Top Edinburgh Historical Tours

Step off the tourist trail and explore the Scottish capital’s hidden secrets on this underground walking tour in Edinburgh. Follow a guide from the South Bridge in Edinburgh Old Town down below street level, where a series of ancient vaults lie. As you explore the dark passageways, learn why the vaults were built, hear of the poor souls who sought refuge in the depths and discover a hidden witchcraft temple. Gain insight into city life during the 18th century, and learn of the deadly diseases which threatened Edinburgh’s inhabitants.

Get an in-depth perspective on Edinburgh on this guided tour that goes deeper than most. Usually led by a guide with a PhD in Scottish history, this tour offers a journey through Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town from the main thoroughfares to the hidden closes (alleyways) and courtyards. Your guide shares tales of dramatic events in the neighborhood's history, as well as those of the writers, philosophers, and inventors who called the area home.

This walking tour of Edinburgh is a great choice for first-time visitors who want to get their bearings of the city and learn more about its history. By exploring the city with a guide, you’ll be able to stop looking at a map and focus on enjoying the sites around you. Your guide will teach you about secret places locals love, as well as the Old Town’s most famous sites. Highlights include St. Giles’ Cathedral, the Mercat Cross, Edinburgh Castle, and much more. 

Explore famous landmarks and hidden secrets in Edinburgh on this walking tour. Explore Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile with a guide, and gain insight into famous writers and inventors who have called the city home. Hear tales of Scotland's national bard—Robert Burns—and discover top landmarks such as St. Giles’ Cathedral and the National Galleries of Scotland. Capture Edinburgh through the eye of your camera as you go, and find out what makes this ancient city tick.

Delve into Scotland’s rich history and heritage on this 1-day Rosslyn Chapel, Dunfermline Abbey and Stirling Castle tour from Edinburgh. Head from the Royal Mile over the UNESCO–listed Forth Bridge to Dunfermline with a guide, and explore the Abbey Kirk — burial place of Robert the Bruce. See where the Battle of Bannockburn raged and learn of Scotland’s struggle for independence. Take in top local attractions including Stirling Castle. Then, visit Rosslyn Chapel before returning to Edinburgh.

Take a personalized tour from Edinburgh to Loch Ness on this day trip to the Scottish Highlands. See wooded lochs and tucked-away villages as you journey through spectacular scenery en route to Glencoe and Fort Augustus. Enjoy an optional boat tour in search of the Loch Ness Monster and traverse the picturesque Cairngorms National Park. Travel in a top-of-the-range, 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach with a small group limited to 16 passengers.

Edinburgh is known for its dark past, and this evening walking tour is the original one to showcase the city's historically sinister and spooky side. Discover the hidden ‘wynds’ (alleys) and closes of the Old Town as you learn their mysteries and horrors; visit the ghost-ridden Greyfriars Kirkyard; and explore the city’s underground vaults to uncover their spirits and secrets. Your tour is led by a creepily costumed guide.

Journey through Edinburgh’s grisliest tales on a haunted walking tour. Experience the ghastly histories of monsters, madness, and murder that cast a dark shadow on the capital city. Discover the stories and sites of witch trials, pagan rituals, and executions, and hear about local monsters that live in urban myth. Then visit the chilling Old Calton Burial Ground or Canongate Kirkyard cemetery to learn about body-snatching and some of the infamous interred.

This 'Harry Potter' walking tour gets fans closer to spots in Edinburgh that inspired J.K Rowling’s famous books. Walk past key sites that inspired places such as Diagon Alley, and even see the cafes and hotels where the writer wrote her book series. Your guide knows the quickest ways to get around the city on foot to fit more into your time, as well as fun facts about Harry Potter.

Delve into Edinburgh’s horrific history on this evening ghost bus tour. With your spooky local guide, visit the city’s most terrifying locations, haunted by infamy and restless spirits! From your seat in a double-decker vintage bus, gaze at eerie sites such as Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket, and the Royal Mile. Throughout the trip, hear anecdotes and facts about Edinburgh’s chilling past, replete with bloody executions, unspeakable tortures, and murder.

Explore the stunning Scottish Highlands on a full-day excursion that includes Glencoe and Loch Ness. Set own from Edinburgh aboard a comfortable coach bus to experience some of the area's top sights and attractions. Visit to Callander "Gateway to the Highlands", learn the fascinating history of Glencoe—a village made modernly famous as a setting for 'James Bond' and 'Harry Potter' films—and opt to take a boat cruise upon iconic Loch Ness, keeping an eye out for the famous 'Nessie' as you go.

Experience the magic of the world’s most famous wizard on a 2-hour Harry Potter walking tour of Edinburgh, perfect for families with kids. Alongside your Potter-mad guide, you’ll explore the winding streets and mysterious alleys that inspired J. K. Rowling to create the iconic wizarding world, and see filming locations featured in the movies. Plus, tick off top Edinburgh attractions such as the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and Princes Street.

Travel from Edinburgh to St. Andrews and Fife on this day trip from Edinburgh. Cross the Forth Road Bridge into the Kingdom of Fife and pass by the coastal villages of East Neuk. Then pay homage to the town of St. Andrews, home to Scotland's oldest university and the Old Course where golf is routinely played. Driving in a top-of-the-range, 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach, see Falkland and the Lomond Hills. Enjoy a small-group tour, limited to 16 people, for a memorable and personalized experience.

Edinburgh's underground network of vaults, which dates from the 1700s, is one of the most fascinating parts of the city to explore. To truly understand these former slum dwellings, and their dark histories, you need to explore them in the company of a guide who can provide all of the necessary context, background information and spooky stories.

Experience the legend and mystery of Rosslyn Chapel and the Holy Grail on this ‘Da Vinci Code’ tour from Edinburgh. In a small group, travel to the charming town of Melrose and through the Scottish borderlands. Explore Melrose Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel, and hear intriguing tales of Cistercian monks, the Knights Templar, and Robert the Bruce.

See the best of Scotland in one action-packed day on this Glencoe, Loch Ness and the Highlands tour from Edinburgh. Pass Stirling Castle on route to Kilmahog with a guide, then continue through Rannoch Moor to the soaring Highland peaks of Glen Coe. Head along the banks of Loch Linnhe to Fort William and gaze over Ben Nevis — Scotland’s highest mountain. Enjoy free time to explore Loch Ness and learn the famous legend of Nessie! Pass by Inverness, then travel through the mighty Grampian Mountains to Edinburgh.

See the best of medieval yet modern Edinburgh on this walking tour with optional skip-the-line access to Edinburgh Castle. As you walk, listen as your guide shares the history of this formidable city with ancient Roman roots and UNESCO-listed pockets. Explore atmospheric cobbled walkways along the Royal Mile, breeze into Edinburgh Castle to witness royal opulence (if option selected), and pass iconic locations like St. Giles Cathedral, Parliament Square, and John Knox House.

Experience the beauty of rural Scotland on this 9.5-hour West Highland lochs and castles day trip from Edinburgh. Visit the iconic Doune Castle in Stirlingshire with a guide, then head deep into the Scottish Highlands. Take in fine views over shimmering lakes and soaring peaks, and enjoy an hour’s free time in Glen Ogle. Then, head onward to Loch Awe and Kilchurn Castle — widely considered Scotland's prettiest castle. Explore the highland village of Inveraray and perhaps visit Inveraray Castle. Travel through the beautiful Arrochar Alps back to Edinburgh.

Explore Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle, and delve into the world of William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Rob Roy on this tour from Edinburgh. Visit Stirling Castle—widely considered among Scotland’s most impressive fortresses—with a guide. Head through the Trossachs National Park to the Highland village of Balloch, nestled by the banks of magical Loch Lomond. Perhaps take a lake cruise or enjoy capturing the pretty town of Luss on camera before the journey back to Edinburgh.

Attention “Outlander” fans: this tour was created just for you. Leave Edinburgh behind as you embark on an epic adventure to several sites from the popular television show. Visit Culross Palace (the fictional Cranesmuir), Doune Castle (Castle Leoch), Blackness Castle (Fort William), Midhope Castle (Jamie’s home), and Linlithgow Palace, the site of one of the series’ most intense scenes.

An Edinburgh bus tour is the perfect way to hear commentary on city sights and get a panoramic overview. This City Sightseeing tour of Edinburgh lets you hop on and off at several strategically placed stops as many times as you like. Board the open-top double-decker bus and travel the entire route, or stop at Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum and many more. Buses depart regularly and tickets are valid for 24 hours from first use.

Experience Scotland's rugged countryside on a Highlands and whisky tour from Edinburgh. In a small-group, visit Scotland’s hilly Lowlands and forested Highlands, where you can spot waterfalls and migrating salmon in the River Braan. Stop in quaint towns for refreshments and optional whisky tastings, and soak up the stunning landscape — a mosaic of verdant glens, loch, and rivers. Along the way, learn the often dark history of this wild region.

Journey to the frontier of ancient Rome on this full-day tour of Hadrian’s Wall and the Scottish borders from Edinburgh. First up is a tour of the 15th-century Rosslyn Chapel, famously featured in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and renowned for its mysterious stone carvings and unique architecture. After lunch (not included), stop at Melrose Abbey, the burial site of King Robert the Bruce’s heart, and look out over the English border from Cheviot Hills, before walking along the UNESCO-listed Hadrian’s Wall.

Follow the trail of the Romans through ancient Scotland on this full-day tour from Edinburgh. With an expert guide, visit millennia-old Roman ruins such as Hadrian’s Wall, Birdoswald Fort, Steel Rigg, and soak up the beauty of Northumberland National Park, the Irthing Valley, and the Southern Uplands. Travel with a small group to historic villages and hear the about Anglo-Scottish wars that once rattled the region.