I'm looking for recommendations for walking tours in Edinburgh.
If you have especially enjoyed a tour you've taken, I'd love to hear about it. Or if there's one you wouldn't recommend, I'd appreciate knowing about that as well. I have found quite a few via web search, and just hoping to narrow it down and make a decision on one or two.
Thanks!
We used Mercat Tours and were happy. One was a history of the Royal Mile tour and the other was an Outlander tour of film locations. The Royal Mile tour was well worth it and enabled us to see the Mile as more more than just a sea of tourists.
I just went to the Mercat Tours website to see what tours were offered. They have a whisky (proper Scottish spelling!) tour, but only on Fridays and Saturdays. Drat! We'll be there mid-week in mid-June, so that's out. The Royal Mile Tour will have to suffice.
I apologize for hijacking this thread. We will be in Edinburgh late May/early June, and we are interested in booking the Royal Mile tour with Mercat Tours. How far in advance should we reserve this tour for 4 people? Do they book up fast?
Thank you!
We were there last June and booked the day before. I don't know if we lucked out or if that it normal.
Hello, Lane,
For a walking tour, I can heartily recommend:
www.edinburghtourguide.com/bill-hill
Have fun!
Mike (Auchterless)
Thanks, Alan!
Mercat Tours has a new one starting in April that sounds interesting—Witches; Trial and Truth.
https://www.mercattours.com/tours/history-walks/view-tour/witches-trial-and-truth
It’s only offered on Saturdays though.
We really enjoyed this literary pub walking tour. It's more about the Scottish writers than the drinking and you really need to be interested in or want to learn about Scottish writers. The two actors/guides put on a mini-show in front of several pubs and as they walk through old town. If you can't name any Scottish writers, you probably won't like this tour. We loved it and recommend it.
http://www.edinburghliterarypubtour.co.uk
If you are in Edinburgh during August (the fringe festival), the Voluntary Guides of Edinburgh give free tours from trained docents.
http://www.edinburghfestivalguides.org
What I like about them, is they don't pander to Harry Potter or Outlander tourist stuff. They are very knowledgeable in their facts, so I trust what they are saying is more true than the other commercial walking tour guides. They also do not expect any payment at all.
Thank you all for your suggestions.
I ended up booking three walking tours, two by Mercat ("Secrets of Edinburgh's Royal Mile" and "Hidden and Haunted") and a food tour by Eat Walk Edinburgh (https://www.eatwalkedinburgh.co.uk/edinburgh-food-tour-in-old-and-new-town-tour/).
Looking forward to my trip!
