Old Town Historical and Underground Tour

Overview

Available languages

English

1 hour 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Led by either the holder of a PhD in Scottish history or a guide with decades of experience providing historic tours in Scotland’s capital, this 90-minute tour is a fascinating journey through Edinburgh’s celebrated Old Town. Revel in the majesty of the famous Royal Mile with its stunning architecture, but also visit the secluded closes and courts lying just off the High Street and discover their dramatic stories. Find out about the world famous poets, novelists, philosophers and inventors who called this neighbourhood home but also the notorious thieves, murderers and bodysnatchers who stalked the streets after dark. The tour includes a trip through Canongate Kirkyard and a visit to our underground vaults below South Bridge, where you will find out how it came to be and who used to live there.

Additional Info

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

For those who want to learn more about Edinburgh’s past this tour is a must do!

Access to our exclusive section of underground.

Learn about the extraordinary events which shaped this great city.

90 Minute tour of Edinburgh’s Old Town and South Bridge vaults.

Relaxed nature of the tour allows for plenty of questions and further discussion.

Tour led by a well trained, highly knowledgeable and personable guide.

N/A

What To Expect

City of Edinburgh Tours

Tron Kirk Niddry wynd Vaults Canongate Kirkyard

45 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Old Town Historical and Underground Tour

Reviews

4.81

1,439 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

1288

Great Tour guide
hannim2024,
Nov 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
John Kincaid was a unique character with a lot of energy. He really made the tour fun as well as educational. Highly recommended!
Great historical tour
nniau2025,
Nov 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We were looking for an underground tour where we could learn a bit more about the city, and this did not disappoint. Super interesting! Gracias Chihon!
Edinburgh 2025
Trip50060786117,
Nov 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It was great me and my friend enjoyed every bit of information and we did it in Spanish very good Spanish spoken by our tour guide .
Excellent tour great for new and frequent Edinburgh visitors!
Paradise23169666840,
Nov 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Chihon was a positively flamboyant guide with an abundance of knowledge and contagious enthusiasm. We would recommend this tour to any history and philosophy lovers curious to get to know the city that bit better.
A Great Way to Explore Hidden Edinburgh
chloehP2540CA,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We joined the 90 minute tour with Chihon who was very knowledgeable. He shared a lot of interesting facts with humour. It didn't feel too serious which was perfect for us. We covered quite a-lot of ground, the pace was good. We went to places we probably wouldn't have gone or taken time to look at otherwise. Whilst it was made clear we would have 30 minutes in the vaults, we assumed we would cover a bit more ground down there. There was one small tunnel really with a couple of rooms off it. One room was stone like the tunnel then the others were more geared up for ghost tours. It was great over all we learnt a lot. Chihon also gave us some great suggestions on other places we could visit after the group which we walked to. Great tour, great location
Historical and interesting!
P7179TTemilyf,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A very fun and informative tour, with lots of interesting facts from across Edinburgh’s history. Our guide, Chihon, was excellent, and very knowledgable.
Lived to tell the tale 😄
ExcitedExplorer88,
Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This tour was fun and our tour guide Sawney Bean was brilliant! He was very informative and very entertaining and his character was a cannibal but we lived to tell the tale 😄 the underground area was creepy but cool to see and a must to do when you visit 👻
Fantastic underground experience, highly recommended!
dandT4156YI,
Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A fantastic experience and a really entertaining tour guide (sawney bean). We learned a lot about the history and ghosts of Edinburgh, and had a giggle too. Most importantly we did not get eaten.
Solid Quick Tour
BeatNavytedc,
Nov 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Chihon was a very entertaining tour guide as we explored Edinburgh. It's a relatively quick tour with a brief underground portion.
10/10
Stassia Z,
Nov 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a great time! Holly was so fun, funny and informative. She really brought the tour together, made us laugh and was very kind. 10/10 RECOMMEND.