West Coast Tours

West Coast Tours

West Coast Tours
4.5
6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
West Coast Tours offers a range of day and sightseeing tours. Our day tours to Mull, Iona and Staffa allow visitors to visit two or even three islands in one day as well as regular bus services to Tobermory and joint tickets with Duart Castle. Our City Sightseeing open-top bus tours operate in Glasgow, Oban and Bute and offer expert commentary and the ability to hop-on and off. We also operate a fast passenger ferry link between Campbeltown and Ballycastle in Northern Ireland called the Kintyre Express which offers visitors the chance to combine both the west coast of Scotland and the rugged Causeway Coast of Northern Ireland.
Oban, Scotland
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles650 reviews
Excellent
464
Very good
104
Average
36
Poor
19
Terrible
27

debbie j
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
Our family took the Three Isles Tour in August and we had an amazing time. All the logistics were taken care of by West Coast Tours so all we needed to do was pack a lunch and turn up for the ferry in Oban. The journey through Mull was delightful aboard the double decker bus (I’d recommend sitting upstairs for the views) with very knowledgeable commentary by the bus driver who was a local to Mull and told some brilliant stories. The boat ride to Staffa was fantastic and the Staffa Tours team were so helpful. Staffa is something out of this world and should be a ‘must-see’ for everyone. The hour you get on the island allows for a quick picnic on the top of the rock before exploring Fingal’s cave. The next stop was Iona which was magical. Crystal blue waters, friendly people and a rich heritage to explore in the 2 hours on the island. We then got the ferry back to the waiting bus for us on Mull. This was a very special day trip which the family, including our two teens, thoroughly enjoyed. All of the travel connections were all on point and the quality of the experience was extremely high. A big thanks to the WCT team!
Written 15 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much for your lovely review, we are delighted with this feedback and it sounds like you had a magical day.
Written 21 August 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jason C
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Solo
The Three Isles Early Bird – Mull, Staffa & Iona tour is exceptional! I highly recommend it. The morning timing is perfect for avoiding crowds at the key photo spots, and you'll have ample time to return to Oban for the 6:15 PM bus to Glasgow, however, if I were to do it again, I wouldn't recommend against this!
Written 20 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Richard
Nottingham, UK158 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
The Wildlife tour was incredible and worth every penny! The organisation was fantastic and the whole day ran like clockwork! Of course the puffins stole the show but Fingal's cave, rock formations, stunning scenery of all the islands and the hard working staff on the boats made for a special but long day! A special mention must go to our coach driver Adrian who was informative, amusing, entertaining and took very good care of us with his safe driving on the winding roads! He is a credit to the company. We highly recommend this tour!
Written 2 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much for you 5 star review. We will most certainly pass on your comments to Adrian, we also love his commentary :).
Written 14 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sanjay Singh
Widnes, UK100 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2024 • Couples
f you have limited mobility disability, do not do this tour. Staff involved on the tour are very friendly and helpful but this isn't an actual tour operator, this is West Coast Motors (bus service), Caledonian MacBryne ferry service and Staffa tours boat operators collaborating together. There is no actual tour guide on this. The Isle of Mull tour is a bus that takes you down from one ferry port to the other and has voiced playback on the bus speakers, no actual person. Also, as it's a bus service, you could be on a double decker bus so no views on lower deck and also, picks up and drops off passengers along the routes.
The boats for Iona and Staffa ore run well but when dropped off at each isle, you are left on your own to explore for yourself until pick up, so if you walk to Iona abbey, you need to pay £10 each for the voiced tour guide of the abbey. Staffa has steep steps up and down from the jetty where you're dropped off and pathways are single lane at times and quite long. Also, there are ladders to step up and down to get to the top due to the steepness. If anything happens, you're on your own, no rep and no comms available for emergency services. I fell down the steep steps of Staffa and almost fell off the edge had it not been for the metal rope wire and my girlfriend grabbing me.
I have a walking stick as I have progressive MS. Nobody advised of the challenges I would face, just the disclaimer in the terms of booking. Had I known what was involved in this tour, we never would have booked this poor service. I was even required to step down to one small boat and then across onto another for the Staffa tour.
Written 30 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are sorry to hear that your tour did not meet your expectations, especially given the challenges you faced due to limited mobility. We understand that accessibility is a crucial aspect of any tour and will make some amendments to our website to highlight that this may be an issue on Staffa. I would like to highlight that it would only be the tours that include Staffa that may pose an issue. Our Mull and Iona tour would be the perfect choice for a tour if you were concerned about mobility challenges. We are pleased to hear that you found our staff to be friendly and helpful. This tour isn''t a guided tour and at no point do we advertise it as one but it's a great way of offering a package to visit the Islands easily and with little organisation on behalf of the customer. We also offer commentary on the Mull part of our tour and endeavour to have the commentary delivered by our driver, however that isn't always possible. At all points, our teams will direct you to the next part of the tour and explain timings. For many, the beauty of the tour lies in the fact that you get to do your own thing on Iona and Staffa, allowing you to pursue your own interests. The tour is very joined up and packs a lot of sightseeing and experiences into one day. Once again, please accept our apologies for any distress this experience may have caused you and we assure you that your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve our services.
Written 2 July 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Betty C
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
Customer service and attention to handicapped people. Mull and Iona trip. After traveling thousands of miles and at great expense to visit Iona, this was a disaster. Ferry from Oban as first part of trip. Next section was via Coach. I am 7 years old, arthritic, and use trekking sticks. I walk slowly but was not the last off the ferry. The Iona coaches left before I got there. The man in charge said that he had 171 reservations, counted 171 getting on board, and sent them off. Yes, I had a reservation. All he said was that I could get a refund. Nothing can help my grief and disappointment of this trip of a life time which left me at the ferry terminal. I went for a refund and spent time holding my anger while two women roundly insulted me with comments suggesting that my physical slowness was a reflection of my mental state!! I have travelled the world and never before endured such treatment.
Written 26 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, I'm so sorry to hear this, please can you contact us at communications@westcoastmotors.co.uk and we can look into this for you.
Written 14 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TraceyMorris37
7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
My tour was cancelled due to the weather which is understandable but everything after that point has been a disaster. There was a typo in the cancellation email so the email address to initiate a refund isn't correct. I popped into the shop to initiate my refund and was told it was done there and then and the money would be in my account within 2-3 days. I am on day 3 and nothing. I sent 2 emails which have gone unanswered.

As I am going home today I went back to the shop to see what is happening. There was some confusion over the fact there are 2 people with the same name, me being 1 of them. I was then told a refund can take 7-14 days and that my refund was only initiated yesterday not on Tuesday as I was told. I asked for a receipt to prove this has even been refunded and apparently they can't even do that! I have managed to take a photo on their computer which apparently shows the refund has been initiated.

We are planning on coming back to Oban in the summer and were going to do this tour but after this experience there is no way we would book with this company. It all sounds a bit shady, sending out emails with typos in their email address, not giving receipts for refunds, not answering emails and lying to customers faces. As it stands I am £200 out of pocket and can see myself having to take this up with my bank to sort this out.
Written 13 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SO T
Brooklyn, NY733 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
The negative reviews are true about this tour provider. We have several misleading communications up to the day of our departure with conflicting information. On the day of our tour we arrived on time and waited for the ferry we were told to board. The ferry wound up running 10 minutes and when we landed on Mull the bus left while the ferry was still disembarking standing a dozen passengers at the pier. We all had no option but to board the ferry back to Oban. Missed out on the islands and lost a day of our trip. Read the previous reviews regarding the reliability of this tour provider before booking! The issue was not "weather related"
Written 24 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, many thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. For the last month we have unfortunately been subject to issues that CalMac are having with their ferry operations. With the introduction of temporary ferry timetable, often at last minute we are having to manage the situation on a daily basis to ensure that our bus operation can meet the ferry's arrival. I am so sorry that there appears to have been an issue on the day of your tour. If you could possibly drop us an email to communications@westcoastmotors.co.uk we will investigate what happened on that particular day.
Written 31 May 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

littlelarki
Bellevue, WA44 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
My husband and teenage son did the three island tour (Mull, Iona and Staffa) with West Coast tours. We picked up our ticket the day before and started our day at 9:30am. We started on the regular ferry to Mull (about an hour) and immediately got on a coach bus and rode for another hour. The bus driver talked the entire way and told anecdotes about the island. We half listened and fell asleep. You really don’t spend any time at all on Mull and instead half the group went on a boat to Staffa and the other half to Iona. The tour should be called a two island tour because Mull is just a transport hub. Our group went to Staffa first via Staffa Tours boats and this trip alone made the entire day worthwhile. Fingal’s Cave and the puffins makes Staffa a must visit spot. (I would recommend researching Staffa Tours to see if you can can get to Staffa from Oban a quicker way.). We went to Iona next and enjoyed the walk through the abbey (you have to buy tkts for this separately). We enjoyed a coffee facing the beach at the cafe down by the ferry. Not enough time here to do much else. To return to Mull, you take the coach and then the ferry back, just like the start of the day. All in all, a very long day. The ferries offer gorgeous views and I could have done without the bus ride. If that’s the only way to get to Staffa I would do it again! West coast tours arrange all the tickets and transportation but there’s not a guide per se on the trip.
Written 14 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your 5 star review!
Written 18 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ann C
Nashville, TN3,374 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
Overall, in the end, we had an excellent day.

We were signed up for the early bird 3 island tour that leaves at 07:00.

The first ferry broke and we had to wait for it to be repaired, they could not repair it so we ended up taking another much smaller one that was crammed with people.

There was very limited information given at the ferry terminal regarding the delay and everyone who was on the tours was left confused regarding what the extended delay meant regarding the rest of the schedule for the day i.e. would we make the bus in time etc.

Finally, another ferry arrived and we were allowed access to it. But, they had us wait for it outside in the rain, not sure why we could not wait inside and then board the ferry when it was ready for us.

The delay with the ferry caused us to arrive very late to the bus. The bus driver said that he was going to wait for the next ferry(next scheduled group) before he left...this meant that we had to wait an additional hour plus! We basically had to wait for the people who were scheduled on the 09:30 tour...this meant we were up early and delayed for 2.5hrs. We do not understand why the bus driver could not take us so that we would not have to be delayed another 1.5hrs...sitting in the rain, on the bus.

We were given the option of going back on the ferry and canceling the trip (after all of those hours were already invested) or waiting and starting the tour with the next group.

As we were already there we decided to wait. We are thankful that we did as the rest of the day turned out to be amazing! The weather cleared and we had a fantastic day!

The 3 islands were a pleasure to visit and we were able to see a lot of puffins!

I wish the tour allowed more time to be on both Staffa and Iona. With weather variables, and time restrictions to make the whole day come together I guess it has to be laid out as it is.
Written 22 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your review and I'm so glad that you eventually got the chance to enjoy your day. We do try and do our very best to squeeze as much in as possible into the Three Isles tour but it does make for a lot of miles to cover :). I'm so sorry that the ferry was cancelled, I can imagine how frustrating that was for you. I'm sure that watching those lovely little Puffins more than made up for it. Hope to see you again soon.
Written 18 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Cruiser09931622140
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
We got to the pier with our ferry tickets in hand to board the ferry and was stunned when we were turned away because they said the ferry had reached a weight limit. We had just watched them load many big heavy laden trucks prior to them turning us (and probably 20 cars in line) away. If like us, this is the only reason you are going to Oban, I would skip it. We wasted 2 nights there that could have been spent elsewhere. While the tour company was frustrated with the ferry and did give us a complete refund, I still would not recommend this tour if they have to rely on the Ferry for transport. This could possibly happen on the other side and you could be stranded on the island. We learned the next day that previously, due to heavy fog, the ferry could not run one evening and everyone got stranded overnight on the island.
Written 23 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so sorry that you have experienced this issue and completely understand that this must have been extremely frustrating and indeed disappointing. As you have quite correctly pointed out, this was due to an issue with CalMac ferries on that particular day. I must stress that this is not normal circumstances. We are now in a position where the correct ferries with adequate capacity are now in situ at Oban which will mean that there are no longer any issues with ferry capacity. I do hope this goes some way to restoring your faith but completely understand it didn't help your situation on the day.
Written 31 May 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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