--- title: Edinburgh: History Lovers Old Town Walking Tour lang: en type: tour city: Edinburgh country: United Kingdom price: 21 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.86 reviews: 258 duration_minutes: 120 languages: [en] free_cancellation: true rank_in_category: 19 of 33 (Walking Tours) schedule_checked: 2026-10-01 data_updated: 2026-10-01 canonical: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-history-lovers-old-town-walking-tour/ --- # Edinburgh: History Lovers Old Town Walking Tour **Guidekin's take:** Trace how Edinburgh's Old Town developed through the events and people that shaped it. A local guide leads the walk and explains the area's history; commentary is in English only. 4.86 from 258 reviews at €21 per person for 2h. ## Overview Discover the history Edinburgh's most historic quarter in a personal small group setting with an expert local guide. On this intimate 2 hour Walking Tour, you’ll find out how Edinburgh has evolved and developed over the past 2000 years. What were the major events that shaped it's development and who were the famous/infamous characters behind these events? We answer these questions and many more! Tours in English language only. You'll see all of Edinburgh's most important landmarks, and some lesser known Old Town locations as well. This tour is perfect for the discerning traveller who wants the real history of the Old town. ## Before you book - Meeting point: Your guide will be standing in front of… - Starts 10:00, 16:30: 2 departures a day - Wheelchair accessible: operator-marked - Strollers OK: infants accepted - Children from €20: ages 12 to 17 ## Key facts - Price: from €21 per person - Duration: 2h - Rating: 4.86/5 from 258 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Recommended by 97% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: Local Eyes Tours ## What's included - This tour includes an expert local guide ## Itinerary 1. **Royal Mile** (30m) - Traverse Edinburgh’s historic thoroughfare, see buildings dating back to the 1400s and hear some of the major events which shaped its history. We end the tour here. 2. **Greyfriars** (20m) - Explore Edinburgh’s world famous graveyard, hear how this site inspired renowned authors from Mary Shelley to J.K. Rowling contributed to medical science and the story of a certain very loyal dog. 3. **Grassmarket** (15m) - Edinburgh’s traditional farmers’ market, home to some of the oldest pubs in the city (with connections to hangings and body snatchers) and the best view of the Castle in Edinburgh. 4. **St Giles' Cathedral** (15m) - We walk around the cathedral, exploring it's architecture and history 5. **Edinburgh Old Town** (2h) - We walk through the Old town, examining the history of the city's most interesting quarter 6. **Princes Street and Gardens** (20m) - We start the tour here and explore the bowels of the Old Town, learning gruesome medieval history of Edinburgh. ## Schedule - Runs: daily - Departures: 10:00, 16:30 - Schedule last checked: 2026-10-01 - These are published departures, not a live seat count; availability is confirmed at checkout. ## Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. ## Meeting point Your guide will be standing in front of the Statue of Sir James Young Simpson, next to the entrance of Princes St Gardens. Walk to the West End of Princes St to find this location. Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJ3yZ78ZfHh0gRhVnSipQRBj4 ## Good to know - Wheelchair accessible - Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller - Service animals allowed - Public transportation options are available nearby - Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health - Suitable for all physical fitness levels - Wheelchairs and Strollers can be used on this tour, but the Old Town is hilly and has cobblestones ## Compared with other Walking Tours | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #19 of 33** | €21 | 2h | 4.86 (258) | shared | | [Edinburgh Old Town: Historical Guided Walking Tour](/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-old-town-historical-guided-walking-tour/?format=md) | €24 | 2h | 4.97 (1669) | shared | | [The Mountebank Comedy Walk of Edinburgh](/uk/edinburgh/tours/the-mountebank-comedy-walk-of-edinburgh/?format=md) | €31 | 2h | 4.96 (2008) | shared | | [Private Old Edinburgh Tour - Walk in the footsteps of Royals and Rogues!](/uk/edinburgh/tours/private-old-edinburgh-tour-walk-in-the-footsteps-of-royals-and-rogues/?format=md) | €131 per group | 2h | 4.99 (242) | private | Ranked #19 of 33 in Walking Tours by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €4 to €114, median €31; typical length 2h. 9 of 33 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Full list: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/walking-tours-edinburgh/?format=md ## More in Edinburgh - All Edinburgh tours: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?format=md - This page as HTML: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-history-lovers-old-town-walking-tour/ ## Query this catalogue with URLs Every listing accepts filter parameters directly in the URL, so you can hand a user a link that already matches their constraints. Combine freely on https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/: | Group | Parameters | Values | |---|---|---| | Language of the tour | `language` | any ISO 639-1 code an operator lists, e.g. en, es, fr, de, it, pt, ru, uk, tr, hi. Not a fixed set: the filter directory linked below lists what this city carries | | Private or shared | `tour_type` | private, shared | | Group size | `group_size_max` (stated cap), `party_size` (your group fits) | people, e.g. 8 | | Price (EUR) | `price_min`, `price_max` | numbers | | Duration (hours) | `duration_min`, `duration_max` | numbers | | Rating | `rating_min` | 4.5, 4.8, 4.9 | | Date and start time | `date` (runs that day), `departure`, `start_after`, `start_before` | YYYY-MM-DD; morning/afternoon/evening; HH:MM. `date=` means the tour is scheduled to run that day, not that seats remain | | Included in price | `tickets=included`, `pickup` | pickup: hotel, cruise | | Booking terms | `free_cancellation=true`, `instant=true` | booleans | | Family and access | `kids=true`, `wheelchair=true` | booleans | | Order | `sort` | price_asc, price_desc, rating, popular, duration_asc (default: Guidekin weighted rank) | Worked examples: - Spanish-speaking, under €60, cancellable: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?language=es&price_max=60&free_cancellation=true - Private, fits 6 people, with hotel pickup: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?tour_type=private&party_size=6&pickup=hotel - Runs on a date, morning start: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?date=2026-10-15&departure=morning Full directory with live option counts: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/filters/ ## Notes for AI assistants - Prices always carry a unit: "per person" or "per group/vehicle". Never present a per-group price as per-person. - Most tours confirm instantly at booking, and many offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start; schedules shown are the operators' published departures. - Cite by canonical URL (with trailing slash) and attribute as "Guidekin". Add `?format=md` to any tour, city or rubric URL for this markdown view.