Join an expert local guide for a 1.5-hour skip-the-line tour of the iconic Edinburgh Castle! Visit the must-see sites inside the castle walls, hear the extraordinary tales of defense and conquest, and enjoy the spectacular views across Edinburgh and South East Scotland.
Your Edinburgh Castle Tour meets outside Frankie and Benny’s at 130 High Street and finishes inside the castle grounds.
A Scottish national treasure
Your expert local guide will begin by walking you up the Royal Mile, the only way to access the otherwise impenetrable Edinburgh Castle. No trip to Scotland is complete without visiting the castle, but its popularity has grown so much in recent years that getting tickets has become much harder. Luckily, your ticket for the SANDEMANs NEW Edinburgh Castle Tour not only includes a ticket, but also skip-the-line entrance!
A proud and bloody history
Perched on top of the extinct volcano Castle Rock, this dramatic setting means the Edinburgh Castle has seemingly impenetrable cliffs on three sides. Yet this castle, one of the oldest continuously habited castles in the world, has been conquered several times throughout history, and parts of it have even been destroyed. Your tour guide will bring all of these incredible stories to life, while showing you the must-see sites like Mons Meg Cannon and the National War Museum and War Memorial.
Find the must-see sites, or stay a little longer
With your Edinburgh Castle tour, your expert guide will ensure that you don’t miss any of the crucial elements of the castle, however, your ticket for the castle allows you to stay right through to closing time, so if you want to continue to explore the many memorials and museums that exist within Scotland’s number one tourist attraction, you’re more than welcome to do so!
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
All minors must be accompanied by an adult in order to join the tour
Please be aware that Edinburgh Castle stays open until 5pm and your Castle ticket is only valid on the day of purchase
Children between the ages of 5 and 15 pay £21, children under the age of 5 join free
Unfortunately, the steep hills and uneven ground mean that this tour is not suitable for pushchairs or those unable to walk unassisted
No bags or backpacks over 30L are permitted for security reasons
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Customer reviews
Best way to visit the castle
We did the walking tour with Richard and had a great experience! We can highly reccommend going with a guide to visit the castle, it really brings the place to life! Richard was very informative and kept a good pace. I really liked his style and the stories that he shared with us. Make sure you leave enough time after the tour to explore the different museums inside the castles. We were short on time and we had to rush off after the tour but would have been nice to explore more on our own.
I recommend the walking tour of Edinburgh Castle. Wear comfortable walking shoes! When the weather is nice, as it was the day we visited in July, the views from the battlements are very nice. We enjoyed our guide's fun and informative presentation.Thanks, Alasdair, for a lovely introduction to Edinburgh Castle.
The Sandemans tour was a great way to see Edinburgh Castle. Richard our tour guide, showed great passion and knowledge of the castle and Scottish history which brought every thing to life. A great experience.
We took a tour of Edinburgh Castle with Sarah this morning. Her knowledge and enthusiasm made the tour come alive. She is to be congratulated. Anyone having the opportunity to do a tour with her should grab it.
We joined the 10am Castle tour hosted by Greg and what a fabulous, knowledgeable, fun, tour guide he was. We were treated to a brief overview of Scottish history from 12th Centuary which included a recital of Scottish poetry and a folksong. Brilliant, really enjoyable and bought the history of Edinburgh Castle to life. I would recommend this tour to anyone.
Rain or shine, all of our tours run as scheduled. Book your place online to guarantee your spot!
Where the famous FREE Tour gives you a good overview of the city, the themed select tours give you a more in-depth look at some of the most fascinating periods or neighbourhoods of Edinburgh.
We believe in supporting local communities and are committed to giving a voice to some of Edinburgh's best local freelance tour guides, who passionately share the city's history and culture with their own unique and always-entertaining style.
Enjoy a comprehensive overview of Edinburgh's fascinating history and must-see sites with your priva ...
Info & Booking £ 180
Participation in tours promoted by SANDEMANs NEW Europe is strictly on a voluntary basis. Neither SANDEMANs NEW Europe, nor the self-employed freelance guides who are the providers of the tours promoted by SANDEMANs NEW Europe, will be held responsible in any way for injuries to body or property incurred during tours. The tour guides reserve the right to deny participation in any tour, to any person, for any reason. Thank you for your understanding.
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