enlargement that island life can give you." In passionate, prismatic prose, Sea Room celebrates this extraordinary landscape, exploring Nicolson's complicated relationship to the paradoxes of island life and the wonder of revelatory engagement with our natural world.
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Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney (Penguin Classics)
By: Anonymous
Written around AD 1200 by an unnamed Icelandic author, the Orkneyinga Saga is an intriguing fusion of myth, legend and history. The only medieval chronicle to have Orkney as the central place of action, it tells of an era when the islands were still part of the Viking world, beginning with their conquest by the kings of Norway in the ninth century. The saga describes the subsequent history of the Earldom of Orkney and the adventures of great Norsemen such as Sigurd the Powerful, St Magnus the Martyr and Hrolf, the conqueror of Normandy. Savagely powerful and poetic, this is a fascinating depiction of an age of brutal battles, murder, sorcery and bitter family feuds.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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The Marches: A Borderland Journey Between England and Scotland
By: Stewart, Rory
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Scotland: A Literary Guide for Travellers (The I.B.Tauris Literary Guides for Travellers)
By: Garry MacKenzie
Voted a Best Travel Book of the Year by The Scotsman, 2016With its vibrant cities and breathtaking landscapes, Scotland has captivated writers and visitors for centuries and inspired a diverse range of literature, from the religious poems carved on the rocks of its sacred monuments to the seedy urban novels of Irvine Welsh. For Robert Burns, Scotland's iconic poet, the culture of his native country was a fertile ground for his imagination. Sir Walter Scott drew on the nation's past, and on the stirring mountains and lochs of the Highlands, as he pioneered the historical novel. Some of the most famous early literary tourists, including James Boswell, Samuel Johnson, and Dorothy and William Wordsworth, wrote captivating accounts of their travels in Scotland. This enthralling guide gets under the skin of the country through the writers who lived in or visited Scotland, as well as those who simply imagined it in their work―from Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and the Scots 'Makars' of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, to Keats, Coleridge and Robert Louis Stevenson; from Gaelic bards and anonymous balladeers to the cosmopolitan Hugh MacDiarmid, Jackie Kay, Ian Rankin and Kathleen Jamie. Famous figures sit alongside writers sometimes overlooked by literary travellers, and through their lives and words we experience the rich, fractious, and passionate story of Scottish culture and discover how Scotland's history, landscape and society are brought to life in literature. Organized by different areas of the country, the book is filled with excerpts from the writer's works and letters, as well as extensive text features, including several photographs of notable sites, a map with key sites higlighted, an extensive author profiles section with short bios of the writers and their works, a chronology of Scotland's cultural and political history, a bibliography for further reading, and an index for handy reference.
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Waverley (Oxford World's Classics)
By: Walter Scott, Kathryn Sutherland
"The most romantic parts of this narrative are precisely those which have a foundation in fact."Edward Waverley, a young English soldier in the Hanoverian army, is sent to Scotland where he finds himself caught up in events that quickly transform from the stuff of romance into nightmare. His character is fashioned through his experience of the Jacobite rising of 1745-6, the last civil war fought on British soil and the unsuccessful attempt to reinstate the Stuart monarchy, represented by Prince Charles Edward. Waverley's love for the spirited Flora MacIvor and his romantic nature increasingly pull him towards the Jacobite cause, and test his loyalty to the utmost.With Waverley, Scott invented the historical novel in its modern form and profoundly influenced the development of the European and American novel for a century at least. Waverley asks the reader to consider how history is shaped, who owns it, and what it means to live in it - questions as vital at the beginning of the twenty-first century as the nineteenth.ABOUT THE SERIES:For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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History of the World Map by Map (DK History Map by Map)
By: DK
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Special Air Rates/Services

The Flexible Travel Option program allows air-inclusive guests to customize their travel experience in several ways. 

Please contact us if you want to customize your arrival and departure dates. 

Air-inclusive guests are free to take advantage of any or all these benefits: 

  • Arrive at your destination up to three days before the tour’s scheduled start date  
  • Extend your travel beyond the tour’s end date  
  • Reserve transfers from the arrival airport to the tour’s first hotel, or from the tour’s final hotel to the departure airport, to coincide with your alternate travel dates  
  • Reserve extra nights at the first and/or final hotel on your tour to coincide with your alternate travel dates 

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Travel Insurance

For the convenience of our travelers, Smithsonian Journeys includes a basic medical expense and evacuation plan through Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand, at no additional charge. This plan provides post-departure Medical and Dental coverage of $250,000 per person and Emergency Assistance and Transportation coverage of $1,000,000 per person (U.S. Residents Only). Note: For full details regarding these coverages please review the following Plan Documents here.

In addition, we recommend that travelers purchase a travel protection plan to help protect their travel investment from unforeseen events such as cancellation due to illness, flight delays due to adverse weather, baggage loss, and more. For your convenience, Smithsonian Journeys offers an optional Travel Protection Plan administered by Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand. For those interested, optional "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage is available for an additional charge. Note: Certain eligibility requirements apply and Cancel for Any Reason coverage is not available to New York residents. For full details regarding this coverage please review the following Plan Documents here.

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