Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket

Recommended by 95% of travelersEdinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle Skip the Line Guided Tour

From $43.60

per person

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

A trip to the capital of Scotland isn't complete without a tour of Edinburgh Castle. Follow your guide through the grounds and hear tales of the castle's royal residents—including Mary Queen of Scots—and learn more about the rich history of the building. After your tour ends, there's plenty of free time explore the castle's interior and the rest of the grounds, which includes three museums, two prisons, a canine cemetery, the Chapel of Saint Margaret, the National Monument to the fallen of Scotland, the Great Hall, and a Royal Palace.

Plenty of time for photo ops of Edinburgh Castle and the surrounding city
Hear unique stories of Scottish history and ask questions along the way
Don't be disappointed: Pre-booking tickets guarantees entry
An activity the whole family can enjoy

What's Included

Entrance ticket & Edinburgh Castle Guided Tour
Entre fees

Pet Not allowed. Only guide dog.
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

361 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1PW, UK
Meet in front of the entrance to Advocates Close, opposite (St. Giles’ Cathedral) . Look for the black umbrella with the tour provider's yellow logo.

End point

Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG, UK
Tour end inside Edinburgh Castle

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Please note in poor weather conditions the tour will remain outdoors as access to the castle buildings is not available for tour groups

Tour will be inside the castle walls, but outdoors, with free time after the tour to to explore the castle an to go inside every building (Museums, Royal Palace, prisons, and much more). We can not access those buildings during the tour, but the tour will still be carried out within the castle grounds.
The castle is a complex of buildings, not a single building.
On this tour you will be guided around Edinburgh castle, with specific stops assigned by the castle authorities.
Bags over 30L in volume are not allawed inside the castle.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.8

3,704 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 3,704 reviews

Exceptional guide

Melissa_M, Jan 2025

Tommy is exceptional in his mannerisms and his knowledge of history and the area he guided the group through. I loved his stories and legends. He is a breathe of fresh air and delightful

The tour guide was...

Safiyyah_A, Jan 2025

The tour guide was terrific and funny. Her way of explaining history is so attractive and I didn't feel board

Castle Closed. Tour Canceled.

Andy_G, Jan 2025

If there are high winds and they choose to close the castle, then the tour will be closed as well. Real Bummer.

Great guide!

Craig_B, Dec 2024

The guide was very knowledgeable and made it a great morning on our trip! Thanks so much for all the information and great attitude!

Worst experience

Tiberiu_N, Dec 2024

A very bad experience. I was 5 min late and even if the tour involved some sightseeing before entering the castle the guide did not want for me to come were he was with the group not even give me the entry ticket. He was very rude at the phone. I do not reccomed

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Dear Customer, Thank you for sharing your feedback about your recent experience with our Edinburgh Castle Guided Walking Tour. We truly value every review, as it helps us identify areas for improvement. We are very sorry to hear that your experience fell short of expectations. We understand how frustrating it must have been to arrive late and not be able to join the group. Our guides strive to maintain the schedule to ensure the best experience for all participants, but we regret if this caused any inconvenience in your case. We are also sorry to hear about your interaction with the guide over the phone. This is not the level of service we aim to provide, and we will address this matter internally to ensure better communication in the future. Thank you once again for your feedback. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on another tour in the future and to provide you with the high standard of service we are known for. Kind regards,

Informative Tour

Jayshree_M, Dec 2024

Informative external tour of Edinburgh Castle, with free entrance to all the rooms afterwards. Loved our very ‘British’ guide that was very direct and witty!

Knowledgeable tour guide, good time!

Hannah_D, Dec 2024

Did this tour with Ross as my guide. He was very knowledgeable on the tour and did a great job. I think this tour is worth it if you want someone to guide you around just keep in mind they don’t actually bring you into the specific areas of the castle because of the castle rules. He did prep us for what the group and I would see when we went into each section. The entirety of the tour is outside so bundle up!!

Castle Walking tour

Linda_H, Dec 2024

Great way to learn some history. After the tour, leave time to explore the museums, prison, Crown Jewels, etc. Enjoyed soup and bread and cookie at the cafe. A lot of steps and hills (but I am in my 70’s and have knee problems).

50/50

Stephen_W, Dec 2024

It was alright. Thought we should have had a break in warm place. 50/50 for me with whole experience, tour guide was good but the company was not great.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Dear Customer, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your experience with our tour. We appreciate your honest review, as it helps us identify ways to improve our service. We’re glad to hear that you found the tour guide to be good and engaging. However, we’re sorry to learn that the overall experience didn’t fully meet your expectations. We understand that having a break in a warm place can make a significant difference, especially in Edinburgh’s unpredictable weather, and we’ll take this into consideration when planning future tours. Thank you once again for your feedback. We hope to welcome you back in the future and provide an experience that exceeds your expectations. Kind regards,

Despite the weather, our...

Robert_L, Dec 2024

Despite the weather, our guide David was awesome. His interaction was personable amd witty. He genuinely loves giving tours and meeting people. So glad we used a live guide and not just the inexpensive audio recording.

Mel was an excellent tour...

Simon_J, Dec 2024

Mel was an excellent tour guide! Good knowledge and very entertaining. Afternoon tour was perfectly timed for sunset in winter

This experience has...

Merlene_M, Dec 2024

This experience has exceeded all my expectations! The weather is also great and how lucky we are that there is still snow at the mountain caps. Thank you so much to Martin for being the best guide! I was planning on sleeping on the way but his history stories are too good to miss. Superb driving as well, we felt so safe even if the road looked a bit slippery due to mist. Will definitely recommend this to friends who are planning to visit Scotland.

Has a good tour guide,...

Jasmine_M, Dec 2024

Had a good tour guide, RJ explained the history of Scotland so well! Would recommend to others who want to visit Edinburgh Castle.

Great castle tour guide made our day

Michael_G, Dec 2024

Guide Sonia was very knowledgeable and also had a great sense of humor. Included everyone in our group+ made sure we could all hear her. Despite a very cold day we enjoyed her tour 5 stars.

Absolutely fabulous experience, tour guide full marks

Tracy_M, Dec 2024

We had a fantastic tour.. our tour guide, Melanie Bold, was very knowledgeable and comical. She really made the experience fascinating and amusing. Just loved her. The Castle was well signed, staff helpful, and all facilities were fantastic. Great experience

Great tour

Nakul_M, Nov 2024

Highly recommended tour. Great guide. Good story telling and a perfect spot to spend a couple hours.

Amazing Castle

Ryan_L, Nov 2024

This was a really cool castle to visit and Agnus did a great job providing the history of events that ensued and why different areas had been built.

Great Experience

Patti_M, Nov 2024

Great guide! Fun to be with and extremely knowledgeable!!! We would have missed so much history and building identification without our guide. So glad we did this!!

loved it

Mihir_H, Nov 2024

Melanie was an amazing tour guide, an absolute delight - taking us through the history of the castle with amazing details.

Excellent

Sachindra_K, Nov 2024

The tour guide was very friendly and jovial. Pickup details were accurate and there was no waiting time. It was with the value for money. What we loved was that it was short but covered all the areas of the Castle. Tips for travelers - be ready to walk so wear proper shoes.

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