The 13 Best History Tours in Edinburgh

1.Old Town Walking Tour History and Tales in Edinburgh

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

Walk Edinburgh’s UNESCO-listed Old Town with guides such as Max, Greg, Ben, Angus, and Jule. Expect stories, jokes, historic landmarks, back alleys, and useful food tips. The gentle two-hour route suits first-time visitors, though the exact path and pace vary by guide.

“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

Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town with guides such as Holly, Chihon, Emily, and James, then enter an exclusive section of the South Bridge vaults. Expect a relaxed 90-minute tour covering overlooked Scottish stories, Canongate Kirkyard, city growth, and underground life. Groups are capped at six.

“Great tour, full of very interesting history of old Edinburgh. Lovely guide, clear, packed a lot in, gave us information that we hadn’t known before, despite being relatively local. Vaults fascinating - who lived in them, drinking dens etc. Also city walls, how Edinburgh grew and evolved as a city. Highly recommend!”

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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

Follow a Mercat Tours storyteller from Mercat Cross into Edinburgh’s Blair Street Underground Vaults. In 75 minutes, hear about buried businesses, taverns, crime, poverty, and Burke and Hare, then see artifacts in the Vaults Museum. Guides include Linda, Veni, Nicola, and Charles.

“Excellent Very informative. Lots of history Wouldn’t recommend for small children because of the darkness”

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4.Edinburgh Old Town: Historical Guided Walking Tour

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

Meet your guide at 351 High Street for a two-hour walk through Edinburgh’s historic center, ending at Greyfriars Kirkyard. Expect stories from medieval to modern times, local tips, and an English or possibly French-speaking guide. Gavin and Urs have led particularly memorable outings.

“German tour with Urs was full of historical places, explanations and fun. The best tour during our stay.”

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5.Dark History

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

Walk Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with guides such as Robert, James, Joe, Kieran, or Lydia, hearing true stories of executions, plague, body snatching, and old city life. The tour ends at Canongate Kirk and focuses more on history than jump scares.

“Learned so much on this tour. Be prepared for lots of walking and weather changes - but that's a given in Scotland. Would definitely recommend!”

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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

Follow an English-speaking guide such as Juniper, Hazel, or Angelica from St Giles’ Cathedral to Grassmarket. Hear stories of witch trials, warlocks, Mary Queen of Scots, and Half-Hangit Maggie while walking Edinburgh’s steep, cobbled Old Town.

“In spite of the rain was a nice tour. We were running late with our Uber and got a quick response in how to handle delay. The guide was amazing with her theatrics! In spite of her trying so hard to speak to everyone her mic couldn’t keep up. All in all was a fun tour.”

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7.Pubs & History Walking Tour with Beer Tasting

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

Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town with an English-speaking guide such as Wag, Iain, Christy, Sara, or Mhairi. Visit three pubs, taste Scottish beers and cask ales, and connect brewing traditions with sights including the Old College, Canongate, and Cowgate. Tastings are included.

“Nice easy stroll and beer tasting. Learned about local history. Friendly guide. Would recommend. Gets chilly at night so dress warm.”

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8.History Lovers Old Town Walking Tour

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

Start near Princes Street and follow a small group through Edinburgh’s Old Town, Greyfriars, Grassmarket, St Giles’ Cathedral, and the Royal Mile. Guides such as Madge, Kieran, Shanna, Zander, and Katie mix Scottish history with dark tales, local tips, and plenty of questions.

“If you want a good historical overview and exposure to Edinburgh, this tour is for you. David does a great job presenting history in an interesting and entertaining story form. This is definitely worth the price of admission.”

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9.Private Greyfriars Kirkyard history tour

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

Join Robert Howie for a 90-minute private walk through Greyfriars Kirkyard. He shapes the tour around your interests, uses stories and images to bring Edinburgh’s past to life, and takes you beyond the cemetery’s better-known graves. Expect uneven ground and a thoughtful, sometimes dark look at Scottish history.

“Our host was amazing! So informative and friendly! This has been the highlight of our visit so far - thank you so much!”

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10.Small-Group Historic Coffee Tour in Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · from $20Best value

Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town with guides such as James, Sara, Sarah, or Ross, tracing vanished coffee houses through narrow closes and wynds. Then enter The Lost Close, an underground former café closed for centuries, where you can hear more stories and enjoy coffee in a group of no more than eight.

“James was humourous and knowledgeable with regards to coffee and the history of Edinburgh. A very enjoyable insight into the city.”

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

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

Travel from Edinburgh into Fife with guides such as Perry, Magnus, Pete, and Jeff. See the Queensferry bridges, walk the coast at Lady’s Tower, explore St Andrews, and visit Dunfermline Abbey. Expect a full eight-hour day, some independent time, and roughly 13,000 steps.

“This is an absolutely beautiful part of the country and the scenery was lovely. We got off to a rocky start because our driver was late, but the other people traveling on the tour made friends quickly and we had an enjoyable time.”

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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 from Mercat Cross to Holyrood Palace with a local guide such as Darcy or Katie. Expect Royal Mile stories, quiet closes, a wizard-related stop, Scottish tablet, haggis and a whisky dram. The two-hour route ends at the palace gates and suits visitors who enjoy history on foot.

“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.)

Join Robert of Historic Edinburgh Tours for a two-hour private walk from Holyroodhouse to Edinburgh Castle. Hear stories of Mary, Queen of Scots, Prince Charles Edward Stewart, murders, royal proclamations, and civil wars. The route can be adjusted to your interests and ends at Grassmarket or another agreed point.

“Robert was great, very knowledgeable as to be expected but also great with the kids and brought the history to life. You have no idea what you are missing walking the mile on your own.”

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