Britain · HISTORY TOURS IN EDINBURGH
The good ones go weeks ahead of the day you want them. Below: 12 history tours in Edinburgh to lock in early, what each includes, and where they differ.
Explore Edinburgh’s Old Town with a lively guide, historic closes, St Giles Cathedral, Mercat Cross, and castle views in two hours.
“Our guide Max was very informative and entertaining. The length of the tour was just about right for an introduction to Edinburgh.”
Explore Edinburgh’s Old Town, Canongate Kirkyard, and South Bridge vaults on a relaxed, expert-led 90-minute walking tour.
“Holly was amazing! Funny, engaging, and extremely knowledgeable. Honestly, wish it could’ve lasted longer!”
Explore Edinburgh’s Blair Street Vaults with a small group, vivid storytelling, dark history, and practical tips for this 75-minute tour.
“Nikola the guide had tons of great insights and an extremely entertaining delivery. Interesting things to see, but understanding the humans involved was key to the experience. This is a superior substitute for Mary King's Close and other tenement-oriented tours.”
Review of Edinburgh’s 2-hour Old Town walking tour, with medieval stories, top sights, guide tips, pricing, logistics, and booking advice.
“Urs war super, unterhaltsam, gut auf die Gruppe acht gegeben. Weiß absolut Bescheid! Keine absolute mainstream Geschichte, achtet auf Details.”
Explore Edinburgh’s darker past on a two-hour Royal Mile walk covering executions, plague, body snatching, graves, and old city legends.
“Really informative tour! The stories Joe told were fascinating and he told them with flare. He was super knowledgeable and answered our questions like the historian he is - highly recommend!!!!!!”
Explore Edinburgh’s witch trials and darker past on a lively 75-minute walk from St Giles’ Cathedral 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 :)”
Review of Edinburgh’s pubs and history walk, with cask ale tastings, Old Town sights, small groups, pricing, tips, and booking advice.
“Iain was a great guide on our tour. Funny, learned loads about beer and Scotland, and will definitely return to do it again!”
Explore Edinburgh’s Old Town with a lively two-hour history walk covering Greyfriars, Grassmarket, St Giles’ and the Royal Mile.
“My guide was Madge and she was so animated, friendly, and knowledgeable, it really made all the history she was telling us even more enjoyable to listen to. She had stories for everything, connected to folks, gave recommendations as we went, and welcomed questions. It really helped me feel like I understood more of Edinburgh and walked away with lots of fun facts.”
Review of Edinburgh’s private Greyfriars Kirkyard history tour, with guide Robert Howie, price, route, value, practical tips, and who should book.
“This was an excellent intro to the dark side of Scottish history. Robert is friendly, funny and unbelievably knowledgeable. Because this is a private tour, he asked what our interest areas were and gauged our senses of humor for his stories.”
Explore Edinburgh’s coffee past on a small-group Old Town walk with underground rooms, local stories, two coffees, and an easy pace.
“The tour was canceled because the guide was ill and the tour operator didn’t have anyone to replace them.”
Review of the St Andrews and Fife Coast tour from Edinburgh, with Lady’s Tower, Dunfermline Abbey, small-group transport, costs, and tips.
“Geoff was an excellent and informative host who combined his knowledge with the experience of the locations we visited.”
Explore Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, Canongate, local tastes, and whisky on a lively two-hour walking tour ending at Holyrood Palace.
“Initially, we had a difficult time finding our tour guide, Darcy. This tour is on foot. You will walk around some of the historical “landmarks “ and listen to information regarding them. We received sample chocolates and then purchased some. If you’re a history person, you would enjoy this short tour. Maybe the guides should wear clothing that represents the company so they can be easily identified.”
Pick a city, a castle or a coastline.
