The Secrets of the Royal Mile tour, Edinburgh is 2 hours 15 minutes. Visit Edinburgh Castle and skip the line with your expert guide, walk straight over the drawbridge, straight past the ticket line – to continue your guided history tour.
Discover an Edinburgh beyond the reach of tour buses and guidebooks as you visit places where history was made – the wynds, closes, courtyards and homes of Edinburgh’s Old Town, as the true stories of the capital’s past unfold.
The characters: Mary Queen of Scots, David Hume, Adam Smith and Robert Burns. You'll go far beyond the well-known facts and faces – uncovering another side of the city, and Scotland’s past. From crime and culture to politics and everyday events, expertly told by your guide.
Tour Includes:
- 2 hours & 15 minutes
- Expert tour guide
- No queuing to get into Edinburgh Castle
- Walking tour around Edinburgh's Old Town
- 7 days a week
Expert Storytellers Mercat was founded by a history teacher, but you can forget the classroom. At the centre of everything we do is the art of a good story well told.
History is a damn good story. What it needs is a damn good telling.
We choose our guides for their enthusiasm and skill – and we never ask them to read from a script. Each one brings their own energy to the story, whether they’re telling you about Adam Smith, the father of economics – or the city’s rioters, rebels, torturers and murderers.
The stories are all true – and you won’t find any artificial ‘jump scares’ or tricks on our tours. With Mercat, we’ll take you deeper into the past than a bus tour or guidebook ever could. In the hands of our guides, we bring the city’s stories alive in rich, engaging detail. Whether you choose one of our history or ghost tours, you’ll see a side to Scotland’s capital that most visitors miss. The castle dominates Scotland’s capital city from its great rock. Battles and sieges were fought over it, royalty lived and died within its walls, and countless generations have been inspired by it.
Small Groups We limit our group sizes to an absolute maximum 30 people – so you can always hear the guide, and you’re always involved. It’s one of the reasons our guide’s get such consistently good feedback – and why we’ve won so many awards.
- The first 5-star walking tour company.
- 91% on VisitScotland
- Voted one of Scotland's top 11 attractions
It’s fair to say we know our stuff. We’re right at the centre of the Old Town’s restaurants, shops, hotels and bars – so a Mercat tour is the perfect way to explore another side of the city.
Daily Tours Mercat tours run every day, in all weathers and guaranteed departures.
When you book onto a Mercat tour, you’re going on a Mercat tour. No last minute cancellations. No minimum quotas.
- Children under 5, buggy`s and strollers are not permitted
- All persons under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult
- No minimum number of participants in order for this tour to run
- Tickets are limited. Book in advance to guarantee your place on your tour
- LGE voucher must be presented upon check-in and will be exchanged for your tour tickets. Failure to produce your LGE voucher may result in non-admission
- Any persons suspected to be under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances will be refused participation
- The meeting point for this tour is the Mercat Cross on The Royal Mile, EH1 1RF. Please arrive here 15 minutes before the start of your tour and check-in with a member of our on-street Visitor Services Team.
Tours are not available on 13th November and 7th, 24th, 25th, 26th December
Location
Address: 28 Blair Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1QRLuxury Gift Experience Recommends
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