Edinburgh Skip-the-Ticket-Line Castle Walking Tour
5
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*
Edinburgh Skip-the-Ticket-Line Castle Walking Tour
By SANDEMANs NEW Europe - Edinburgh
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About
With an inordinate amount of historic attractions to go see, you won’t want to waste any time during your vacation in Edinburgh. Save hours of waiting with a skip-the-line admission ticket to Edinburgh Castle, one of the Scottish capital’s most recognizable monuments. On a guided tour, discover secret histories and hidden details that you’d otherwise miss as you watch your guide bring the fortress’ history to life.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 25 per group
Duration: 1h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English, Spanish
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Highlights
- Save hours of waiting in line with skip-the-line entry to Edinburgh Castle
- Avoid the lines and head straight inside the UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Learn more about the castle's history on a guided tour
- Spend free time exploring the castle independently once the tour concludes
- Skip-the-ticket-line entrance to the Castle
- Local guide
- Entry/Admission - National War Museum of Scotland
What's not included- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Your tour of Edinburgh Castle begins at a central Edinburgh location, where you greet your guide and sail past long lines with a skip-the-line admission ticket. Having saved hours of waiting time, explore the grounds of the castle and visit curiosities such as the world’s smallest shrine and a cemetery reserved exclusively for dogs. Stroll through Crown Square, see the crown jewels of Scotland, and enrich your knowledge of Scottish military history in the National War Museum. Once your tour concludes, feel free to continue exploring the castle independently at your own pace.
- Start:
- Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UKYour Edinburgh Castle Walking Tour starts on 130 Royal Mile, on the corner with Stevenlaw’s Close (Please do not go straight to the castle). Look for our staff with red jackets and red umbrellas branded with SANDEMANs logos.
End:- Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, UKYour Edinburgh Castle Tour finishes inside the castle grounds.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6785EDICAST01- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travellers can participate
- Please be aware that Edinburgh Castle stays open until 5pm and your Castle Ticket is only valid on the day of purchase.
- Children (4 or under) can join the Edinburgh Castle Tour for free. We reserve the right to ask for a valid ID for children joining our tours.
- Our tour starts at 130 Royal Mile on the corner with Stevenlaw’s Close. We don't allow guests to join after the start time, and we don't allow guests to join the tour if they don't show up in our current start point at 130 High Street.
- The independent guides who employ us to market their tours have your best interests in mind; while the tour usually includes the sites & stories mentioned and lasts about 1.5 hours, your tour may vary depending on what your guide thinks is best for your group
- No bags or backpacks over 30L are permitted for security reasons
- Unfortunately, the steep hills and uneven ground mean that this tour is not suitable for pushchairs or those unable to walk unassisted
- Children under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travellers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6785EDICAST01
From
€49.00
per adult
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Itinerary
- Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UKYour Edinburgh Castle Walking Tour starts on 130 Royal Mile, on the corner with Stevenlaw’s Close (Please do not go straight to the castle). Look for our staff with red jackets and red umbrellas branded with SANDEMANs logos.
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- Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, UKYour Edinburgh Castle Tour finishes inside the castle grounds.
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Y5575WHannc0 contributionsA really interesting walking experience.Alisdair was a mine of really interesting information about Edinburgh and we learned so much more than if we'd walked around the town on our own. He made sure we were all kept safely together and answered all the questions the group had for him. This was a great way to spend a couple of hours and primed us well for the rest of our stay.Written 14 January 2025
- fee08080 contributionsGreat tour with GG's passion for Edinburgh and all things Scottish were infectious. He was extremely informative, animated and very interesting. We really enjoyed the tour and all he had to offer - it was freezing cold and the weather was atrocious but we enjoyed it enormously.Written 13 January 2025
- mark M0 contributionsThe Magic of Harry Potter brought to lifeWe had such fun on this Tour - David really brought the magic of the books to life and kept the tour interactive throughout - asking loads of questions and getting us involved. I would highly recommend this tour with DavidWritten 12 January 2025
- Happyhouse1010 contributionsBest curated walking tour yetLet me just start by saying it was incredibly cold! But that really just made the experience a bit more authentic. We were hosted by Alasdare (hope I spelt that correctly) who is an Edinburgh local was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. We started on the Royal Mile and ended behind the castle with the best views. Highly recommended tour. It also allows you to pay your donation in advance so no embarrassing exchange of cash at the end - which is really smart I think.Written 7 January 2025
- isabellefC4522YC0 contributionsGreat tourG was an amazing guide. Our group was fairly large but you could hear him clearly. G shared gruesome historical facts in a respectful way, and kept it lighthearted with a few jokes in between. Thank you G!Written 6 January 2025
- noname9148270 contributionsAmazing, would definitely recommendXander was amazing and very knowledgable. We had a great time on the tour and would highly recommend! He told us some fascinating facts about JK Rowling and where she got her inspiration for the books and some fun facts about the movies. We loved being sorted into houses and being quizzed as we walked around Edinburgh!Written 4 January 2025
- Barton4420 contributionsBrilliant BrianBrian was an excellent Tour guide, would recommend highly. Very knowledgeable, very personable and approachable. Thank you.Written 3 January 2025
- rebekahbD3353OO0 contributionsMagical Tour! 🧙🏼♂️Monique was an amazing tour guide!!!! She was very knowledgeable, considerate of the entire group, and gave great suggestions on where to go and eat around Edinburgh. I gained a lot of Harry Potter knowledge and had so much fun. An amazing tour for every Harry Potter fan!! I loved it.Written 31 December 2024
- craigbL592FT0 contributionsGreat guideOur guide G was very energetic and excited about leading our tour and downloading all his information! Thanks for making our trip to Edinburgh great!Written 30 December 2024
- karenaR2774CP0 contributionsA great way to get your bearings and tips on where to next- Tour guide GWe had the most informative and fun tour with the wonderful tour guide ‘G’. This being our 6th tour having undertaken an “introductory walk “ at many of the big cities of the world, we expected and were granted the same level of organised, professional and knowledgeable experience. G posses a great knowledge and imparts it with a flair that kept up entertained and engaged for the full experience. His love for Edinburgh was contagious and he provided lots of local insight and recommendations.Written 28 December 2024
- Dean R0 contributionsDeliciously dark tour of an alternative EdinburghSuch a great and informative tour of the alternate Edinburgh. Our guide, Niamh, was funny lovely and made a really memorable experienceWritten 20 December 2024
- ewwwi0 contributionsAmazing tour with AlasdairWas an amazing, great history and local info. Alasdair was amazing, best tour guide to date. He took us to see such beautiful scenes and made the whole tour very fun and interesting .Written 20 December 2024
- davidaQ1111DF0 contributionsEdinburgh’s Dark History - A Walking Tour Not To MissYou won’t want to miss this 2-hour walking tour if you want to learn about Edinburgh’s dark past. The guide, Alasdair, is really knowledgeable about Edinburgh’s history and brings it to life at each stop along the way with his amazing storytelling ability.Written 18 December 2024
- dashwoodt0 contributionsExcellent tour of the dark side of EdinburghExcellent tour, Alasdair was friendly and made the tour very enjoyable, was very knowledgeable about the old characters of EdinburghWritten 16 December 2024
- tracylgall0 contributionsExcellentThoroughly enjoyed this tour, our guide Joe was brilliant- humorous and entertaining. He gave lots of fun & interesting facts, told stories of what times were like in the old town and how the new town came about. Also gave recommendations of where to eat, drink & visit in Edinburgh. Highly recommend this tour & Joe!Written 9 December 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
1,017 reviews
Excellent
872
Very good
96
Average
25
Poor
10
Terrible
14
Wanda J
Marietta, GA160 contributions
Aug 2019
This was our 3rd day in Edinburgh and 2nd tour. Simon was our tour guide. The Fringe was going on so people were all over the place, so Simon took us some side places to avoid most of the heavy crowds. He was very informative and shared lots of information about Edinburgh, including Barry's Close, a comment or 2 about Harry Potter, the World's End restaurant. We ended up in the castle and he left us on our own. The view from the castle is one of the best I have ever seen. Absolutely breathtaking. Worth taking tour to find out some history! Thanks Simon, you were great.
Written 23 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cindy L
228 contributions
This tour is a must! You can visit the castle on your own but you won’t know what you are looking at or the history. Our tour guide was sooo good that people kept trying to join and listen in on our tour at the castle, she kept having to tell people that she was conducting a private tour. We highly recommend this tour!
Written 9 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
2 contributions
Feb 2020
Jule took good care of us! She brought the history of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Castle to life with lots of historical anecdotes. The Castle is like a small village. Jule’s stories gave us a great base so that we could go out on our own afterwards and better explore further. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Written 28 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Niamh M
4 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We visited Edinburgh Castle on a miserable, wet Monday afternoon but this didn’t put a dampener on our experience because Eva - our knowledgable and friendly tour guide - kept the energy up and told us all about the extraordinary history of Edinburgh Castle with a big smile. Would thoroughly recommend this tour, Eva is a great storyteller. She is from Germany but speaks better English than us Brits!
Written 25 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Don W
Cambridgeshire, UK11 contributions
We set my wife's parents up for this tour, and they loved it. They revelled in the history explained by their guide, and couldn't say enough about how they enjoyed it. Skipping the line meant they didn't have to stand and wait, and the focused attention of a small group tour was just what they wanted.
Written 19 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marnie W
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Couples
Alisdair was a fantastic host!! Can’t say enough good things about him he was extremely entertaining and certainly knew his history… wouldn’t hesitate to recommend! Just one comment regarding hook up you should mention a bar or store where meet up is … extremely difficult to find 130 High St.
Written 11 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ginny W
Jefferson City, MO10 contributions
I highly recommend seeing the castle on a tour. You learn so many more stories than if you wander around on your own. Alasdair did an excellent job of keeping our small group together in the crowds and making sure we could always hear him. And he is a good storyteller.
Written 1 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Olga G
7 contributions
Jan 2020
We took the castle tour immediately after the walking tour. Our guide on both tours was Angus, he gave us a lot of insight on the history and details of the castle with suggestions for further visit - unfortunately because of winter time it was quite short. But we had a great time and the castle was worth visiting despite challenging weather conditions.
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris G
Yellowknife, Canada11 contributions
Tour was easy to book and guide was easy to find as per instructions. Richard was great, knowledgeable and articulate. We booked the 2pm tour which left little light for wandering the various buildings afterward and photos. The tour was finished by 3:45ish.
However, the crowds were less and no line to see the Crown Jewels etc. I would recommend earlier in the day if you want more daylight to explore.
However, the crowds were less and no line to see the Crown Jewels etc. I would recommend earlier in the day if you want more daylight to explore.
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracy L
6 contributions
Dec 2019
Our guide, Fiona, is a clearly proud Scotswoman and kept us all entertained while giving an informative tour that didn't drag on. Meeting up was simple and the walk to the castle is scenic and beautiful. Plenty of time to take pictures and roam around on our own once the tour was complete. I noticed a lot of people milling about the castle bewildered and there isn't much historic information displayed so a tour is worth it. And we are not fans of tours so that's saying something! Museum is worth the visit as well! It is very windy at the top of the castle and probably easier to carry your children rather than bring the stroller. I heard that the gift shop is well worth the visit too with souvenirs one cannot find easily elsewhere in town.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can we use national trust card for entrance
Written 3 October 2020
Hi, what times do the tour start and we will get to chose our preferred time slot.
We have limited time so I wouldnt want to commit a day but not be able to do that time.
No info on times that I could find.
Thanks
Written 28 January 2020
The times for the Edinburgh Castle Walking Tour are 10am and 2pm. If purchasing through TripAdvisor I believe you have to click “check availability” and select the day you’re interested in to see what’s available for that day. Then you’d be able to select the time that works for you. I highly recommend 10am because after the tour you have the rest of the day to explore the castle grounds on your own and there’s SO much to see that you don’t go into or see on the tour. I believe the castle closed at 5 when I was there in December so I spent almost the whole day wandering through the shops and museums - it was great!
Written 29 January 2020
Was it really worth paying to skip the line? was there even a line to go in?
Written 11 October 2019
The fee is worth it as you enter the castle with a guide who can tell you a lot of good and interesting stories that you may otherwise not be aware of. The lines for tickets can be significant so if only for that reason, still good value for money.
Written 1 December 2019
HI..curious question. Next July, we're going on a cruise and one of the stops is Edinburgh. we're very interested in the Edinburgh Castle. Does anyone know if anyone in Edinburgh will pick us up from the ship and give us a tour of the castle. We're also interested in other sites of Edinburgh, but the Castle is #1. Thanks.
Written 16 September 2019
There are probably numerous outlets that offer ship-to-city tours, but here's one that might be what you're looking for: Go Scotland Tours, Shore Excursions/Edinburgh. I'm not allowed to insert a link, so you may need to go to the Go Scotland website and contact them directly. Or their phone is: 01315167721
Written 17 September 2019
so to get the audio you just need a smart phone yes?
Written 14 September 2019
Yes. It’s free! He has interviews with locals that give lots of info as well as his walking tours.
Written 15 September 2019
I would check with Viator as to when the calendar opens up beyond February. We booked our tickets about 3 months in advance.
Written 19 August 2019
Hello. I am planning to tour Edinburgh Castle w my family of 5. Does this Skip the line tour get us past both the ticket office line and past the regular entrance line? So we literally go right in?
Written 18 July 2019
We went right in! I will say, there wasn't a big line when we were there, though. I'd recommend booking the morning tour. We learned a lot.
Written 9 August 2019
If we book to go on the Edinburgh Castle tour, do we get a chance to walk around in the castle freely/at our leisure in case we want to spend longer looking at something we have seen or been told about by the guide, after the tour is over or do we have to come out immediately the tour has finished please?
Written 14 June 2019
We did not receive a confirmation email for our tour today - concerned about that as our card has been charged - scheduled for 2:00 Skip-the-line Edinburgh Castle tour - Is your office open? What is your local Edinburgh phone number?
Written 24 May 2019
I'm not the tourguide. I just took the tour.
Written 30 May 2019
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