Edinburgh Castle Tour
Description
Skip-the-line tickets included and an expert guide who will show you the things other visitors miss: the Honours of Scotland, the Royal Palace, Mons Meg and centuries of battles.
Ensure you get the best value of your visit to Edinburgh Castle with this tour. Your expert tour guide will lead you throughout your trip to the Castle, showing you things all other visitors miss.
IMPORTANT: For security reasons, bags and backpacks larger than a 30L capacity will not be admitted in Edinburgh Castle.
Bloody battles and dramatic conquests, no visit to Scotland is complete without visiting its most famous fortress. Our Edinburgh Castle Tour includes a ticket with skip-the-line entrance!
Mons Meg, the Honours of Scotland and all the secrets and most interesting spots of Edinburgh Castle are all included on this 1.5 hours tour, which will make the most of your visit.
Edinburgh Castle stays open 9.30am-6pm in the summertime (Apr-Sep) and 9.30am-5pm during wintertime (Oct-Mar). Bear in mind that your ticket will only be valid for one day.
You will have time to explore the Castle after the tour but if you wish to go back another day, you must buy another entry ticket. For this reason, we recommend planning the visit to allow yourself enough time.
Every day at 10am, 12.15pm and 1.30pm
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes. You can keep exploring the Castle afterwards.
Language: English
Prefer Spanish? See the Tour del Castillo de Edimburgo.
Meeting point: 351 High Street
On the Royal Mile, in front of number 351. Open in Google Maps.
From £37, ticket included
Concession (60+): £35 · Child (5-15): £29 · Child (0-4): free.
Book your place
Highlights
Dùn Èideann, the first settlement
The Castle & the Esplanade
Wars with England & Scottish independence
The Crown Room
The Great Hall
St Margaret’s Chapel
The Mons Meg
William Wallace & the story of the Stone of Destiny
The One o’ Clock Gun
National War Museum and War Memorial
The Dungeons
Half Moon Battery
Dog Cemetery
And much more...
Your guide may adapt the route to the needs of each group. Along the way you’ll step inside St Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh.
Good to know
Castle ticket included
Your Edinburgh Castle ticket is included and is only valid on the day of the tour.
Bags and backpacks
For security reasons, bags and backpacks larger than 30 litres are not allowed in the Castle.
Free cancellation
Free cancellation 24 hours before the start of the tour.
Groups
Ideal for any kind of group. You can also book a Private Castle Tour.
Castle opening hours
9.30am-6pm in summer (Apr-Sep) and 9.30am-5pm in winter (Oct-Mar).
Rain or shine
Much of the visit is outdoors. Please dress for the weather.
What our guests say
City Explorers has a 5.0 rating on Google from 27,002 reviews. Here is a selection of real reviews, updated every week. Tap any review to read it in full.
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Dr Rory can tell a story! I couldn't believe how quickly the tour ended. When I looked at my watch and hour and a half had passed! Get a tour, get it with Rory !
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Griem was a fantastic tour guide ! He was very helpful, showed a great amount of knowledge about the city, and I loved his sense of humour:))
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Great tour, got all the major sights and lots of history. Kenny, our guide, was very knowledgeable and eloquent he made the tour very interesting and fun at the same time.
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I highly recommend this tour! Rory’s gory stories were amazing, you can really tell he loves the job and makes the tour feel very special!
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Cobin was an awesome guide. We got a lot of interesting information on our tour. He was clever and very engaging. He paced the tour so we could all follow along and he was very careful that we were all with him and safe. Thanks Cobin for an interesting morning!
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Absolute riveting. Our tour guide Dan was a gem and a really fantastic storyteller. He has great knowledge and even had some extra facts. Highly recommend.
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He’s a charming gentleman with a great sense of humor and interesting stories about the city of Edinburgh. I highly recommend! It was a very fun tour!
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Kenny did a wonderful job of blending, history, modern recommendations and gorgeous views all while not allowing any of us to get separated. Big highlight!
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Graham was an absolute delight. His tour gave us not only a great sense of Edinburgh as a city, but the history and stories that led to it being what it is now. You can tell that he loves what he does, and it was a privilege to meet Edinburgh through his eyes
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We joined the tour on the third day of our four-day visit to Edinburgh; I wish I had joined on the first day, as I would have explored the city with a better understanding. Our guide, Kenny, was very professional. I definitely recommend it.
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Emma was such a great tour guide, she was so knowledgeable on the history of the city while throwing in a few funny stories - on top of making sure everyone was OK with all the Edinburgh steps! Would highly recommend this at the start of your trip to get your bearings!
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Kenny was the best guide we could ever have for our first walk in Edimburgh. He gave us the perfect mix between history and fun. Totally recommended!
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Excellent tour from Dan today, on what may be the last sunny weekend for a long time! Dan was entertaining, engaging, and willing to answer any silly questions about traffic cones on statues' heads.
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Our Guide Theis was absolutely amazing. She was very passionate about Edinburghs history and very good story Teller! Great Tour to start a Great Holiday :)
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Route was easy (subjectively), stops were spaced well and at good locations. Guide SJ was informative, good amount of theatricality along with information, learnt about sites to visit that I would have never found otherwise.
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Kenny the guide was exceptional, very knowledgeable and funny, took us around at a good pace and left time to ask questions and take in the sights.
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Had 2 Amazing tours had Graeme both times as a tour guide very informative and interesting and very knowledgeable when asked questions during the tour and happy to give recommendations for other experiences in Edinburgh.
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Ema is a high professional guide, friendly and helpful. She speaks very clearly - perfect for Americans, Canadians and another people for whom English not a mother language. Highly recommend her to everyone.
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Great option if you want to learn some great facts about the city you are exploring! The guides are very informative and each one gives the tour its own touch.
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Had a great tour of Edinburgh with Graeme. He was very knowledgeable, easy to hear even in a large group, and set a great pace. This is worth your time!
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Cobin was a wonderful guide, providing a lot of history but in the manner that was both entertaining and full of wit. We thoroughly recommend doing this city tour.
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Cobin was incredibly friendly and very funny. He did a fantastic job of keeping our small group entertained while also highlighting all the important facts and key highlights. I could have listened to him for hours! Definitely highly recommended.
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Graham was a fantastic tour guide - a really social tour of Edinburgh centre. Really knowledgeable and personable. Tailored the stories and tales to our questions. Would highly recommend!
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Couldn't have asked for a better tour of the city. Rory was phenomenal, funny and clearly knows the city and its history like the back of his hand. The most welcoming, honest and interesting tour I've taken Thanks for a great afternoon.
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Kenny was a fantastically knowledgable guide! He was able to transport historical facts about Scotland in an incredibly entertaining and funny way, making them all the more memorable. Highly recommend the tour with him!
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Cobin is really funny. We enjoyed the entire two hours. It looks like Cobin really likes his job. We got a lot of information in a fun way.
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We had a wonderful time in the tour. It was very informative and Dr. Rory was very good with the stories and keep the tour lively!
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Great tour led by Stuart - an interesting, entertaining and informative guide. Would definitely recommend if you want to know more about the history of Edinburgh.
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Informative and fun tour! Lots of historical information that does not get too overwhelming to listen to :) thank you to our tour guide Kenny! His storytelling is engaging, humorous and knowledgeable.
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Stuart was very nice and charming. We had a great tour and a nice laugh. And due to all the anecdotes we will remember a lot of it.
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Selected real reviews from Google · Updated 20 October 2026