Old Town Walking Tour History and Tales in Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland

2 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

This walking tour of Edinburgh is a great choice for first-time visitors who want to get their bearings of the city and learn more about its history. By exploring the city with a guide, you’ll be able to stop looking at a map and focus on enjoying the sites around you. Your guide will teach you about secret places locals love, as well as the Old Town’s most famous sites. Highlights include St. Giles’ Cathedral, the Mercat Cross, Edinburgh Castle, and much more.

The perfect overview tour for first-time visitors to Edinburgh
Visit many sites in the UNESCO-listed Old Town in one day
Exploring Edinburgh with a guide means you won’t get lost
A walking tour takes you to areas that can’t be accessed by car

What's Included

Professional guide

Gratuity

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

15 Jeffrey St, Edinburgh EH1, UK
Tour departs from inside "Hot Toddy" just off the Royal Mile. Speak to cafe/bar staff when you arrive to check-in. Cafe is open before tour, feel free to come early for food/drink to fuel up for the tour! Full address - Hot Toddy, 15-19 Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DR

End point

Edinburgh Old Town, Edinburgh, UK
The tour will end within a 5min walk of the Royal Mile.

What To Expect

Edinburgh Old Town

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
These tours run all the year round so please wear clothing that is appropriate for the Scottish climate and come in footwear that you are comfortable in for a two hour walking tour on the historic streets of Edinburgh.
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Please Note - Children, aged 15 and under, will not be able to join the tour unless accompanied by a responsible adult
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

1,588 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 1,588 reviews

Great experience to learn more about Scottish history and the town of Edinburgh

Deborah_S, May 2024

Angus was a great, funny and very experienced tour guide. He showed us all the important spots in the old town and he shared some interesting facts and amazing stories. I would definitely recommend this tour! Time just flew by!

Great experience!

Hannah_M, May 2024

Really interesting tour at the beginning of our trip! Highly recommend to learn more of the history 👌

A great way to start a visit to the city of Edinburgh

Sue_W, May 2024

Georgia was excellent- she brought the history of the city to life and covered lots of old town. Really enjoyable and informative. A great way to start a visit to the city!

History with Humour

Naomi_A, Apr 2024

Not your average fact sharing tour. Guide made it more Interesting with humorous historical facts. Hard to hear at times as lots of noise in the streets.

Royal Mile Brought to Life

Paul_W, Apr 2024

Euan brought the Royal Mile to life! Great information and very interesting. There is more than just the Royal Mile.

Outstandingly good walk

Sandy_A, Apr 2024

Dave was a fantastic guide and his knowledge if the old city and beyond was just the best. He was interested in knowing what we wanted to get from the walk and exceeded our expectations. His style and approach as a guide shouldn't be missed.

Fun, interesting & great value

Julie_H, Apr 2024

Loved the stories told by our charismatic guide Ben. It was a really interesting & great value tour. Not too strenuous & we saw bits of the city we would never have found on our own.

Great way to get a feel for the history of Edinburgh

Irene_W, Apr 2024

Georgia was our tour guide and she brought the history of Edinburgh to life for the group. She pointed out the sites & gave background of how these reflected Scotland’s history. She also gave recommendations for places to eat & shop for authentic experiences.

Would recommend!!

Taylor_M, Apr 2024

Sabella was our tour guide and she was FANTASTIC! So kind, knowledgeable, and funny. We did this on the morning of our first full day in Edinburgh and it was a great way to start the trip and get a lay of the land. We also got some fantastic recommendations from her of what to do while on our trip! Highly recommend.

Good informative tour if you are up for walking

swapnil_a, Apr 2024

Good informative walking tour..checkin is smooth inside Hot toddy...guides are funny and they keep it informative and brief..

Informative and fun tales of Edinburgh tour

Josie_S, Apr 2024

Enjoyed some history on our walk of the Old Town tour. Ben was informative and engaging in his tales of Edinburgh. It was a good way to see the city in a short time.

Grear

Julia_R, Apr 2024

Ben was great, we enjoyed it all. Edinburgh is worth a visit. The tour gave us lots of info we would not have known. Would recommend.

Jule was an amazing tour...

Mary_B, Apr 2024

Jule was an amazing tour guide and very knowledgeable. Pointed out fun facts right in front of us that never would’ve learned otherwise. Much more enjoyable than our bus tour audio guide.

Great experience

Roxana_C, Apr 2024

All of the places were really fun to visit, they were close to each other so we didn’t talk a lot. The information given was also helpful. I have ni recommendations.

Great tour

Beth_C, Mar 2024

Angus was an amazing guide on this tour. It was a great tour to learn about just a fraction of Edinburgh’s long history, and Angus keeps you engaged and entertained the entire time.

Great place to start

James_S, Mar 2024

Tours in Scotland are the best and this was no exception. Guide was an excellent story teller as he brought the city and Scotland history to life. Highly recommend this tour as a starting point for your visit to Edinburgh.

Great Edinburgh Walking tour

Thomas_K, Mar 2024

Excellent tour. Very easy walk filled with interesting information about Edinburgh. Ewan is an excellent guide who was born & raised in Edinburgh.

Highly recommend!

Katariina_M, Mar 2024

The tour was absolutely amazing thanks to our lovely and highly skilled guide, Ewan! I couldn't ask for a better tour around the beautiful, story-filled Edinburgh. Thank you!

Alistair was our guide...

Heather_C, Mar 2024

Alistair was our guide and he was very informative. You could tell he really loves Scotland and Edinburgh. We learned so much about the city and he pointed out things we would have never noticed about this unique city. The walking was broken up with stopping at certain points to talk. This made it not feel like a long walk and was a relaxing pace.

Worth your time

Richard_C, Mar 2024

Angus was very entertaining and shared interesting stories, some were funny and others informational. If not for the tour, we would have missed many important spots in the old town. He also provided recommendations for food and entertainment.

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