Edinburgh Like a Local: Private & Personalized Experience (3 hrs)

Badge of Excellence

Edinburgh, Scotland

3 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Kickstart your stay in Scotland’s capital city on a private and personalized walking tour that provides a great introduction to Edinburgh for first-time visitors. Rather than following a set schedule, you’ll collaborate with your guide to create an itinerary that’s suited to your interests. The tour primarily explores on foot, with occasional use of public transport if needed.

See Edinburgh your way on a private, custom tour
A stress-free way to get your bearings in Scotland's capital city
Benefit from the undivided attention of a private guide
Receive tailored recommendations to last your entire vacation

What's Included

Private and personalized walking experience with insider tips from a passionate local
3-hour walking experience exploring Edinburgh's highlights and hidden gems
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
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)
Hotel drop off

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

This is a private walking tour. Your host will meet you at your chosen hotel, or you can select the central meeting point instead, which we recommend for the best overall experience. If your hotel isn’t listed, please choose the central landmark option. No private vehicle is included.

Meeting point

St Giles' Cathedral
High St, Edinburgh EH1 1RE, UK
This is a private walking tour. Your host will meet you at your chosen hotel, or you can select the central meeting point instead, which we recommend for the best overall experience. If your hotel isn’t listed, please choose the central landmark option. No private vehicle is included.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Edinburgh (Pass By)

Dean Village (Pass By)

Writers' Museum (Pass By)

Scott Monument (Pass By)

Royal Mile (Pass By)

Arthur's Seat (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

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)

Reviews

4.4

based on 19 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Good communication before...

Colin_M, Dec 2024

Good communication before tour. Great value for a private tour. More for adults than kids. Covered everything we wanted and a great intensive tour of Edinburgh.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

We're delighted to hear you found the communication prior to your experience helpful and appreciated the value of a private, tailored journey through Edinburgh. It's great to know the experience covered everything you wanted and provided an in-depth introduction to the city’s rich history and charm. While we strive to cater to all ages, we understand some experiences may feel more geared towards adults, and we appreciate your insight. Should you return with your family, we’d be happy to create a more kid-friendly adventure to suit everyone’s interests. Thank you for choosing us, and we hope to see you again!

Walking tour of Edinburgh

Chip_P, Oct 2024

Roxana was very sweet and knowledgeable. Very personable and capable. Would highly recommend her to anyone visiting Edinburgh.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Thank you for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear that Roxana provided a sweet and knowledgeable experience in Edinburgh. Your recommendation means a lot to us!

He did a great job

JULIANA_M, Jun 2024

We had a wonderful walk around the city with Tom, he did a great job. Tom was knowledgeable and friendly, and we enjoyed his trip throughly. It was fun to compare ghost tales we had heard.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Hi! I am so happy to hear that Tom did it again! He is a great host and always tries his very best to personalize the experience for our guests. Your review has brightened our day. Your support means the world!

Royal Mile in One Night

JanineEndich, May 2024

We had a wonderful visit to Scotland. Our tour guide took us throughout the Royal Mile. We learned many hidden secrets about this amazing city. He made sure that we made all the stops on our list. He also pointed out many beautiful spots that as a tourist you might miss with knowing where to look. I would highly recommend this private tour.

Response from Host, May 2024

Sounds like an amazing experience in Scotland! Thanks for sharing your recommendation for the private tour.

Not good

Patricia_W, Sep 2023

Not many. We booked this and was suppose to get another tour person who emailed me ahead and was interested in our must do’s etc. unfortunately she had a family emergency. Was not sure if we were still ago with a new tour guide because never heard anything. Well the day if tour we went down to lobby and met our new tour guide. She was very nice but honestly we could barely understand her as she spoke Spanish we are not. She was not very knowledgeable at least of what we could understand. I just gave up and just let her talk not understanding anyway. What a waste of our money and time. The original person I’m sure would have been great. But sending someone who was inexperienced and did not speak or language was a waste of our time

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Hello Patricia, I can imagine how disappointed you must have been with the host changes, especially when the replacement host didn't meet your expectations. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Your feedback is valuable to us, and we are actively working on improving our host selection process to ensure that our guests have a more enjoyable and seamless experience. We hope you'll consider giving us another opportunity to provide you with a much more satisfying tour in the future. Warm regards, Ruslan and the City Unscripted Team.

My tour guide Adam takes...

John_M, Aug 2023

My tour guide Adam takes great pleasure and pride in sharing his native city of Edinburgh. He wore a kilt and I feel he deserves recognition because of his enthusiasm and pride of His city ! What a great cultural ambassador is he!

Custom private tour

Gregory_D, Jul 2023

Elizabeth was very knowledgeable and put together a tour of sites in Edinburgh specific to our interests. We enjoyed our time with Elizabeth, learning the layers of history in Edinburgh

Great Family Experience

Travis_S, Jun 2023

Fedor was terrific! Very thoughtful in planning our stops, and did great work keeping our kids engaged. He was knowledgeable as well as personable. Wear comfortable shoes--you'll get your steps in! Excellent tour!

Your description reads as...

Melissa_R, May 2023

Your description reads as though it’s a custom tour of Arthur’s seat and Edinburg castle. It is NOT. It’s a town walking tour. Very disappointing. We had to do the castle and seat on our own and take up an extra day. Just not what we wanted. Not ‘custom’ at all. Do not recommend. Tour guide was ok….but not what we wanted out of a tour. We expressed our concerns and he said he ‘tried’ to get ahold of his boss but couldn’t. Very misleading.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hello Melissa, I truly empathize with your frustration regarding the difference between our tour description and your experience. We take your feedback seriously and are currently reviewing our product descriptions to ensure they accurately reflect what we offer. We genuinely hope for another chance to create a memorable experience that exceeds your expectations. Warm regards, Ruslan and the City Unscripted Team.

Excellent private tour in Edinburgh

Gerald_H, May 2023

Richard was engaging, colorful and fun . His knowledge of Scottish and Edinburgh history was extraordinary. We done, Richard!

No one showed up

Stacy_S, May 2023

No one showed up to pick us up or called and viator has not refunded us yet. Would not recommend this service provider.

Great experience

Kyle_P, Apr 2023

Gwen was a fantastic guide. It was obvious she enjoyed showing me around, customizing the experience to my personal interests, all while making me feel at ease from the moment we met outside my hotel. I would recommend this tour to get an initial overview of Old Town and the Royal Mile.

Great introduction to the city

Lee_H, Apr 2023

Really educational walk with a friendly and very knowledgeable guide, got to see other hidden treasures in the city that l had not heard about along with the usual spots , like Edinburg Castle and great recommendations for places to eat and shop for my next trip !! The hotel pick up was really useful !! Helped me navigate the city for my other activities, Doug was amazing !!

Great guide, excellent introduction to Edinburgh!

Susan_B, Aug 2022

We had a very comprehensive walk and really enjoyed the flexibility of the itinerary. My favorite was the views from Carlton Hill.

This is the perfect...

Susan_R, Dec 2021

This is the perfect kick-start when visiting Edinburgh for the first time. Wonderful guide, great overview of the history and sights.

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Hello Susan_R Lovely to hear you had such a wonderful experience in Edinburgh with Gwen and got a great overview of history and the sites. We look forward to hosting you when you travel again in any of our 60 cities worldwide. Kind regards Liezel

Fin by rundtur

Lene_E, Oct 2019

Vi var 4 kolleager afsted, ingen af os havde været i Edinburgh før. Det var en super fin og god måde at blive introduceret til byen på med en personlig guide. Turen blev tilpasset vores ønsker og da vi var en lille gruppe var der rig mulighed for undervejs at stille spørgsmål. Vores guide, en ung universitetsstuderende, havde en stor viden om byens historie og delte gerne ud af fakta og gode historier. Hun svarede professionelt på alle vores spørgsmål og da turen efter 3 timer sluttede havde vi fået et godt udgangspunkt til selv at finde rundt og udforske byen.

Likely to Sell Out