--- title: Edinburgh Royal Mile and Old Town Small Group Walking Tour lang: en type: tour city: Edinburgh country: United Kingdom price: 42 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.87 reviews: 1652 duration_minutes: 180 languages: [en] free_cancellation: true rank_in_category: 16 of 33 (Walking Tours) schedule_checked: 2026-10-01 data_updated: 2026-10-01 canonical: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-royal-mile-and-old-town-small-group-walking-tour/ --- # Edinburgh Royal Mile and Old Town Small Group Walking Tour **Guidekin's take:** Explore the Royal Mile and Old Town in a small shared group of up to twelve, with time for questions about Edinburgh's past. A historian or specialist local guide leads the walk; paid attraction entry and hotel pickup are excluded. 4.87 from 1652 reviews at €42 per person for 3h. ## Overview This tour is led by Edinburgh Guided Tour — a small team of exceptional Guides, including PHD Historians, a Professor, and a Museum Manager. Each guide handpicked for their intelligence and warmth. Their passion for Edinburgh shines through in every story they tell, from royal scandal to Enlightenment genius, from Harry Potter to historical rogues. We keep our group size small — never more than 12 guests — so every participant enjoys a personal experience. No straining to hear in a crowd of 30! Our guests consistently give us amazing reviews. These are not your average guides. They will Make History Come Alive. • Guided Walking Tour of the Royal Mile and surrounds • See the secret closes and wynds and all of the major sites • Learn of the famous writers, poets, and economists who have made Edinburgh their home • Visit famous landmarks such as St Giles Cathedral, Grassmarket, and Greyfriars’ Kirkyard • Take the opportunity to capture some amazing photographic opportunities ## Before you book - Meeting point: Your guide will meet you outside the… - Starts 10:00, 14:00: 2 departures a day - Food not included: bring or buy your own - Strollers OK: infants accepted - Children from €31: ages 0 to 11 ## Key facts - Price: from €42 per person - Duration: 3h - Rating: 4.87/5 from 1652 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Recommended by 97% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: Edinburgh Guided Tour ## What's included - Time for questions and conversation throughout the tour - Expert historian or specialist local guide - Small-group walking tour, maximum 12 travellers ## Not included - Entry to Edinburgh Castle, the Scott Monument, or any paid attractions (paid on site) - Food and drink - Hotel pick-up or drop-off - Gratuities/tips, optional ## Itinerary 1. **Usher Hall** (10m) - View this Baroque "Beaux Arts" masterpiece in the Heart of Edinburgh, the Usher Hall. Donated to the people and the City of Edinburgh by Stuart Usher's great great uncle, Andrew Usher. 2. **Edinburgh Castle** (35m) - Behold and view (from the outside) the towering, majestic pile of Edinburgh Castle from various vantage points. Learn all about its history (good, bad and downright ugly), the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Stuart dynasty, the Union of the Crowns and much more! 3. **Grassmarket** (15m) - Enter and visit this centuries-old area that served as the Medieval Marketplace of the City. Also see George Heriot School (the inspiration behind Hogwarts!). 4. **Milne’s Court** (10m) - Come and visit this fascinating court where you can see and hear how people lived in the 17th and 18th centuries. 5. **Jolly Judge** (10m) - See classic examples of Edinburgh's Old Town tenement buildings in James Court. Also see the quirky and charismatic Jolly Judge pub. 6. **Writers' Museum** (20m) - This museum showcases the best of Scotland's literary heroes, past and present. Guests can visit inside should they wish. 7. **Riddle's Court** (10m) - See the exterior of the home of the philosopher David Hume, the 'Father of the Scottish Enlightenment' as well as other Scottish notables. 8. **Deacon Brodie's Tavern** (20m) - Learn about the life of the blackguard, Deacon Brodie, the real-life character behind 'Jekyll and Hyde'. 9. **St Giles' Cathedral** (20m) - View this magnificent cathedral from the outside and learn about its pivotal history during the middle ages and reformation periods. 10. **Edinburgh City Chambers** (10m) - See the highlights of this busy heart of the Royal Mile which includes the City Chambers, Mercat Cross and other sites of interest. 11. **Edinburgh Waverley Station** (10m) - Cross one of the first bridges to connect the Old & New Towns of Edinburgh, leading to Princes Street Gardens. 12. **Scott Monument** (10m) - See this towering landmark which delineates the separation of the Old and New Towns (both of which are Unesco world heritage sites). ## Schedule - Runs: daily - Departures: 10:00, 14:00 - 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 meet you outside the central entrance of the Usher Hall on Lothian Road. There are three entrances; please wait by the middle/central entrance and arrive 5 minutes before the tour starts. Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJ6WJ7fJjHh0gR47DrGaf_fnI ## Good to know - Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller - Service animals allowed - Public transportation options are available nearby - Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness - Children under 12 are free - Children 12-16 pay 75% ## Compared with other Walking Tours | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #16 of 33** | €42 | 3h | 4.87 (1652) | 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 #16 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-royal-mile-and-old-town-small-group-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. 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