Experience Skip the line tours in the best of
Edinburgh with Withlocals

"Xavier was an engaging and knowledgeable guide who shared interesting historical facts and brought some of the castle’s stories to life. He provided a good introduction to Edinburgh Castle and its history, leaving me well prepared to continue exploring the grounds independently after the tour. An enjoyable experience!"

"Monica was absolutely outstanding. She was incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and engaging from beginning to end. What really set her apart was the way she told Edinburgh’s history in a clear, accurate, chronological way, so everything connected and made sense rather than feeling like a collection of random facts. Her stories were fascinating, memorable, and always grounded in the history of the places we were seeing. She has a wonderful ability to bring people, events, and different periods of Edinburgh’s past to life while keeping the tour easy to follow and enjoyable. She was also warm, approachable, and a pleasure to spend time with. We came away feeling that we had learned a tremendous amount while also having a genuinely fun experience. Monica is exactly what you hope for in a private guide, and we would recommend her without hesitation."

"It was a pleasure touring Edinburgh Castle with Alice. She told stories that helped us to understand not only the importance of this castle to Scotland’s history, but also the general history of Scotland. In fact, it helped me to connect the dots with other details we had heard the day before on a group tour that couldn’t be as personalized. I love being able to weave the timelines and stories together. Most importantly, I appreciated how Alice made sure to check in with my daughter, who can be very sensitive to scary stories, before proceeding with the more grizzly details. She told stories in just the right way for our whole family to enjoy! Highly recommended Alice."

"We had a great tour of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and Castle with Alice, who is a warm, entertaining, and fun tour guide. Highly recommend. "

"We would highly recommend Monica! Great guide - funny and entertaining- and she *really* knew her history! Made our visit to the Castle very memorable!"

"We had an absolutely fantastic tour of Edinburgh Castle, all thanks to our incredible guide, Alice.She provided deep historical context that really brought the castle's past to life. Instead of just listing dry facts, Alice delivered the history through enthusiastic and engaging storytelling that kept us captivated the entire time - even in challenging weather! If you are visiting the castle, I highly recommend booking a tour with Alice!"

"If only history teachers could learn to tell stories like Alice maybe I would have excelled more in school! We toured Edinburgh Castle, while learning the rich history of the royals there: the good, the bad, and the gory. The time flew and despite there being huge crowds around us, I never really felt like I was in a tourist trap (as is often the case during tours). If you enjoy history told in stories rather than timelines and droll facts, then Alice is your match!"

"Monica was incredible from start to finish! Not only was she accommodating through my crazy schedule She was so knowledgeable and asked questions to tailor our experience. 10+ stars. Thank you Monica! "

"Alice was so knowledgeable as she toured us around. She had fun stories to accompany all of our stops and was an energetic storyteller. She made it memorable! "

"We had a grand time with Laura on our tour of Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile. Great stories about the characters and historical events. Entertaining and fun. Highly recommend!"