Top 10 cruises in Scotland
Our top 10 cruises in Scotland take you into tiny fishing ports, teach you to frame the perfect puffin picture and introduce you to some of the freshest seafood you’ll ever eat. From the locally planned itineraries to the cosy hand-knitted blankets on your bed, these cruises are a celebration of where you are, not just what you are sailing on. And if you want to linger a little longer, have a paddle or take a hike, it’s likely that your beautifully restored wee boat can alter its itinerary just for you.
Keep reading to discover our best Scotland cruises.
Keep reading to discover our best Scotland cruises.
1. Inner Hebrides
The pastel rainbow of houses lining Tobermory’s harbour offer a warm welcome to the Inner Hebrides that’s straight out of a children’s story. But don’t expect ear-piercing youthful exuberance. Cruises here – on boats small enough to tailor the itinerary to you – are about peace and quiet. You’ll paddle in sheltered bays, bird watch on isolated islands and hike remote pilgrimage trails.
Our top trip: Hebrides cruise: Mull, Islay, Luing, Shuna and Jura
See all our trips: Inner Hebrides holidays
Read more: Cruise holidays in the Hebrides travel guide
See all our trips: Inner Hebrides holidays
Read more: Cruise holidays in the Hebrides travel guide
2. Isle of Skye
Skye is Scotland at its most dramatic. On land, the ragged, dark hulk of the Black Cuillin Mountains overlooking your anchorage at Loch Scavaig call like a beacon to hikers and climbers. At sea, huge basking sharks might glide beside your boat, while golden eagles soar over the sheer cliffs of Canna – perhaps the most beautiful of the neighbouring Small Isles.Our top trip: Skye and the Small Isles sailing holiday
See all our trips: Small ship cruising in Scotland holidays
Read more: Small ship cruising in Scotland travel guide
3. St Kilda & Outer Hebrides
Cruises to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed St Kilda archipelago are wild, remote and utterly distinct. Visit abandoned Hirta, which echoes with the shadows of former inhabitants who were evacuated in 1930. Or gaze upwards at the UK’s highest sea cliffs, home to a dazzling display of rare and endangered sea birds, including puffins, Leach’s petrels and giant skuas. You’ll have a good chance of spotting orcas and dolphins on these trips too.Our top trip: St Kilda, Outer Hebrides cruise
See all our trips: Western Isles (Outer Hebrides) holidays
Read more: Hebrides cruise holidays travel guide
4. Wildlife cruises
Wildlife abounds in the remote, changing seas of the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Sheer cliffs shelter seals and globally important colonies of sea birds, while in the water you’ll follow orca and dolphins. Humpback whales have been known to breach right in front of your ship – which, being small, can sail you and your expert guides into the most wildlife-filled wee nooks and crannies.
Our top trip: Wildlife holiday in the Isle of Mull
See all our trips: Wildlife holidays in Scotland
Read more: Scotland wildlife cruises travel guide
See all our trips: Wildlife holidays in Scotland
Read more: Scotland wildlife cruises travel guide
5. Art cruises
Set against a backdrop of sheltered lochs and ragged mountain ranges, on-board art tutors turn your cruise into a week-long workshop to improve your sketching and painting. These cruises are a relaxed way to work on your skills in the company of like-minded new friends. And if one day you want to put your brush down and simply soak in the views, there’s no pressure to keep painting. It is a holiday, after all.Our top trip: Art cruise in Scotland
See all our trips: Painting and art holidays in Scotland
Read more: Art holidays in Scotland travel guide
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6. Family cruises
Small and often family-run, it makes sense that these cruises are a great option for adventurous families. Kids will love learning to help sail their new home, snorkel in sheltered lochs, spot orca, minke and humpback whales, and fish for their evening meal. These are old-school adventures where rock pools take the place of TVs and golden eagles provide the evening entertainment.Our top trip: Scotland family cruise holiday
See all our trips: Scotland family holidays
Read more: Scotland with kids travel guide
7. Caledonian Canal cruises
Scotland’s smattering of remote islands may get top billing as far as cruise itineraries go, but don’t dismiss a trip along the magnificent Caledonian Canal. Linking the thin line of lochs which split Scotland in two between Oban and Inverness, the canal will take you past some of Scotland’s most defining sights: Ben Nevis, Urquhart Castle and – most famous of all – Loch Ness.Our top trip: Caledonian Canal cruise in Scotland via Loch Ness
See all our trips: Scottish Highlands holidays
Read more: Cruising the Caledonian Canal travel guide
8. Whisky cruises
Like a fine malt whisky, small ship cruises in Scotland are carefully hand-crafted by local people for whom the islands and sea are an intrinsic part of them. It’s not a coincidence, then, that some of the loveliest cruise routes also take in some of Scotland’s oldest whisky distilleries. Don’t miss the most famous of the “malt whisky islands” – Mull, Jura and Islay – where you can enjoy tastings led by local experts.
Our top trip: Whisky and wildlife sailing holiday in Scotland
See all our trips: Inner Hebrides holidays
Read more: Hebrides cruise holidays travel guide
See all our trips: Inner Hebrides holidays
Read more: Hebrides cruise holidays travel guide
9. Photography cruises
Join a traditionally seafaring family and an expert photography tutor for a week-long workshop at sea. You’ll capture a snapshot of life among Scotland’s island communities, improve your wildlife photography skills searching for sea eagles, and – in a region that does desolately beautiful like nowhere else – love the light as you learn how to perfectly frame sweeping seascapes and island viewpoints.Our top trip: Photography cruise in Scotland
See all our trips: Special interest holidays in Scotland
Read more: Photography holidays travel guide
10. Historic small ship cruises
From Iona’s mythical monks to the disappearing villages of St Kilda, small ship cruises in Scotland weave stories that pull you into the heart of the places you visit. On board, the storytelling continues as you discover your ship’s previous life as a cruising lifeboat, Norwegian ferry, tall ship or fishing vessel, now beautifully restored and repurposed to create a comfortable, historic home from home.Our top trip: Isle of Mull and Small Isles explorer
See all our trips: Small ship cruising in Scotland holidays
Read more: Small ship cruising in Scotland travel guide
More Scotland cruising articles
The best time to go on a small ship cruising holiday in Scotland depends on the season, and the skipper.
Our small ship cruising travel guide to Scotland explores lochs, wildlife, and remote islands.
From Hebrides to Highlands, canals to kyles, top tips on cruising in Scotland.
We've picked out the three main things to consider when choosing a small ship cruise in Scotland.
Scotland’s west coast promises some of the world’s most pristine wildlife watching habitats in Europe.
Cruising to Skye and the Inner Hebrides is one of the most popular routes on the west coast of Scotland.
A small ship cruise into the Outer Hebrides is a journey into the furthest reaches of Scotland and the UK.
Cruise the Caledonian Canal, a 100km short cut dug by Victorian engineers, letting ships sail coast to coast.
Scotland small ship cruising travel advice from our expert partners, and previous happy travellers.
Responsible tourism on Scotland cruise holidays engages you with local communities and the marine environment.
