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
- Admission ticket to Edinburgh Castle
- Guided tour of Edinburgh Castle
- 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 6,309 reviews
Dark_W, Jun 2026
Jen was extremely knowledgeable and funny - she was very well equipped with the history of Edinburgh and even had a personal connection with the place (more than just being Scottish herself). She made the tour entertaining and is a great storyteller.
Fiachra_H, Jun 2026
The tour guide was professional, well informed and entertaining. He showed us different parts of the castle, went over the history of the castle and passed around photographs among the group to help illustrate the stories he was telling us. I would recommend this tour to a friend.
Tanya_M, Jun 2026
Charles (Charlie) was a great tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and gave amazing information about the history. Highly recommend.
Caleb_K, Jun 2026
Our tour with our guide was excellent. History mixed with roleplay for times of old storming the Castle. I’d highly recommend this for anyone interested in touring the castle if you’re interested in the history of the site as well.
jarrod_m, Jun 2026
Glad I did the tour before. Went with some family that needed additional time walking the hills. The guide didn't even wait for the entire group to clear the turn styles at ticketing. Just bolted up the hill. Ignis was our guide. He was still knowledgeable but not great at identifying who was in the group or making sure the group would remain together. I ended up giving the tour myself because it was my second visit. Great views, great museums inside. Primarily worth the guaranteed ticket entry into the castle.
Becky_S, Jun 2026
David was a very knowledgeable guide who provided us with great historical information integrated into stories! He gave us tips on what to see in the castle as well. I highly recommend this tour! Thank you David!
Dan_S, Jun 2026
Our tour guide Catherine was exceptional, very knowledgeable and engaging!
Finding the meeting place was a bit tricky. The address provided by Viator doesn’t exist. A better note would be to meet just outside St. Giles Cathedral.
Pamela_M, Jun 2026
We left the tour because the guide was walking too fast for seniors and she talked too fast for us to understand.
Erin_N, Jun 2026
Australian David was the best tour guide. It was a hot day and he tried to always find us some shade. Make sure you find a good seat for the 1pm cannon shot!
Jamie_R, Jun 2026
Wonderful guide who was very informed! Plan way more time to see the castle and surrounding areas because the tour is 1 and a half hours but that is more of explaining and no exploring. We had evening plans and the 1:30 booking didn’t leave enough time to really enjoy the site!
Rosalie_M, Jun 2026
Such a beautiful experience !!!! Traveled with my sister and loved every moment of Scotland, with no exception of this experience.
Kennadie_V, Jun 2026
Jen was very funny and knowledgeable! Would recommend this experience. After the tour, you’re allowed to wonder the castle. Go at the 10am to see the 1 o’clock cannon shooting.
MariaElena_A, Jun 2026
The introduction tour (in Spanish) to the Edinburgh Castle with Mary was a worthy experience since she was knowledgeable and experienced. She pointed the important places that we should visit in the rest of the tour.
Deanna_M, Jun 2026
Tour was exactly what we hoped for. The meeting location was easy to find. Nick was a fantastic guide/storyteller. I left knowing more about Edinburgh Castle than I would have just waking it in my own.
Carrie_R, Jun 2026
Engaging and informative, worth the fee. Jen was particularly humorous and knowledgeable, you can’t ask for more!
Bob_G, Jun 2026
It’s a stiff uphill walk from the meeting point to the top of the castle. The guide was informative, but a little hard to hear at times due to the crowd on the street .
Grant_H, Jun 2026
Fantastic tour. An audio tour is nice, but having someone take you around and give you a more detailed look into the castle was definitely the way to do it. Highly recommended
Katrina_C, Jun 2026
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and very funny. It’s not a place for small children though. Buildings & architecture was great.
suzieq, Jun 2026
Our guide was magnificent. She gave us a great overview of history and the location and gave us far more information than I was expecting. She spoke loud and clearly and had a great sense of humor
Joe_H, Jun 2026
Our guide was G. He gave us an authentic, animated, and informative tour up the “Royal Mile” and onto the castle grounds. His knowledge of the castle and history was very impressive. I’d recommend G to anyone taking this tour.
There is a decent amount of walking up and down hills on cobblestone and brick streets, but it’s not overwhelming.
There are amazing views of the city with multiple opportunities to take photos. Once the tour is over, you can do additional exploring of the grounds on your own and visit some of the other buildings and scenic views.
Joseph_G, Jun 2026
Joe, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and very engaging. I’ve been on many tours of historic places, and this was truly one of the best!!
kwarlum, Jun 2026
Despite the rain. it was a good experience. Our guide Raj navigated the crowds fairly well although sometimes it was a little difficult to hear with lots of people and background noise on Castle grounds. Raj was very knowledgeable of history and monarchies, and we enjoyed the tour but did not visit every building after the tour finished due to bad weather and lack of time.
Sharon_J, Jun 2026
The group was much larger than I expected. We had to be quite quick and keep your eyes on the tour guide, we could of easily lost the group.
Polly_B, Jun 2026
Our guide Ross was exceptional. Enjoyed our tour very much. Share a lot of history with us but also kept it entertaining. I would definitely recommend this tour.
Sue_F, Jun 2026
Make sure they know to NOT go directly to the castle. They must meet their tour guide at the appointed location. We made that mistake
Oswaldo_M, Jun 2026
The guide was not loud enough for the size of the group. No earphones or microphone. Most of the time he did not wait for all to be around to start talking. It was a hard uphill walk , so not everyone was able to get there at the same he was o ly interested in getting his words out and moving on. Did not take too many questions. If I had todo it all again I would not do it w him. People who just rented the earphones with the recordings probably got much more information, at their personal speed and with a clearer accent. he had apparently no one to answer
to. He was not jobial and did not engage w anyone. He was in for the $ not the fun!
JodyElisabeth_D, Jun 2026
It’s full of historical knowledge and history in general, very informative, it has a lot of walking and is geared to adults.
Mark_L, Jun 2026
Sonia gave us a really good tour. She was funny and interesting and had lots of good hints for visiting the museums.
Adina_L, Jun 2026
Our guide, Ross, was engaging and knew so many small details that you really wouldn’t have realized, unless you did a deep search on history and we got back to our hotel and did a deep dive on everything he told us, including the small details and it was wonderful! This is what you want in a tour guide, somebody who can project their voice over all the talking and who knows little details and is quite happy to be doing their job!
Amy_T, Jun 2026
Great tour t hear he history behind the castle and the guide point out specific things. Thank you so much it was great
From $52.50
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket
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