--- title: Private Old Edinburgh Tour - Walk in the footsteps of Royals and Rogues! lang: en type: tour city: Edinburgh country: United Kingdom price: 131 currency: EUR price_unit: per_group availability: bookable rating: 4.99 reviews: 242 duration_minutes: 120 languages: [en] free_cancellation: true rank_in_category: 3 of 33 (Walking Tours) schedule_checked: 2026-10-01 data_updated: 2026-10-01 canonical: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/tours/private-old-edinburgh-tour-walk-in-the-footsteps-of-royals-and-rogues/ --- # Private Old Edinburgh Tour - Walk in the footsteps of Royals and Rogues! **Guidekin's take:** Follow royal and rogue stories through the Old Town on a private tour for your party, visiting streets where the featured figures lived and walked. A local guide is included; priced per group, the walk requires moderate fitness. 4.99 from 242 reviews at €131 per group/vehicle for 2h. ## Overview Welcome to Historic Edinburgh Tours! We will take you on a fascinating journey through the historic streets of the Old Town. You'll get to explore the very places where some of Scotland's most famous (and infamous) characters once walked and lived. From Mary, Queen of Scots to Bonnie Prince Charlie, Deacon Brodie and more, this is an unmissable opportunity to discover Edinburgh's rich history. Robert, your local guide, will come dressed in a kilt for your private tour. He will also carry a book of archive images. Robert will show you the city's iconic landmarks while sharing fascinating insights into its past. With our archive images, you'll be able to see how Edinburgh has changed over the years - and even compare it to its present-day counterpart. This is an experience not to be missed for history buffs and tourists alike! ## Before you book - Meeting point: Just inside the main entrance, - Starts 10:00, 14:00: 2 departures a day - Strollers OK: infants accepted ## Key facts - Price: from €131 per group/vehicle for the Private Tour for 1 person option; other options up to €190 - Duration: 2h - Rating: 4.99/5 from 242 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Recommended by 100% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: Historic Edinburgh Tours ## Tour options Prices are the operator's current list price for two travellers (whole euros); options sold only to bigger parties say so; pick the option on the booking page. | Option | Price | Guide languages | Details | |---|---|---|---| | Private Tour for 1 person | €101 per group | English | Duration: 2 hours | | Private Tour for 2 people | €131 per group | English | Duration: 2 hours | | Private Tour for 3-5 people | €167 per group | English | Duration: 2 hours | | Private Tour for 6-10 people | €190 per group | English | Duration: 2 hours | ## What's included - Local guide ## Not included - Gratuities ## Itinerary 1. **Greyfriars** (15m) - Your tour starts just inside the main gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard. You'll find out about Edinburgh's famous 'wee dug'; Greyfriars Bobby. There are a number of versions of his story. We'll let you make your own mind up! 2. **Grassmarket** (25m) - Candlemaker Row and the Grassmarket will be next on your route. You'll find out about one of Scotland's most significant weddings and how it affected Edinburgh. You'll follow the route of the pre-wedding party. 3. **Royal Mile** (40m) - Your tour will take in a number of locations along Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile. We'll see where Mary, Queen of Scots spent part of her childhood, we'll visit a charming little courtyard (with a royal link) and we'll discover the very strange story of Deacon William Brodie... 4. **The Cowgate is often ignored by other tours, but we'll make the most of it wh...** (10m) - The Cowgate is often ignored by other tours, but we'll make the most of it when we discover what life was like for Edinburgh's Victorian poor. 5. **University of Edinburgh** (30m) - We'll visit two stops which belong to the famous University of Edinburgh. Burke and Hare, the infamous Irish murderers, came to where we make our penultimate stop. You'll find out how this pair worked, why they were able to murder so many people...and finally what happened to... ## 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 Just inside the main entrance, next to the grave of Greyfriars Bobby (the pink headstone which you see as soon as you enter the Kirkyard). Greyfriars Kirkyard, Candlemaker Row, EH1 2QQ Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJIUxcMJvHh0gRh4xE3ZWCUOE ## 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 ## Cost for your party | People | Total | Per person | |---|---|---| | 2 | €131 | €66 | | 4 | €167 | €42 | | 6 | €190 | €32 | Cheapest option for that party size from the operator's current price tiers; the calendar shows the exact figure for your date. Shared tours in Walking Tours start at €4 per person. ## Compared with other Walking Tours | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #3 of 33** | €131 per group | 2h | 4.99 (242) | private | | [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 | | [Edinburgh Castle and Royal Mile Walking Tour - Ticket Included](/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-castle-and-royal-mile-walking-tour-ticket-included/?format=md) | €63 | 2h 15m | 4.92 (2702) | shared | Ranked #3 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/private-old-edinburgh-tour-walk-in-the-footsteps-of-royals-and-rogues/ ## 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.