Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
A trip to the capital of Scotland isn't complete without a tour of Edinburgh Castle. Follow your guide through the grounds and hear tales of the castle's royal residents—including Mary Queen of Scots—and learn more about the rich history of the building. After your tour ends, there's plenty of free time explore the castle's interior and the rest of the grounds, which includes three museums, two prisons, a canine cemetery, the Chapel of Saint Margaret, the National Monument to the fallen of Scotland, the Great Hall, and a Royal Palace.
- Plenty of time for photo ops of Edinburgh Castle and the surrounding city
- Hear unique stories of Scottish history and ask questions along the way
- Don't be disappointed: Pre-booking tickets guarantees entry
- An activity the whole family can enjoy
What's Included
- Entrance ticket & Edinburgh Castle Guided Tour
- Entre fees
- Pet Not allowed. Only guide dog.
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- WRX5+WF, 361 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1PW, UK
Meet in front of the entrance to Advocates Close, opposite (St. Giles’ Cathedral) . Look for the black umbrella with the tour provider's yellow logo.
End point
- Edinburgh CastleCastlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG, UK
Tour end inside Edinburgh Castle
Itinerary
1
Edinburgh Castle
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Please note in poor weather conditions the tour will remain outdoors as access to the castle buildings is not available for tour groups
- Tour will be inside the castle walls, but outdoors, with free time after the tour to to explore the castle an to go inside every building (Museums, Royal Palace, prisons, and much more). We can not access those buildings during the tour, but the tour will still be carried out within the castle grounds.
- The castle is a complex of buildings, not a single building.
- On this tour you will be guided around Edinburgh castle, with specific stops assigned by the castle authorities.
- Bags over 30L in volume are not allawed inside the castle.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 5,977 reviews
Michelle_N, May 2026
Our guide Niamh (pronounced Neev) was charismatic and extremely knowledgable in all the historical drama that involved the Edinburgh Castle, having her own personal ties to the memorial. She made everyone feel comfortable and ensured we all made our way through the castle safely. She spoke passionately, giving us every detail of events occurring here, the evolution, destruction and rebuilding of it, and the pivotal figures that make this castle special. She even sang us Scotland’s national anthem. I highly recommend her for this English version of tour with her. 11/10!
Ernesto_G, May 2026
Uphill walk. Wear comfortable, non-slip shoes. Very windy at the top. That being said, the tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of Edinburgh as well as its castle. Very enjoyable experience.
Jennifer_H, May 2026
I had a great experience. David did a great job keeping us together, and making sure we all could hear him. He gave a lot of history, not just of the castle, but of Edinburgh itself. He is a fantastic speaker, and I enjoyed him very much. Just a heads up, though, this tour is a lot of walking…uphill. Some pretty steep. I expected to be walking a lot, it is a walking tour after all, just not uphill. This is true of the city, too, lots of uphill walking. No wonder David has fantastic legs!
Diane_S, May 2026
The history of the castle is quite remarkable. The castle itself was a sight to behold. Our guide, Australian David, was personable & very knowledgeable about the castle and history of Scotland.
MARENA_K, May 2026
Jen was very knowledgeable and had a unique and fresh approach which kept our attention. Fantastic way of sharing information with a touch of humour.
Thank you very much for making our experience so memorable.
Emily, May 2026
There was a Good amount of history and humor. Raj was a great tour guide
We enjoy our visit and learning
Samantha_W, May 2026
Jen was our tour guide and she was phenomenal! She was witty , informative and super knowledgeable. We loved her and the tour so much that we wanted to book a ghost tour with her , unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts, we couldn’t . If we’re ever back in Edinburgh , we’d def reach out again . The castle tour was amazing and so much history to uncover, could easily spend half a day there .
Rose_S, May 2026
Good information by an excellent guide but at times it was difficult to hear her due to the size of the group of about 25.
Mary_B, May 2026
Our guide, Raj, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the history associated with the castle. Wonderful gent! Highly recommend!
Philip_H, May 2026
Great experience. Steve was tour guide(her nick name). She was excellent and can even do a great job singing the Scottish national anthem.
Kenneth_S, May 2026
Good tour of this Historical site. Hard to hear the guide due to number of people, wind noise, and other large groups. Would have been much better using voice communication devices.
Ana_P, May 2026
The castle is very interesting the only reason I’m leaving a 3 stars review is because how tour guide, although very thorough in the explanations, spoke very fast and, with the heavy scottish accent it was very hard for us, non native english speakers, to follow what he was saying.
Brenda_B, May 2026
Jen was an awesome tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable about Scotland and Edinburgh castle. Wonderful experience.
Karen_M, May 2026
Meeting place for the tour is a fair hike from the actual castle. Although you are walked around outside of the buildings, the tour guide is not allowed to take you inside of the buildings as that tour is owned by the people who run the castle. So if the weather is good, all is well, but if the weather is bad, you’re going to have to leave your tour to go inside the buildings where you will not have a guide unless you purchased something separately for the audio tour.
Rachel_H, May 2026
Charles was an excellent guide. He presented the tour with whimsy and had a great knowledge of the history. Highly recommend!
Kim_S, May 2026
Jen was a fantastic tour guide. She has two masters degrees in history and was informative and humorous. The castle is obviously a must see but as you would expect it gets crowded.
STEPHEN_A, May 2026
Great historical tour. Our guide, Raj, was superb! We went midday to watch the cannon go off at 1pm. Great views of the city!
Alysse_B, Apr 2026
Great tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us great information. It does seem a bit short but they’re not allowed to take you inside the buildings in a group. Once the tour is over, you’re able to go explore on your own for as long as you wish.
Erin_D, Apr 2026
I did not know, before booking, that I was helping a self-employed tour guide making a life out of her EXTENSIVE knowledge of Scotland. She was incredible! We learned so much and laughed while doing it. She brings the castle to life.
William_M, Apr 2026
Jen was our guide. She was excellent in her narrative and insight.
A 2 hour tour on a uniquely beautiful day.
Anne_C, Apr 2026
My tour guide was so knowledgable, easy to understand, great at painting a historic picture. Would highly reccomend!
Rick_M, Apr 2026
The guide was very good. Informative and entertaining. It made the castle experience so much better.
Kendra_C, Apr 2026
Catherine was an amazing guide! She’s very expressive and has tons of knowledge. This was a very enjoyable tour.
Sheryl_P, Apr 2026
Great information from our guide with a dramatic flair! Jen provided alot of historic details about Edinburgh Castle, and left us with the information needed to continue on our own.
Carly_R, Apr 2026
Raj was so knowledgeable and shared the intriguing bits of history. Definitely recommend booking with him!
Jennifer_S, Apr 2026
The tour was well worth it! Krystal was very knowledgeable and funny. Great way to start the day on the royal mile!
lorraine_s, Apr 2026
Absolutely loved the experience. Amazing history detailed with a fabulous guide who was knowledgeable and friendly
Janice_M, Apr 2026
Fun and interesting it was easy to meet our guide and without delay we were off to learn about the Castle and the deep and violent history of Scotland. Joe our guide was a true entertainer. Keep the history alive!
Kenneth_S, Apr 2026
It’s a great way to get a bit of Scottish history and a great introduction to the castle. It’s always better to have a guide especially one who enjoys what they do. I especially liked the story about the woman who saved the Scottish Crown Jewels!!!
Sarah_J, Apr 2026
Really enjoyed this tour.
Easy to find Tour Guides at the beginning. Very friendly.
Our guide Kristal was really knowledgeable and I loved the Game of Thrones and Harry Potter references. She did make me laugh!
Got to learn about Scottish History and shown how to navigate the castle.
Tips: Wear sensible shoes.
From $54.01
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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