Edinburgh Private Day Tour | The Royal Experience from Glasgow

Gerry is THE BEST guide you could ask for! His knowledge of the area and things we visited made our day beyond special. We were able to see so much more than we ever would have in a day by ourselves, and the local knowledge and wonderful conversation between stops couldn’t have been replicated without Gerry. Going above and beyond, he even took us to see some highland cows as a special request on our way back to the hotel and set us up for dinner the next night at a highly recommended restaurant he knew of. Do not hesitate to book this tour… you will not regret it! First class service!

Stephanie was an absolute pleasure to be around and very knowledgeable. We really enjoyed her tour and would highly recommend them anytime. Thank you for making our trip to Scotland so much fun.

Our guide was the nicest and most wonderful person. But she knew absolutely nothing about Edinburgh. It was a $1300 chauffeur ride. Uber drivers knew more than she did. It was a bespoke tour and I had asked to go to Loch Lamond-she recommended not going there bc it was “just a lake without anything worth seeing there.” Did nothing to explain anything along our entire 8 hours together. I paid this much for this private tour so that I we could get a rich education about scotland tailored to both my teenage children and me. I feel like I need a refund-l to reflect the cost of a chauffeur - not a tour guide. This was through Aura Tours

We booked the private tour as we were getting married in Edinburgh with the cruise ship arriving in Glasgow, needing to leave the ship ready and a few things we wanted to do on our special day before returning to the ship before it departed. Our driver was Kenny and really glad we met. He messaged me the night before with his contact number and in the morning upon arrival. He spoke to the port security and drove right up to the gangway point, which was really appreciated having started our day at 6am, leaving the ship in full wedding gown and formal kilt kit for our day. Kenny arrived early and greeted us smartly dressed with a Mercedes minivan, stocked with drinks and snacks for the day. We headed out to Edinburgh with the wedding mid-day, Kenny was engaging but also respectful of our time alone, pointing out a few things along the drive. We arrived in Edinburgh early and he took us for a brief tour before heading to the park and Ross Fountain where we were holding the ceremony. Knowing the area, he was able to drive right into the park and park close to the Fountain, instead of us walking 500 metres from the entrance, which was great too. Waiting for Reverend Lindy, our photographer Jenny Beckett and piper Jonathan Graham, Kenny offered to assist us in any way he could - little did he know what he was getting into! When the the crew arrived, Kenny got along with everyone, like they knew each other well. He jumped in walking my beautiful bride from the van down the aisle, he was our ring bearer and assisted with logistics with her dress, bubbles and our photos, somehow finding the time to move the van and decorate it without us noticing. Following our ceremony and pictures, finally again aware there were others around us, we walked back to the decorated van where we asked Kenny to take us to a local pub to celebrate. He knew just the place, taking us to Grassmarket and the Beehive Inn, with cheers and congratulations from well wishers enjoying the afternoon on the patios as we strolled to the pub. He joined us for a Coke at our request as we celebrated, before leaving us to enjoy our moment together. We met up with him later and he took us to the Royal Mile, dropping us off close to the bottom as he pointed out a few landmarks, like St. Giles’ Cathedral where Queen Elizabeth II laid in State upon her passing. We strolled the Royal Mile like royalty, still in full wedding gown and Scottish kilt, stopping for pictures and conversations along the way, we shared our day with many before being turned away at Edinburgh Castle with so many taking pictures (apparently not allowed to go in wedding attire!). Being Canadian, we took that in stride as we walked the other side of the Royal Mile, standing for pictures and conversations as we did. We ended up at a pub, having fish and chips for lunch before meeting Kenny who had us on a schedule to ensure we arrived back to the ship in Glasgow in time. We were very fortunate to have meet Kenny. While a professional driver and knowledgeable guide, his personality really made experience on our special day even better and we are very grateful to have had him share our day. Highly recommend Kenny to anyone - he’s a professional that makes the journey personal. We have had great experiences with Viatour bookings and will continue to book through them as quality tours wherever we have gone. The service was great - new Mercedes, well stocked with a great knowledgeable driver who knew the area and history well.

Our family based our beautiful stay in Scotland in Glasgow however we decided on a private day tour of Edinburgh. We booked Aura Journeys Glasgow, the booking process was first class. Our driver Gerry was punctual we received SMS notification of his location on route and his arrival at our hotel. He was extremely well presented and the vehicle was a exclusive Mercedes sedan with luxury interior and bottled water. The drive through to Edinburgh was great fun speaking about local culture and sport. We visited Rosslyn Chapel, Royal Yacht Britania and Calton Hill not to mention the Castle. We could have traveled by train but would have missed out on amazing locations that are situated out with the centre of town. Gerry provided a fantastic day for us and we will certainly recommend Aura Journeys on our return to OZ.

This was a great tour. Gerry was amazing, he couldn’t have been more helpful, informative and friendly. I wish he could have done all our tours.

My son and I took two different tours on two different days with Aura. What a great company! Our fist day was Aura's Loch Lomond Tour with William. William was a informative, friendly and entertained us with stories and information. We managed to see Kelpies, Fall of Falloch and the spectacular Highlands scenery as we drove. We finished up with a visit to Hamish the Highland Bull. Day two was a bespoke tour to Deanston and Aberfeldy Distillery accompanied by Brian. Brian was equally as warm and knowledgeable as William. He was a great guide, full of interesting details about the area I highly recommend Aura Tours-you will not be disappointed!

I cannot say enough about the great job and great folks at Aura Journeys. While on our Brittish Isle cruise we booked a private car in Edinburgh. Cruises are a fantastic way to travel, to see a lot of cities. But time is limited in each port. And Edinburgh was no different. Seeing St. Andrew's was a must, but so were the many other things to do back in Edinburgh. So we communicated back and forth with William at Aura Journeys to secure details. We often seek out things to do that don't necessarily fit the norm. So, while still on the cruise and with Edinburgh still 3 days out, we were unprepared for our port of call in Greenock/Glaskow. A failure on our part. I could not find anything on Viator that might fit our needs. All sold out. I sent an email to William at Aura Journeys and he put a call out to his team. Gerry cancelled his golf game ( on a beautiful day by the way) and agreed to be our tour guide driver for the day. Within a minute of meeting Gerry at the Greenock cruise terminal I knew it was going to be a great day. We had so much fun because not only of where Gerrry took us, but the improvised side trips we took. We did not want to see the distillery so we didn't, we spent just a little time at the Stirling castle which was great for us. We found a great Antique Market which my wife loved. And while my wife was antique shopping Gerrry and I talked golf, politics, and everything in between. We all laughed so much, and Gerry's personality was so genuinely warm. Of all the great drivers we have had, Gerry is probably the best. Gerry sent William a lot of txts about what he felt our likes and dislikes were and other information that will make our Edinburgh tour with William in two days time even more valuable and enjoyable. I want to personally thank Gerry and I am sure William will welcome us just as warmly as did Gerry. Kudos to Aura Journeys !!

Having enjoyed dozens of private tours in countries throughout the world from Turkey to Italy and Viet Nam to Columbia, this is the only time we've felt inclined to leave a negative review. Why? In an attempt to be open with the tour provider, Aura Journeys, we communicated directly with them after the less than stellar tour and had the gaul to ask for a refund of some of the money paid. I wanted to be open and honest before leaving a negative review and give them a chance to respond in an appropriate manner if the guides were new, were having a bad day, had extenuating circumstances, etc... I expected a "Thanks for the feedback, but there will be no refund." Instead, I got a you're wrong. The tour was fine. Your expectations are absurd. We'll fight you if you give us a bad review. Hmmm... So, here goes... If you're looking for a good driver to take you to designated spots in Edinburgh and its environs along with a second nice gentleman to accompany you, then this tour might be for you. We weren't. We were looking for a tour by locals who could provide insight into the culture and history of Scotland along with some interesting anecdotes along the way. We had a car and driver, so we didn't need to pay nearly $1500 for a chauffeur and walking companion. Maybe this was "my bad" since everywhere else I've ever been on a private tour, the driver and guide had interesting insights and things to tell us about what we were seeing. I realize the guide wasn't "licensed", but I thought he'd still know and share a little about the area. He had nothing to share more than what the signs said. For instance, the only thing he told us as we reached John Knox's house was that it was John Knox's house. He didn't know how the ticketing process at Edinburgh Castle worked and simply walked with us down the Royal Mile without any stories, etc... Again, if you're looking more for a chauffeur and companion, you'll probably love these guys. If not, you won't. And for the love of all that's good in this world, save yourself the bother of trying to interact with Aura Journeys if you have any feedback of the negative variety. It'll only make a bad situation worse.

Excelent tour, highly recommended, we visited Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Boat, Roslyn Chapel (a must)