Luxury Edinburgh hotel launches Outlander tour that's perfect for Sam Heughan fans
A private driver-guide will talk guests through the sights.
A luxury Edinburgh hotel has announced a new Outlander tour which will give fans the opportunity to visit filming locations while being transported by a driver-guide.
The Balmoral, on Edinburgh’s Princes Street, say prices are from £790 for two people and include an E-Class Mercedes with driver and all entrance fees to attractions.
Outlander follows the adventures of English nurse Claire Randall, played by Irish actress Caitriona Balfe, who travels back in time from 1940s Scotland to the 18th century, where she meets and falls in love with Highlander Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan.
Guests on the tour depart from The Balmoral at 9am and return to the hotel at 5pm.
A private driver-guide will talk guests through the sights and history en-route.
This will include visits to Doune Castle, Midhope Castle, Blackness Castle, Culross, and Falkland.
It has been noted the driver does not accompany guests into attractions.
Make sure you keep up to date with news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.
An advertisement from the hotel reads: “Channel your inner Jamie and Claire as you travel across time and country visiting some of the area’s notable Outlander filming locations.
“Feel the story come to life as you walk around the village of Culross and step back in time while exploring the walls and grounds of Doune, Midhope and Blackness Castles, as well as the Renaissance exterior of Falkland Palace.”
Last year, The Outlander Effect report, from national tourism organisation VisitScotland, found that people from around the world have been inspired to visit Scotland after watching the hit show.
Many places have seen visits more than double over the past 10 years such as Blackness Castle, which appeared in the first season and saw 77,326 visitors in 2024, more than four times the number in 2014, which was 16,559.
Jenni Steele, film and creative industries manager at VisitScotland, said: “The impact Outlander has had on Scottish tourism is astonishing. Not since Braveheart has a screen production had such a profound effect on our industry.
“I can’t believe that it’s only been 10 years since Outlander first premiered.
“We saw straight away how fans were reacting to the show; they had a hunger to visit the real Scotland, to immerse themselves in our history, culture and, of course, our beautiful landscapes, and that desire remains strong.
“Outlander is continually cited by visitors in our surveys, and each season premiere sees a spike in online interest for Scotland. It also looks like new prequel series, Blood Of My Blood, could carry on that Scottish fandom.
“The series provides a platform for us to market Scotland to the North American market and key European markets and is an opportunity for businesses to engage with a captive audience.
“The breadth of the filming locations and Scotland’s integral place in the storyline has helped support our work to spread visitors across the regions and seasons.”
VisitScotland has several pages related to Outlander on its website and said that Outlander filming locations and a 12-day Outlander Itinerary are the most popular, with more than 55,000 pages view over 12 months.
Most users came from the UK, US, Australia and Canada.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.