Private Old Edinburgh Tour: Historic Walk

Step into the past on a private Old Edinburgh Tour. Walk in the footsteps of Royals and Rogues, from Mary, Queen of Scots to Bonnie Prince Charlie. Discover the city’s rich history with a local guide dressed in a kilt and explore iconic landmarks with archive images.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Greyfriars Kirkyard - Your tour starts just inside the main gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard. You’ll find out about Edinburgh’s famous ‘wee dug’; Greyfriars Bobby. There are a number of versions of his story. We’ll let you make your own mind up!
  • Grassmarket - Candlemaker Row and the Grassmarket will be next on your route. You’ll find out about one…
What's Included
  • Local guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Join us at Historic Edinburgh Tours for a captivating walkabout through the time-honoured lanes of the Old Town. You’ll have the chance to traverse the same pathways where some of Scotland’s most renowned (and notorious) figures once resided and strolled. From Mary, Queen of Scots to Bonnie Prince Charlie, Deacon Brodie and beyond, this is a can’t-miss…

Location
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Candlemaker Row
Just inside the main entrance, next to the grave of Greyfriars Bobby (the pink headstone which you see as soon as you enter the Kirkyard). Greyfriars Kirkyard, Candlemaker Row, EH1 2QQ
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(226 Ratings)
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Meander20021986544
Sep 16, 2025
Very informative and engaging tour - Robert is knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Edinburgh and provides both interesting and engaging tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderer31074133072
Sep 10, 2025
Great guide and tour - Robert was a fantastic guide. This was a very informative tour and a great way to see a few sites off the main path. Great value and certainly worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolyn_e
Aug 28, 2025
Great walk around the... - Great walk around the city. Our guide Robert started by asking about our visit and our interests and tailored our tour to match. He also accommodated our pace and told us great historical facts and stories.
Review provided by Viator
Dani_a
Aug 19, 2025
Great tour with Robert - Robert was great with explanations customized to our needs. The tour was very interesting with some great tips. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Corrie
Jul 27, 2025
Fun and informative - Robert was a fabulous guide. He was entertaining, funny and very informative. You could tell that he was a teacher- he even brought props. We learned so much about old Edinburgh and Scottish history. I highly recommend this tour to everyone. It was a great way to start our vacation!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Terry4423
Jul 25, 2025
- This really was a 5 star experience and an absolute joy. I would recommend it (and specifically Robert) to anyone thinking of doing a walking tour of Edinburgh. Robert is a brilliant , incredibly knowledgeable and engaging guide. Because it's a private tour he was able to ask what we we were looking for out of the tour and respond to that in a great way. We live 30 minutes from Edinburgh and will definitely back for more. Our visitors weren't that bothered about going into Edinburgh as they'd visited before and 'knew the city' . Their comment after the tour was ' we now realise we didn't know the city!'
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Stay57865414343
Jul 25, 2025
By living we learn........ - Robert made History come to life whilst walking around Edinburgh. His enthusiasm is contagious, knowledge is endless. He makes the tour relevant to your careers too. Its entertaining learning, with poems and stories and a few funny props. 5* Robert....thank you. Naomi and Steve
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Timothykt4752pu
Jul 3, 2025
Private tour - Robert was a great guide and the tour was phenomenal. Tailored the tour to us, including little things like tieing it into our jobs and family history, and knew the history!! Highly recommend!!
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Laurenj1232023
May 26, 2025
Incredible school trip - We had an amazing time on a school trip with our P5’s with Robert on our Old Edinburgh tour to link in with our history topic about Mary Queen of Scots. From the beginning, the children were hooked as Robert made everything come alive and his passion and depth of knowledge shone through. The children were absolutely captivated by the whole experience and it was an amazing way for them to learn more about key aspects of history. We would 100% recommend Robert and will definitely be back next year!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
912shaylas
May 18, 2025
Fabulous walking tour! - Robert was a fantastic guide! We chose private tour and it was exactly what I was hoping for. Robert is extremely knowledgeable of the city and was very attentive. He had a folder with illustrations on the city to help visualize what the area would have looked like when certain events had occurred which made all the stories come full circle. I can not recommend going on a tour with Robert enough! (I failed to take any photos as I was so engrossed in the tour but there are many photo opportunities! But Robert was kind enough to offer to take one for me!)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $112 (Per Group)
up to 10 guests
1 - Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).