Beyond Edinburgh (Half Day Tour)
Description
Discover what is beyond the city walls on your very own half day private tour of the surrounding areas of Edinburgh in our superb Land Rover Discovery. Our flexible routes takes you to the imposing Crichton Castle or Craigmillar Castle, the enchanting Rosslyn Chapel. After seeing some of the sites, we head to Dalkeith Country Park and the Restoration yard for lunch and a bit of shopping. Based on one of our other tours, this has proven to be a superb option for the traveler that wants to venture out of Edinburgh City centre, to see the sites, possibly do a distillery tour and even be dropped of at some of the great shopping locations Edinburgh has to offer. We have toured antique stores, art galleries, and even a few coffee shops. Jokingly nicknamed the Golf Widows Tours by some of the guests, this offers one of the best ways to do something with a later start and earlier finish than other private driving tours with a price that reflects this (10am Start - 3/4pm drop off).
Tour Options
Itinerary
Option - Visit the mythical Rosslyn Chapel made famous for its part in the Dan Brown film the Da Vinci Code, with Orcadian roots, connections to the Knights Templar, Aliens, theories of Jesus Christ's head entombed in a secret chamber under the chapel. There are too many reasons to visit this amazing place.
Option - See the diamond-faceted façade of Crichton Castle, a 14th century tower house. (Not open during the winter, but you can go for a wander around the grounds)
Option - Stop off at the Restoration Yard, a converted stables from the 1700's for a spot of shopping and lunch.
Option - Tope of the day by visiting our local-ish lowland distillery, Glenkinchie. Here you can do a tour around this beautiful distillery and finish up with a sample of what it has to offer.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
You will be collected from you choice of start point or accommodation
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(20)
Great day, flexible about what we were interested in and made great suggestions. Would recommend to others.
We just had a great experience with Chris from Monarch Tours who brought us around Scotland. He went above and beyond taking us to some fantastic locations outside Edinburgh - two castles, a loch, a preserved Scottish village and much more. He was incredibly kind, informative and made the whole experience pleasant and entertaining. I highly recommend booking this trip!
Chris was absolutely amazing - the best tour guide my wife and I have ever had on an excursion. He kept us entertained the entire time with incredible stories and history of Scotland. He did a custom tour for us and brought us to two castles, a loch, the Kelpies, a preserved Scottish village and more. He went above and beyond for this half day trip and it never felt rushed or short cut. I highly highly recommend this booking and Chris as a guide!
The tour can be personalized to your interest. Chris was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and professional. Vehicle was clean and very comfortable.
This was a brilliant day. Traveling with my elderly mom who had never been to Scotland, Chris was recommended by a colleague. I was in contact with Chris in advance to describe some physical limitations my mom had, and Chris carefully planned a perfect day for us outside of Edinburgh. His knowledge and humor, paired with his conscientious concern for my mom’s abilities, made for one of the top memories of our entire trip. Castles, villages, a trip to a loch, Highland cattle, and a thorough weaving of history and present-day Scotland. Simply delightful.
Thank you so much for this heartfelt review. It was a real honour to show you and your mum around Scotland, and I’m so glad the day left such a meaningful impression. It’s always my goal to make every tour feel personal and comfortable, especially when it comes to mobility needs—so I’m thrilled to hear the pace and stops suited you both so well. Castles, lochs, Highland coos, and a good dose of storytelling—can’t ask for more! I’d love to welcome you back anytime for another adventure.
Cannot recommend this enough! Chris is amazing and taught us everything and more about Scotland! This was the perfect tour for our mother and son trip!
Chris is a PHENOMENAL guide. Kind and his knowledge of Scottish history is incredible. He made the most out of our day and made the trip enjoyable for kids and grandparents alike. I highly recommend this trip, particularly as a start to your vacation to frame the visit !!
What an engaging and informative tour and guide!! He talked with all of us and adapted our tour based on the weather giving options that wouldn’t put us in the soaking rain. He was able to link all parts of history to each other and has a deep understanding of the history and development of Scotland. Everyone felt engaged and driving the accommodations were clean and luxurious.
This was one of the best tours we’ve ever been on! Monarch Tours was extremely professional to work with and Chris our guide was super responsive when planning our day. He is impressively knowledgeable about Scotland and Scottish history and is the perfect guide to ensure you have very enjoyable and memorable experience. His friendliness, warmth and flexibility was especially appreciated as we had our infant with us on the day and weren’t always sure when we would need to stop. We planned this tour as two couples, which was part of a celebration for my sister and her fiancé after they got engaged the day before while holidaying in Edinburgh, and the private experience just made everything feel extra special. The Land Rover Defender you go out in is very comfortable to spend the day in as well. This tour became the highlight of our trip to Edinburgh and I would definitely book another experience again with Monarch Tours and Chris in the future!
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! It was such a joy to be part of your special celebration—and what a perfect way to mark an engagement with a Highland adventure! I’m so glad the day felt relaxed and enjoyable, especially with the wee one along for the ride. It means a lot to hear that the tour became the highlight of your trip, and I’d be absolutely thrilled to welcome you all back for another unforgettable experience whenever you're next in Scotland. Wishing the happy couple all the best! 🥂
This was one of the best tours we’ve ever been on! Monarch Tours was very professional and easy to coordinate with and Chris was an amazing guide - so knowledgeable, warm, friendly, flexible and patient, which was especially helpful as we had an infant with us and couldn’t always predict when we might need to stop. He planned the day based on what I said we were interested in, and found a way to give us the best highlights of the area in the time that we had. The Defender he drives was very roomy and comfortable to spend the day in, and we were using every seat. We also learned so much about Scotland and Scottish history based on all he shared, which made it all so much more memorable. This was the perfect way to get a taste of the star of the Highlands when you don’t have a full day to go to some of the farther sites. It was by far our favourite day in/around Edinburgh that we’ve ever had!
