Best Tours and Day Trips from Edinburgh

Walking through the streets of Edinburgh is a mix between stepping back in time and entering a fairy tale. With these guided tours you will be able to discover the most fascinating corners of the city and its surroundings.

One of the main reasons why I fell in love with the city of Edinburgh is because of the stories of monsters, ghosts and murders that it has behind it. Surely if you take this tour through the old town of Edinburgh your guide will tell you how the mayor of the city was who inspired the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde or how advances in medicine went before the theft of corpses from the city cemetery.

This ghost bus tour of Edinburgh explores the darker side of the history of the city and includes stories of cannibals and dealings with the devil so it is not a suitable activity to do with children. Stories aside, you will also enjoy perfect views of the city and a pleasant bus ride through the streets.

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It was inevitable that in the capital of Scotland there would be a space reserved for the legendary Scotch whisky. This introductory tour to the world of whisky takes place every day at ten o'clock in the morning. On this guided tour you will skip the sightseeing in the city center and focus on the history of the national drink by touring a distillery and the world's largest collection of Scotch whisky. Of course, the final tasting is included.

The tour of this whisky museum lasts 50 minutes andcan be conducted in a total of 15 languages. Children under the age of 18 are allowed to enter the tour, but not the tasting of alcoholic beverages.

The museum is located next to Edinburgh Castle and the tour of the museum includes transportation in a mobile whiskey barrel through the facility. You will finish this tour knowing much more about the history of this drink and why it is so important in the country.

While with the Old Town tour you will discover stories of monsters and ghosts, during the New Town tour in English the expert guide will tell you about influential inventions such as the telephone or anesthesia, the Enlightenment period in Edinburgh or the abolition of slavery.

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Leaving Edinburgh without seeing the nature of the country is almost a sin. If the city has pleasantly surprised you (which it will), wait until you see the landscapes of the Highlands on this full day tour of Edinburgh's lochs and castles.

You will meet your driver and guide at a meeting point that will be communicated to you by email once you make your reservation. You will then travel by coach (or minibus) to the various key points on the tour itinerary.

Lovers of Scottish castles will be more than satisfied after this guided tour that would be very difficult to do on your own.

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What has the city of Edinburgh got to do with Harry Potter? Isn't London the setting for J.K. Rowling's books? Yes, but it is in Edinburgh that the author lived during one of the hardest periods of her life and it is there that she found inspiration for many of the names and locations that appear in her books.

Fans of the saga of the most famous wizard of all time will enjoy like children with the Harry Potter Edinburgh tour discovering how in the cemetery of the city there are tombstones with the names of many of the characters in the saga or how Edinburgh Castle looks suspiciously like Hogwarts.

You can enjoy this two-hour walking tour available in English, Spanish and German. A specialized guide will take the group to see the cafes where the author wrote her books and the places that inspired her.

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• Diagon Alley
• The name of Voldemort
• Hogwarts School
• The Quidditch Game

Every child has heard of the Loch Ness Monster and more than a few of them will stick their heads out of the car window as they drive through the Edinburgh Highlands in an attempt to find him. On this tour to Loch Ness and the surrounding area from Edinburgh you are not guaranteed to find the monster, but you are guaranteed to learn all about its history and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

The famous loch is located about three and a half hours from the Scottish capital and there is plenty to see along the way, which is why this tour lasts two days. Accommodation can be added to the tour for a surcharge or you can arrange your own.

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of the first day

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of the second day

The jewel in the crown of the city of Edinburgh is undoubtedly its majestic castle. This guided tour of Edinburgh Castle includes a guided visit to the castle without waiting in line and also includes a visit to the National Monument, St. Margaret's Chapel (which houses one of the few dog cemeteries in the world) and the National War Museum.

At the end of the tour, once you say goodbye to your guide, you can continue exploring the castle independently. The Edinburgh Castle tour is available in English, Spanish and German and lasts approximately one and a half hours.

You've probably seen clips of the bloody battles that shaped Scotland's history in TV series or movies; on this tour you'll learn how and where these battles took place. Get ready to go back a few centuries of history enjoying this tour for all ages with the best explanations and anecdotes.

There are sites such as Edinburgh Castle that you can also see on your own instead of on a guided tour. If you have just enough time, but you don't want to miss the main sites of the city, you can also make an independent visit by buying tickets for Edinburgh Castle without taking a guided tour. I tell you all about it here: Castle of Edinburgh Tickets.

Normally when you talk about a palace tour you don't imagine it to be situated on the water, but when you talk about the Royal Yacht Britannia the reference points change. For more than 40 years, this ship was the yacht of state of the British Royal Crown and today, by order of Elizabeth II, it has become a museum.

During the excursion to the Royal Yacht Britannia floating palace you will tour the five decks of the ship with the help of an audio guide in 15 languages that will tell you the history of personalities that have walked on it, including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela. You will also have access to the crew's quarters and see the furniture of the royal collection on board the ship.

The starting point will be the port of Leith, located 15 minutes away from the center of Edinburgh.

We could not miss in the list of best excursions and tours in Edinburgh and surroundings a gastronomic tour with food and drink tasting. This food tour with tasting in Edinburgh includes the services of an expert guide and during the tour you will visit some of the most famous pubs in the Scottish capital.

In addition to the food and its history, this food tour also visits the Morningside and Bruntsfield areas, so you will have the opportunity to learn more about the local culture of the city unlike other tours that focus only on food.

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