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Edinburgh Old Town: History and Culture Tour
4.6
11 Ratings
Edinburgh
Discover the captivating history of Edinburgh on a private walking tour. Explore the iconic Royal Mile and Old Town, and delve into the city’s rich heritage, from Harry Potter to the Jacobites.
Discover the captivating history of Edinburgh on a private walking tour. Explore the iconic Royal Mile and Old Town, and delve into the city’s rich heritage, from Harry Potter to the Jacobites.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Edinburgh Castle Esplanade - Views of Edinburgh Castle from the outside.
- Gladstone’s Land - Fine example of one of Edinburgh’s oldest houses.
- Writers’ Museum - now a museum this building has a fascinating past
- St Giles’ Cathedral - The building and it’s history will be discussed from outside, however if you would like the guide…
- Edinburgh Castle Esplanade - Views of Edinburgh Castle from the outside.
- Gladstone’s Land - Fine example of one of Edinburgh’s oldest houses.
- Writers’ Museum - now a museum this building has a fascinating past
- St Giles’ Cathedral - The building and it’s history will be discussed from outside, however if you would like the guide will be happy to give you a brief introductory tour of the inside. Donation is requested.
- Mercat Cross - See the site of Proclomations and executions, punishments and markets.
- John Knox House Museum - Vied from the outside hear the history of this interesting House and it’s new use.
- Canongate Kirk - Viewed from the outside, you will walk around the church hearing about it’s history and the history of some of the burial grounds interesting inhabitants.
- The Scottish Parliament - A modern piece of Architecture built on the site of an old brewery. Hear about it’s history.
- Palace of Holyroodhouse - The end point of our tour is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, here you will view the palace from the outside, hear about Mary Queen of Scots, James the IV and David I and the Augustinian Canons
- Bakehouse Close - A brief stop to see some interesting architecture, hear stories of the people who lived here and about some filming that took place here.
- Dunbars Close Garden - Discover a spot of tranquility in the centre of the city in one of the Old Towns hidden gems, laid out as a 17th C garden
What's Included
- Local guide
- Private tour
- Professional guide
- Local guide
- Private tour
- Professional guide
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Maximize your visit to Edinburgh by walking for a few hours around the Old Town’s streets. Learn about the city’s past, significant figures, and moments that made Edinburgh what it is today. You will be guided from Edinburgh Castle down Royal Mile to the Holyroodhouse Palace. If you’ve a particular topic that piques your interest, feel free to share it…
Maximize your visit to Edinburgh by walking for a few hours around the Old Town’s streets. Learn about the city’s past, significant figures, and moments that made Edinburgh what it is today. You will be guided from Edinburgh Castle down Royal Mile to the Holyroodhouse Palace. If you’ve a particular topic that piques your interest, feel free to share it with us and we’d be happy to customize your tour. Be it Harry Potter, Outlander, the Jacobite’s - or an amalgamation of everything: history, architecture, and individuals from bygone days.
Location
The Hub
The Hub is a former Church with huge red front doors. Please meet your guide outside the venue at the front of the building. Beware of following your maps blindly, they take you to the private side entrance. Look for the guide in a Kilt or Baseball had with a Castle Logo on the front.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(11 Ratings)
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Dianacf9060to
Oct 15, 2024
Private Outlander Tour - Our best day yet. We booked a private Outlander Tour for the day . No complaints. Everything was perfect. They were on time . Took us to 5 Outlander film locations. I highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johnwl4442dt
Oct 5, 2024
Great Tour of the Royal Mile with Sam of Edinburgh Tour Guides - We took the private Royal Mile Walking Tour with our guide Sam. There were four of us and the tour was a highlight of the visit to Edinburgh. The tour was 3 hours and took us into side roads and alleyways we never would have explored without Sam’s guidance. Her historical knowledge of every nook and cranny of the Royal Mile was impressive and made it a very entertaining way to learn some of Edinburgh’s incredible history. Highly recommend this.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anonatl
May 28, 2024
Good experience for family that loves history - Our family had a great time on this tour. We had a short time in Edinburgh, and Sam provided us with a great overview of the history of the city. She clearly loves her home and was able to answer all of our questions. Time well spent!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tdhnts
May 27, 2019
Exceptional! - We loved the private tour Martin provided us from the Castle to the Palace. We couldn't have asked for a better time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sminfl1127
Oct 21, 2018
Great tour - Sam was our tour guide and was really knowledgeable. We arrived late, it was cold and it rained the entire time but she was really great. I mentioned that I was an Outlander fan and she showed us some of the filming locations which was an added bonus. This type of tour is a perfect way to learn about the city and some history. Thanks Sam!!! I hope you’re friendemey gets more pictures of you with Sam! Thanks for the pigeon. We laughed about that many times!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bhennessey60
Jun 23, 2018
Excellent Walking tour of Edinburgh - Josh took us on an excellent walking tour of Edinburgh. He was very knowledgeable and clearly loved sharing the history of the city. The tour encompassed the length of the Royal (Scottish) mile and took us thru court yards, closes, and gardens. Josh also shared his extensive knowledge of the flims made in the area. We throughly enjoyed our time with Josh and would highly recommend this tour!
Pam & Bob
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christine
Jul 30, 2017
This tour was great! Josh, our... - <p>This tour was great! Josh, our Guide was terrific. We had noted on our reservation that we were interested in History and were Harry Potter and Outlander fans. Josh confirmed this on our meeting and proceeded on a tour that was full of history of the Royal MIle and Harry Potter related sites/trivia, and Outlander filming locations and trivia. It was a perfect tour catering to our requests. My husband and I were a little jet-lagged and starting to fail when we met up with Josh we had flown overnight from Chicago arriving at 7 am, our tour started at 2pm but Josh made the tour so interesting and amusing, we followed right along and enjoyed it. I highly recommend this tour.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Nanjac2010
Sep 18, 2024
Walking tour of New Town. - I changed the tour from Royal Mile to New Town at the last minute because I had seen Royal Mile already on my own. The guide wasn't happy about the change but she switched gears & gave me a good tour of New Town. We walked through the central park & saw many beautiful buildings & streets. We ended at the Georgian house museum which was lovely and then I went to the Portrait Museum on my own. After a rough start, it was a good day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gabi
May 27, 2018
Worthwhile - We are interested in the history of the places we visit. So we booked this tour. Josh, our guide, was quite knowledgeable on the city and the film sets. Yet he did not dwell on overall Scottish history, which would have been interesting as well. We spent good 2 hours on the tour. Recommend this royal mile tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O5260veheidim
Sep 9, 2024
Private tour of Royal Mile - My first impression when meeting our guide was unpleasant. Sam was quite abrasive and not welcoming and it felt like we got off on a bad start. A pleasant welcome would have been appreciated. But, we enjoyed our tour of the Royal Mile with our very knowledgeable tour guide, Sam.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
