• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Embark on an ethical Crime & Punishment tour, led by guides who have triumphed over homelessness themselves, supporting a social enterprise committed to alleviating homelessness through tourism. Explore captivating tales of thieves and murderers in the city, while gaining insight into contemporary justice systems and local organizations dedicated to aiding our most vulnerable community members. Book now and directly support guides affected by homelessness, on top of that, part of the Withlocals fee is waived and given to the project.

Destination

Edinburgh, Scotland

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

1.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English

Included

• Private Guide
• 15% of the tours costs go to the charity
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 4 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Outside the Maggie Kicksons Pub - Edinburgh to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Give back!

   By taking part in this experience, you will also be donating to an enterprise dedicated to reducing homelessness in Edinburgh.

4. Learn & Grow

   Experience a unique and unforgettable activity or tour that offers an opportunity to learn, grow, and make a positive impact.

5. Get to know Edinburgh deeply

   Gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the local culture, traditions, and issues faced by the community.

6. Create a connection

   Interact with passionate and knowledgeable hosts who are committed to providing a memorable and impactful experience.

7. Make Memories

   Create lasting memories and make new connections with like-minded locals who share a passion for giving back and making a positive impact.

8. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Heather🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local GJ)

18 July 2025

G was fantastic! We could have spent the whole day listening to his stories and the history of Edinburgh. He had us all laughing and on the edge of our seats. If he is available to book- do not hesitate. Also sent us on our way with wonderful recommendations. Thank you G!

Joyce

(About local Sonny)

16 February 2025

Entertaining, fun and informative. Loved the dynamic approach. Also felt worthwhile being able to contribute to a social enterprise. Sonny Delight

Kaitlyn

(About local Sonny)

2 October 2024

The tour went by too fast! Sonny pointed out so many interesting sites and gave a brief and easy digest history at every one in a wonderful Scottish accent! He also pointed us in the direction of multiple restaurants and businesses that helped him and continue to help others that are still in the homeless community on Edinburgh! Even in the rain this tour was worth going on and I’d recommend it to anyone!Informative and inspiring

Liz🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Sonny)

2 September 2024

Sonny was a great guy, full of stories. He took us on the Crime and Punishment tour, but on recognizing how interested we were in homelessness issues around the world he really helped us learn about what resources are and are not around, hidden in plain sight.Sonny himself is an experience!

Kate🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Sonny)

31 August 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Sonny. He's very knowledgable and animated, obviously committed to his work and proud to be making this unique contribution. He was patient while I interpreted for my husband, who is quite deaf and struggles with accents. We felt very lucky to have a private tour With such a talented guide!A wonderfully different perspective

R.🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Sonny)

17 September 2023

Sonny is a fantastic guide. With great enthousiasme he guided us through the city centre telling amazing stories about the history. We also appreciaties the private setting and the background stories of homelesness. We definately recommend Sonny!!The best tour we could have wished

Michael🇺🇸 United States

(About local Gains)

14 September 2025

Gains was outstanding…steeped in the history and consequential culture of Edinburgh and Scotland. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him.Book a tour with Gains

Ed

(About local Neil)

14 September 2025

We had a very lovely day with Neil. His knowledge and insight made for an enjoyable tour. His sending us links to be able to review the highlights of our tour were a nice touch. Would recommend Neil if you wanted the true Scottish experience. Thank you

Joane🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

13 September 2025

Chris truly went out of his way to answer all our questions and tailor the tour to our specific interests. He was personable and gave us a true taste of Scotland's traditions in food and drink. We all had a delightful afternoon with much laughter. 10 Tastings in Edinburgh

Teresa🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

11 September 2025

Chris was charming and our family group enjoyed the tour very much. He was kind to our picky eaters and spent extra time with us making sure we got to see a lot of wonderful things. Highly recommend as a nice introduction to Edinburgh.Wonderful time with Chris

John and Jill🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

8 September 2025

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Neil. He recommended a great cafe as a meeting point, on the day we landed in Edinburgh…and some great restaurants and pubs for our visit. He has deep understanding of the city history and a warm, wonderful way of telling stories that bring history to life. We especially appreciated learning about writers like RL Stevenson, a particular expertise. Neil kept us entertained and gave us an amazing overview of the Old Town. What a great way to start our Scottish adventure!Warm and wonderful storyteller

Donald🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

7 September 2025

We had a great tour with Neil. He had lots of little tidbits of knowledge and suggestions for the rest of our stay. Highly recommend. Very knowledge and friendly

Michelle

(About local Chris)

7 September 2025

My husband and I recently spent 4 days in Edinburgh and decided to try out one of these food tours with a local guide. Best money we spent the whole trip! It was amazing! There's something so nice about having a guide wholly focused on you and your interests. Chris was so kind and friendly and excited to share his city's beautiful food with us. He shared a lot of very interesting history on the city and culture of Edinburg and Scotland while introducing us to food we would never have had here in the US. He helped teach us about the amazing taste of haggis and why it's really not as scary as most Americans think. He taught me how to appreciate a good whisky and fed us the best little pies I've ever had. We left our tour fully inspired to try new foods and drinks and with an excellent whisky recommendation to cook with. This tour felt like a family friend was showing us around his home city, proud to share the special parts of it with us. I will absolutely recommend this tour with Chris to anyone looking for a unique experience in beautiful Edinburgh. He left such a wonderful impression on my husband and I. We both agreed that his tour was our favorite part of our whole 8 day trip through London and Edinburgh. Can't recommend Chris's tour enough! A delicious tour from an incredible guide!

Michael

(About local Chris)

6 September 2025

My wife and I had a great tour with Chris. He was informative, friendly and adapted the tour based on what we told him we were interested in. We tasted all sorts of local food as well as some fantastic whiskey. Chris provided a nice history of the city as well as fun stories of some of the important people who added to Edinbugh's history. Highly recommend.Great history and food tour

James🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

5 September 2025

Chris was an excellent guide. He adjusted his schedule to meet ours with some unexpected travel issues. He was very kind. He tailored the tour to our expectations and desires. He was well-versed and made the history of Edinburgh and Scotland interesting. I have been blessed to travel quite a bit. Chris rates equal to the best I’ve had. Book him and you will enjoy the day. What a wonderful tour and guide.

Miranda🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

4 September 2025

Chris gave us an informative walking tour of the history of the city, its architecture and storied places. He also gave us some tips for our next journey to Skye. A great overview for someone new to Edinburgh!Great tour of the city!

Lisa🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

25 August 2025

We enjoyed a wonderful evening with Neil as our guide through Old Town. He shared many interesting stories about the famous and fascinating people who lived there and his love for Edinburgh and knowledge of the history was evident as we strolled through this lovely city. We would highly recommend Neil for your tour guide.Great evening spent with Neil!

Judith🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

19 August 2025

Neil was a wonderful guide. Informative, knowledgeable, and overall great guide. Highly recommend!! Wonderful tour

Frauke🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Chris)

19 August 2025

Our Whisky-Tour with Chris was fantastic! The pubs were very traditional and he knew lots of thinks to tell. It was a really nice evening. Thank you so much!

Mark and Lynnette along with Lyle and Vicki🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

17 August 2025

Chris was absolutely wonderful!!!! I would highly recommend him. He is a 10 for sure!!!Hire Chris hes awsome!!!$$$$

Andrea🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local GJ)

17 August 2025

G war sehr zuvorkommend, kompetent und freundlich. Er hat das programm genau auf unsere wünsche abgestimmt und war super flexibel.Er hat uns auch sonst viel von der geschichte der stadt und geheimtipps abgegeben. wir würden sofort wieder bei ihm buchen und werden ihn auf alle fälle weiter empfehlen.danke viel mal es bleibt ein highlight unserer reisewhisky tasting edinburgh

w

(About local Neil)

17 August 2025

Passionating visit with a passionate guide! We discovered places where we would not have gone and of course we learned a lot about Robert Louis Stevenson and other famous Scottish writers. Thank you very much Neil !Passionating

Wendy🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Neil)

16 August 2025

Neil was an amazing tour guide. We spent five hours with him, exploring the city and learning so much about Edinburgh’s history. A wonderful tour!

Russell

(About local Neil)

15 August 2025

Neil is a really nice guy who was very informative and did a great job showing us the main sites in Edinburgh. We were tuckered out when we were done. I would have like to have known more about Neil and his experience growing up in Edinburgh. 20k steps and got a lay of the land

Sonja🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Neil)

5 August 2025

Just a few words - great Guide who showed us a lot from Edinburgh. We visited many spots and we heard a lot from a local. We had a blast!!! 😊👍👏Evening with Neil

Sarah🇫🇷 France

(About local Neil)

5 August 2025

Nous avons effectué une remarquable visite d'Edimbourg sous la conduite de notre guide, Neil qui est un natif de la ville, à présent à la retraite. Il a su nous faire partager sa passion et nous plonger dans l'histoire particulièrement riche de la ville et plus globalement de l'Ecosse. Neil est un guide qui s'exprime de manière extrêmement claire en anglais. Il est facilement compréhensible pour des touristes francophones et très à l'écoute. Ce fut un réel plaisir que d'effectuer cette visite avec un tel guide. Les trois heures en sa compagnie sont passées très vite et nous avons eu un très grand plaisir à prolonger cette rencontre par une bière au pub sur la Royal mile street. Tres belle visite guidée d'Edimbourg

Cameron🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

3 August 2025

My family is still raving about our walking food tour with Chris! He is very knowledgeable about Edinburgh’s history and took us through various neighborhoods we would have otherwise missed. Along the way, we stopped at local establishments and tried delicious Scottish foods. He even accommodated our allergy requests. Book this tour now, you won’t regret it!Excellent experience

Victoria🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

2 August 2025

Neil was one of the best guides I have ever had. His knowledge and passion of history is very evident. I especially appreciated his interest of Robert Louis Stevenson, one reason I chose him! I learned so very much Edinburgh history with him. He is a wealth of information. Very nice man. Next time I am in Edinburgh, we hope to see him again! Thank you Neil! Full of passion and history!

Gabby & Peter🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Chris)

31 July 2025

History is obviously one of Chris’s specialties. Chris engaged early and read his clients well. As we like to walk and explore, our 3 hour walking tour took us to a larger area than expected which was superb. Would recommend being introduced to Edinburgh by ChrisFriendly, engaging and very informative

Jason🇺🇸 United States

(About local Gains)

30 July 2025

Gains provided excellent Castle tour for our family and tailored it to our needs. Great knowledge and experience. Thank you Gains! Excellent guide

Heike🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Chris)

26 July 2025

Very interesting tour and Chriswas very flexible. Ask him a question and you will get the answers. We had a great tour with Chris!

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(About local GJ)

17 July 2025

G knew exactly what we were looking for and tailored the tour accordingly. He took the time to get to know us and that resulted in a personalized tour. He went the extra mile. He’s a Mind Reader!

Brecken🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

16 July 2025

We had a fantastic afternoon exploring Edinburgh with Neil! His deep knowledge of the city's history, hidden gems, and fun facts kept us all engaged—and he even managed to keep our 9-year-old twins entertained the entire time. His warm personality and thoughtful recommendations made the experience feel like a day out with an old friend. He tailored the tour to our interests, added plenty of humor and charm, and shared insights we would’ve completely missed on our own. We ended the evening with a delicious dinner at a local spot Neil suggested—it was the perfect way to wrap up a truly memorable day. Highly recommend!A Perfect Day in Edinburgh with Neil!

Pam🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

16 July 2025

Chris was fantastic! He was very knowledgeable in the history and the food was great. The tour was wonderful and we had a lot of fun.Great tour

Katie

(About local Chris)

15 July 2025

We loved our tour with Chris. He was incredibly knowledgeable of the city and took us to some really unique places. I don’t think we ever would have discovered or walked around the places he took us so it was all very fun to do. He even got my aunt to try haggis and she was adamant about not wanting to during our time here. This tour is a major highlight of our trip. Thanks again, Chris! Such a fun time!

Emily🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Gains)

15 July 2025

Gains is extreamly knowledgable about scottish history. He helped us to orient ourselves in the city especially around the royal mile. Wether it was identifying the inspiration for Hogwarts and the validity as such, to the square by the writers museum which holds quotes of Scottish authors, he showed us hidden areas that would be easily missed by the casual visitor. If you have a love of history and want to engage with a likeminded individual Gains is your ideal tour guide.Great tour!

Alesia🇺🇸 United States

(About local Gains)

2 July 2025

Edinburgh is a wonderful city to visit-rich with history. People were very friendly and it was very convenient to get around the city by tram or bus. We did a walking tour with Gains because we love history. Gains was fabulous-very intelligent and knowledgeable about the history of Edinburgh and Scotland. He fixed the tour around our interests and was very amenable to any changes. We learned so much from him and had a very memorable tour!Edinburgh

Rex🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

1 July 2025

We had a really great time with Chris. He’s a very pleasant person and shared interesting stories about the city he grew up in. It was a perfect introduction on the first day we arrived. Highly recommend doing a tour with him!Great tour with Chris!

Terrina🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Neil)

1 July 2025

I can't recommend Neil enough! Neil is a local to Edinburgh with a passion for sharing his knowledge of his home town with tourists! Our tour was at just the right pace - not too fast or too slow. Neil shared Edinburgh's history and hidden secrets- with a delightful touch of his own personal tales. Thank you Neil!!!Best With Locals Guide Ever!!!

Caroline

(About local Neil)

30 June 2025

We had an amazing tour with Neil! This is what we expected to have with a local. All the little interesting stories besides what you read in common travel literature. We had so much fun and would definitely recommend Neill ! He even sent us some information and links about our tour and provided us with tips for our onward journey! Couldnt have been better ! Best edinburgh stories with neil

Julie🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Chris)

25 June 2025

Chris was an excellent guide for our food and walking tour. He customized the tour for our family of four, which included a 13 and 10 year old. He provided some great history of the city and the food while guiding us to several great local places. Great tour!Great food tour!

Mary

(About local Chris)

25 June 2025

Chris was such a nice guy and a wealth of knowledge about Edinburgh and Scotland. He was very personable and wanted to tailor the experience to our needs/wishes. I'm not sure that we tasted 10 items but it was close and the food was appropriately Scottish. The tour was good but I would not say good value for the money spent. It was expensive and the tastings were always one item shared between the 3 of us, which included the guide, and out of the same bowl/plate. So 3 people eating one soup or sipping one whisky. Take that as you will. If the food portion of the tour was improved upon it would be a top notch tour. A fun experience

Nicole🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Neil)

22 June 2025

Neil war ein fantastischer Gästeführer. Er hat uns freundlich empfangen und kompetent durch die Geisterwelt der Stadt geführt. Aber nicht nur das: er wusste auch umfassend andere Geschichten zu erzählen, so dass die Zeit wie im Fluge verlief. Absolut empfehlenswert und ein großes DANKE an Neil!Großartige Führung durch die Geisterwelt

Sheila🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

16 June 2025

Chris is a great guide, we felt like locals after just 90 minutes with him. Started with an old map and some history and then from there, he incorporated the new with the old, and related stories to solidify the experience and location. As a result, today, our second day in Edinburgh, we got around with ease and comfort. So helpful, we highly recommend. Thanks, Chris! Sheila and PaulThorough and fun 90 minutes with Chris

Unknown

(About local Neil)

15 June 2025

Neil was extremely knowledgeable and accommodating to our needs and catered the tour our ability! I highly recommend Neil!Fantastic tour guide!

Cynthia🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

13 June 2025

My son & I very enjoyed our tour with Chris. We had just arrived in Edinburgh and met up with him at a spot along the Royal Mile. We chatted a bit about special needs (one of us has a food allergy and the other one is a bit slow moving). Chris was able to adjust the tour to fit our needs. Never having been to Scotland or partaken in traditional Scottish food & drink- we very much enjoyed the whole experience. Chris is very knowledgeable and pointed out many historical facts along our way- Also pointed out some Harry Potter related places and gave us the tips for the rest of our visit. It was a great way to start our visit to Edinburgh! Highly recommend! Unique, Enlightening & Engaging tour

Sandy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

12 June 2025

Our food tour with Chris was really great! We’d been to Edinburgh previously so our interests were a bit different from the norm. Chris was able to quickly adapt and we thoroughly enjoyed all the food, drinks and history of the area. And especially a stop at Greyfriar’s Bobby to see the statue. Thanks Chris!Great Food Tour

Paula🇺🇸 United States

(About local GJ)

10 June 2025

We signed up for the 10 tastings of Edinburgh and "G" was a very pleasant guide. He told us stories and pointed out important locations as we walked down the Royal Mile to a restaurant where we sat down and had our tastings. The food was excellent and the weather was not, so sitting down in one location was a nice change of pace from our usual food tours. After trying foods at the restaurant, we went to get gelato at another location and learned a bit about Greyfriar's Kirk. G repeatedly asked us to tell him about ourselves in order to make recommendations for local shopping, touring, food, etc. A sit down meal with good food

Tom🇺🇸 United States

(About local Gains)

9 June 2025

Beth🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris)

2 June 2025

Chris was such a great guide around Edinburgh! He is very knowledgeable and led us to places we would have never found. We learned a lot and had laughs along the way. I wouldn't hesitate booking with him again!Chris was a fantastic tour guide!