Top Edinburgh Cultural Tours

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.

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.

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.

Edinburgh is notoriously one of the most haunted places in the UK, making it a prime destination for ghost-hunters. Dare to discover the city’s dark side on this evening tour and visit the eerie Blair Street Underground Vaults, follow in the footsteps of the infamous Edinburgh Mob, then settle your nerves with a dram of Scotch whisky in Megget's Cellar.

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.

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.

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.

Discover the palaces and castles of TV’s ‘Outlander’ series on a 9.5-hour tour from Edinburgh. Visit some of the sites that starred in the fictional Jacobite saga, including Blackness Castle, the headquarters of Jack Randall, and Hopetoun House, the Duke of Sandringham’s residence. Explore Wentworth Prison, set in Linlithglow Palace, and see Midhope Castle (Lallybroch), Mercat Cross (Cranesmuir), and more, as you hear trivia on the series and its stars. Entrance fees are excluded.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

See Stirling Castle, the Kelpies monument, and Loch Lomond on this day trip from Edinburgh. Pass Linlithgow Palace on the way to the Kelpies, said to be the largest equine sculptures in the world. Then travel through Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, where you can join your guide on a nature walk, before heading to Stirling Castle for an optional interior tour (own expense). This small-group tour in a top-of-the-range, 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach is limited to 16 passengers for a memorable experience.

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. 

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.

Designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the world of whisky, this guided tour of the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh is the ideal choice for travelers wanting to learn more about Scotland’s national drink. Take a whisky barrel ride through a replica distillery, view the world’s largest collection of Scotch whisky, enjoy a guided tasting session, and take home a souvenir of a crystal whisky glass. This tour is also a fun and suitable expereince for travelers aged under 18.

Skip the line on your visit to one of Scotland's most popular attractions on this Edinburgh Castle walking tour. Walk up the Royal Mile toward to the castle with your guide while they share insight into the significance of the fortification in Scottish history and introduce you to some of the key characters associated with it. Once inside, explore the main buildings as your guide provides further details about such elements as the one o'clock gun, the Argyle Battery, and the castle dungeons. 

Even if you have only a short time to explore Scotland, you can discover the best of the Scottish Highlands on this day trip from Edinburgh. Head north for the haunting valley of Glen Coe and then the harbor village of Mallaig. See the enigmatic Glenfinnan Viaduct (which Harry Potter fans will recognize from the movies) as the Jacobite steam train cross over it and spend time in the charming village of Pitlochry.

The Waverley Pub is one of Edinburgh’s most popular drinking establishments and stocks a huge variety of Scotch whisky. On this tasting tour, sample four single malt whiskies from four different whisky-producing regions of Scotland, uncover the secrets of Scotch whisky-making, and experience the Scottish tradition of storytelling.

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.

Visit the royal stronghold of Stirling Castle and the majestic Loch Lomond on this full-day tour from Edinburgh. Escape the city for a scenic drive through the countryside, stopping to snap photos of Highland cows, the Trossachs National Park, and Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. After touring the impressive Stirling Castle, soak up the scenery around Loch Lomond, Scotland’s largest lake. Finish your Scottish experience sampling Scotch whisky at the acclaimed Glengoyne Distillery.

Edinburgh’s stately streets hide a darker, more mysterious side of the city, rooted in its 18th-century slums, ‘wynds,’ (alleyways), and vaults. This 75-minute tour takes you back in time to this shadowy world, exploring dark cobbled lanes, a haunted cemetery, and underground vaults. As you explore, your costumed guide shares captivating tales of the city’s history, along with stories of ghosts, murders, crimes, and more.