• Private Tour
• Family Friendly
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Join a host for an experience to get to know the real women of Edinburgh's past and present that support an NGO dedicated to alleviating the issue of homelessness in Edinburgh. Discover the amazing female characters of Edinburgh while making a positive impact on the community. Book now and we'll waive part of the service fee and donate it directly to the project, the rest of the cost goes directly to the guide and supports keeping them off the streets. Let's make a difference together!

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

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 Maggie Dicksons - 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 a cause to help homelessness. Withlocals will waive part of it's service fee for this experience!

4. Learn & Grow

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

5. Get to know Edinburgh deeply

   Understand the amazing women of Edinburgh and their stories.

6. Create a connection

   Interact with passionate and knowledgeable locals 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

Kathleen🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

30 May 2025

Neil gave my husband and me a stellar tour of Edinburgh. He was interesting, informative and so very knowledgeable, particularly of the history and literature of Scotland. Neil is, as well, a funny, smart, engaging person and made our visit a memorable one. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. A perfect day with Neil

Kal🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

30 May 2025

We had a great time with Neil. He was timely, knowledgeable and had a bunch of great stories and trivia of the amazing history and literature of Edinburgh and Scotland. We learned so much from him and the tour was efficient and fantastic. Would highly recommend Neil without hesitation.Great time with Neil

Marianne🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Neil)

28 May 2025

If you’re going to walk around Edinburgh with Neil, you’re in for an absolute treat!! Being born and raised in Edinburgh, he knows every single nook and cranny (and close) there is! I asked Neil to pack in as much information about Edinburgh and Scotland as he could since it was my first time in this beautiful country and the start of my trip. And booooy did he deliver! The 3 hours just flew by as we walked up (up!!!!) and down the city, passing all the important spots and little hidden gems while listening to the stories (historical and personal) behind it. He is undeniably a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson, and after the tour, you surely become one too… With Neil by your side, you could walk to the world’s end and beyond ;-) And the care before and after the tour, making sure you are finding your way around the city and sending you the links and photographs of the “storytime”-Spots is just the nicest and sweetest touch! There isn’t a second chance for a first impression. And because of Neil, my first impression of Scotland couldn’t have been better!! Thank you so much Neil! You were a delight to tour with!☺️🤩🥰Fantastic Tour and beyound!!!

Monte🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

10 May 2025

Neil knows the best views, restaurants and neat places to pop in for more info about Robert Louis Stevenson. He was very patient with ALL our questions picture taking and encouraged us to try haggis. We actually liked it! The hours flew by because we were having such a good time. He recommended other things for us to do in our own as well. HIGHLY recommend!The best custom tour of Edinburgh

David and Karen🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

7 May 2025

We thoroughly enjoyed our Edinburgh walking tour with Neil. Having grown up in the city, Neil was a wealth of information on the history of Edinburgh and Scotland in general. He showed us unique places in the city that the larger group tours were sure to overlook. Neil also provided extra information and insights that helped with our trip both before and after the walking tour. We highly recommend anyone that is looking for a great tour of Edinburgh to strongly consider booking with Neil and WithLocals!Great Tour with Neil

Catherine🇺🇸 United States

(About local Neil)

11 April 2025

Neil is an Edinburgh native who is knowledgeable, kind and funny! He know the history of the city and all of the hidden gems. In addition to the city highlights, He took us to his charming neighborhood pub, Bennets which was so special! He also took us to his favorite coffee shop, the Coffee Cave, which is now our favorite too. We feel like we have made a friend for life with Neil! We highly recommend!The best guide in all of Scotland!

Elspeth

(About local Nichola )

17 February 2025

I cant copy and pasteWalking food tour

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

Kataya

(About local Nichola )

12 February 2025

Family of 6 posted on trip advisor My guided walking tour

Tricoa

(About local Nichola )

5 February 2025

Experiencing a personal Edinburgh Family walking food tour

Savanna

(About local Nichola )

2 February 2025

Nichola was absolutely amazing Walking food tour

Beverly

(About local Nichola )

31 January 2025

We really enjoyed our food tour with Nichola. She was a lovely Scott that really made our tour wonderful. The food was delicious and the stories and history of Scotland was great.Wonderful food tour

Laurie

(About local Nichola )

31 January 2025

Nichola was our tour guide and she did not disappoint. She was very knowledgeable about the area as well as the food we were eating. It was a rainy day, but it did not deter us from having a great time on the trip.I highly recommend this food tour.Great walking food tour - even in the rain!

Susan

(About local Nichola )

25 January 2025

Nichola was an excellent tour guide giving us an awesome eating experience as well as history about this incredible city.Don't Miss Out

Lindsay

(About local Nichola )

21 January 2025

Nichola was amazing Walking food tour

Dolly

(About local Nichola )

13 January 2025

Nichola was a fantastic food guide! I loved the personal touches and family history she shared with us. We toured wonderful restaurants and establishments in old town and learned so much along the way. Fabulous time for my fiancé, me, and our family and friends. Thank you, Nichola! :)Food tour walking

Richard

(About local Nichola )

11 January 2025

What a fantastic tour ,Nichola was wonderful. She juggled the time to fit our schedule and modified the tour to show us the sights that most interested us. It was nice not being in a big group and being guided by someone who knows the town so well. I can't recommend this tour enough.Food tour

Jill

(About local Nichola )

1 January 2025

Feb 2025 • Couples What a fabulous tour. Nichola was so friendly and was so knowledgeable about Edinburgh. Lovely to have a local guide. The food was amazing and we enjoyed everything on offer.3hr local guided tour

Janie

(About local Nichola )

27 December 2024

Nichola was absolutely amazing on our tour! Not only was she knowledgeable on food, she stopped a few times to give us some extra info on things around Edinburgh. It was very fun walking around the city and trying all the amazing food! She gave us recommendations on things as well. Highly recommend!Nichola was Amazing

Kristen

(About local Nichola )

26 December 2024

Our tour was amazing. The food and the locations were all just wonderful. They were probably not places we would have gone on our own so it really is "secret" But the best part about our tour was our guide Nichola. She was so knowledgeable & such an entertaining guide. She made the whole tour just that much better.Great tour with a wonderful Guide

Justin

(About local Nichola )

5 December 2024

Great small group food tourWalking Food tour

Charlotte🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Sonny)

29 November 2024

We hadden Jason ipv Sonny als gids. Het was een geweldige ervaring met hem. Hij vertelde bijzondere verhalen over de stad en zelfs met cameraploeg kregen wij alle aandacht en liet hij zich niet van z’n stuk brengen. Zeker een aanrader!

Craig

(About local Nichola )

2 November 2024

Nichola was one of the best tour guides! Our small group really enjoyed her excitement and knowledge of Edinburgh and its history. Thank you for a great afternoonNichola made the Tour Great

Audra

(About local Nichola )

29 October 2024

The True Scot delivers a tasty Tour Walking food tour

Deirdre🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sonny)

4 October 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Sonny.Great intro to Edinburgh

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

Robert

(About local Sonny)

14 September 2024

I went on Sonny's tour with my family and we all found it very interesting and enjoyable. Sonny has an extraordinary in-depth knowledge about his subject matter, he is an excellent guide and speaker, and we visited some really interesting places. On top of that he connected us with the homeless charities in Edinburgh, explained their role and important value to the city.Top tour in Edinburgh

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

Lucy-Rose

(About local Sonny)

21 May 2024

Sonny ran a fantastic tour for myself and my colleagues! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the stories he told us and the places he took us to visit. I would highly recommend this tour as you get to see a different perspective of Edinburgh than most of the touristy tours! Thanks Sonny, we loved it! Funny, entertaining tour!

Alexander🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Sonny)

5 December 2023

Sonny is a great person and an engaged guide, very friendly, courteous and reflective in what he is doing. He showed us a lot of sites, which you would usually ignore as a tourist (although a couple of famous places were also part of the tour). The whole tour helped us to better understand the city with regard to its social aspects and the everyday life of quite a lot of people living there and trying to purely survive. Moreover, Sonny is also entertaining, while keeping the balance between great legends of the city and serious stories about the hardships of life. He patiently waited at every stop, giving me the chance to translate for my dad, who was also glad to be on that tour and enjoyed it. We would do similar tours with "invisible cities" in other cities again, if there is a chance. It is a fantastic project und worth to support it. Making the invisible visible!

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

Randy

(About local Sonny)

25 August 2023

Sonny made this trip so very special! It was a small group (6 in total), and Sonny ensured everyone was fully engaged. We spent almost a week exploring Edinburgh and agree, hands-down, the time spent with Sonny ranked top of the list of our highlights. I recommend this tour. A highlight of our time in Edinburgh

Amy

(About local Sonny)

1 August 2023

I would definitely recommend this tour. We had such a lovely time with Sonny hearing about all the places crimes were committed and the punishments they received. We were also taught about the Scottish court system! Sonny was extremely helpful when explaining things to us and is an all round wonderful human! He is a credit to you all. Would recommend!!

Lara

(About local Sonny)

26 July 2023

We booked this tour as an educational activity for our work team and we had a great time with Sonny and Jason! Amazing to discover some of Edinburgh’s dark secrets as well as learning about how the city supports the homeless population. We really enjoyed the stories from Greyfriar’s Kirkyard - from the past and present! We could easily converse with our guides and they were both knowledgable and friendly. I imagine during the Fringe this being a very popular tour but it can be difficult to navigate the narrow streets at St Leonard’s and the busyness of the Royal Mile. Something to bear in mind if you do want to go as a large group! Thanks to our guides for a wonderful Wednesday afternoon. Wonderful Wednesday Walk