In this guide
💡 The Short Version: For a first look at the Old Town, the 2-hour walks are £16 to £18: Old Town History and Talesad at £18 has 2,864 reviews and Old Town History Walking Tourad is £16. The tip-based SANDEMANs walk runs about 2½ hours and you pay the guide at the end. The witch trials walk is £18 for 75 minutes, Dean Village £18, the literary pub tour £25, and a 3-hour bike tour from £45. None of these walks goes inside Edinburgh Castle: entry is a separate ticket. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult (GetYourGuide).
The tours compared
| Tour | Length | GetYourGuide from | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town History Walking Tourad | 2 hours | £16 | Scotland City Tours; the Royal Mile, Victoria Street and the Greyfriars Bobby statue |
| Old Town & Hidden Gemsad | 2 hours | £16.50 | See Your City; St Giles’ to the castle, Victoria Street and the Grassmarket, with a Scottish quiz |
| Old Town History and Talesad | 2 hours | £18 | Little Fish Tours; the Mercat Cross, St Giles’ and the Grassmarket |
| Witches & Historyad | 75 minutes | £18 | A character guide on Scotland’s witch trials, ending at the Grassmarket |
| Dean Village and Circus Lanead | 2 hours | £18 | Local Eyes Walking Tours; the Water of Leith, outside the Old Town |
| Literary Pub Tourad | 2 hours | £25 | Two actors take you through Old Town and New Town pubs |
| E-Bike Tourad | 3 hours | £55 | Panorama Etours; Arthur’s Seat, Dean Village and Holyroodhouse; ages 14 and over |
| Scenic Bike Tour & Arthur’s Seat Summit Walkad | 3 hours | £45 | Cycle Scotland; Holyrood Park, then the summit on foot |
| SANDEMANs Free Tour | About 2½ hours | Tips | Pay the guide at the end |
Tip-based walks
SANDEMANs Free Tour of Edinburgh
Tips only · about 2½ hours · starts on the High Street · English and Spanish
SANDEMANs’ tip-based walk leaves at 11:00 and 14:00, and the company calls it the original free walking tour of the city. It starts on the High Street, runs down the Royal Mile past St Giles’ Cathedral to the Grassmarket, and tells the stories of figures such as William Wallace on the way (neweuropetours.eu). The walk is also listed on GetYourGuide as City Highlights Walking Tourad, 2½ hours, with a Writers’ Museum stop, a coffee break in the Grassmarket and Greyfriars Kirkyard, and is wheelchair accessible. You choose the tip, so budget what a paid two-hour walk would cost.
SANDEMANs also runs paid Harry Potter and Dark History walks in the evening: see Harry Potter in Edinburgh and Edinburgh ghost tours.
Old Town walks
All three cover the same ground, the Royal Mile, St Giles’ and the Grassmarket, and differ in the meeting point and the stories.
Old Town History and Tales
From £18 · 2 hours · 2,864 reviews · Little Fish Tours
Edinburgh: Old Town History and Tales Walking Tourad meets at 192 High Street and covers the medieval Old Town, the Mercat Cross, St Giles’ Cathedral and the Grassmarket, with the Scottish Enlightenment and the Harry Potter links along the way. It ends in the centre near bars, cafés and transport. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours ahead.
The Mercat Cross and St Giles’ Cathedral on the High Street. Photo: Alan Findlay, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Old Town History Walking Tour
From £16 · 2 hours · 929 reviews · Scotland City Tours
Edinburgh: Old Town History Walking Tourad meets at 361 High Street. It tells the city’s history from the Picts onwards along the Royal Mile and Victoria Street, with St Giles’ and the castle in view, and stops at the Greyfriars Bobby statue beside Greyfriars Kirkyard. It is the cheapest of the three.
Victoria Street, with the terrace above its curved row of shopfronts. Photo: Ralf Steinberger, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Old Town and Hidden Gems
From £16.50 · 2 hours · 107 reviews · See Your City
Edinburgh Old Town & Hidden Gems Tourad meets on Chambers Street, walks the Royal Mile from St Giles’ towards the castle, then goes on to Victoria Street and the Grassmarket. It runs in English, German or French and includes a Scottish quiz.
Themed walks
Scotland’s witch trials
From £18 · 75 minutes · 1,413 reviews · Enthral Experiences
Edinburgh: Witches & History Old Town Walking Tourad meets at Caffè Nero in Parliament Square and is led by a character guide. It tells the stories of people accused of witchcraft, including Janet Horne, Geillis Duncan and Lillias Adie, through the closes and wynds of the Royal Mile and ends at the Grassmarket. The Edinburgh City Pass includes a similar witches walk at the same £18.
Dean Village and Circus Lane
From £18 · 2 hours · 196 reviews · Local Eyes Walking Tours
Edinburgh: Dean Village and Circus Lane Walking Tourad leaves the Old Town. It meets at the statue of Sir James Young Simpson on Princes Street and follows the Water of Leith through Dean Village, whose buildings date from the 1600s, to Circus Lane.
Houses beside the Water of Leith in Dean Village. Photo: Ertly, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Literary Pub Tour
From £25 · 2 hours · 100 reviews · The Scottish Literary Tour Trust
Edinburgh Literary Pub Tourad meets at the Beehive Inn in the Grassmarket. Two professional actors perform a dialogue on about 300 years of Scottish writing, from Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson to the Harry Potter and Rebus books, with a stop in each pub. The operator says it was the first literary tour launched in Edinburgh, in 1996.
By bike
E-bike tour
From £55 · 3 hours · 178 reviews · Panorama Etours · ages 14 and over
Edinburgh: E-Bike Tour with Scenic Viewsad starts at The Arches on East Market Street and takes in Holyroodhouse, the Scottish Parliament, Arthur’s Seat and Dean Village. Helmets and gloves are included.
Bike tour with the Arthur’s Seat summit
From £45 · 3 hours · 375 reviews · Cycle Scotland
Edinburgh: Scenic Bike Tour & Arthur’s Seat Summit Walkad starts at 29 Blackfriars Street, cycles through Holyrood Park, walks the last stretch to the Arthur’s Seat summit from Dunsapie Loch, and returns along the Innocent Railway Path. An electric bike costs £15 extra and is requested by email after booking. The Arthur’s Seat guide has the free routes on foot.
Walks that go inside the sights
No walk above includes the castle, a palace or a museum. The guided tours that include Edinburgh Castle start at £35 against £23.50 for the castle’s own ticket: see Edinburgh Castle tickets. The Real Mary King’s Close is its own guided tour under the Royal Mile, and Camera Obscura and St Giles’ Cathedral are also on it. The Edinburgh City Pass bundles the Harry Potter and witches walks with about 20 other attractions from £55.
Which tour
- Free, or pay what you like: the SANDEMANs walk, 2½ hours.
- A first orientation, cheapest: Old Town History Walking Tour, £16.
- The most reviewed Old Town walk: Old Town History and Tales, £18.
- A shorter walk with a story: Witches & History, 75 minutes, £18.
- Away from the Royal Mile: Dean Village and Circus Lane, £18.
- An evening in pubs: the Literary Pub Tour, £25.
- By bike: the £45 tour ends with the Arthur’s Seat summit on foot, and the £55 e-bike tour cycles up the hill.
- The Royal Mile on your own: the Royal Mile walk is free.
What to book before you go to Edinburgh lists the sights that need tickets and the days they are closed. Edinburgh Castle tickets covers the guided tours that include entry, and Edinburgh public transport has the bus fares for the Dean Village and Holyrood Park starts. Where to stay in Edinburgh compares the areas, with hotels near the Royal Mile for the Old Town.
Common questions
Are free walking tours in Edinburgh really free?
They have no fixed price. A tip-based tour, such as the SANDEMANs Free Tour of Edinburgh, lasts about 2½ hours, starts on the High Street and runs from the Royal Mile past St Giles' Cathedral to the Grassmarket. You pay the guide what you think it was worth at the end.
How much is a walking tour in Edinburgh?
£16 for a 2-hour Old Town walk, £16.50 for the Old Town and Hidden Gems walk, £18 for Old Town History and Tales, the witch trials walk or the Dean Village walk, and £25 for the literary pub tour. These are GetYourGuide's lowest 'from' prices for one adult.
Do Edinburgh walking tours include Edinburgh Castle?
The walks on this page do not. They show the castle from the Royal Mile. Entry to the castle is £23.50 online, and the tours that include it are covered in the castle ticket guide.
Which walking tour covers the Old Town best?
The Old Town History and Tales walk (£18, 2 hours) from Little Fish Tours has the most reviews, 2,864, and takes in the Mercat Cross, St Giles' Cathedral and the Grassmarket. The tip-based SANDEMANs walk covers the Royal Mile, St Giles', the Writers' Museum, the Grassmarket and Greyfriars Kirkyard in about 2½ hours.
Is there a walking tour of Dean Village?
Yes: Local Eyes Walking Tours runs a 2-hour walk through Dean Village, along the Water of Leith and down Circus Lane from £18. It starts at the statue of Sir James Young Simpson on Princes Street.
