Beyond Edinburgh Half Day Tour

Explore beyond Edinburgh on a private half-day tour. Visit castles, Rosslyn Chapel, and enjoy lunch and shopping at Dalkeith Country Park.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Rosslyn Chapel - Option - Visit the mythical Rosslyn Chapel made famous for its part in the Dan Brown film the Da Vinci Code, with Orcadian roots, connections to the Knights Templar, Aliens, theories of Jesus Christ’s head entombed in a secret chamber under the chapel. There are too many reasons to visit this amazing place.
  • Crichton Castle - Option - See the diamond-faceted façade of Crichton Castle, a 14th century tower house. (Not open during the winter, but you can go for a wander around the grounds)
  • Dalkeith Country Park - Option - Stop off at the Restoration Yard, a converted stables from the 1700’s for a spot of shopping and lunch.
  • Glenkinchie Distillery - Option - Tope of the day by visiting our local-ish lowland distillery, Glenkinchie. Here you can do a tour around this beautiful distillery and finish up with a sample of what it has to offer.
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Bottled water
  • Land Rover Discovery for up to 6 adults
What's Not Included
  • Entry to the sites are not included (Castles, Distilleries etc)
  • Gratuities
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Discover what is beyond the city walls on your very own half day private tour of the surrounding areas of Edinburgh in our superb Land Rover Discovery. Our flexible routes takes you to the imposing Crichton Castle or Craigmillar Castle, the enchanting Rosslyn Chapel. After seeing some of the sites, we head to Dalkeith Country Park and the Restoration yard for lunch and a bit of shopping.

Based on one of our other tours, this has proven to be a superb option for the traveler that wants to venture out of Edinburgh City centre, to see the sites, possibly do a distillery tour and even be dropped of at some of the great shopping locations Edinburgh has to offer. We have toured antique stores, art galleries, and even a few coffee shops. Jokingly nicknamed the Golf Widows Tours by some of the guests, this offers one of the best ways to do something with a later start and earlier finish than other private driving tours with a price that reflects this (10am Start - 3/4pm drop off).

Location
Edinburgh
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(15 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Hope_g
Aug 3, 2024
Amazing! Must do! - Cannot recommend this enough! Chris is amazing and taught us everything and more about Scotland! This was the perfect tour for our mother and son trip!
Review provided by Viator
Adriana_v
Aug 3, 2024
Chris is a PHENOMENAL... - Chris is a PHENOMENAL guide. Kind and his knowledge of Scottish history is incredible. He made the most out of our day and made the trip enjoyable for kids and grandparents alike. I highly recommend this trip, particularly as a start to your vacation to frame the visit !!
Review provided by Viator
Michelle_m
Jun 18, 2024
Great private driving tour! - What an engaging and informative tour and guide!! He talked with all of us and adapted our tour based on the weather giving options that wouldn’t put us in the soaking rain. He was able to link all parts of history to each other and has a deep understanding of the history and development of Scotland. Everyone felt engaged and driving the accommodations were clean and luxurious.
Review provided by Viator
Daydream56503291524
Jun 9, 2024
Fantastic day outside of Edinburgh! - This was one of the best tours we’ve ever been on! Monarch Tours was extremely professional to work with and Chris our guide was super responsive when planning our day. He is impressively knowledgeable about Scotland and Scottish history and is the perfect guide to ensure you have very enjoyable and memorable experience. His friendliness, warmth and flexibility was especially appreciated as we had our infant with us on the day and weren’t always sure when we would need to stop. We planned this tour as two couples, which was part of a celebration for my sister and her fiancé after they got engaged the day before while holidaying in Edinburgh, and the private experience just made everything feel extra special. The Land Rover Defender you go out in is very comfortable to spend the day in as well. This tour became the highlight of our trip to Edinburgh and I would definitely book another experience again with Monarch Tours and Chris in the future!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katelin_g
Jun 9, 2024
Best tour and tour guide! Don’t hesitate - just book :) - This was one of the best tours we’ve ever been on! Monarch Tours was very professional and easy to coordinate with and Chris was an amazing guide - so knowledgeable, warm, friendly, flexible and patient, which was especially helpful as we had an infant with us and couldn’t always predict when we might need to stop. He planned the day based on what I said we were interested in, and found a way to give us the best highlights of the area in the time that we had. The Defender he drives was very roomy and comfortable to spend the day in, and we were using every seat. We also learned so much about Scotland and Scottish history based on all he shared, which made it all so much more memorable. This was the perfect way to get a taste of the star of the Highlands when you don’t have a full day to go to some of the farther sites. It was by far our favourite day in/around Edinburgh that we’ve ever had!
Review provided by Viator
Maryanne_c
May 18, 2024
Amazing tour of Edinburgh - This tour was designed to meet our needs. We wanted a driving tour of Edinburgh and to see Rosslyn Chapel. The driver, Scott, was full of information and stories that brought to life the history of Edinburgh. Scott was amazing. He was highly entertaining and engaging in all things Scotland. I would do this trip with different destinations, we just lived it.
Review provided by Viator
Joseph_o
May 13, 2024
Terrific guide. - Wonderful trip, extremely knowledgable guide who was able to speak to history of Scotland from 1400s to 2024. Town of St Andrew’s (cathedral, college, pub) were highlights in addition to visiting the Old Course. Safe diver, comfortable car for 6
Review provided by Viator
Cheryl_k
Oct 17, 2023
A Great Tour Day! - This was such a great tour! Chris picked us up at our hotel at the time agreed on. There were a few places we wanted to go and he suggested another one, which worked out well. Chris was so knowledgeable on Scotland and helped the couple we were with get some information on their family heritage. We ended in Edinburgh as planned. This was certainly one of the highlights of our time in Scotland. We highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Caryn_p
Oct 13, 2023
Excellent - We couldn’t have asked for more! Our guide Chris Pendleton was excellent, he has such a wealth of knowledge that kept us entertained throughout the whole day. I highly recommend him and the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Lois_m
Oct 11, 2023
I love Scotland - John was awesome. He took us to explore the beautiful countryside sights of Scotland and Edinburgh. I love Scotland.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 6 guests
1
Traveler
September 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today