walking tours in edinburgh

Edinburgh Guided Tour

Private & group walking tours of edinburgh, scotland.

We now offer  virtual tours of Edinburgh  where our guide can link up to the client, using zoom or similar technology, whilst the guide walks and/or drives around the city giving a commentary as he/she does so. We have now done this, very successfully, for  educational establishments ,  companies  and  private individuals . If you wish to book a  virtual tour , or simply wish to know more, please contact us by using our contact form on our contact page , saying what you have in mind. 

• Most Popular!
• Hour Glass 3 Hours
• Tag Walking Tour

Group Walking Tour – Edinburgh

The tour focuses on the historical, cultural, and architectural heritage of Edinburgh.

• Hour Glass 3.5 or 7 Hours

Private Edinburgh Walking Tour

Customisable tours to suit your taste. Our private tours allow your group to have an educated guide all to yourselves.

Our Edinburgh Walking Tours

Start your holiday with us and let us give you inside knowledge on what to see, where to go, and things to do.

– Our Edinburgh Walking Tours focus on the historical, cultural, and architectural heritage of Edinburgh. Most of the major historical sites of interest are covered, including the world-famous Royal Mile in the Old Town.

– On our  Group Walking Tours , we have an absolute maximum of 12 walkers  to ensure you have a first-class experience. We feel strongly that tours of 30, 40 or 50 more, just cannot give you the same experience.

– Alternatively, our  Private Walking Tours   allow you to see even more landmarks and sights around Edinburgh, both in the Old and New Towns and can even be altered to suit your personal tastes and interests.

– Our guides are very carefully hand-picked for their intelligence and historical knowledge and they all share our love of history and the city. You can read all about our Guides here . You can book your tour with us with confidence. If your plans change, you can always cancel the booking and get a full refund (apart from cancellations made with less than 24 hours to go).

Deutschsprachiger Guide

Erleben Sie Edinburgh mit Ihrem deutschsprachigen Guide Craig Goodman: individuell, barrierefrei, mit flexiblen Treffpunkten.

Corporate and Educational Tours

Corporate tours.

We have hosted tours for many Corporate clients over the years, from companies both large and small, who want their staff to enjoy Edinburgh’s attractions whilst they are in the city.

Please see our page on Corporate Tours for more details.

Educational tours

We have done hundreds of tours for students from schools and universities over the years.

Many of the clients return to us again and again because their students enjoyed our tour so much.

Please see our page on Educational Tours for more details.

Edinburgh Guided Tour Recognised Among Best In The World!

• Edinburgh Guided Tour are extremely proud to announce that our Guided Group Walking Tour has won the 2023 Viator Experience Award ! It rates us among the Top Twenty Viator attractions in all of Northern Europe .
• Viator is the world’s largest travel experiences marketplace with more than 300,000 bookable tours, activities, and excursions.
• Our Guided Group Walking Tour is our most popular, best-selling tour and it is the original experience that started us off over 10 years ago!
• This longstanding tour, focuses on the most important streets in Edinburgh and covers the most seminal people, buildings and events from Scotland’s history, and has grown from strength to strength and stood the test of time.

Other Plaudits for our Edinburgh Walking Tours

• In 2019, Edinburgh Guided Tour was ranked #5 in the World for Cultural Experiences in the 2019 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. An outstanding achievement!
• In 2016 we were selected as being one of Edinburgh’s Top Ten walks by the Guardian newspaper.
• In 2019 we were selected as one of Edinburgh’s 7 best walking tours by The Scotsman newspaper

Our Walking Tours in Edinburgh were Rated "Excellent" by 94% of our Guests!

"Wide range of information on the history, architecture geology and people who contributed to Edinburgh. I learnt absolutely tons in 3 hours. Easy nuggets of knowledge delivered in a conversational style. Excellent introduction to the city from our guide Alison."

"Stuart was great and very knowledgeable! He also gave great advice on where to shop, eat, and drink."

"Starting at the appropriately named Usher Hall (you'll be told all about that), the tour progressed at a leisurely pace throughout the centre of Edinburgh. Stuart's knowledge is extensive, and his delivery humorous, leading to a hugely enjoyable and unique touring experience. Would highly recommend."

"Hugely informative and wonderful as an introductory tour in Edinburgh. Great trivia and historical information along with fantastic restaurant and shop recommendations. I would advise anyone to take this tour as it is a fantastic way to accommodate yourself to this city!"

"Lively and entertaining. Just the right mix of solid facts and amusing trivia. A fantastic introduction to the city."

"Alison was a brilliant tour guide. The tour was interesting, enjoyable and gave the right amount of information on the places we visited. We had a small group which was great so we could ask questions and get to know the other guests. Would highly recommend this tour."

"We walked privately with Stuart Usher through old & new town as well as the Royal Mile. It was absolutely excellent!! Not only was Stuart enjoyable company, but the tour provided a solid overview of the history of the mile and recommendations for food and shopping. Stuart pointed out fun details that I would've never otherwise noticed. It really gave me an appreciation for what this city has to offer. Plus, the information provided was the perfect balance between detailed v. general, old v. modern, etc. We loved it and will definitely use the service should we return to Edinburgh in the future!! THANK YOU STUART! :)"

"It was a joy to spend the day with Alison. She was passionate about the city and its history and struck the right balance between historical content and lay person human interest. She engages the group in a comfortable manner and flexes to meet the needs and interests of whoever she has with her that day. Highly recommend joining one of her tours."

"We loved Stuart Usher and what he brought to our understanding of Edinburgh and the special knowledge that he has of its history having been there for many generations. His family donated Usher Hall, a premiere music venue, to the city and that attests to the intimate viewpoint Mr. Usher has of not only the history but also the current condition of Edinburgh. We enjoyed his very insightful comments and also his recommendations of places to eat and go see. All in all, a very worthy experience and one that I would do early in your visit to the city to be able to go back to some of the places pointed out on the trip."

"Our guide for the tour of Edinburgh was incredible ... literally cannot write/speak enough of my praise. Guide was well versed in the history - woven in the details was a comprehensive reflection of the old compared with the new. Guide arranged the tour to our interests, using old maps and books for us to view ... a truly must guide to show you around the lovely city."

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Self-Guided Edinburgh Walking Tour

This post is a free, self-guided tour of Edinburgh, along with a map and route, put together by local tour guides for Free Tours by Foot.  

You can expect to walk nearly 2 miles or just over 3.2 kilometres.

Below is the abridged version. You can get the full version with directions by downloading this map, PDF version , or downloading our audio tour (see below).

Click the map to enlarge it or to download it to your smartphone.

GPS-Enabled Audio Tour

We also offer an audio tour of historic Edinburgh, researched, written, and recorded by one of our own tour guides.

Here’s a sample.

Purchase our Audio Tour of Edinburgh

Additionally, you can also take free guided walking tours that run multiple times each day. These tours are in reality pay-what-you-wish tours.

Edinburgh is one of the most historic cities in Scotland and the entire United Kingdom.

In addition to its medieval history, this city’s history of education and learning has also affected our modern lives.

Whether it be the contributions that Adam Smith made to our modern understanding of a free market economy or the inspiration pulled from Edinburgh for the Harry Potter series, the people and the atmosphere of this city have contributed to the world in many important ways.

This tour will lead you through some of the most influential and popular landmarks in Edinburgh with plenty of sightseeing on the way.

In addition to historic sites, I’ll also point out some options for food, museums, art, and other ways to make the most of your time in Edinburgh.

This tour will begin at Edinburgh Castle and continue downhill, mostly following the Royal Mile, with a few turns onto other streets.

Once you’ve made your way to the castle gates, you’ll be ready to begin this tour.

Edinburgh Castle

This is the most historically significant landmark in all of Edinburgh, and there have been people living in the area since around the second century CE.

The castle itself became a royal residence in 1124, and it has been through a total of 26 sieges throughout its history.

This makes Edinburgh Castle the most besieged location in Scotland and one of the most attacked structures in the whole world.

This is the home of the Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish Crown Jewels. Entry is ticketed, and you can visit every day of the year.

The Castle is open from 9:30 am - 18:00 (6 pm) daily from April - September and from 9:30 am - 17:00 (5 pm) daily from October - March.

Tickets are £17.50 for Adults, £14 for Seniors and Unemployed, and £10.50 for Children. Visit the website .

Kids under 5 get in for free with an Adult. Alternatively, you can save money on tickets using either the Edinburgh Explorer Pass or the Royal Edinburgh Ticket.

We also offer a 25-stop audio tour of historic Edinburgh, researched, written, and recorded by one of our own tour guides, that you could take whenever you wish.

• Purchase an audio tour (£2.30)
• Get a confirmation email with .mp3, pdf, and embeddable Google Map
• Enjoy the tour(s).

The Witches’ Well

This monument was erected in memory of the more than 4,000 alleged witches who were burned at the stake in front of Edinburgh Castle from the 15th - 18th century.

The plaque features symbolic imagery including a foxglove plant which represents the use of herbal medicine, two heads representing evil and good, and a snake that is representative of both treachery and wisdom.

Many in Edinburgh would like to see an even better memorial, as this one is fairly small and has fallen into disrepair.

Castlehill Attractions

Castlehill is filled with notable attractions, but there are three, in particular, you may want to visit:

• The Scotch Whiskey Experience
• The Witchery
• Camera Obscura & The World of Illusions

The Scotch Whiskey Experience has one of the largest collections of Scotch Whiskey in the world, and it also has a ride that allows you to experience how this drink is made.

The Witchery is an interesting restaurant with 9 theatrical suites that are designed to look medieval. Although prices are high, this is a very popular location for tourists.

Camera Obscura & The World of Illusions is a family-friendly attraction with multiple interactive exhibitions.

It's also home to the Camera Obscura, which reportedly projected moving images 40 years before the motion picture was invented.

Princes Street Gardens & Museums

These beautiful gardens are located right alongside Edinburgh Castle, and there are a lot of great monuments to see in the area.

This is also the location where several local events and festivals take place every year.

Located across from the Prince Street Gardens, the Scottish National Gallery and Royal Scottish Academy are both beautiful art museums which you can visit for free.

The Scottish National Gallery is especially worthy of a visit because it houses works by Raphael, Claude Monet, and Paul Gauguin.

Museum on the Mound

This is the Head Office of the Bank of Scotland, and it was originally built in 1806.

Although it’s still used by the bank, there is also an interesting museum inside which is free to visit.

The museum focuses on the history of economics in Edinburgh, as well as the money and coinage used in the city over many centuries.

One of the most interesting exhibits is a £1 million note from the Bank of England.

The Museum on the Mound is open from Tuesday - Friday from 10 am - 17:00 (5 pm).

It’s also open on Saturdays and Bank Holiday Mondays from 13:00 (1 pm) to 17:00 (5 pm), and admission is free.

The Writer’s Museum

Housed in a historic building known as Lady Stair’s Close, this museum is dedicated to the lives and works of 3 well-known and beloved Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Robert Burns is known for poems like Halloween and Auld Lang Syne .

Sir Walter Scott is known for the poem The Lady of the Lake and novels like Rob Roy and Ivanhoe .

Robert Louis Stevenson is known for novels like Treasure Island and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .

The collection on display here includes portraits, written works, and personal objects owned by the three writers. Admission is free and the museum is open daily.

The Writer’s Museum is open daily from 10 am - 17:00 (5 pm) and admission is free.

Gladstone’s Land

This 17th-century tenement house is one of the oldest buildings on the Royal Mile.

And it has been restored to remain faithful to its roots so that visitors can experience what life was like hundreds of years ago.

Although admission isn’t free, it is fairly affordable and open daily throughout most of the year.

Check out the official website for more information.

High Court of Justiciary

This is the supreme criminal court of Scotland, and even to this day, they hear cases of both criminal trials and appeals.

One of the most interesting things to see here is the statue of David Hume, a philosopher who once coined the phrase “reason is the slave of the passions.”

Hume was inspired by the likes of Sir Isaac Newton and John Locke, and he saw philosophy as something that could be scientifically tested and experimented.

Hume inspired many notable figures, including people like Adam Smith and Benjamin Franklin.

The Heart of Midlothian Mosaic

This used to be the site of the Old Tolbooth, an administrative building that was also used as a prison and a site of public executions.

The mosaic that exists here now is named after the Midlothian county, of which Edinburgh was the county town.

It memorializes the location of the jail, and there is an odd tradition of spitting on it for good luck. 

While there’s no law against doing this yourself, it’s certainly not the most delightful of customs.

St. Giles’ Cathedral

Although it was founded in the 12th century, this church became an important historical location in the 16th century during the period of the Reformation.

John Knox served as a minister when St. Giles’ became a protestant church in 1559, and he brought the language of the bible to everyday Scots, making it more accessible to the common man.

Although St. Giles was granted cathedral status from 1661-1689, it has been a Presbyterian church since then and is no longer technically a cathedral, but it’s still colloquially known by that name.

The most recent addition is the Thistle Chapel, built in 1909.

This chapel is fairly important, as it is the site of the ceremony where the Queen selects new members of The Order of the Thistle every other year.

The Real Mary King’s Close

This close was a pretty important location during the 17th-century, and it was the site where George Rae once treated victims of the plague using the suit that has since become known as the “plague doctor” attire.

Although parts of the close were demolished and buried during the 18th century, you can now visit daily and tour the close for yourself to see and learn about the area.

Many hauntings have been reported at Mary King’s Close over the years, and as a result, it has become a subject of fascination for believers of the supernatural.

Nowadays, you can get a fully guided tour of the close which is offered daily from 9:30 - 18:00 every 15 minutes.

Tickets are £17.95 for adults.

Adam Smith Statue

Built in 2008, this is the newest statue on the Royal Mile, and it depicts one of the most important Scottish figures in the history of the country.

Adam Smith is well known as one of the fathers of modern free trade economics, and he’s also the author of The Wealth of Nations, which would quickly become influential in American politics.

American founding fathers James Madison, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson all spoke very highly of Adam Smith’s ideas.

And it’s clear to see that his economic concepts were important both here in Scotland and in other parts of the world as well.

Mercat Cross

This was once the site where civic proclamations were publicly read to citizens by a town crier, and it was also used for many punishments including hangings and other public executions.

Although the original cross dates back to 1365, it has been damaged and altered multiple times over the years.

Today, a royal unicorn sits at the top with a Scottish flag beside it.

The Mercat Cross is lined with the royal arms of Britain, Scotland, England, Ireland, Edinburgh, Leith, the Canongate, and the University of Edinburgh.

Statue of James Braidwood

Although this figure may not appear familiar, he was actually a pretty important person in the history of Edinburgh and the United Kingdom as a whole.

James Braidwood not only founded the first fire service in the city, but he was also the first director of the London Fire Engine Establishment which would come to be known as the London Fire Brigade.

Braidwood is credited with developing modern fire fighting principles that are still in use today.

And he was recognized for acts of heroism during the great fires of Edinburgh in 1824 and London in 1830.

Parliament Square and Old Scottish Parliament

Located behind St. Giles Cathedral, this public square was formed in front of the Parliament House in 1632.

An equestrian statue of Charles II of Scotland stands at the entrance to the Old Supreme Courts of Scotland which is next to the Parliament House on the right.

The Parliament House would only be in use from 1639 - 1707 when it was dissolved as a result of the Acts of Union.

The Acts of Union led to the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Edinburgh City Chambers

As you come out from behind St. Giles’ Cathedral, you’ll see the memorial to the 5th Duke of Buccleuch ahead of you and the Edinburgh City Chambers on the left.

This is the meeting place of the City of Edinburgh Council, and these chambers have existed under one name or another since 1753.

The building here was originally designed to be the Royal Exchange, which led to the partial demolition and burying of Mary King’s Close, as we discussed earlier.

The Royal Exchange was never very popular among merchants, so the Town Council eventually took over the Northern part of the building and used it as the City Chambers starting in 1811.

By 1893, they had taken over the whole building, and it remained home to the city’s council of state for most of the years since.

Its other most important function was as a filming location for the movie Braveheart.

You can also find plaques on the ground with handprints of famous Scots, including J.K. Rowling. This is also a stop on our self-guided Harry Potter Tour .

The National Library of Scotland

Although it was initially opened in 1689, this library would not officially become the property of the nation until the 1920s, at which time it became the National Library of Scotland.

There are more than 26 million items of historic relevance here, and it’s also the home of Scotland’s Moving Image Archive which has over 46,000 videos and films.

Items of note in the library include a letter from Charles Darwin, a Gutenberg Bible, the First Folio of Shakespeare, and more.

Edinburgh Central Library

This was the first public library in Edinburgh, and it was initially built and opened in 1890 with the help of funding from Andrew Carnegie, the wealthy Scottish-American industrialist turned philanthropist.

Upon Carnegie’s insistence, the motto “Let There Be Light” was placed above the entrance.

Above the inner doorway, you’ll find the lintel from the home of Sir Thomas Hope, the owner of the home that was once located on this site before the library was constructed.

The Elephant House

Even though this cafe isn’t particularly old, it has still become a quite notable location in Edinburgh thanks to the famous people who have visited.

Perhaps most notably, JK Rowling is said to have worked on her first Harry Potter novel right here at the Elephant House, and you’ll see all kinds of signs that have been left there by fans.

Authors Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall-Smith also frequented the Elephant House, which makes this a popular stop for budding writers and fans of their work.

National Museum of Scotland

This is a relatively new museum just East of the Greyfriars Kirkyard which combines both the Museum of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Museum.

While the building of the Museum of Scotland opened in 1998, the connected Royal Scottish Museum building opened all the way back in 1866, which is why the museum includes such different architectural styles.

The focus of this museum is the achievements of Scotland and its inhabitants, including examples of art, science, technology, and historical artifacts.

Exhibits include Dolly the sheep -- the first successfully cloned mammal, one of Elton John’s suits, a kinetic sculpture known as the Millennium Clock, and many more.

Admission is free and they are open daily from 10:30 - 16:30 (4:30 pm). Advanced online booking is required.

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Although this graveyard dates back to 1562, it has more recently become known as one of the locations where JK Rowling may have gotten a few ideas for the names of her characters.

This is also the location where the dog that would come to be known as the Greyfriars Bobby would stay by the gravestone of his deceased owner for 14 years until he also passed away.

Whether you’re a fan of Harry Potter, loyal dogs, or historic headstones, there’s plenty to see and experience at Greyfriars Kirkyard and it’s open from Monday - Friday.

Admission is ticketed , but it is very affordable.

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