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 5,767 reviews
Stephanie_M, Apr 2026
Charles, our guide, was wonderful! He was extremely knowledgeable and kept a good pace despite the weather - wind, rain, snow, we had it all!!
Steffanie_W, Apr 2026
Tour guide does not use whisper speakers and impossible to hear over crowds. We spent maybe 15 minutes and then left group to wander by ourselves because it was so frustrating. Extremely overpriced for what we received and we immediately emailed Viator with no response (it’s been two days now). Do not recommend!!
Julie_P, Apr 2026
Fabulous, very informative.
Sonia the
tour guide was amazing,
very knowledgeable
and
had a unique sense
of humour.
Peggy_B, Apr 2026
Bruce, our guide, and Zaw, our driver were fantastic. They made the drive very enjoyable and shared a lot of information not available elsewhere. It was a great day and we really appreciated their effort to make us happy.
Jayne_C, Apr 2026
We had a wonderful tour of the castle! Nick is a great guide! He made sure the tour was informative and engaging.
Cathy_S, Apr 2026
Overview of the castle, but you do not go inside anything. This tour gives you information so that when you’re done, you can go explore on your own and see what you want based on the info provided by your guide. Loved Sonja, she was great, but b/c the castle has audio guide, not sure I would pay for the tour if I were to do it again.
Karen_I, Apr 2026
It’s colder, windier, and damper than you think. Bundle up. The history, architecture and views are amazing.
Gurinder_N, Mar 2026
Had an amazing time learning about the history of Edinburgh and the castle. The tour guide was very informative while keeping history very entertaining.
Pauline_G, Mar 2026
Jen was an incredibly knowledgeable and interesting guide and we enjoyed her very Scottish sense of humour!
Susan_W, Mar 2026
Well worth a visit stacked full of history recommend to have a guided tour to enjoy the full experience
Tristan_D, Mar 2026
Great tour of the castle! Tons of info-very entertaining! Even though it was cold & windy our tour guide Sonia kept us engaged! Highly recommend!
Neil_P, Mar 2026
Gavin the tour guide had an excellent knowledge of the castle and the surrounding area inside the castle he pointed out interesting things to look at in your own time
Nicole_L, Mar 2026
Our tour guide Jen was fantastic! Very knowledgeable of the history and funny as well! Tour included ticket entry to the castle and the group got a great rundown of the castle’s history and progression.
Lauren_A, Mar 2026
Be prepared for climbing a steep hill and dress warmly if taking a tour in early or late spring! Thanks!
Richard_P, Mar 2026
She was very personable informative with a great sense of humor! We’re going to contact her for more tours.
Sherralynn_G, Mar 2026
Amazing experience, good value for money. Guide very knowledgeable and made the experience worthwhile
Collin_M, Mar 2026
Gavin was an awesome guide! He made the whole experience super fun and engaging. Would totally recommend him!
Lindsey_A, Mar 2026
Great walking tour, lots of history about the Castle. My only point would be that it’s all outside the castle so any internal information or sights need to be done afterwards which we were not expecting.
Erin_S, Mar 2026
Informative and helpful, gives a good overview of use and understanding then you can explore the museums on your own
ken_k, Mar 2026
Our tour guide was very entertaining and informative. Appreciated all the details and highlights before we were left to explore the castle grounds on our own.
Jedh_T, Mar 2026
Kenny was great, other than saying things about where we are and where we are going, he was also giving introductions to every song he plays. Funny.
Derek_B, Mar 2026
1.5h tour. Informative and good experience. If you book the noon tour, you may get to see the 1pm cannon go off.
Josie_G, Mar 2026
Amazingggggg our tour guide Valeria I believe was incredible. So glad we did this tour to get great context about the castle and the city.
Lonoe_F, Mar 2026
Jen was fantastic! She was so knowledgeable and brought everything to life in such a fun and interesting way. She made the experience memorable and easy to follow. I would absolutely recommend her as a guide!
Brian_S, Mar 2026
Great your. Sophia was funny and very entertaining. Also lots of great information about the history
Linda_M, Mar 2026
Very comfortable footwear warm clothes if cold as the top of the castle can be a bit colder also be aware it’s a climb to the top but well worth for the view
Catherine_H, Mar 2026
You meet the guide in Edinburgh Royal Mile and spend 15 minutes listening to guide and walking to castle
The guide was knowledgeable and spoke about the history of the castle which was interesting
Walking round the castle the guide would randomly stop, ask everyone to stay close and talk about the history
After the short guided tour we were free to enter the buildings however due to high winds (no one’s fault) some were shut off to the public
We wished we had paid for entry ticket (much cheaper) and used the audio system available
cathleen_y, Mar 2026
Joe was funny and knowledgeable and made history of the castle enlightening . We had an amazing time ! Thanks Joe your amazing
wendy_p, Mar 2026
Joe our tour guide was professional and knowledgeable. He gave us so much information about the castle and its history. Unfortunately it was a very cold windy day and a lot of the buildings and view spots were closed.
Jason_B, Mar 2026
Our tour guide, Joe, was very well versed on Edinburgh history and the history of the castles. He was engaging and entertaining
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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