Edinburgh Day Tour: Old Town, Castle, Galleries

Visit Edinburgh in one day! Old Town, Edinburgh Castle, New Town, the National Galleries of Scotland. Small-group activity. You’ll learn about the history, culture and heritage of the Scottish capital, and there will be a break for lunch.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Charlotte Square - Our tour will start in the West End of Edinburgh where we will introduce the city and its neighbourhoods. In Charlotte Square, we’ll admire elegant examples of neoclassical architecture and understand why Edinburgh is known as the ‘Athens of the North’
  • Georgian House - In Charlotte Square we will talk about the most iconic…
What's Included
  • Edinburgh Castle entrance ticket and guided tour
  • Local Tour Guide
  • Scottish National Gallery guided tour (highlights)
  • The Georgian House (until 31st October 2024)
  • The Dean Village (until 31st October 2024)
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities
Location
2-4 Hope St
Hope Street
You will meet your guide on the corner of Princes Street, outside of Johnnie Walker and near the Binns Clock. Please arrive 10 minutes before the tour start time to check in.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(226 Ratings)
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Donna29572
Oct 20, 2024
Take this tour; it will introduce you to Edinburgh and its history in an interesting and understandable way! - Adam was our very congenial and knowledgeable guide. Although beginning the tour in the pouring rain we all had fun (and saw a rainbow while we were at the castle). Adam made the history (social, political and economic) come alive. He provided vivid descriptions of the skirmishing - and conniving machinations of rulers and wannabes. He succinctly related the religious conflicts in an understandable and accurate manner (my degrees are in history, so I can vouch for his knowledge and accuracy). He well explained how the royals spent money while the people suffered. None of Adam’s descriptions were boring! His antidotes were memorable and insightful! I loved this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosanne_p
Oct 17, 2024
A great tour with a brilliant guide! - Our guide, Mark arrived promptly at the designated meeting spot. We were very impressed by his encyclopedic knowledge and enthusiastic delivery of the information. The walking part of the trip was a bit strenuous, with a great deal of uphill walking, but Mark made the whole experience very enjoyable for everyone.
Review provided by Viator
Jomomma68
Oct 14, 2024
Enjoyable tour! - Mark was quite knowledgeable and provided extensive details and conversation about the vast history of Edinburgh and Scotland.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Celia_f
Oct 12, 2024
Perfect for solo traveler - Adam was personable, knowledgeable, and able to gauge the interests and pace of his guests. I learned much about the city and look forward to reading more about the history I was introduced to. I traveled solo, and this was a perfect way to end my journey.
Review provided by Viator
Arijit_travels
Oct 9, 2024
Great experience - Okay this was really good experience. Lots of history and walks through The City. Got so much knowledge about the city. Great exploration. The guide Adam was amazing. 10 star for him. Loved him a lot
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mark_r
Oct 9, 2024
All Day Walking Tour - Great Tour! - Our guide Mark did a great job of taking us to several of the major sites in Edinburgh. He is very knowledgeable about the times and history of old Edinburgh, and brought to life numerous aspects of the city's and people's day-to-day lives. I'd strongly advise you wear comfortable and supportive shoes as the streets and sidewalks are uneven. There's also many hills large and small that proved to be too challenging for a few in our group. I wouldn't suggest this tour for small children, strollers, or anyone with mobility issues. The pace is brisk but manageable, and the terrain is hilly and almost never flat. There's also numerous stairs to climb. Essentially you're walking uphill for about 2/3 of the tour culminating at the castle high above the city, so be prepared to walk several miles at a good pace. Also, please arrive early. We had several in the group who were late or "just in time" and that made the tour start late. The tour itself is absolutely worth it. Mark was a great guide and I'd highly recommend the tour.
Review provided by Viator
A3303yyjamesh
Oct 8, 2024
Wear Good Shoes and Prepare to Enjoy Every Minute! - This walking tour was so very, very worth the time and money. It is long, but it covers so much and goes to so many places that you probably would not have thought to go to on your own. Our guide was Mark and he was exceptional. In all honesty, try to see if you can arrange it so that you can go with Mark. He is interesting and pleasant to talk to. It was like walking around Edinburgh with a really knowledgeable family friend who lived there. Moreover, he is a history PhD candidate so he has an almost bottomless well of knowledge to draw from. That being said, don't think that it is a 6-hour walking lecture because Mark engages you with a lot of give-and-take. One of our tour-mates was Scottish by heritage and enjoyed genealogy as a hobby. There were a lot of exchanges over information that that individual had. For those who are older and might be thinking that such a tour would be too difficult, don't worry. It was not. We walked a lot, don't get me wrong, but my wife and I are both 59. Other people on the tour were older and we had no difficulties. Take this tour. You will not regret it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ellen_w
Oct 6, 2024
Very worthwhile small group walking tour of Edinburgh - Excellent, very small group tour. Mark was an outstanding tour guide! He was very knowledgeable and informative. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Kevinla4qo
Oct 16, 2024
Great Intro to Edinburgh - A very lengthy walking tour around the city. You see some really fascinating sites and get a good history of how the city developed over time. It was very windy by the time we got up to Edinburgh castle so we didn’t end up staying long. Highly recommend if it’s your first time in the city and want someone to take you to all the most famous sites.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_b
Oct 17, 2024
Full day - Mark was very knowledgeable and this was a great tour as far as information goes. He is a history phd candidate. Reason I’m giving it only 3 star is because there were not enough photo ops, we basically had to beg for a bathroom stop and the guide moved so fast we were almost left behind a couple of times. (had we broken off for the bathroom we would have been lost). There was not quite enough time for all the areas of the castle at the end, even with moving so fast so I would not expect to see it all.
Review provided by Viator
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1 Adult
November 2024
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