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Skip-the-Line Edinburgh Castle Walking Tour

Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English
  • Good for avoiding crowds
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Overview

Save valuable vacation time with skip-the-line access to Edinburgh Castle on this walking tour. Avoid hours of waiting in line and breeze right inside with your priority admission ticket. Then, listen to your guide's commentary about the Scottish landmark's history as you walk through one of Scotland's most famous landmarks.
  • Edinburgh Castle tour with skip-the-line access
  • Learn the history and the secrets of the castle
  • See the National War Museum and the National Monument
  • Continue to explore the castle independently after the tour

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Skip-the-line entrance means more time inside and you can stay as long as you like after the tour ends.

What's Included

  • Skip-the-line entrance to the Castle
  • Local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Food and drinks

Departure & Return

Departure Point

  • 130 High St, 130 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UK

    Your Edinburgh Castle Walking Tour starts in front of Frankie & Benny's on 130 High Street by Tron Kirk (Please do not go straight to the castle). Look for our staff with red jackets and red umbrellas branded with SANDEMANs logos.

Departure Time

10:00 AM

Return Details

  • Castle Terrace, Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, UK

    Your Edinburgh Castle Tour finishes inside the castle grounds.

What To Expect

Meet your guide in central Edinburgh to begin your tour. Skip the often long entry line and proceed directly into the castle for your walking tour.

During the walking tour, learn the secrets of this famous castle, including seeing one of the world’s few official dog cemeteries and the smallest shrine in the world. Walk through Crown Square, the main courtyard of the castle. See the Crown Jewels of Scotland, including the Stone of Destiny, used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs. Visit the National War Museum, which enables you to learn more about battles that have shaped Scottish history. 

After the conclusion of your walking tour, you are free to stay and explore the castle independently for as long as you like.
1

Edinburgh

Meet your guide in front of Frankie & Benny's on 130 High Street by Tron Kirk

Admission Ticket Free

2

Royal Mile

Make your way to the castle and experience one immediate advantage to this 2-hour walking tour: you get to bypass the usually long line and go right into the castle. No waiting.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Please be aware that Edinburgh Castle stays open until 5pm and your Castle Ticket is only valid on the day of purchase.
  • Children (4 or under) can join the Edinburgh Castle Tour for free. We reserve the right to ask for a valid ID for children joining our tours.
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Our tour starts at 130 High Street, in front of Frankie and Benny's restaurant. We don't allow guests to join after the start time, and we don't allow guests to join the tour if they don't show up in our current start point at 130 High Street, in front of Frankie and Benny's restaurant.
  • The independent guides who employ us to market their tours have your best interests in mind; while the tour usually includes the sites & stories mentioned and lasts about 1.5 hours, your tour may vary depending on what your guide thinks is best for your group
  • No bags or backpacks over 30L are permitted for security reasons
  • Unfortunately, the steep hills and uneven ground mean that this tour is not suitable for pushchairs or those unable to walk unassisted
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Children under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Operated by Sandemans New Europe Ltd - Corporate Account

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

about cancellations

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Skip-the-Line Edinburgh Castle Walking Tour?

A:The policy on face masks and attendee health is:
  • Face masks required for guides in public areas

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Skip-the-Line Edinburgh Castle Walking Tour?

A:The policy on sanitization is:
  • Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff

Traveler Photos

See more

Traveler Tips

Get there as early as possible because even on a weekday it is very crowded.
The walking part can be a very real challenge to those with limited mobility.
The walking is for young and middle adults and those with comfortable shoes.
Reviews
5.0
1,111 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers
Showing 1-10 of 1,111 reviews
Disappointment
Graeme_C, Oct 2020
This tour was cancelled by the company but they still advertise it and take your money and yet no refund
Edinburgh Castle - Great Tour
Jonathan_R, Mar 2020
Dave was a fantastic story teller in true Scottish fashion!!! He was very knowledgeable and we especially appreciated his breakdown of the different buildings!
Highlights of the Castle
MRB, Mar 2020
Excellent and entertaining guide. Melanie is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the tour thoroughly.
Melanie is a Star...It’s like she lived at the Castle!
Christopher_B, Feb 2020
Melanie was FANTASTIC!! She was knowledgable, personable and super energetic. She really set the group up with and understanding of the castle and made my time alone after the tour that much better with my understanding from the tour.
Great experience- highly recommend
Gabe_F, Feb 2020
Greg was an absolutely incredible tour guide. Not only did he provide some really interesting background, he did it in different voices/character like an actor which captivated the entire tour group.
Unfortunate Misunderstanding
craighturner1, Jan 2020
The tour met almost 3/4km away from the castle. I did not notice the meetup instructions and headed to the castle with time to spare before the tour started. My wife and I (this was our honeymoon) missed the tour due to missing this information and could not reschedule or join the tour at the castle per the confirmation email. We are out £65 with nothing to show but our disappointment.
It Was All That It Said It Was!
Bev W, Jan 2020
Our time spent with Alan was a fantastic way to see the best that Edinburgh Castle has to offer. From the checkin point to the short walk to the Castle Alan shared wonderful information about the history of Edinburgh.
Beautiful walk n enriching history
LUPING_T, Dec 2019
Special shout out to our guide Alan who kept us engaged with the war history of the castle. Our boys absolutely love it.
Excellent
Fadl_A, Dec 2019
"Australian David" was a good laugh and a great story teller, only improvement was that it could be slightly longer if we were to go into individual buildings once in the castle but I dont know about any restrictions or constraints.
Excellent guide to Edinburgh Castle
LynfromSanDiego, Nov 2019
Our guide made this one of the best tours we took in Scotland. She was dynamic, informative and funny, all of the traits of an excellent guide!
Skip-the-Line
Compass34613, Oct 2019
Excellent guide Raj gave us a lot of insights and funny as well as historically interesting stories. I would strongly recommend this tour to anyone interested in Scottish history.
A fabulous tour given by an equally fabulous guide.
susanmU1694XO, Oct 2019
The tour we received by Eva was fabulous. She was informative, inspiring and fun. The Castle was fabulous and she made it even better. We asked her for a recommendation for dinner and she gave us a wonderful one. It was so good that we went back there for lunch the next day.
Great Tour
jbrans02, Oct 2019
We were on a tight timeline and our tour guide was exceptional. Had a blast. Highly Recommend this tour. Very knowledgeable, personable. guide.,
Excellent Tour
mfneilson, Oct 2019
Richard, the tour guide was great! He had great personality and was very knowledgeable about Edinburgh Castle and Scottish history overall. He made this tour well worth the price. I would recommend this tour and this gentleman to everyone
Sarah was a great guide
runwallace, Oct 2019
If you can get Sarah as your guide your in for a treat as she is very knowledgeable and funny. Well worth it.
Skip-the-Line Edinburgh Castle Walking Tour
Richard_M, Oct 2019
Raj was our tour guide. He was amazing with all his knowledge and historic tales to make this one memorable trip for us.
An Edinburgh must do!
Michael_U, Oct 2019
Excellent tour. Our guide Raj was great! We loved the detailed history information. Highly recommend. For this trip we had some issues with the weather and timing, but Viator helped us make the tour. We also used Viator for an earlier trip to Italy. Excellent customer service!
Angus was GREAT!
Stephan H, Oct 2019
We took this tour on September 2019. Angus was our guide. He was funny and extremely knowledgeable. The tour was very interesting, especially for history buffs.
So much interesting history
MPaterson2019, Sep 2019
Our tour guide Jule was an absolute wealth of knowledge when it came to both the history of the castle and Scotland. The background she provided was valuable to understanding why certain things are the way they are today, and how they evolved to arrive at their current state. I am thankful I booked this tour; aside from not having to wait in line, we got to enjoy some rich history of one of Scotland's most visited attractions.
Just the facts
soupy118, Sep 2019
I loved the in depth information about the Edinburgh Castle brought to us by Raj. His delivery of his subject matter was so natural and we could tell he actually enjoyed sharing this rich history with us. He was a delight.
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Product code: 6785EDICAST01

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