Edinburgh: Old Town's Highlights Walking Tour

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Edinburgh, Scotland

High interest

Booked 4 times today.

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Dermot_S ·

Jun 2026

This was a very good tour. Our guide, G, was a knowledgeable and proud Scotsman. It was good to hear from a local. The tour was a nice balance of history and the arts, informed by the experiences of a knowledgeable local.

· Melanie_B ·

May 2026

Charlie provided us with a very personable, informative, entertaining walk around the Old Town of Edinburgh. We used the information he provided during the walk to navigate our way the following day to some of the places he suggested. Thank you Charlie

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Overview

Make the most of your time in Edinburgh on a walking tour where your guide shows you all the highlights and some overlooked parts of the city. Wear comfy shoes, since you cover a lot of ground. Check out Edinburgh’s crown jewels, the Grassmarket, and much more.

Meet up at an easy to find spot in Edinburgh
Check off plenty of Edinburgh highlights in just one day
Go beyond the guidebooks with insights from your guide
Find hidden spots you'd miss on your own

What's Included

Local English-speaking guide

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UK
The Edinburgh Old Town's Highlights Walking Tour starts on 130 High Street (The Royal Mile), on the corner with Stevenlaw's Close

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Royal Mile

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St Giles' Cathedral

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

William Wallace Statue

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Grassmarket

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Greyfriars Kirk

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

National Museum of Scotland

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 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 144 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Very good tour

Dermot_S, Jun 2026

Great walking tour

Cynthia_D, Jun 2026

Very informative and interesting. Would highly recommend. Belle was wonderful and make our experience great

Old Town Tour

Anne_J, May 2026

Great tour of old town! Very informed guide. Be aware that this is a free tour offered in Edinburgh and the fee paid through Viator is only a booking fee. Tour guide is not paid through Viator and tips are encouraged and expected.

Very interesting!

Jennifer_P, May 2026

We really enjoyed our tour. Robert was friendly, knowledgeable, and full of stories, history and fun facts. Highly recommend!!

Get the layout/history of Edinburgh

Marie_A, May 2026

Wear really good walking shoes! 2 hour tour well worth it! Gives you a wonderful idea of the area and history! Be prepared to tip your guide well. Since the experience his free the only way he gets paid is from tips.

City break activities

Melanie_B, May 2026

Great "FREE TOUR". Highly recommended but just pay the guide direct what you think its worth!

Kelly_M, Apr 2026

Excellent walking tour of Edinburgh. Our tour guide was Niamh and she was excellent! She was very informative, knowledgable, funny and engaging. We were treated to historical insights, great local knowledge, vocal performances and even a lesson in Scottish from a true local. Niamh was very passionate - she was 5 star, all the way...but the 4 star review is not because of the guide it is because this is FREE tour where you pay the guide what you think the tour is worth. The guide receives no payment from your booking. So the tour actually cost us £40 (£20 each) which is the real value of the tour and we received a full refund from Viator after complaining because this was not clear on the way the experience is described and we have no idea why you need to pay anything on the booking site. My advise is to just meet the guide (holding a big umbrella saying "FREE TOURS") and don't book on this site.

It was a wonderful tour...

Sydney_S, Mar 2026

It was a wonderful tour and very informative. Would recommend going to the restroom beforehand but there is a bathroom break 3/4 a way through the tour.

Tour of old town edinburgh

Sarah_S, Mar 2026

Our guide Charlie was easy to find and welcoming. The tour was interesting although our guide showed a definite rudeness and dislike to the English. Whilst I appreciate these tours tell the history I did feel his attitude, especially around Brexit was a bit too personal.

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Dear Sarah_S, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re glad to hear that Charlie was easy to find and welcoming, and that you found the tour interesting. However, we are very sorry to hear about your experience with the comments and attitude you encountered during the tour. We take this kind of feedback seriously, as our guides should always create an inclusive and respectful environment for guests from all backgrounds. While our tours cover historical and political topics, they should be presented in a balanced and professional way, without making any guest feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and will follow up with the guide to address your concerns. Thank you again for helping us maintain the high standards we aim for. Ewelina SANDEMANs Team

Enjoyable Tour

Babacar_N, Jan 2026

Kriystal was really knowledgeable and fun to walk throughout Edinburgh with. She shared all local insights during the tour

One of my favorite tours...

Brooke_P, Oct 2025

One of my favorite tours I’ve taken! Joe was a knowledgeable guide and I learned so much about the history of Edinburgh, as well as got some great recommendations for the rest of my trip. Definitely recommend!

This was a great overview...

Constance_K, Oct 2025

This was a great overview of Edinburgh’s history. Our guide “G” was knowledgeable and entertaining. We would highly recommend this tour.

Interesting and Informative Walk

DeonInder_T, Oct 2025

An informative and interesting two hours spent at important historical and current sites in Edinburgh's Old Town. Despite the windy and rainy weather, Joe did a brilliant job at keeping the fairly large group entertained with his wit, humour and knowledge of Scottish culture, history, politics and achievements. A good way to get a good idea of the the lay of the land too. Highly recommend.

Spot on !

Diane_S, Sep 2025

A brilliant guide, informative, knowledgeable, friendly and good humoured. Most importantly too - Scottish!

Great walking tour of Edinburgh!

Shanole_S, Aug 2025

Even in the high winds, our tour guide made the time fun and gave us a lot of great information and recommendations of things to do! It’s a perfect way to see the old town of Edinburgh and a gives you good direction for what to do next. I recommend doing this on your first day!

Fun and professional and...

Steve_J, Jul 2025

Fun and professional and informative. Good overview of the city. Recommended for first time visitors.

excellent walk with Joe

Joan_K, May 2025

Joe is engaging and knowledgeable with self deprecating humor yet such pride about scottish history—a treat!

Upbeat guide led a very interesting tour

Anne_B, May 2025

Interesting stories about Scotland’s past. Our guide treated us to a lovely traditional folksong. I do recommend.

Splendid Tour

Peter_S, May 2025

The tour leader knew her subject and delivered a thoroughly entertaining commentary on Edinburgh's history and architecture.

Great tour

William_W, Apr 2025

Can't remember our tour guides real name but her nickname was Steve and she was great .. lol. The tour was awesome and we enjoyed it very much. Highly recommend

Excellent tour and guide

David_D, Mar 2025

An excellent tour full of interesting facts and tales of Edinburgh. Our guide Niamh was a mind of information and was also very entertaining. I would strongly recommend this tour to all the city's visitors and the experience would be enhanced by having Niamh as their guide.

Fun! Fun!

Alexandra_T, Nov 2024

Loved Joe’s sense of humor. Really knew his history and made it relatable. We were a group of only four and he handed our small well. Jay from upstate New York.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Hi Alexander, Thank you for your fantastic review! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed Joe’s humor and that he made the history come alive in such a relatable way. It sounds like he really took care of your small group and created a personalized experience! We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback, and we hope to see you again soon for another great adventure! Best regards, Margarita | SANDEMANs Edinburgh

A first tour to build upon

JILL_G, Sep 2024

Entertaining tour through the oldest part of the city. Clearly shown where the oldest part of the city was and how it expanded.

Delightful Experience

Steven_A, Sep 2024

Neve knew her stuff and presented it in an interesting and delightful way. I would highly recommend this tour.

A performance- and a tour!

Susan_H, Sep 2024

Amazing tour with Niamh. It was best and most entertaining and informative walking tour I have ever taken! And I’ve done a lot! Why? Engaging, humorous, fantastic storyteller weaving history with interesting facts. Stellar!

Great summary of Edinburgh history!

Darryl_J, Sep 2024

This tour was awesome! Very educational. Brian had the perfect mix of history, fun facts and humor. Very entertaining and helpful!! Even came with tips on where to go after the tour!

A great tour to do the first days of your stay

Klarita_K, Aug 2024

Charlie was great. He explained a lot about history, literature and culuture together with the sightseeings.

A super guide

Bina_P, Aug 2024

Julia is an amazing guide. She shared insights on Scottish history by not only sharing facts, but also doing it through story-telling, drama, humor, and singing. She delivered a performance that kept us engaged. This was definitely the best way to spend 2 hours in Edinburgh.

Great experience

Sarah_D, Jul 2024

Great walking tour of the landmarks of Edinburgh's Old Town. Our guide Alasdair was very pertinent with a touch of humour wich made the tour both interesting and entertaining. Would totally recommend!