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).
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 3.
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.
You will be collected from you choice of start point or accommodation
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
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All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Beyond Edinburgh (Half Day Tour) lasts about 5 hours. The itinerary has 4 stops.
Prices start at $605 per person for this Edinburgh experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 10:00 AM.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Yes, pickup is offered. You will be collected from you choice of start point or accommodation Pickup points include Novotel Edinburgh Centre.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 15 travellers can book together.
Specialized infant seats are available Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 23 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Monarch Tours.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
We had a great day with Chris! He took us to see highland cows, the Stirling castle, a 16th century village (the highlight!!), a distillery and my special request to see sheep! He was also very knowledgeable about Scottish history and a wealth of information. This trip was a highlight and I highly recommend booking Chris!!!
Chris was our guide and did an amazing job. It was so nice to see other parts of the area like Culross, Roslyn Chappell, etc.. Extremely knowledgeable and kept us entertained. Highly recommend Chris for this tour.
Totally flexible and accommodating to take you to your preferred places of interest within the time frame. Chris has a wealth of knowledge all things Scotland and beyond,, ready with great suggestions as needed! We would totally use Monarch tours again! Comfortable vehicle as well
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 !!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond Edinburgh (Half Day Tour) | 5 hours | 5.0 (23) | $605 | |
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