Edinburgh Private Tour with a Local - Highlights & Hidden Gems
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Edinburgh, Scotland
- 2 to 6 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visiting an unfamiliar city without knowing anyone there usually means relying on dated and often inaccurate travel guides. Enjoy a more personal experience in Edinburgh by spending time with a local Edinburgher who customizes your private, bespoke tour to your own interests, whether you want to check off the highlights or go off the beaten path to discover locals' favorite spots.
- Enjoy your private local guide's undivided attention
- Personalized itinerary tailored through an online questionnaire
- Flexible durations and start times to suit your schedule
- Hotel pickup available in central Edinburgh for added convenience
What's Included
- Private and personalized walking experience with insider tips from a passionate local
- Online questionnaire link sent after booking to tailor your experience and match you to a local host
- Get picked up (on foot) at your accommodation if it's central!
- Flexible durations and start times - Pick your preferred duration when you book
- Direct communication with your host for itinerary planning and local recommendations
- Food, drinks and tickets to any attractions
- Transportation (primarily a walking experience, public transport may be used at an additional cost)
- Gratuities (optional)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
Edinburgh (Pass By)
New Town (Pass By)
Scott Monument (Pass By)
Royal Mile (Pass By)
Grassmarket (Pass By)
Dean Village (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private City Unscripted experience: real people, real connections
- After booking, you'll receive a short online questionnaire to share your interests, preferences, and must-sees. Your City Unscripted guide will personally reach out to craft a fully customized itinerary that suits your style—whether you love history, food, hidden gems, or cultural experiences.
- This private tour is a walking experience. A private vehicle is not included.
- Public transportation or local taxis may be used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with your host after your reservation is finalized.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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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
4.7
based on 100 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
James_G, Aug 2026
We had a wonderful guide. Very knowledgeable and enjoyable to be around. Alice was great. She was a real professional.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted that you had such a great experience with Alice. It’s fantastic to know that her knowledge, professionalism, and friendly personality made your tour enjoyable. Thank you again for taking the time to recommend her, and we hope to welcome you back for another memorable experience in the future!
Claudia_L, Jul 2026
We loved our walking tour with Lilia! We learned soooo much about an Edinburgh. It felt like we went at a very nice pace and it was really interactive and informative. Excellent introduction to a new city!! Definitely would recommend. We did 3 hours which was great for enough information at not too fast a pace.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much! We're so glad you enjoyed the tour and had a great introduction to Edinburgh. It was a pleasure exploring the city with you, and we really appreciate the recommendation. Safe travels!
Kailey_C, Jul 2026
Our local, Doug, was amazing. Super informative and personable.. loved the tour for the beginning of our stay in Edinburgh. Helped us plan the next of our time here.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're so glad that you had such a great experience with Doug and that his local knowledge helped you make the most of the rest of your time in Edinburgh. Thank you again and we hope to welcome you on another adventure in the future!
Tatiana_K, Jul 2026
Lots of walking but totally worth it to explore the city. Great guide shared educational and fun facts about history of Scotland and Edinburgh.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're glad that you enjoyed exploring the city and that the walking tour was worth it. It's especially great to know that your guide made the experience both educational and fun by sharing fascinating stories about the history of Scotland and Edinburgh. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, and we hope to welcome you on another adventure with us in the future!
Sue_L, Jun 2026
Just absolutely fabulous doing the tour with Doug who was incredibly informative, fun, charming and perfectly selected for our age and stage He was also so helpful in advising on our trip going forward. A wonderful few hours, to be recommended!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
We're thrilled to hear you had such a wonderful few hours exploring the city. It’s fantastic to know the experience felt engaging, personal, and full of helpful local insights that continued to enhance your travels beyond the day itself.
Thank you for the recommendation — we're so glad this became such a memorable part of your journey.
Marion_K, Jun 2026
We walked for about 2-3 hours but at a very easy pace with many stops for learning and discussion. It was perfect.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
We really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and hope to welcome you again on another experience soon!
Keith_S, May 2026
James was very knowledgeable and made the tour extremely fun! We learned a lot about the city even after walking it on our own for 3 days.
Response from Host, May 2026
We're delighted to hear that you had such a great experience with James. It's wonderful to know that his knowledge and enthusiasm helped make the experience both fun and informative, even after you had already spent several days exploring the city on your own.
breighz, May 2026
Cal did a wonderful job taking us around Old Town. He has so much knowledge about the city and truly loves living in Edinburgh. He gave us a dinner recommendation and even ended our tour there to ensure we were taken care of. Great service!! Cal has a very thick Italian accent that was a little difficult for us to understand, but that’s our fault for only speaking English. Cal is a great ambassador for Edinburgh! So energetic, kind, and full of great information!
Response from Host, May 2026
We’re so glad you enjoyed such an engaging and thoughtful introduction to Edinburgh’s Old Town! It’s wonderful to hear how much passion and local knowledge came through during the experience, and we truly appreciate your kind and understanding feedback as well.
Dan_L, May 2026
We had a wonderful experience on the Edinburgh Private Tour with a Local – Highlights & Hidden Gems. Chris was an excellent guide — very professional, knowledgeable, and friendly throughout the tour. He tailored everything to our pace and somehow got us from New Town to Old Town without us even realizing how much we had climbed! We really appreciated how relaxed and enjoyable the experience felt. Chris brought Edinburgh to life for us, and we truly enjoyed our time with him and our exploration of this beautiful city. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, May 2026
We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time in Edinburgh and that Chris helped bring the city to life for you. It’s great to know the tour felt relaxed and well-paced, and that you were able to explore both New Town and Old Town comfortably.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again for another experience in the future.
Gregory_S, May 2026
Andre was great! Very knowledgeable, customized the tour for what we wanted to see and learn about and generally, it was a really nice experience. Thanks Andre!
Response from Host, May 2026
We’re so glad you had such a personalized and enjoyable experience exploring together! It’s wonderful to hear how much you appreciated the local knowledge and thoughtful approach throughout the day — thank you for sharing this.
Dickie_S, May 2026
Learned so much about the City and having a personal guide made this very special!! We saw parts of the City we would have never seen on our own and our guide “Cal” was fabulous!
Response from Host, May 2026
It’s great to know that having a personal guide helped you discover places you might not have seen on your own and made your time even more special. We’re delighted that you had such a memorable experience exploring the city with Cal Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again for another unique experience in the future.
Ruth_M, May 2026
Our tour guide Brian was very knowledgeable about Edinburgh and could answer any and all questions we had for him. He also had some great recommendations for restaurants and other experiences for us to explore. We enjoyed our walking tour with him.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind message. We’re delighted that you enjoyed your walking tour with Brian and that his knowledge of Edinburgh, as well as his recommendations, helped make your experience more enjoyable. We really appreciate you taking the time to share this with us, and we hope to welcome you again in the future.
Cynthia_E, May 2026
Sent my g4anddaughter and her beau on tge tour. They had a great time. They were the only guests with the guide so lots of fun interaction. And they came back with great stories and fun facts to share.
Response from Host, May 2026
We’re really glad to hear that your granddaughter and her partner had such a great time on the experience and enjoyed the one-to-one experience with the host. It’s wonderful that they were able to engage so closely, ask questions freely, and come away with fun stories and insights to share afterwards.
Patricia_R, May 2026
Edinburgh has a million hidden gems and history that is not easy to find via google.
Michael was born and raised in Edinburgh. He was able to share stories of growing up in the city and found the perfect spot to take photos of the castle. He even reached out to a local wool shop to make sure they were open for us to visit.
10 out of 10 for Michael.
Response from Host, May 2026
It sounds like Michael made your experience in Edinburgh truly special! Having a local guide who knows the city inside and out—and can share personal stories—really brings the history to life in a way that you just can’t get from Google. It’s great that he went the extra mile, from finding the perfect photo spot for the castle to checking in with the wool shop ahead of your visit. 10 out of 10 is high praise, and very well deserved! Thank you so much!
Emily_S, May 2026
We had a good time with Brian. He is very friendly and easy to ask questions, and he's eager to tailor the tour to your specific wishes. In particular, we enjoyed the hidden local spots he showed us.
Response from Host, May 2026
We’re so glad you enjoyed discovering those hidden local spots and felt the experience was tailored to you! It’s wonderful to hear how comfortable and engaging it was — thank you for sharing this.
Brian_A, May 2026
Colin was gracious with our tardiness due to tender issues from ship. Provided funny anecdotes and interesting insights. Would have appreciated a little more history depth.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad that Colin was gracious and made the experience enjoyable with his anecdotes and insights, especially given the delay caused by the tender issues. We also appreciate your note regarding the level of historical depth, and we will certainly take this into consideration for future improvements. Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Mike_O, May 2026
Jill did such a nice job on this 6 hour tour. We wanted to orient ourselves to Edinburgh before deciding how to spend our next two days. Jill connected with us in advance, understood what we were interested in, picked a lunch place, and gave us recommendations for what to see after the tour. Jill covered a lot of ground during the tour, brought us to peaceful spots off the beaten path, and gave us historical insights for everything we saw. This was exactly what we hoped for, and we now have plan for the rest of our time in Edinburgh, based on what we learned from Jill. We would definitely recommend this tour.
Response from Host, May 2026
We’re delighted to hear that Jill provided such a thoughtful and well-organized 6-hour tour of Edinburgh. It’s wonderful that she took the time to understand your interests in advance, guided you to both key highlights and peaceful hidden spots, and helped you gain valuable historical context throughout the experience.
stephanie_l, Apr 2026
Andre was wonderful! We learned so much in this private walking tour. He made sure we were near the castle at 1 since my daughter wanted to hear and see the cannon. He showed us the clock that has all the different things in it. He made 6 hours go by quickly
Response from Host, Apr 2026
We truly appreciate your feedback and are glad the time spent together felt engaging and well-paced. We hope to welcome you again for another experience in the future.
Robin_L, Mar 2026
Alice was phenomenal! If I could leave her 50 stars I absolutely would! We were captivated by her stories and the choices she made for us were perfect! We asked to get out of the busy tourist areas and see things off the beaten path. She did exactly that! She even chose a local pub that was wonderful. It was here that she wrapped up our tour with a few final stories and personal experiences. Request Alice and you will have such a unique and truly enjoyable experience!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
We’re thrilled to hear that Alice made your experience so memorable, from sharing captivating stories to taking you off the beaten path and even finding a wonderful local pub to end the day.
It’s wonderful to know that her choices and personal touches created such a unique and enjoyable experience for you. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!
Julie_V, Mar 2026
Calcedonio gave us a great tour of Edinburgh. He gave us wonderful background on the history, architecture and growth of Edinburgh over the years. Calcedonio was very passionate about Edinburgh, welcomed questions and made recommendations. He was also very flexible to our requests. Well worth the experience and very reasonable.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Calcedonio's passion for Edinburgh, along with his knowledge of the city’s history, architecture, and development, truly makes each tour special. It’s also wonderful to know that he was able to tailor the experience to your interests and provide helpful recommendations along the way. We hope to welcome you on another experience in the future!
Amy_T, Mar 2026
Our trip with Gee was awesome! He was a great storyteller, photographer, and made great recommendations.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
We’re so happy to hear that your time with Gee was such a highlight. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again on another adventure soon!
ELAYNE, Feb 2026
We had a private tour of Old Town Edinburgh with Edgar and it was fantastic. He’s very knowledgeable and explains the history in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand.
We learned so much more than we expected, and the experience felt personal and relaxed. If you’re visiting Edinburgh and want a meaningful and informative tour, I definitely recommend booking with Edgar!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s wonderful to know that Edgar's knowledge and storytelling made the history of the city come alive for you. We truly appreciate your recommendation and are so happy that you had a personal and relaxed experience. Your feedback means a lot, and we hope to host you again on future adventures! Thank you once again, and best wishes for your travels!
Laura_H, Jan 2026
G Davidson was an amazing tour guide. Very professional, knowledgeable and friendly. We had an amazing time visiting the different sites along the Royal Mile.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We’re so glad to hear you had such an enjoyable time exploring the Royal Mile and taking in its many highlights. Thanks for sharing your kind feedback; it means a lot to us.
Carlos_E, Jan 2026
Alice was wonderful, she truly made the difference.
We want to come back!! She made the tour to our needs and her story telling just exceptional.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We’re so happy to hear this experience made such a lasting impression and felt perfectly suited to what you were hoping for. Knowing it left you excited to return and full of great memories means a lot to us, thank you for sharing your kind feedback.
Colleen_M, Jan 2026
Our tour guide G did a fantastic job of leading our 3 hour walking tour by sharing history, telling stories and answering any questions.
We had a great time and absolutely love Edinburgh!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We’re so pleased to hear that you had a fantastic time on your walking experience in Edinburgh and that Gee brought the city to life through history, stories, and thoughtful answers to your questions. It’s wonderful to know the experience helped make you fall in love with Edinburgh.
Nicole_M, Jan 2026
Amazing tour!!!! Alice did amazing job and had the best stories!!! I would recommend this tour to everyone
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We’re thrilled to hear that Alice made your experience so memorable with her stories. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we can’t wait to welcome you or your friends on another adventure soon!
Han, Dec 2025
It is a custom tour so G will adapt on the spot and give you a great background of Edinborough. He is well informed, very witty and very accommodating to our wishes.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
We're delighted to hear that your host adapted so well to your tour and provided a fun, informative, and accommodating experience in Edinburgh. We’ll be sure to share your kind words.
Jeffrey_R, Nov 2025
Doug was amazing, kind and very knowledgeable about Edinburgh. He was kind enough to meet us at our hotel and friendly enough to help my sister along who is handicapped and requires the use of a mobility scooter for long and/or uneven distances. We got to see the highlights in a 3 hour tour, but we should’ve booked a 4 hour tour. I can’t say enough good things about Doug and the whole experience.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
We’re so happy to hear your time in Edinburgh with Doug was such a wonderful experience! It’s great that his kindness, knowledge, and care made exploring the city so enjoyable and accessible for everyone. Thank you for your thoughtful and heartfelt feedback!
Joseph_B, Nov 2025
Our tour guide Lilia was amazing. She was very knowledgeable and had a lot of stories to share. We really appreciated her time!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
We’re so happy to hear that Lilia made your experience special and that her stories added so much meaning to your time together. We truly appreciate you joining us and hope to welcome you again on a future trip!
AnneMarie_E, Oct 2025
Doug was very prompt and met us at our hotel. He asked what we had seen so far and worked around that. We took a 3 hour walking tour of Edinburgh that was wonderful- cobbled streets, picturesque scenery and just the right amount of history. Doug is a true Scottish character & we would highly recommend him.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We’re so happy to hear your Edinburgh tour with Doug was such a wonderful experience! It’s great that his local charm, flexibility, and storytelling brought the city’s cobbled streets and history to life. Thank you for your lovely feedback and recommendation!
From $70.13
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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