History Lovers Edinburgh Old Town Tour
Explore the Old Town and it’s turbulent past
£18 | 2 Hours | Discover Edinburgh’s Most Historic Neighbourhood | Max group size: x18
£18 per person
Starts at 10am & 4.30pm in Summer Season
Starts at 2pm in Winter Season
Meeting Point: Statue of Sir James Young Simpson (click here for map), 132 Princes St, Edinburgh EH2 3AA
Tour Duration
2 hours
About This Tour
This tour is perfect for anyone wanting to learn about the crazy history of Edinburgh. Whether this is your first visit or you’ve lived here for years, we guarantee you’ll find out a lot about the Old Town and its former inhabitants.
What sort of people lived in the Old town? What was medieval Edinburgh like to live in? How old is the Old town actually? We answer all these questions and more on this 2 hour city walking tour.
You’ll hear about warlocks, witches, local battles and uprisings, public executions and a few peculiar local traditions still practiced to this day. Prepare to visit a “haunted” medieval graveyard, hidden alleyways (we call them “closes”) and we might even stop by some historic Edinburgh University buildings.
As you pass through the Old Town’s unique cobbled streets, wynds and courts it will come as no surprise that this city has produced or inspired so many great writers including Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Shelly and J.K. Rowling!
Itinerary
- Meet at statue of Sir James Young Simpson
- Walk through Princes St Gardens West, the bowels of the Old town
- Wojtek the Bear statue
- Floral Clock (Summer season only)
- Alan Ramsay Senior statue
- The Mound
- pass by New College, part of University of Edinburgh
- Makars’ Court
- Gladstone’s Land
- Lawnmarket, on Royal Mile
- Riddle’s Court
- Victoria Terrace
- Victoria Street
- Grassmarket
- Candlemaker Row
- Greyfriar’s Kirkyard
- George IV Bridge
- Depending on group speed, we can also include Parliament Square