Scotland · HISTORICAL TOURS IN EDINBURGH
The 15 best historical tours in Edinburgh you can book today, with what each costs, how long it runs and who it suits. Number one is first for a reason; start there and work down.
A 2-hour guided walk through Edinburgh’s UNESCO Old Town, with stops at St Giles, Mercat Cross, key closes, and castle views.
“Kofe was great. Very engaging and informative. Explained as we we went along. Knew his stuff, as it should be. Would definitely recommend!”
Small-group Old Town walk plus underground vaults in Edinburgh’s South Bridge area, with relaxed storytelling and Kirk and kirkyard stops.
“Saturn/Frederick was excellent! Knowledgeable, entertaining and a pleasure to follow around Edinburgh. We heard well rehearsed stories and anecdotes of Scottish history as we walked around the city and saw what was left of the tales. It was a very easy pace so would be accessible for mixed age groups but the shallow winding staircase made it not suitable for those with physical challenges. It's mostly outdoors so dress appropriately! Thoroughly enjoyed it, would recommend!”
Small-group Edinburgh vaults walk under South Bridge with multi-sensory storytelling, low-light chambers, and a short museum stop, about 75 minutes.
“Dont expect too much. Guide Steph was excellent, however was expecting more from the tour considering the fab reviews”
A 2-hour guided walk through Edinburgh Old Town, covering centuries of legends and sights, ending at Greyfriars Kirkyard. Small groups.
“Urs war super, unterhaltsam, gut auf die Gruppe acht gegeben. Weiß absolut Bescheid! Keine absolute mainstream Geschichte, achtet auf Details.”
A small-group walk down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with real cases, executions, and gritty justice, from the Old Tollbooth to Canongate Kirk.
“We thoroughly enjoyed our walk around Edinburgh with Kieran who was great, he was very informative about the dark history of Edinburgh and took us to some interesting places, made much more interesting at night. Highly recommend this tour, thank you Kieran 😊”
A 75-minute Edinburgh walk focused on witch trials and haunted sites, led by a funny storyteller, from St Giles to Grassmarket.
“The guide we had was really good! She was fun and included people into the tour itself. Would definitely recommend if youre into witches :)”
Small-group Old Town walking tour with beer tastings included. Learn Edinburgh brewing history, visit 3 pubs, and tour key landmarks.
“This tour was not well planned. The guide was knowledgable but not the friendliest. I wouldn’t recommend.”
A 2-hour small-group walk through Edinburgh’s Old Town, hitting the Royal Mile, Greyfriars, Grassmarket, and St Giles with story-led history.
“Pleasant and knowledgeable guide with a fund of stories, albeit a little lacking on the history of the old town.”
Edinburgh’s Anatomist escape room: a 1829 body-snatching mystery where you solve puzzles in an hour to find Dr Malcolm’s journal.
Private Greyfriars Kirkyard tour in Edinburgh. Follow a friendly guide through the burial ground for insider stories, in English, 1.5 hours.
“This tour was amazing! Robert is an amazing guide and the tour was one of the highlights of our entire trip. He met us and we talked about what we wanted to learn about during the tour, he listened and then walked us through a fun and informative tour of the kirkyard. He finished up by showing us an amazing picture spot at the nearby museum. Great experience and I can't recommend it enough!”
St Andrews, Fife coast walks, and historic abbeys from Edinburgh, with Queensferry Bridge views, cathedral ruins, and optional castle entry.
“This is a great trip exploring the quaint town of St.Andrews, Dunfermline Abbey and the Kingdom of Fife….Perry was a fantastic guide and extremely knowledgeable….Real family fun !!!! Cannot wait to come back and explore more of Scotland!!!”
Walk Edinburgh from Parliament Square to Holyrood Palace with a local guide, tasting haggis, tablet, and whisky, plus tight story stops.
“Darcy was great and extremely informative. She had great energy while showing us the best areas of Edinburgh”
Private 2-hour Royal Mile walk with Robert in Edinburgh, stories of Mary and Prince Charles, and stops from Holyrood to the Castle.
“Robert was very pleasant to correspond with to personalize the tour and very generous with his time when we were late, going overtime to deliver us a great overview of significant events and historical happenings in the Royal Mile area. We are travelling with some senior members of the family and his tempo was perfect. Great intimate tour - unreservedly recommend.”
Edinburgh historical pub tour with a welcome cocktail, 5 spooky stops from Old Town to Grassmarket, and stories for about 3 hours.
“Ended up with a private tour for two because the other scheduled guests canceled, but our host, John, didn't miss a beat. We visited 4 great pubs with interesting, and/or sinister histories. John was welcoming and funny, and answered any questions we had about Edinburgh. He also gave us a great revommendation for fish and chips after. All of the suggested beverages were a hit, especially the traditional ale at Grey friar's Bobby. Would highly recommend this experience.”
Private walking tour tracing Edinburgh medicine from Royal Mile to Royal Infirmary sites, led by physician Moray. 3 to 4 hours.
“Fantastic…organized informative interesting. A historical journey from medicine through the ages to the immense contributions of Scottish physicians.”
Every kind of day out, and the best of each.
