15 Historical Tours in Edinburgh That Earn the Detour

1.Old Town Walking Tour History and Tales in Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,168 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $24Our pick

Explore Edinburgh’s Old Town with a lively guide, historic closes, St Giles Cathedral, and castle views in a practical two-hour walk.

“Jule was a great story teller and showed lots of places of interest! Its been a great experience and would have given a 5-star rating if she was Scottish, speaking Scottish. Its a personal thing and not against Jule, again I think she did great and derserves 5 stars! When signing up it would help setting the expectation if the tour guide is a Scottish native or not.”

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2.Old Town Historical and Underground Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,574 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $27

Explore Edinburgh’s Old Town, Canongate Kirkyard, and South Bridge vaults on a relaxed 90-minute history tour for small groups.

“This was fun and our guide Emilie was fantastic but it was a little too long underground. I’d have liked more of the surrounding area.”

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3.Multi-Sensory Small-Group Historic Vaults Tour in Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,384 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $37

Explore Edinburgh’s Blair Street Vaults with a small group, vivid storytelling, historic artifacts, and practical tips before you book.

“The tour was brought to life by Joe who’s commentary made you feel as though you were being taken back a hundred years or more and were actually experiencing life in the vaults. The best experience in Edinburgh for me.”

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4.Edinburgh Old Town: Historical Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,016 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $24

Edinburgh Old Town walking tour review: a two-hour, guide-led look at medieval streets, legends, landmarks, value, meeting point, and practical tips.

“Very informative. Now I see the city with different eyes. History and places were a good match. There were also many tips.Auto-translated”

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5.Dark History

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 814 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $22

Explore Edinburgh’s darker past on a two-hour Royal Mile walk covering executions, plague, body snatchers, graves, and grim city lore.

“James was an excellent tour guide! He was very knowledgeable and well spoken and he went out of his way to accommodate us all. If you’re looking for a fun and unique tour, this is the one to go on. We learned a lot of new facts about Edinburgh that we didn’t know before. The walking distance was also decent. It’s not too much and you only go up one flight of stairs. If you or your relatives have struggles with walking tours over a mile, this tour would be a good choice for you. I would absolutely recommend this tour!”

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6.Witches & Haunted History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 632 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $24

Explore Edinburgh’s witch trials and haunted past on a lively 75-minute walk from St Giles’ Cathedral to Grassmarket.

“Excellent tour to take of Edinburgh Witch history. Juniper was a wonderful tour guide. She was friendly, funny and all about witches. Definitely would recommend tour. Cheers!”

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7.Pubs & History Walking Tour with Beer Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 266 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $63

Explore Edinburgh’s Old Town, historic pubs, cask ales, and Scottish brewing traditions on a small-group walking tour.

“Iain did a great job talking us through the different styles of beers produced in scotland. We got to do a small tour around Edinburgh as well. Great time trying super unique beers :) Would recommend”

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8.History Lovers Old Town Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 216 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $24

Review of Edinburgh’s History Lovers Old Town Walking Tour, with route details, guide tips, price value, and advice on who should book.

“Great trip, Shanna was amazing, we had an interesting and fun walk around the city. We were told many secrets ond funny details.”

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9.Private Greyfriars Kirkyard history tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 67 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $124

Review of Edinburgh’s private Greyfriars Kirkyard history tour, with pricing, guide style, itinerary, practical tips, and booking advice.

“Enjoyed learning about so many colourful characters buried within the Kirkyard. The guide was knowledgeable, entertaining & very friendly. Would definitely recommend.”

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10.Small-Group Historic Coffee Tour in Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · from $20

Explore Edinburgh’s coffee past on a small-group walk through Old Town closes, ending with coffee in the underground Lost Close.

“This was a super interesting tour with a great knowledgeable and funny guide. Really enjoyed it, particularly the history of coffee in Edinburgh.”

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11.St Andrews, Fife Coast Walk & Historic Abbey Tour from Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $110

Review of the St Andrews and Fife Coast tour from Edinburgh, with Lady’s Tower, historic abbeys, scenic bridges, pricing, and practical tips.

“Really nice day touring around Scotland with Warren. He was engaging, full of stories, and flexible to our needs. My husband and I truly enjoyed the tour and Warren made it even better.”

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12.Edinburgh Historical Gems Tour with Whisky & Local Flavours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 56 reviews · 2 hours to 2 hours 10 minutes (approx.) · from $55

Walk Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace with local history, Scottish tablet, haggis, and whisky in a lively two-hour tour.

“Such fun to see some unusual sites on the Royal Mile. Our guide was a delight! Very interesting tour.”

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13.Private Royal Mile walking tour – Discover the history of our most famous street

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $117

Review of Edinburgh’s private Royal Mile walking tour, with palace and castle views, Scottish stories, guide details, pricing, and practical tips.

“Robert is a true gentleman, and a fantastic storyteller! Mum and I had very limited time in Edinburgh and Robert was kind enough to work with us in the time we had and give us a wonderful insight into the history and the stories of this beautiful old city! Highly recommended!!!”

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14.Medical and Surgical History of Edinburgh – Private Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $130

Trace Edinburgh’s medical past on a private 3 to 4 hour walk from the Royal Mile to the former Royal Infirmary.

“What a wonderful tour of the history of medicine in Edinburgh. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic. History is truly surrounding you on this experience. If it matters, we did not tour a medical history museum.”

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15.The History Behind Outlander Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $89

Trace Outlander filming sites and Jacobite history on a two-hour Edinburgh tour with period costumes, weapons, and local Scottish flavor.

“Adi the Jacobite guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He connected sites in Edinburgh to the show. He was also attentive to those on the tour. His passion for the period helped make the tour.”

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