Edinburgh Castle Guided Walking Tour - Entry Tickets Included

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Edinburgh, Scotland

Very popular!

20+ bookings in the past 6 hours.

1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Meagan_H ·

Jul 2026

Loved this tour! Campbell was a fantastic guide, full of enthusiasm and so funny. We heard some great stories, learned a bit of the history of the castle, and then were able to experience the space on our own. It was well-executed and easy to find the tour guides throughout the time together if we went off on our own a bit. Absolutely worth doing if you're visiting Edinburgh!

· Mike_W ·

May 2026

Wonderful tour! Steph was a terrific guide -- knowledgeable and very expressive (including her impersonation of appropriate accents!). Edinburgh Castle was (as always) very crowded but Steph found places somewhat away from the crowds to explain the history and significance of the important parts of the castle. She also provided excellent guidance on where else in the castle to visit once the tour was completed. All thoroughly informative and enjoyable.

Explore our promoted experiences

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

3.5

(11)

Luggage Storage Edinburgh

from US$10

Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh City or Vice Versa

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

5.0

(72)

Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh City or Vice Versa

from US$96

Per group

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

5.0

(1 962)

The Mountebank Comedy Walk of Edinburgh

from US$36

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Discover more about Scottish history on this guided walking tour of Edinburgh Castle. Walk up the Royal Mile with your guide while learning about the castle's 3,000-year history and its role in Scottish heritage. Explore the castle grounds with detailed insights into key features like the one o'clock gun and Argyle Battery, gaining a deeper understanding than a casual visitor.

Learn more than you would exploring on your own
Enjoy in-depth insights into the history of Edinburgh Castle and its key features
Walk the Royal Mile as ancient royals did
Convenient meeting point near public transportation

What's Included

Local guide
Entry Fees

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Adam Smith Statue
192 Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1RF, UK
Tour departs from outside Café Nero on the Royal Mile besides the statue of Adam Smith. Just look for our green and white umbrellas with Little Fish logo and speak to our staff when you arrive.

End point

Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG, UK

Itinerary

Meet your guide and group at a centrally located spot on the Royal Mile. Walk together toward Edinburgh Castle while your guide shares stories about the castle’s history and some of the key characters associated with it.

Upon arrival at Edinburgh Castle, use your prebooked ticket to enter. Your guide leads you around the sprawling grounds and provides more details about such notable features as the castle dungeons and Crown Jewels, as well as what to look out for inside.

Then, your guide leaves you alone to explore the castle buildings at your own pace.

Edinburgh Castle

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
Although much of the tour is done inside the castle complex, this will not be under cover.
Bags over 30L in volume are not permitted inside the castle and the castle does not provide a locker system for the storage of luggage.
Service animals allowed

Tour DOES NOT MEET AT THE CASTLE, the tour begins from our start point at 192 High Street, by the statue of Adam Smith
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
Edinburgh Castle is built on top of the core of an old volcano, the ground is often uneven and at times steep. Be prepared to be on your feet for the full duration of the tour. People with mobility issues may not get the most from this tour.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4,9

based on 5 653 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sort by: Most recent

Fantastic Introduction to the City of Edinburgh

Shane_B, Aug 2026

Booked the tour and our Tour Guide who was a gentleman called Big G or just G for short if you wish… he was amazing and was full of information and the history of Edinburgh and the Castle. Big G was quite patient with everyone in the Tour Group and answered all the Questions that were thrown at him and was so Knowledgeable about the City and its long history. Thanks for the Tour Big G

Easy to book, easy to...

Olga_H, Aug 2026

Easy to book, easy to find meeting point, interesting story, informative and entertaining, guide with humor.

Castle tour Edinburgh

Malgorzata_J, Aug 2026

We booked a trip via Viator with little fish travel company and it was very interesting, easy to find the meeting point. I fully recommend.

Great guided tour with Ben

CarolAnn_M, Aug 2026

We had a wonderful experience, touring the Edinburgh castle with our guide Ben. He was knowledgeable and warm. Made everyone feel at ease.

Speedy and safely 👍 The process is secure and fast

Soner_S, Aug 2026

Good trip 👍 The process is secure and fast. Ticketing is very quick. The tour guide is very skilled and knowledgeable.

Good way to get an over view of the castle

Robyn_K, Aug 2026

Tour is easy and lots of great facts about the castle and history without being overwhelming or too long. If you want just a good intro to the castle and surrounds. So this. Guide (Georgia) was fantastic. Wonderful knowledge sense of humour and kept it moving along at a good pace.

Tour of Edinburgh Castle

Michael_G, Aug 2026

Wonderful experience seeing Edinburgh Castle. Our guide Max was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Highly recommend booking this tour.

Very interesting stories...

Braulio_S, Aug 2026

Very interesting stories and facts about the history of the castle but too short for the price we paid

Great experience! Great guide!

Bonnie_S, Aug 2026

Our guide Ben was fantastic! Extremely knowledgeable about the history of the castle. The best part is we tried to go to the castle on our Owen and it was sold out. Someone said to contact aviator as they likely had tickets and sure enough they did! We are so grateful that we got to see it along with the guided tour with Ben

Campbell was the most...

Ankita_M, Aug 2026

Campbell was the most amazing entertaining & knowledgeable guide who made our tour great!! I’s love to opt for more of tours led by Campbell next. A Big Thank you

Very good information but save time to explore extra on your own!

rcmelindsay, Aug 2026

Although our guide Ben was losing his voice he did a great job! Very informative but enjoyed touring by ourselves also.

lovely Walk and Engaging Castle History

Danielle_K, Aug 2026

We started our tour with a scenic walk from the starting point to the castle. Along the way, the guide shared interesting stories about the area, which made the walk really enjoyable. Once we arrived, he continued outside and inside the castle with more fascinating stories and historical details. Thanks to his storytelling, the castle truly came to life. A very pleasant and informative experience.

Memorable and educational...

Suzette_S, Aug 2026

Memorable and educational , we have learned and appreciated so much about history, how amazing to have those opportunities and chance to visit Edinburgh

Spectacular!

Laura_H, Aug 2026

So much history, great experience! Our guide “G” was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor! The views from the castle grounds are amazing!

Amazing tour

Lazar_B, Aug 2026

The Edinburgh Castle tour was a fantastic experience and definitely one of the highlights of my visit to the city. Our guide Ben was excellent – very knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging throughout the entire tour. He shared plenty of interesting historical facts and stories, but presented them in a lively and entertaining way, so the tour never felt boring or overloaded with information. I especially appreciated how clearly everything was explained and how the guide brought the history of the castle to life. The pace was also perfect, with enough time to enjoy the surroundings. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Edinburgh.

Euan was a fantastic tour...

Jonathan_K, Aug 2026

Euan was a fantastic tour guide! Funny, knowledgeable, and personable!! Kept the group together, even though it was crowded and apoke loudly for all to hear!

Georgia was hands down the best.

Tracy_G, Aug 2026

Our tour guide was fabulous. Her name was Georgia . She was knowledgeable & enthusiastic. I’ve gone on a number of viator tours & I have to say this one was the best.

Great tour guide and an awesome place to see

Michael_D, Aug 2026

We had a great time learning about Scottish history and seeing the castle. Well worth it, such an impressive place to visit. Ben was an outstanding tour guide who was informative, engaging and easy to deal with.

An absolute must do in Edinburgh

Joseph_W, Aug 2026

This was a great tour! Our guide, Ben C was engaging, knowledgeable, and very helpful. The tour around the castle was full of incredible stories of the past! Absolutely loved it!

Excellent Tour - Great Tour Guide

Karen_O, Aug 2026

Steph was great. She was extremely knowledgeable and we loved her use of various accents as she recounted historical stories about Scotland, Edinburgh and the castle. Would highly recommend this tour because we learned so much more about Scottish history and interesting stories in general than we would have by just walking through the castle by ourselves. She also pointed out places of interest before we did our personal walk-throughs which helped us figure out which queues we wanted to join and what we wanted to see. Would do this tour again :)

Great guide

Raman_K, Aug 2026

Naomi, our guide was super knowledgeable and friendly. She gave us short course in the history of the place, while making it interesting.

Nice tour of the castle...

Richard_F, Aug 2026

Nice tour of the castle despite the few boughts of rain. Max was knowledgeable and had great energy.

An excellent walk through time with the knowledgeable guide that helps you understand where you stand in history

nancy_b, Aug 2026

This tour was booked on a whim and it very literally was the highlight of our time in Scotland, a massive shout out to our guide Jess, if you ever have the opportunity to take this tour, TAKE IT! The feeling of literally walking back in time to learn and feel what it is it feel Edinburg in a single tour is this one here, Jess, our guide, was exceptional, approachable, knowledgeable and simple fantastic for our family which consisted of elderly and young. Jess took the time to make sure we were all together throughout the journey and made a point of having us stand perfectly for the 1:00pm firing of the cannon, so much so even our younger child could see amongst the massive crowd that had swarmed, without Jess, this feat would not have been as appreciated as it was. The only word of warning for this tour is the steep up hill climb but Jess our guide was very accommodating and helpful in allowing our group stay together and enjoy the tour. 10/10 would recommend and especially look for Jess.

Had a wonderful time....

Maryam_Z, Aug 2026

Had a wonderful time. James was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. All around fun!

Great experience even...

Kindra_B, Aug 2026

Great experience even with kids! We loved our tour guide she was entertaining and animated, easy to listen to. It was so good to learn more about the history of Scotland.