Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket

Overview

Available languages

German

English

Italian

French

Spanish

1 hour 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Scotland’s second-most-popular tourist attraction as you learn about the bloody history including stories of the kings and queens who lived in this castle.

There is evidence of a fort here for almost 3000 years, and it has been a royal castle since at least King David I’s reign in the 12th century. The Scottish monarchs continued to use it until 1633, and even saw the birth of King James VI within its walls.

Your tour will begin on the Royal Mile, then take you to the castle, where you will hear your guide talking about the origins of the castle and its sieges.

Once inside the castle walls, the guide will take you through the different parts of the fortress and tell you its fascinating history. Inside the complex, you will find three museums, two prisons, a canine cemetery, the Chapel of Saint Margaret, the National Monument to the fallen of Scotland, the Great Hall, and a Royal Palace.(ENTIRE TOUR WILL REMAIN OUTDOORS; buildings are not accessible during the tour.)

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Please note in poor weather conditions the tour will remain outdoors as access to the castle buildings is not available for tour groups

Tour will be inside the castle walls, but outdoors, with free time after the tour to to explore the castle an to go inside every building (Museums, Royal Palace, prisons, and much more). We can not access those buildings during the tour, but the tour will still be carried out within the castle grounds.

The castle is a complex of buildings, not a single building.

On this tour you will be guided around Edinburgh castle, with specific stops assigned by the castle authorities.

Bags over 30L in volume are not allawed inside the castle.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Edinburgh Castle

Explore one the most important fortresses in the history of Scotland. Walk inside the castle for 1 hour and 10 minutes to enjoy the wonderful royal palace, where Mary Queen of Scots once lived, and admire the Great Hall of the 16th century where parties and feast took place. After the exploration with a guide, you can spend a free time inside the castle until closing time

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable

What‘s Included

Entrance ticket & Edinburgh Castle Guided Tour

Entre fees

Pet Not allowed. Only guide dog.

Gratuities

Options

Edinburgh Castle Tour, English

German Tour

We also offer the Castle Tour on Thursdays and Saturdays

Spanish Tour

Spanish Tour : We also have the Edinburgh Castle tour in Spanish, every day at 10am and 1:30 p.m.

Tour du Château d'Édimbourg

Italian Tours

Reviews

4.81

5,501 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

4945

298

118

informative
PrincessMoma,,Jan 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our guide Australian David is very good and detailed on his story, learned some important piece of the place and the shows that got inspiration from Edinburgh
Jan is a great guide
O315FYpeterh,,Jan 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our guide was Jan and she has lots of knowledge about the castle and its 3000 year old history. She gave the group a detailed history of the castle from past to present. She is great with great enthusiasm even in the January rain, wind and cold. She is lovely.
The tour guide Mel was...
Samantha D,,Jan 22, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
The tour guide Mel was amazing. So funny, knowledgeable and made the whole experience so great! Highly recommend!
Best Way to See The Castle
Julie C,,Jan 22, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
Absolutely great experience. Definitely worth the price. Sonia was our guide and she did an amazing job. My whole family loved it including my two teenage boys.
Ross was a great tour...
Hunter N,,Jan 21, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
Ross was a great tour guide and gave us a great time on the tour of the castle. Believed lots of Scotland’s history that made the tour so memorable of the castle.
Edinburgh Castle is a lot more than its name sake.
mummyandi,,Jan 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Jen was our guide and she was very knowledgeable on the WHOLE history of the Castle as well as the kings and queens of Scotland and the military history too. Showing us how she achieved Two masters in History with the passionate way she talked. She was funny, quirky and patient. Thank you soo much Jen.
Fantastic
J5098BKjoshuah,,Jan 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Very informative and detailed tour, we thoroughly enjoyed our time. The only negative aspect was how cold it is at the top lol
Edinburgh Castle Amazing
Maps749090,,Jan 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Joe made the tour very enjoyable. He had excellent knowledge of Edinburgh Castle history and details of key figures who contributed. Joe also cracked jokes which fitted in well during the tour.
Very interesting!!
431larac,,Jan 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Valentina excellent and exhaustive as well as nice Guide 😍😍 I highly recommend this tour... If the day is sunny you can enjoy the route better
Fantastic
Craig W,,Jan 19, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
Really enjoyed the tour around Edinburgh castle. Tour guide was very knowledgeable & extremely friendly. Nothing was too much trouble for him. Highly recommended.