Edinburgh Custom Private Tour with a Local, see the city unscripted
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Edinburgh, Scotland
- 2 to 4 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Make sure you see all the spots you want in Edinburgh on this private, personalized tour led by a local guide. Your customized itinerary takes you to places you request, with commentary based on your interests. Visit famous locations like Edinburgh Castle or explore areas known only by locals for an authentic experience.
- Customize your own itinerary to fit your preferences
- Explore in the company of just your chosen companions (up to six people)
- Explore lesser-known areas of the city that most visitors miss
- Get local insights from your guide who lives there
What's Included
- Private and personalized experience
- Choose from 2, 3, or 4 hours - Pick your preferred duration when you book
- Walking experience
- Hotel meet-up (available on request for central location)
- Food and drinks
- Any tickets into attractions/venues
- Gratuities
- Public/private transportation during the tour
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Harvey Nichols Edinburgh30-34 St Andrew Sq, Edinburgh EH2 2LL, UK
Upon booking a different meeting point can be arranged (e.g. your hotel/accommodation), however this MUST be confirmed and agreed by the experience planners in advance.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Your private tour start time can be arranged beforehand at the time of booking, depending on what works for you and your guide. The meeting place for this tour is also picked depending on what places you want to visit that day.
Please also list any special interests you have (art, architecture, history, culture) at the time of booking to alert your guide, so that he or she can better prepare for your private experience. For this tour you choose your own group size from one to six people. Please note that prices do vary by group size.
Because this is a private tour, and you can pick where you’d like to go, you can see famous sights of the city or ones that are only known by locals. Go to Edinburgh Castle and see Scotland’s crown Jewels, or go up to Calton Hill to see its monuments and memorials. Please note that tickets to attractions aren't included in this tour price.
At the end of your tour, your guide leaves you in a place that works well for you and your group.
Please also list any special interests you have (art, architecture, history, culture) at the time of booking to alert your guide, so that he or she can better prepare for your private experience. For this tour you choose your own group size from one to six people. Please note that prices do vary by group size.
Because this is a private tour, and you can pick where you’d like to go, you can see famous sights of the city or ones that are only known by locals. Go to Edinburgh Castle and see Scotland’s crown Jewels, or go up to Calton Hill to see its monuments and memorials. Please note that tickets to attractions aren't included in this tour price.
At the end of your tour, your guide leaves you in a place that works well for you and your group.
The Edinburgh Dungeon (Pass By)
Edinburgh Castle (Pass By)
Royal Mile (Pass By)
Dean Village (Pass By)
The Real Mary King's Close (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Tours are fully personalized so any additional requirements like tickets, transportation and food & drinks can be arranged for an additional cost
- Private groups are normally no larger than 6 people (if your group is larger, please make this known so that arrangements can be made)
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- 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 29 reviews
Neil_H, Feb 2026
Absolutely excellent tour with Andre today. Really friendly and personable, with a wealth of information which brought the city to life. Excellent tips for places to go, places to eat, and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of Edinburgh
Response from Host, Feb 2026
We’re delighted to hear that Andre made your tour of Edinburgh so engaging and memorable. His friendly, personable approach and love for sharing the city’s history really shine through, and it’s great to know his tips and insights added to your experience. We truly appreciate your kind words!
Jen_R, Oct 2025
This was the perfect introduction to Edinburgh. Our guide was Doug Scott, a local resident, who walked us around the city to see the highlights. He gave us a bit of history, a bit of humor, and some great suggestions for what to see after our time together. He went at our pace and answered our questions. Not only did we get the historical side of things, we also got a local's view of the new monarch, political climate, and his feelings for his town in general.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We’re delighted to hear that Doug provided such a well-rounded introduction to Edinburgh, balancing history, humor, and local insights. We hope to welcome you back for another memorable experience in the future!
Julie_G, Oct 2025
Elizabeth was a great guide - she was very knowledgeable about the topics we were interested in, including history, architecture and local recommendations for food and drink. It was helpful to have taken the tour on the day we arrived since it gave us a good idea of the layout of the city.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Elizabeth. It’s great to know her knowledge of history, architecture, and local culture helped make your first day in the city both enjoyable and informative. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you on another experience soon!
Terri_S, Oct 2025
Michael was a wonderful guide and host! We saw parts of the city we would have not found on our own! He took pictures for us and sent them after our tour!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Your positive review is incredibly valuable to us and Michael. Thank you sincerely!
Steve_T, Sep 2025
Andre was exceptionally personable and knowledgeable. Tour was well-paced and allowed for diversions when needed.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
We’re delighted that Andre made the tour enjoyable and adapted well to your pace and interests. We appreciate you sharing your experience! Thank you for your wonderful feedback!
Jonathan_S, Sep 2025
Our tour guide James was wonderful! His knowledge was exceptional, above and beyond what we expected. We felt very comfortable with James and enjoyed his commentary along with the great presentation of the points of interest and history. He was remarkable!!! We are leaving Edinburgh with a sense of fulfillment and pride of our Scottish heritage. We are Stewart's! Thank you James!! ❤️
Response from Host, Sep 2025
We’re thrilled to hear your time in Edinburgh with James was so remarkable! It’s wonderful that his knowledge and warm presence left you with such a meaningful connection to your Scottish heritage. Thank you for your heartfelt words — they truly mean a lot!
Michelle_M, Jun 2025
Tailored to what you want! Had a great time learning and walking around the city. James was very entertaining and knowledgeable. Excellent for history lovers.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had a great time exploring the city and learning along the way. James will be so pleased to know you found his insights both entertaining and informative—he’s a gem for history lovers like yourself!
We can't wait to provide you with your next best experience.
Ross_G, Apr 2025
Really great customizable tour. Tom was friendly, enthusiastic, highly knowledgeable and tailored stories and sites perfectly to keep our 7 and 10 year old engaged — so much so that they were sad when the tour ended. A+ all the way!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear that the tour was such a hit with your family, especially keeping your 7 and 10-year-olds engaged and excited throughout. Tom’s enthusiasm and ability to tailor the tour to everyone’s interests really show the magic of a personalised experience!
It’s fantastic to know that the kids were sad when the tour ended—that’s the best kind of sign that it was memorable.
We look forward to helping you create more amazing family adventures in the future!
Candice_G, Dec 2024
Laila was so lovely. It was so great to have a private tour and avoid all the crowds and see places we would never have known about.
It was really interesting and I cannot recommend it enough.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Such a lovely feedback for Laila our host and on having a private tour! Thank you and we appreciate your recommendation too!
DANIEL_A, Apr 2024
Tom was an excellent guide with many stories to match current location. Be prepared for over 5 miles of exciting interpretation.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Tom sounds like an excellent guide, full of interesting stories and knowledge about the locations you visited. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Johanna_H, Jan 2024
I was able to learn so much about Edinburgh on this walking tour. Our guide Gwen was very knowledgeable and made sure to tailor our experience to our interests. She also gave us plenty of resources and great recommendations for the rest of our stay.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
We're thrilled to hear Gwen made your Edinburgh tour efficient. Her friendliness and flexibility shine through. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Sara_H, Nov 2023
Very knowledgeable and helped me pick out whiskey to take home with me. Enjoyed every minute of the tour and wished it could have lasted longer but the mobility scooter wasn’t cooperating.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Hi Sara, Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled you enjoyed the whiskey tour. We'd love to welcome you back anytime for another memorable experience!
Doug_K, Oct 2023
We enjoyed exploring the old town with Graham. He did an excellent job guiding us around to see the sites and learn the history of this part of the city. Graham went out of his way to make sure we had a great place to eat dinner that night as well.
Also, this company sent us a short survey before our visit to find out what we wanted to see which was helpful and something I wish other guides would do. I highly recommend this tour.
melissa_s, Aug 2023
Colin was knowledgeable, funny, and gave us a great tour of Edinburgh.
He came directly to our hotel where he waited for us as were late. He was gracious about it and still gave us the full amount of time.
john_g, Aug 2023
He was quite interesting, informative and friendly. His city knowledge was extensive and very useful. We shall return for a longer visit in this fine city.
Jeffrey_N, Jun 2022
Tour cancelled at 2100 the night before a 0900 event, no reason given. They offered me a discount on a different booking, but said they couldn't fit me in for the next week in any of their events. No room in open air walking tours?
Response from Host, Jun 2022
I am very sorry that we let you down. We have been experiencing a huge surge in bookings and we are desperately trying to catch up and then get ahead. We have gone from basically a handful of bookings each month since the start of covid to a large multiple of that. The team and I are doing everything we can to make sure we don't let our guests down. When we have to, we do feel terrible. I know that won't help and we will do what we can to make it up to you. We have already made a lot of progress in getting our capacity up significantly. I hope you will give us another opportunity to host you again in the future. Sorry again. Nick
Elizabeth_S, Jun 2022
Had a wonderful experience with Gwen. Gwen even booked us lunch at a beautiful restraint. I would highly recommend this tour.
John_R, Aug 2021
Doug gave us an excellent walking tour of some of Edinburgh's best historic sites. Easily understandable and well versed in the area.
Response from Host, Sep 2021
Hello John_R
I am glad to hear you had an enjoyable experience with Doug in Edinburgh and that he was able to share his passion as well as the history city with you, making it easy to understand.
We hope to host you again soon.
Warm regards
Liezel
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