Discover the history Edinburgh's most historic quarter in a personal small group setting with an expert local guide. On this intimate 2 hour Walking Tour, you’ll find out how Edinburgh has evolved and developed over the past 2000 years. What were the major events that shaped it's development and who were the famous/infamous characters behind these events? We answer these questions and many more! Tours in English language only. You'll see all of Edinburgh's most important landmarks, and some lesser known Old Town locations as well. This tour is perfect for the discerning traveller who wants the real history of the Old town.
Out at sunset: the 4:30 PM departure is under way when the sun sets, around 4:51 PM in the coming weeks.
In demand: 50 of the next 60 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 11.
Traverse Edinburgh’s historic thoroughfare, see buildings dating back to the 1400s and hear some of the major events which shaped its history. We end the tour here.
Explore Edinburgh’s world famous graveyard, hear how this site inspired renowned authors from Mary Shelley to J.K. Rowling contributed to medical science and the story of a certain very loyal dog.
Edinburgh’s traditional farmers’ market, home to some of the oldest pubs in the city (with connections to hangings and body snatchers) and the best view of the Castle in Edinburgh.
We walk around the cathedral, exploring it's architecture and history
We walk through the Old town, examining the history of the city's most interesting quarter
We start the tour here and explore the bowels of the Old Town, learning gruesome medieval history of Edinburgh.
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Edinburgh: History Lovers Old Town Walking Tour lasts about 2 hours. The itinerary has 6 stops.
Prices start at $24 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 and 4:30 PM.
Children aged 12–17 pay from $23, adults from $24.
It can: 50 of the next 60 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Your guide will be standing in front of the Statue of Sir James Young Simpson, next to the entrance of Princes St Gardens. Walk to the West End of Princes St to find this location. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 40 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Wheelchairs and Strollers can be used on this tour, but the Old Town is hilly and has cobblestones
Wheelchair accessible Wheelchairs and Strollers can be used on this tour, but the Old Town is hilly and has cobblestones
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Our guide Shawna had so much knowledge and clearly loves history. She made the tour very interesting! It was a great way to learn about Edinburgh. She also gave suggestions for what to see afterwards- we did one of those activities and loved that, too. This walking tour was exactly what we hoped for!
Jack was a great guide, very informative! Took us to several cool sites and had a lot of local history to tell us.
We were a particularly small group, so there were no problems keeping up or having the attention of the guide. Shauna ( ? ) was a transplanted American, but her knowledge of Scottish, and particularly Edinburgh, history was excellent, and though I had already been in the city a week I learned a lot. Especially interesting was the visit to Greyfriars Kirkyard, where there were some spooky tales to be told and some amazing statistics on the sheer numbers buried there. Altogether well worth while in gaining a detailed insight into Edinburgh's past.
Our guide Stuart was amazing! His quick wit sense of humour made the time enjoyable and easy to listen and learn from
Shanna was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She offered a great overview of Edinburgh's history and helped us orient ourselves to the city and its stories.
Fantastic tour! Shanna is an amazing story teller and made the tour very interesting and informative.
We would strongly recommend Stuart…. He was informative and went at a pace for everyone to learn and enjoy.
Shanna was a great guide, she really had her facts down. This is definitely as described a "history lovers" tour. You're going to want to have an interest in timelines. We covered a good bit of ground to see a lot of old town and learn about edinburgh history. She also covered edinburgh castle history which was great because our trip is short on time and I really dont feel like climbing up there. Would recommend, very reasonable price for the the amount of time and ground covered.
Wonderful experience! Great introduction to the city of Edinburgh for our first full day after arrival. Learned so much in just a short time! Shawna was amazing and explained all the history in such an easy to understand way.Perfect tour!
Great tour very informative and fun guide highly recommend The city is very interesting with a lot of history
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh: History Lovers Old Town Walking Tour | 2 hours | 4.9 (259) | $24 | |
 Underground Vaults Walking Tour in Edinburgh Old Town | 1 hour | 4.7 (9,523) | $32 | View |
 Edinburgh Old Town: Historical Guided Walking Tour | 2 hours | 5.0 (1,695) | $27 | View |
 Edinburgh Royal Mile and Old Town Small Group Walking Tour | 3 hours | 4.9 (1,655) | $47 | View |
 Edinburgh: Witches & Haunted History Walking Tour | 1h 10min–1h 15min | 4.9 (718) | $24 | View |
 Edinburgh City Walking Tour, Discover Old Town, Royal Mile with a Local Expert! | 2 hours | 5.0 (29) | $65 | View |
 Old Town Historical and Underground Tour | 1h 30min | 4.8 (1,971) | $27 | View |