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Royal Mile Guided Walking Tour: Exploring Edinburgh's Cultural Treasures with Expert Historians
4.9
1,319 Ratings
Edinburgh
Join our Royal Mile guided walking tour in Edinburgh and explore the city's cultural treasures with expert historians. Limited to 12 guests for an engaging and entertaining experience.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Usher Hall - View this Baroque “Beaux Arts” masterpiece in the Heart of Edinburgh, the Usher Hall. Donated to the people and the City of Edinburgh by Stuart Usher’s great great uncle, Andrew Usher.
- Edinburgh Castle - Behold and view (from the outside) the towering, majestic pile of Edinburgh Castle from various vantage points. Learn all about its history (good, bad and downright ugly), the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Stuart dynasty, the Union of the Crowns and much more!
- Grassmarket - Enter and visit this centuries-old area that served as the Medieval Marketplace of the City. Also see George Heriot School (the inspiration behind Hogwarts!).
- Milne’s Court - Come and visit this fascinating court where you can see and hear how people lived in the 17th and 18th centuries.
- Jolly Judge - See classic examples of Edinburgh’s Old Town tenement buildings in James Court. Also see the quirky and charismatic Jolly Judge pub.
- Writers’ Museum - This museum showcases the best of Scotland’s literary heroes, past and present. Guests can visit inside should they wish.
- Riddle’s Court - See the exterior of the home of the philosopher David Hume, the ‘Father of the Scottish Enlightenment’ as well as other Scottish notables.
- Deacon Brodie’s Tavern - Learn about the life of the blackguard, Deacon Brodie, the real-life character behind ‘Jekyll and Hyde’.
- St Giles’ Cathedral - View this magnificent cathedral from the outside and learn about its pivotal history during the middle ages and reformation periods.
- Edinburgh City Chambers - See the highlights of this busy heart of the Royal Mile which includes the City Chambers, Mercat Cross and other sites of interest.
- Edinburgh Waverley Station - Cross one of the first bridges to connect the Old & New Towns of Edinburgh, leading to Princes Street Gardens.
- Scott Monument - See this towering landmark which delineates the separation of the Old and New Towns (both of which are Unesco world heritage sites).
What's Included
- Small group (maximum 12 participants)
- Professional guide
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Join our exceptional tour guides, Stuart Usher or his son, Richard Usher, for a captivating and enjoyable walk. We are also pleased to present our new guides; Dr Alison Duncan and David Forsyth, both skilled historians and specialists in Edinburgh.
We restrict our tour to a maximum of 12 participants to ensure personal engagement (unlike many tours that accommodate 30, 40 or even more guests!)
Stuart’s lineage holds significant ties to Edinburgh (Stuart’s great-great Uncle, Andrew Usher, made a generous contribution of the splendid Usher Hall to the city. Andrew also carried the reputation of being the ‘originator of the scotch whisky blending industry’).
Their profound understanding of the city’s cultural, historical, and architectural facets grants them an unparalleled viewpoint on our splendid capital.
Our guides will introduce you to the cultural gems of Edinburgh, its historical mysteries and notable personalities while delivering captivating and humorous commentary.
- Children under 12 are free
- Children 12-16 pay 75%
Location
The Usher Hall
Lothian Road
Your guide will be waiting for you outside the central entrance of the Usher Hall (there are 3 entrances and he will be outside the middle one).
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(1319 Ratings)
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Diana_w
Jun 22, 2024
Amazing tour leader - Alison was truly an amazing guide! She is a historian and shared so much information and stories and did it all in a professional and engaging way. She is definite a credit to Viator! I only wished I would have had more time to take another of her tours.
Review provided by Viator
Brucefx1774qp
Jun 22, 2024
Edinburgh tour experience - David was an engaging erudite and knowledgeable guide who related well to our small group. Throughout the tour he kept us enthralled with stories around the numerous sites and we have enjoyed exploring further based on our learnings. Great recommendations on restaurants shopping etc also. Highly recommended. Bruce & Karen
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carla_b
Jun 22, 2024
Excellent guide, great tour! - Craig was a superb guide, so knowledgeable and very friendly! He tailored our walk to the desires of the group, and always had our interests and comfort in mind. Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Mark_a
Jun 21, 2024
Allison was wonderful with much history well said. - Allisons energy and her breadth of knowledge, .... it all made history come alive. Highly recommend thus tour.
Review provided by Viator
Lori_c
Jun 21, 2024
Well worth it! - This was an excellent tour and David was a fantastic guide. Loved the small group and learned so much. Great way to start your trip.
Review provided by Viator
Edward_c
Jun 21, 2024
Great Tour! - Our guide David was funny, engaging, knowledgeable and interested in adapting his tour to the questions and interests of the 11 members in our group. The three hour tour passed quickly and we are very glad that we took the tour. David combined knowledge of history, architecture, and colorful historical figures. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Brandi_s
Jun 21, 2024
The Best Tour of the Royal Mile - We loved our tour of the Royal Mile with our guide Allison! She was quite the historian and explained the history of Edinburgh in such a way that kept even our three teenagers captivated. We had the best time.
Review provided by Viator
Brennen_w
Jun 21, 2024
Get Ready To Learn - Oh man!!!!! Allison was an amazing tour guide! So knowledgeable with every small detail in and around this beautiful city. I loved the small group setting, it makes it feel more intimidate. She took the time to learn everyone’s name and then recall them out asking us questions throughout the tour. This is a tour guide I would use for other topics in the city! Lively story telling for each of the stops.
Review provided by Viator
Maureen_s
Jun 20, 2024
Great tour! - Mr Usher had so much knowledge of Edinburgh. He kept us moving, told great stories and it was an enjoyable time. And the weather held out too!!
Review provided by Viator
H8570lqjohnk
Jun 21, 2024
Great guide - David, the guide was excellent! I would like to leave him a tip. Please let me do know how to do so.
I would suggest to make sure that each member of the tour have a audio unit to better hear the guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
