Top Edinburgh Art & Culture

Step off the tourist trail and explore the Scottish capital’s hidden secrets on this underground walking tour in Edinburgh. Follow a guide from the South Bridge in Edinburgh Old Town down below street level, where a series of ancient vaults lie. As you explore the dark passageways, learn why the vaults were built, hear of the poor souls who sought refuge in the depths and discover a hidden witchcraft temple. Gain insight into city life during the 18th century, and learn of the deadly diseases which threatened Edinburgh’s inhabitants.

Edinburgh is known for its dark past, and this evening walking tour is the original one to showcase the city's historically sinister and spooky side. Discover the hidden ‘wynds’ (alleys) and closes of the Old Town as you learn their mysteries and horrors; visit the ghost-ridden Greyfriars Kirkyard; and explore the city’s underground vaults to uncover their spirits and secrets. Your tour is led by a creepily costumed guide.

Journey through Edinburgh’s grisliest tales on a haunted walking tour. Experience the ghastly histories of monsters, madness, and murder that cast a dark shadow on the capital city. Discover the stories and sites of witch trials, pagan rituals, and executions, and hear about local monsters that live in urban myth. Then visit the chilling Old Calton Burial Ground or Canongate Kirkyard cemetery to learn about body-snatching and some of the infamous interred.

Experience the magic of the world’s most famous wizard on a 2-hour Harry Potter walking tour of Edinburgh, perfect for families with kids. Alongside your Potter-mad guide, you’ll explore the winding streets and mysterious alleys that inspired J. K. Rowling to create the iconic wizarding world, and see filming locations featured in the movies. Plus, tick off top Edinburgh attractions such as the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and Princes Street.

Skip the line on your visit to one of Scotland's most popular attractions on this Edinburgh Castle walking tour. Walk up the Royal Mile toward to the castle with your guide while they share insight into the significance of the fortification in Scottish history and introduce you to some of the key characters associated with it. Once inside, explore the main buildings as your guide provides further details about such elements as the one o'clock gun, the Argyle Battery, and the castle dungeons. 

Get an in-depth perspective on Edinburgh on this guided tour that goes deeper than most. Usually led by a guide with a PhD in Scottish history, this tour offers a journey through Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town from the main thoroughfares to the hidden closes (alleyways) and courtyards. Your guide shares tales of dramatic events in the neighborhood's history, as well as those of the writers, philosophers, and inventors who called the area home.

This walking tour of Edinburgh is a great choice for first-time visitors who want to get their bearings of the city and learn more about its history. By exploring the city with a guide, you’ll be able to stop looking at a map and focus on enjoying the sites around you. Your guide will teach you about secret places locals love, as well as the Old Town’s most famous sites. Highlights include St. Giles’ Cathedral, the Mercat Cross, Edinburgh Castle, and much more. 

The Edinburgh Dungeon is one of the Scottish capital's most-visited attractions, for good reason. The thrilling experience takes you on a wild underground journey through Scottish history that is equal parts terrifying and hilarious. Plan ahead and ensure a hassle-free visit by pre-booking your admission ticket for the Edinburgh Dungeon.

Delve into Edinburgh’s horrific history on this evening ghost bus tour. With your spooky local guide, visit the city’s most terrifying locations, haunted by infamy and restless spirits! From your seat in a double-decker vintage bus, gaze at eerie sites such as Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket, and the Royal Mile. Throughout the trip, hear anecdotes and facts about Edinburgh’s chilling past, replete with bloody executions, unspeakable tortures, and murder.

Edinburgh's underground network of vaults, which dates from the 1700s, is one of the most fascinating parts of the city to explore. To truly understand these former slum dwellings, and their dark histories, you need to explore them in the company of a guide who can provide all of the necessary context, background information and spooky stories.

Take a personalized tour from Edinburgh to Loch Ness on this day trip to the Scottish Highlands. See wooded lochs and tucked-away villages as you journey through spectacular scenery en route to Glencoe and Fort Augustus. Enjoy an optional boat tour in search of the Loch Ness Monster and traverse the picturesque Cairngorms National Park. Travel in a top-of-the-range, 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach with a small group limited to 16 passengers.

Explore famous landmarks and hidden secrets in Edinburgh on this walking tour. Explore Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile with a guide, and gain insight into famous writers and inventors who have called the city home. Hear tales of Scotland's national bard—Robert Burns—and discover top landmarks such as St. Giles’ Cathedral and the National Galleries of Scotland. Capture Edinburgh through the eye of your camera as you go, and find out what makes this ancient city tick.

The Waverley Pub is one of Edinburgh’s most popular drinking establishments and stocks a huge variety of Scotch whisky. On this tasting tour, sample four single malt whiskies from four different whisky-producing regions of Scotland, uncover the secrets of Scotch whisky-making, and experience the Scottish tradition of storytelling.

Experience the legend and mystery of Rosslyn Chapel and the Holy Grail on this ‘Da Vinci Code’ tour from Edinburgh. In a small group, travel to the charming town of Melrose and through the Scottish borderlands. Explore Melrose Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel, and hear intriguing tales of Cistercian monks, the Knights Templar, and Robert the Bruce.

Travel from Edinburgh to St. Andrews and Fife on this day trip from Edinburgh. Cross the Forth Road Bridge into the Kingdom of Fife and pass by the coastal villages of East Neuk. Then pay homage to the town of St. Andrews, home to Scotland's oldest university and the Old Course where golf is routinely played. Driving in a top-of-the-range, 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach, see Falkland and the Lomond Hills. Enjoy a small-group tour, limited to 16 people, for a memorable and personalized experience.

Hear hidden secrets from beyond the grave on this haunted vaults and graveyard walking tour in Edinburgh. As night falls across Scotland’s ancient capital, follow a guide through the streets and learn the mysteries of the city’s dark past. Visit venues believed to be haunted including Greyfriar's Kirkyard and the Nidry Street Vaults, and hear of the troubled souls of beggars, prostitutes and witches said to walk the city streets by night. Along the way, make sure to keep your wits about you for sightings of the un-dead.

Attention “Outlander” fans: this tour was created just for you. Leave Edinburgh behind as you embark on an epic adventure to several sites from the popular television show. Visit Culross Palace (the fictional Cranesmuir), Doune Castle (Castle Leoch), Blackness Castle (Fort William), Midhope Castle (Jamie’s home), and Linlithgow Palace, the site of one of the series’ most intense scenes.

See Stirling Castle, the Kelpies monument, and Loch Lomond on this day trip from Edinburgh. Pass Linlithgow Palace on the way to the Kelpies, said to be the largest equine sculptures in the world. Then travel through Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, where you can join your guide on a nature walk, before heading to Stirling Castle for an optional interior tour (own expense). This small-group tour in a top-of-the-range, 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach is limited to 16 passengers for a memorable experience.

An Edinburgh bus tour is the perfect way to hear commentary on city sights and get a panoramic overview. This City Sightseeing tour of Edinburgh lets you hop on and off at several strategically placed stops as many times as you like. Board the open-top double-decker bus and travel the entire route, or stop at Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum and many more. Buses depart regularly and tickets are valid for 24 hours from first use.

Edinburgh’s stately streets hide a darker, more mysterious side of the city, rooted in its 18th-century slums, ‘wynds,’ (alleyways), and vaults. This 75-minute tour takes you back in time to this shadowy world, exploring dark cobbled lanes, a haunted cemetery, and underground vaults. As you explore, your costumed guide shares captivating tales of the city’s history, along with stories of ghosts, murders, crimes, and more.

Ideal for those fascinated by the supernatural, this tour of Edinburgh’s underground vaults is sure to make your spine tingle. With a ghoulish guide, descend into the darkened depths of the Blair Street Vaults and hear vivid retellings of torture, murder, and body snatching. Abandon thoughts of manufactured frights and prepare to experience the sinister side of Edinburgh on this small-group tour.

Designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the world of whisky, this guided tour of the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh is the ideal choice for travelers wanting to learn more about Scotland’s national drink. Learn about Scotland's whisky-producing regions and how the weather affects the flavor of your drink as well as the art of blending. View one of the world’s largest Scotch whisky collections and enjoy a guided tasting session.

Experience Scotland's rugged countryside on a Highlands and whisky tour from Edinburgh. In a small-group, visit Scotland’s hilly Lowlands and forested Highlands, where you can spot waterfalls and migrating salmon in the River Braan. Stop in quaint towns for refreshments and optional whisky tastings, and soak up the stunning landscape — a mosaic of verdant glens, loch, and rivers. Along the way, learn the often dark history of this wild region.

Explore Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle, and delve into the world of William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Rob Roy on this tour from Edinburgh. Visit Stirling Castle—widely considered among Scotland’s most impressive fortresses—with a guide. Head through the Trossachs National Park to the Highland village of Balloch, nestled by the banks of magical Loch Lomond. Perhaps take a lake cruise or enjoy capturing the pretty town of Luss on camera before the journey back to Edinburgh.