• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Did you know that the Edinburgh tour of your dreams exists? Yes, and it’s 100% personalized and created by your local host around your interests. Customize and see only the places that spark your interest. From classic landmarks to neighborhood walks - your wishes are our command!

Destination

Edinburgh, Scotland

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Dansk, Svenska

Included

• Private guide
• All Withlocals tours are carbon neutral

Excluded

• Entrance tickets
• Tastings
• Transport
• All of the above can be arranged with your local host through a personalized offer

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 12 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 In front of Paolozzi Restaurant & Bar - 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. This Experience is YOURS!

   See the landmarks and places in Edinburgh that you pick on a 100% personalized tour. Make this a one-of-a-kind experience that will satisfy your curiosity with the help of a local. All you have to do is tell them your preferences and interests

4. See THE Main Attractions

   What’s on your bucket list? Hop from landmark to landmark admiring them from the outside, and get recommendations from your local host on what’s the best way to enjoy them to the fullest

5. Off the Beaten Path

   What if there’s a way to see the city’s main attraction from a different angle? All of this while avoiding the touristy crowds? It’s possible with a local by your side!

6. Neighborhood Exploring

   Spend some time deep-diving into the neighborhoods of Edinburgh; there’s plenty of treasures to discover! From history, architecture, and local hangout spots, what area would you like to visit?

7. Amazing City Views

   Find the best lookout places in the city where you can spot your favorite landmarks as well as enjoy breathtaking views of the city - a picture-perfect personalized tour

8. All of Edinburgh

   Go on a full-day tour to see the highlights of the city. Pick the places, duration and let a local take you on a journey where you’ll cross the must-sees from Edinburgh off your list

9. 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

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

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!

Evan🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alice)

3 September 2025

Alice knows Edinburgh like the back of her hand in terms of geography, geology, people, and history. But what sets Alice apart is her unbelievably charming way of telling stories about it all, often taking on multiple roles. And she is flexible and has a lovely sense of humor. She's the best!Storytelling Maestra

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!

Oleksii🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alice)

6 August 2025

The tour from Alice is something that can’t be substituted by a guidebook. As other reviews say, it’s an immersive storytelling experience. Alice’s skillfull and passionate storytelling keeps the audience - big or small - fully engaged, and connects the dots with the city: buildings, streets, events, legends all blend together helping you understand why the city is the way it is. A few hours with Alice have defined our understanding of magnificent Edinburgh for the rest of our stay, we kept returning to the stories we were told, finding theirs reflections in the city as we kept discovering more of it. We highly recommend this experience.Amazing story-driven tour!

Kristen🇺🇸 United States

(About local Laura)

6 August 2025

Laura did a great job giving us a tour of Edinburgh. She has a lot of background of the history of Edinburgh, stuff that isn’t all in the history books! Can’t recommend her enough. Great tour!!

Nancy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alice)

14 July 2025

Out of our 14 day UK adventure our tour day with Alice was truly a highlight of the trip. She was fun, calm, not in a rush (critical with 2 young children), and super knowledgeable about the area. She is a captivating story teller and we felt as though we saw parts of Edinburgh that we would never have happened upon on our own. She was so patient with our group and very personable. Can't recommend her enough! Alice is THE BEST

Dennis🇺🇸 United States

(About local Oluf)

9 July 2025

Oluf was very personable and knowledgeable and made our tour around Edinburgh relaxed and easy. We had a great time and would recommend him to any group wanting an authentic Scottish guideGreat Day!

Kateryna🇪🇸 Spain

(About local Alice)

29 June 2025

This was our first trip to Edinburgh, and we absolutely loved the tour with Alice! She shared so many fun and shocking stories — it was both entertaining and unforgettable. Highly recommended from the bottom of our hearts!• It Was Absolutely Fantastic!

Michelle🇺🇸 United States

(About local Oluf)

26 June 2025

We are so happy we were able to book our tour with Oluf. He was very knowledgeable about Edinburgh and showed us things we would not have seen on any other tour! We appreciated his fascinating story telling which will make this trip an unforgettable experience. If you are thinking of booking a tour be sure to choose Oluf! Wonderful Afternoon!

Ryan

(About local Alice)

9 June 2025

Alice did a wonderful job tailoring our tour of Edinburgh to our family of five (children ages 15, 13, and 8). All of us were engaged throughout the tour, and Alice was able to answer our questions. She is a fantastic storyteller and made the city's history come to life. We travel frequently, and this is one of the best tours we've ever had.Fantastic Tour!

Christiane

(About local Alice)

2 June 2025

We had a wonderful afternoon with Alice, learning and walking around the city. We included the castle as well! We had flown in very early that morning and Alice more than kept us awake and entertained. Would certainly love to tour with Alice again. A wonderful afternoon in Edinburgh

Unknown

(About local Alice)

2 June 2025

This experience was exactly what we needed to introduce us to Edinburgh. So much interesting history and perfectly tailored to our taste. All Alice’s restaurant/ shop recommendations were also on point. Couldn’t recommend Alice more.Perfect!

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!!!

Terri

(About local Alice)

26 May 2025

Loved having a personalized tour with Alice on our first day in Edinburgh. We covered alot of ground and she shared stories, recommendations and tons of the history that Scotland is famous for. Perfectly pleasant in every way

kammerinke

(About local Svend-Erik)

24 May 2025

Perfect. Funny. Lots of Humor. Lots of knockledge. Thanks a lot, Erik!Perfect.

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

Mike🇺🇸 United States

(About local Joe)

2 April 2025

Our Edinburgh tour with Joe was a top highlight of our group’s entire UK trip. He was super accommodating and personalized the tour to our various interests. Joe was very cool and personable, with no shortage of stories, history, and humorous anecdotes anywhere we went. He had a plethora of recommendations for after our tour as well. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Joe, highly recommend booking a tour with him!!Unforgettable tour with Joe!!

James

(About local Gains)

16 March 2025

We had a tremendous experience with Gains. He was so knowledgeable and accommodating. It was a tremendous experience. We highly recommend booking him for a tour. He’s a true professional!Old Town Edinburgh w/Gains

Alan

(About local Oluf)

12 September 2025

Oluf was wonderful. He met us right on time at our hotel and we started our scheduled six hour journey around Edinburgh. Over the next seven hours and one half hours, including lunch, we made our way around the city. We saw all the sites we wanted, and detoured whenever we requested to go off our route. Oluf was incredibly accommodating about making sure we had appropriate restroom breaks, and he found us a delightful place to eat lunch. He has a wonderful knowledge regarding the history of Scotland and Great Britain, and shared it with us appropriately. Oluf is quite personable, and he shared with us some cute non historical stories along our way. I would highly recommend a walking tool with Oluf.Great guy, great experience.

Brian🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Alice)

12 September 2025

Lovely informative experience

Stefanie

(About local Alice)

11 September 2025

We learned a lot about Edinburgh through very interesting, funny, and thrilling stories. We enjoyed our tour with Alice very much and recommend her as a tourguide! It was easy to understand her (we are from Germany), because she speaks very clearly. Thank you so much Alice for a wonderful day and birthday!Book Alice, you won't regret it!

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

Aude🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Laura)

10 September 2025

We had a three hour tour of the city with Laura, who was extremely knowledgeable about her city. We could ask all the questions we wanted and moved at good speed to cover a lot of ground (historically.) Laura was punctual and very pleasant to spend the morning with. The best thing we did in Edinburgh. Highly recommended.A wonderful, patient and charismatic guide

Katherine🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alice)

10 September 2025

Alice is a wonderful storyteller. She captivated us with her animated tellings of some of Edinburgh's lore. She artfully wove history, legend, myth and place together into a highly compelling tapestry. We were entranced the entire time! I highly recommend this tour.HIghly captivating!

Retta🇺🇸 United States

(About local Svend-Erik)

8 September 2025

Svend’s love of Scotland’s history and culture really shines through on his walking tour. He is a wonderful storyteller and has a great sense of humor! We could’ve have walked and talked all day but we really did cover a lot of ground (historically and by foot) on our 3 hour tour. Wonderful walking tour!

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.

Jennifer

(About local Monica)

3 September 2025

Monica was brilliant! We had a fun afternoon exploring Edinburgh castle with her, learning about the castle’s fascinating history, tales of Edinburgh and Scotland. She also gave us helpful travel advice for our departure to the Highlands the next day. Her tour was a special treat. Fantastic historian and storyteller

Matt🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alice)

2 September 2025

We had a wonderful tour with Alice! She told us some amazing stories of Scotland which kept us entertained as we walked thru the old town seeing the sights. If you like a guide that keeps things interesting instead of sounding like a history book, pick Alice - you will have a great time!Wonderful Tour!

Melanda

(About local Alice)

30 August 2025

It was a great tour. Especially the storytelling part made the city come alive! Alice, you gave us a tour beyond expectation. Perfect tour!

Inga🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Alice)

29 August 2025

Alice did a fantastic job in showing us around, telling some stories and insiders and giving us a feeling of Edinburgh! We can fully recommend this tour and Alice as a tour guide created very enjoyable 4 hours Thank you!Fantastic insightful tour

dw7q4rhwwy Barbara, Miles, Paul & Graham🇺🇸 United States

(About local Laura)

27 August 2025

Laura knew her history and had witty observations.Enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly

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!

Suzanne🇺🇸 United States

(About local Alice)

23 August 2025

Wonderful Edinburgh city tour with Alice. She is extremely knowledgeable and funny and told some stories with great drama and enthusiasm. Totally recommend. Thank you so much, Alice.Excellent

Steven

(About local Russell)

23 August 2025

Our first day in Edinburgh was with Russell . He was fountain of knowledge that made our next week here much more enjoyable. He was full of interesting stories and antidotes as we moved through the old town. Highly recommend a tour with Russell.Great introduction to Edinburgh

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!

Intercontinental Hotel, George St.🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Laura)

19 August 2025

Laura was delightful, chatty and informative. A good balance between historical facts and information about Scotland and Edinburgh in particular. We did not feel rushed at any stage - she guided us around the castle, navigating "busy spots" and would answer any questions politely. Great fun! Chris Main, Melbourne AustraliaA Highlight of Our Time in Edinburgh!

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

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

clouser

(About local Russell)

14 August 2025

Russell was the perfect local. His knowledge of his hometown and Country was amazing. His way of explaining and allowing us to pick his mind for answers to many of our naive questions was exceptional. We can unconditionally recommend Russell. Wonderful time with a true Scottish local

Marissa🇺🇸 United States

(About local Oluf)

11 August 2025

We booked a private walking tour of Edinburgh with Oluf for our family and had a wonderful experience! From the start, when we were working out timing and details for the tour, he was very accommodating. We walked all over the city and he shared so much information with us. His depth of knowledge on Scotland and its history was incredible. We all got so much from the afternoon.A Wonderful Afternoon!

Danny🇺🇸 United States

(About local Laura)

10 August 2025

Laura was great. Her knowledge was boundless, and you could feel her passion in everything she said. Highly recommend!Laura was fantastic!

stacey

(About local Oluf)

9 August 2025

Olaf was a very informative and flexible tour guide. He took us to the must see sights, with interesting stories, as well as some local favorites. Our small group of 3 felt it was the perfect way to spend the morning in Edinburgh. Great tour with Olaf

Christine

(About local Monica)

8 August 2025

Tolle Führung, viele Infos, supernette Frau!Ein großartiges Erlebnis!