Free Walking Tour of Edinburgh
About our free walking tour of Edinburgh
Join our free walking tour of Edinburgh and explore the Old Town with a local guide. On this 2-hour Edinburgh walking tour, you’ll get your bearings and discover the history behind Edinburgh’s best-known sights.
We set off from the Royal Mile every day with a knowledgeable and passionate local guide who’s happy to answer all your questions. You’ll get to know the Old Town on foot, hear local anecdotes along the way, and get recommendations to help you plan the rest of your stay.
From the Royal Mile and St Giles' Cathedral to the Grassmarket, Victoria Street and Greyfriars. In the Grassmarket, you’ll hear how Maggie Dickson was hanged in 1724 and went on to live another forty years. How did she survive?
The Edinburgh free walking tour starts every day on the Royal Mile outside Copper Still, 154 High Street. Look for the yellow umbrellas.
There’s no fixed price: join our Edinburgh guided tour and decide how much to give at the end, based on your budget and how much you enjoyed the experience.
Duration: 2 hours
Check the calendar for departure times. When you book, you’ll get confirmation straight away.
Language: English
Prefer Spanish? See the Free Tour de Edimburgo.
Pay what you like
Booking is free. At the end, you decide how much to give your guide, in cash or by card. There is no fixed or minimum tour price.
Meeting point: 154 High Street
In front of Copper Still, 154 High Street, on The Royal Mile. Open in Google Maps.
Look for the yellow umbrellas!
What you’ll see on the Old Town walking tour
The Royal Mile
The Old Town’s main street, running from Edinburgh Castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Mercat Cross
The historic site where royal proclamations were read out, a tradition that continues today. Charles III was proclaimed king here.
St Giles' Cathedral
Famous for its stone crown and its connection to John Knox, a central figure in the Scottish Reformation.
Victoria Street
One of Edinburgh's most photographed streets, with colourful shopfronts, a sweeping curve and a rumoured connection to Harry Potter's Diagon Alley.
Old Parliament Square
From Old Parliament Square, see Parliament House, where Scotland’s Parliament met before the Union of 1707.
Edinburgh City Chambers
Edinburgh's historic council headquarters, built above the hidden streets of Mary King's Close.
Lawnmarket
Discover the upper Royal Mile, where linen was once traded in the heart of Edinburgh's bustling Old Town.
Makars’ Court
A hidden courtyard celebrating Scotland's great writers, with their words carved into the stones beneath your feet.
Edinburgh Castle
See Edinburgh Castle rising above the Old Town on an ancient volcanic rock. Your guide will share some of the fortress’s history as you view it from the outside.
Grassmarket
Once a busy marketplace and a place of public executions, today one of Edinburgh's liveliest squares, filled with pubs and colourful buildings.
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Explore the historic graveyard with intriguing connections to the world of Harry Potter and hear the story of Greyfriars Bobby.
The route may vary slightly from day to day.
How does a free walking tour in Edinburgh work?
- Pay what you like: At the end of the tour, you decide how much to give your guide. There's no fixed or minimum contribution.
- Free booking: Reserving your place costs nothing. If your plans change, you can reschedule or cancel your booking.
- Great reviews: Read what travellers have said about the tour on Google and Tripadvisor.
- Local guides: Explore Edinburgh with guides who enjoy sharing the city's history, answering your questions and helping you discover the stories behind the locations.
How much should you tip on a free walking tour?
There's no fixed price or minimum contribution. If you’re unsure how much to give, travellers often contribute between £10 and £25 per person, depending on how much they enjoyed the tour. How much you give is entirely up to you, and you can pay by cash or card.
Free walking tour Edinburgh: good to know
Instant booking confirmation
Your confirmation email or a screenshot on your phone is all you need.
Do I need cash?
You can tip your guide in cash or by card.
Groups
Groups of up to 12 people can join our free tours. For groups of 13 or more, please book a Private Edinburgh Tour.
School groups
School groups of any size should book a private tour.
Reduced mobility
Just let us know in advance and we will happily discuss how we can adapt the route to your mobility needs.
Pushchairs
You can bring a pushchair. There are a few steps and some uneven paving along the route.
Weather
Tours run come rain, snow or shine. Please dress for the weather.
Children
Children are very welcome as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
Dogs
Well-behaved dogs are welcome on a lead.
What our guests say about the Edinburgh Free Tour
City Explorers has a 5.0 rating on Google from 27,127 reviews. Here is a selection of real reviews, updated every week. Tap any review to read it in full.
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Cobin was very funny and informative, we enjoyed the tour. It was a great thing to do on our first night in Edinburgh to find our bearings in the old town and hear some history.
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Graeme was an awesome tour guide for the Old Town! loved his stories, and how he accommodated the group and responded to what people expressed interest in
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best walking tour i’ve ever had and i’ve been on so many 🔥 both graham and sj were great
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We’ve been in Edinburgh for 4 days, and have done 4 different walking tours with various companies. Although all were great, Cobin was by far the most entertaining and engaging - 10/10 recommend!!
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The best free walking tour I've ever had! Rory was absolutely fantastic! Super engaging, incredibly knowledgeable, and genuinely hilarious. He shared so many interesting stories, historical facts and little details about Edinburgh that I felt like I'd learned more in two hours than I would have on a whole-day tour! The time absolutely flew by, and I was genuinely sad when the tour ended. I could have listened to Rory for the entire day without getting bored for a second. He's not only brilliant at bringing the city's history to life, but he's also incredibly funny, with great jokes and a fantastic sense of humour. I really hope to return to Edinburgh someday, and if I do, I'd absolutely love to join another one of his tours. Hands down, the best free walking tour I've ever experienced. Couldn't recommend Rory enough!
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We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour today. Just the right amount of information and humour from Graham our guide. Edinburgh has so much history and Architecture and we would have missed a lot of the places without the tour. One of our group was in her 80’s and she managed the walk which ended back near the start
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We did a tour with Kenny and it was funny, very informative and covering all interesting sights in old town. Highly recommend
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Had a 2 hour walking tour with Graham as part of my birthday weekend in Edinburgh, he was warm, friendly and very knowledgeable, we enjoyed every minute. Thanks Graham
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Had so much fun walking around the Old Town of Edinburgh with Cobin. He had some very interesting stories to tell and made them hilarious. 10/10 would recommend
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We had a great time exploring the alleys and the graveyard with the tour guide Rory, who told us passionately all about the history of the old town witches and the dark side of the city. Huge thanks to Rory for such a memorable experience. Mila & Sam
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Kenny was a wealth of knowledge on my walk tours around old town in Edinburgh. He really knows his history (walking encyclopedia in my opinion) and shares it liberally. He throws in some humour to add color so that makes for a fun, interesting and informative walk. Highly recommend him.
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This was my first trip to Edinburgh and we thought a walking tour on our first day would help to give us a good lay of the land. Dan was an extremely engaging, entertaining and informative guide. We learned so much about the history, culture, architecture and geology of Edinburgh and Scotland. We appreciated all of his suggestions for what to include in our itinerary. The tour was an excellent introduction to Edinburgh and we would highly recommend this tour to others.
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Kenny great guide. Great walking tour! Friendly guide, interesting stories and a fantastic way to discover Edinburgh. Highly
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We thoroughly enjoyed our city of Edinburgh walking tour with Kenny on 05/10/2026. He was most informative and pleasant, and used humor to add to the fun. Thank you, Kenny.
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Kenny's was a wonderful guide. His tour of Edinburgh's Old Town was a highlight of my day. He knows the history inside and out, and he's charming and funny, so the whole morning flew by. Highly recommend!
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We took the free 2-hour walking tour and had an absolute blast. Dan was an incredible guide—effortlessly funny, super engaging, and packed with fascinating history and stories about the city. Time completely flew by! It’s easily one of the best ways to get your bearings in Edinburgh. High recommended, and don’t forget to tip Dan well at the end!
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We loved our old town tour with Dan. Interesting and engaging. We learnt lots and had fun. I highly recommend him as a guide and city explorers as a free walking company. But please don’t forget to tip your guide 😀
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My husband and I very much enjoyed the morning tour with Graem. He had a lively sense of humor and an impressive knowledge of the history on and around the Royal Mile and Edinburgh. The two hour walk did include some hills and stairs, but still very doable for us (late 50s/early 60s). Would definitely do again! In fact, we opted to take the afternoon Harry Potter tour with professor JS. She was hilarious and our group was small. Mg husband was the “Harry Potter hostage” as the non-fan person on the tour. He was picked on by everyone which only made the experience more fun. The HP trivia ranged from simple to obscure. We saw many inspiration points for the books, all an easy walk around the Royal Mile. Fans, do this!! Take a hostage, like I did, lol.
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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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Rory's tour doesn't just tell you about the city. It leaves a lasting imprint on what Scotland and Edinburgh really are. Best walking tour I've joined.
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We loved our visit of Edinburgh's old town with Kenny. His passion and sense of humour really brought the history of Edinburgh to life.
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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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Emma was an absolute delight to have a walking tour with. She was so informative and really gives you a taste of Edinburgh in the best possible way. Highly recommended
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We’ve done many free walking tours in many cities. Cobin was the best tour guide we’ve ever had. Informative while funny- we got a great, yet humorous sense of the history of Scotland!
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Just finished a walking tour of Edinburgh with Corban A very funny and entertaining guy Thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Kenny was our guide on the free tour in Edinburgh. He passes on the history of the city in a very clear way sprankled with humor. We had a really good tour and highly recommend it.
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Excellent guided tour given by Sarah for the Edinburgh City tour and Graham for the Dean Village tour ! Highly recommended!
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We just finished the medieval Edinburgh walking tour with City Explorers, and it was easily one of the highlights of our trip! Our guide, Kenny, was phenomenal. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the city's history, bringing the medieval Old Town to life with fascinating insights.What really made the tour special was Kenny's delivery. He was completely engaging from start to finish, striking the perfect balance between serious historical facts and brilliant humour. It kept everyone entertained and eager to hear what came next. If you are visiting Edinburgh, do yourself a favour and book a tour with Kenny—you won't regret it!
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We had a great walking tour with Dan today! We loved his humour and all the interesting facts that he shared. Would highly recommend!
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Fantastic tour of Edinburgh Old Town. Cobin was such a great guide - full of information that he told in a really fun way. Love this tour - highly recommend!!
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Selected real reviews from Google · Updated November 2026