EDINBURGH FAQs

The best Edinburgh private tour depends on your interests and how much time you have available. First-time visitors often choose our Private Edinburgh 3-Hour Highlights Tour, which provides an excellent introduction to Edinburgh’s history, architecture and famous landmarks. If Edinburgh Castle is at the top of your list, our Private Edinburgh 3-Hour City & Guided Castle Tour is a fantastic option.

If you love touring around but also love a tipple, you should book our Private Edinburgh Wee Walk & A Whisky Tour, which includes 3 full drams of whisky.

A private tour allows you to explore Edinburgh at your own pace with a dedicated local guide. Unlike large group tours, your experience can be tailored around your interests, whether that’s Scottish history, hidden closes, royal stories, whisky, golf or local culture. Our private Edinburgh tours are designed to provide a more personal and flexible way to discover Scotland’s capital.

For visitors wanting a complete introduction to the city, our Private Edinburgh 3-Hour Highlights Tour covers the major sights and stories of Edinburgh’s Old Town. For a shorter introduction, our Private Edinburgh History & Culture Tour is ideal.

Absolutely. Edinburgh is one of Europe’s most beautiful historic cities and is famous for its medieval Old Town, impressive castle, royal history, literary heritage and spectacular viewpoints. Visitors can enjoy centuries of history, world-class attractions and some of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks. Not to mention, Scottish people are some of the friendliest in the world!

Edinburgh is famous for:

Yes. Our Private Edinburgh Castle Guided Tour includes a dedicated local guide who brings the history of Edinburgh Castle to life, and it includes tickets, so you don’t even need to buy tickets yourself. If you’d like to combine the castle with a city tour, our Private Edinburgh City & Castle Tour is the best of both.

Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland’s most iconic attractions and is often the highlight of a visit to the city. Perched on an ancient volcanic rock, it offers spectacular views and centuries of fascinating Scottish history. Visitors wanting expert insight often choose our Private Edinburgh Castle Guided Tour.

A private guided tour allows you to see the city’s highlights while learning about its history and culture from a local expert. Our Private Edinburgh 3-Hour Highlights Tour is particularly popular with first-time visitors looking to make the most of limited time.

Yes. While you could easily spend several days exploring the city, many of Edinburgh’s most famous attractions can be seen in a single day. A private walking tour can help you maximise your time while discovering hidden stories and local insights.

Most visitors spend between two and four days in Edinburgh. This allows time to explore the Old Town, visit Edinburgh Castle, discover local neighbourhoods and experience the city’s famous history and culture.

Beyond the famous landmarks, Edinburgh is filled with stories of ordinary people, forgotten characters and fascinating local traditions. Our Private Edinburgh People’s Story Tour explores the lives of the people who shaped the city throughout its history.

Yes. Whisky lovers can enjoy our Private Walk & Whisky Tasting Tour, which combines sightseeing with a premium whisky tasting experience and local stories from Edinburgh’s past and present.

Absolutely. Scotland is known as the Home of Golf and visitors can experience the game for themselves on our Golf With an Edinburgh Local experience. It’s a fantastic way to combine sightseeing with a memorable round of golf alongside a local player.

Yes. Private tours are particularly well suited to families because the experience can be adapted to different interests, ages and walking abilities. Guides can tailor the pace and content to create an enjoyable experience for everyone.

If you’re looking for something completely unique as a tour, we’d really recommend our Private Arthur’s Seat

Yes, we require advance booking on the tour. Our guides do accept walk-ups but it can cause delays to the tour, and they can only take cash payments if you have the exact cash for the tour. Please note, if the tour has bookings already, you will be able to book online right up until the tour start time.

Our tours run in most weathers; as the old saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear! However, if we deem the weather to be dangerous to you, we will cancel the tour and you will be notified with at least one hour notice.

Yes, well-behaved dogs are welcome on all of our tours. Please ensure you bring everything you need.

Yes, all of our tours are already wheelchair accessible or can be made accessible very easily. We’d really appreciate you emailing us directly on info@walkingtours.co.uk after booking with your name and/or booking reference, so we can give the guide a heads up. This way they can plan for the adaptations in advance.

Our full accessibility information is available here.

Absolutely! You can see how long the tour runs for on the individual tour information. If you’re still unsure, feel free to email us to inquire.

Yes, our tours are suitable for families and children. You will see on some of our tours, we have children ticket prices for ages 7-15 year olds, and under 7s go free. Please note, that for some tours including alcoholic drinks, children are welcome to join booked adults, but you will need to notify us after booking via email.

All of our tours cover 1-2.5 miles at a relaxed pace with regular stops. The tours are suitable for all fitness abilities.

We recommend you arrive 5-10 minutes before your tour start time, and please plan ahead for this. Unfortunately, after a tour starts, we cannot know exactly where the guide will be.

Please check your confirmation email for the tour which will have the exact address needed for your meeting point. You can email us on info@walkingtours.co.uk or call us 7 days a week between 9am-5pm on +441414740746 if you still can’t find it.

There are no specific clothing requirements, but comfortable shoes are recommended for walking. We’d also recommend checking the weather in advance, and bringing umbrellas, raincoats, sunglasses, sun cream etc. as needed.

Yes, we are flexible with rebooking if you email us at least 2 hours in advance of your tour start time. Please email us on info@walkingtours.co.uk with your booking name and/or booking reference number.

Some tours have specific cancellation notes that will be on your booking confirmation email, particularly for special event tours. However, generally for public tours, our no refund period is 48 hours, and for private tours it is 7 days.

Generally, no. Please plan in advance for this.

Yes, absolutely! Take as many photos as you’d like during the tour.

You will receive an email from us a few hours after your tour which will have links to review. For any feedback you’d like to give privately, you can email us on info@walkingtours.co.uk

Yes, of course. It would be helpful if you could notify the guide when you arrive to let them know at what time you need to leave, and they can help you organise your onward route.

No, we think it can take away from the moment and the personality of the tour guide.

Yes, we love large groups! We’d recommend emailing us directly on info@walkingtours.co.uk to book a large group, as we have set rates which are generally cheaper than booking on the website.

Yes, we offer a wide range of private tours across the cities we operate in! You should be able to see the private tours we offer in our menu. If you have any unique requests, just email us on info@walkingtours.co.uk, we love doing more niche, unique requests!