Guiding since 1947 • Patron: Lord Provost of Edinburgh

Edinburgh Festival Voluntary Guides Association

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EFVGA Private Tours
Photo:EFVGA

Walking tours of Edinburgh's historic districts – at a time which suits you best

Let us organise a tour especially for your organisation, group or family.

These private tours are led by the same expert local guides who lead our highly-praised free Royal Mile tours during the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe.

  • We can arrange a walking tour for your group at any time of the year.
  • These tours are suitable for conference delegates, cruise ship passengers, etc., as well as for smaller groups and families. (To keep things manageable, we normally split large groups among multiple guides, with each guide taking six to twelve people.)
  • Choose from one of the suggested itineraries listed below, or ask us to plan a route that matches your specific interests.
  • Although we will do our best to arrange your tour for the date that suits you best, this cannot always be guaranteed. It would help if you could give us at least two weeks notice and also if you could provide a choice of dates.

    • Cost and booking

    • All tours cost £6.50 per person (£3 for under-17s).
    • There is no charge for primary or secondary school groups (including teachers and other accompanying adults) from within the City of Edinburgh.
    • There are no hidden costs. Our guides are all volunteers who do not expect tips. The fees shown here all go towards the running of our association.
    • Please contact us when you are ready to book a tour or if you have any questions.

    Suggested itineraries

    We are completely flexible in the tours that we offer. The following are our most popular routes, but we are happy to vary these to meet your personal preferences or to include any particular sites that you would like to visit.

    Tours usually last about two hours.

    WALK 1: UPPER ROYAL MILE

    The original burgh of Edinburgh, including the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, Lawnmarket, Parliament Hall, City Chambers, Tron Kirk and John Knox House.

    WALK 2: LOWER ROYAL MILE

    The quieter eastern section of the Royal Mile (the old Canongate burgh), taking in Canongate Tolbooth, Canongate Kirk, the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

    WALK 3: ROYAL MILE HIGHLIGHTS

    Selected sites from the full length of the Royal Mile, from the castle at the top of the hill to the palace and the bottom.

    WALK 4: GRASSMARKET AND GREYFRIARS KIRK

    The Grassmarket is Edinburgh’s original marketplace and now, in the 21st century, one of the liveliest spots in the city. Greyfriars is one of the oldest churches in the city with many historic associations. Its adjacent kirk yard is the scene of the world-famous story of Greyfriars Bobby.

    WALK 5: EDINBURGH'S NEW TOWN

    The New Town (which in fact dates from the 18th Century) has some of the finest neo-classical and Georgian architecture in Britain and is considered a masterpiece of town planning. Our tour will show a selection of its many hundreds of historic buildings.

    Please contact us when you are ready to book a tour or if you have any questions.