Edinburgh Walking & Free Tours — Royal Mile, Old Town & Comedy Compared
The Old Town is best seen on foot: choose a guided Royal Mile walk, a tip-based free tour to test the waters, the Royal Mile Mysteries tour, or the comedy tour for a lighter take on the city's history.
Available
3 options
Avg. rating
4.6 - 1,824 reviews
From
$30 GBP
Cancellation
Free up to 24h before
Walking & Free Tours: what to know before booking
The Old Town is best seen on foot: choose a guided Royal Mile walk, a tip-based free tour to test the waters, the Royal Mile Mysteries tour, or the comedy tour for a lighter take on the city's history.
- Availability
- 3 ticket options compared
- Starting price
- Tickets currently start around $30 GBP before checkout fees.
- Rating signal
- Compared options average 4.6 stars across 1,824 traveler reviews.
- Location
- Old Town meeting points along the Royal Mile, typically near the Castle esplanade, St Giles' Cathedral, or Mercat Cross
- Best time
- Morning walks are quieter; book popular free-tour slots ahead in summer and festival season
- Ticket note
- Date- and time-specific; arrive 10–15 minutes before the meeting time
Walking & Free Tours in Edinburgh
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Everything you should know before you book
Edinburgh's Old Town packs centuries of history into one downhill mile, and a walking tour is the way to read it. Guided Royal Mile walks cover St Giles' Cathedral, the closes, and the stories behind the Tolbooth and Mercat Cross, while tip-based free tours give the same history at pay-what-you-like — a good way to test a guide before committing. The Royal Mile Mysteries tour leans into the darker folklore, and the comedy tour swaps po-faced facts for laughs.
Free tours are genuinely free to book but tip-based, so carry cash for the guide at the end. They run rain or shine and cover a lot of ground in around two hours. If you'd rather have a guide to yourselves or a set route, a paid guided walk or the comedy tour gives more structure. All of these start in the Old Town within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Frequently asked questions
Are the free walking tours actually free?
They're free to book and run on a tip basis — you pay the guide what you think the tour was worth at the end. Carrying some cash is the polite way to do it.
How long is an Edinburgh walking tour?
Most run about 1.5 to 2 hours on foot through the Old Town, covering the Royal Mile, the closes, and the major landmarks at an easy pace.
What's the Edinburgh comedy tour like?
It's a walking tour that swaps straight history for jokes and storytelling — a lighter, more entertaining take on the city, best for adults and older children who want the sights with laughs.