Private City Kickstart Tour: Edinburgh
Overview
Available languages
1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Receive a warm welcome to Edinburgh on a private tour that will kick off your time in the city in the best way possible! In only 90 minutes, a local guide will get you acquainted with Edinburgh to help you enjoy the rest of your stay to the fullest.
Discover where to find Edinburgh Castle and St. Giles Cathedral and how to explore them away from the crowds. And what about that unique family owned restaurant or that amazing local hotspot? We got you covered; the local guides are experts in the subject! Forget about touristy traps; on this city kickstart tour, your guide will point you in the right direction.
Private City Kickstart Tour: Edinburgh is one of Withlocals' signature tours available in major cities worldwide. We work with passionate local guides who earn a fair fee. We support local economies by only offering local produce and prevent over-tourism with only small non-intrusive groups. Our tours are carbon-neutral and away from the standard tourist routes.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Private tour: only you & your local guide
Post Covid-19 regulations are applied to this product with regards to the number of participants, delivery methods of the tour and content of the tour.
What To Expect
St Giles' Cathedral
St. Giles Cathedral is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Castle
The edifice known as Edinburgh Castle was built during the 12th century and sits on an extinct volcano which is called Castle Rock.
Options
Private Tour
Short description: See the main highlights & hear the stories behind them while you stroll through Edinburgh with a local guide
What‘s Included
Local Tips and Tricks
City Orientation
Private Tour
Local Guide
Hotel pick-up and drop off
Food & beverages
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
57 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Perfect walking tour
Chris C,Jun 12, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Alec was informative and funny. It was perfect for us since we only had one day. He told some great stories.
Great tour guide and experience!
Kenneth M,Apr 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Chris is an awesome guide! He's extremely knowledgeable and engaging. He gave me a lot of great tips for my stay as well. Be sure to take this tour as soon as you get to Edinburgh and not at the end.
We booked the quick start tour of Edinburgh.
sven b,Feb 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We booked the quick start tour of Edinburgh. It was great how Laura told us the beautiful story of Edinburgh and guided us through the city. We can 100% recommend Laura
Great way to start Edinburgh trip
Mary G,Jan 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Don’t hesitate if you are thinking of booking the city kickstarter tour. ALEC personalized our tour and it met our needs perfectly. I highly recommend both him and this tour on your arrival to Edinburgh. My granddaughter and myself are thankful to have done this. Thank you again, Alec.
Monica was lovely. ...
Jenny M,Dec 31, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Monica was lovely. Knowledgeable and so personable. We live Viator and this was a great way to see so much of the city quickly, privately and tailored to our needs.
Alex is a ‘Must-book’
70Pascal,Dec 19, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Alec is simply amazing and a real source of information! We really enjoyed our walk along the Royal Mile, looking at lots of details and getting funny and interesting insights about Edinburgh sights. We absolutely would not have missed this and we would book him again immediately for a next time. In fact, we will definitely do that when we come back to visit the Highlands!
Edinburgh with Alec
Y8202PMsimonh,Dec 16, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We took a 90 minute tour with Alec which was a great introduction to the city Alec has an amazing depth of knowledge relating to the history of the city and he was happy to share this with us. I would highly recommend him and will certainly book him again on my return.
A fantastic introduction to Edinburgh !
Jessica A,Oct 22, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00My family and I (6 adults) booked this tour for our first day in Edinburgh to get our bearings and to get ideas for the rest of our trip. Our tour guide, Russell, was fantastic! He was super knowledgeable and funny. He took us to all the major sites while giving us the history and answering any questions we had. His humor kept us engaged, which was necessary as we were all tired from our travels. Following the tour, he gave us recommendations for places to visit both in Edinburgh and outside of town as well as recommendations of where to eat traditional Scottish food. I would absolutely recommend booking this tour!
Fabulous start to an amazig city!
E1872JOelizabethz,Sep 3, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We only had an hour and a half tour booked with Alec, which he extended an extra 15 minutes......yet the wealth of information that was intriguing, enlightening, and comical in that brief time was so extensive and interesting that I wrote probably my longest ever Facebook post describing our experience. If you have only a short time, Alec will give you a jam packed experience. We were only there for one day as a cruise ship port, but Alec showed us such a taste of Edinburgh's rich history and colored past that it is the one port we want to return to and spend a week....and when we do we'll book Alec again and do a much longer tour!
Edinburgh in July - Thank you, Monica!
jeffjohnsonfb2887,Aug 22, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had the privilege of taking a tour of Edinburgh with Monica in July. We enjoyed it very much. She is a very knowledgeable and quick to answer any questions we had about the Edinburgh. We would definitely meet Monica again for a future tour and maybe tour another area of beautiful Edinburgh. Thank you for great recommendations as well! We tried the Cullen Skink it was delicious!!
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