Top 15 City Tours in Edinburgh

City Sightseeing Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour + Kids Go Free - Catching the bus at Waterloo Place and finding your stop

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,683 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.) · from $24Our pick

Hop-on hop-off Edinburgh bus with open-top views, 9-language audio, and Kids Go Free. 24-hour pass, 15 stops.

“Edinburgh is very walkable but this was an efficient way to get the lay of the land and an overview of the city sites. Be aware there are multiple sightseeing bus services available, so make sure you hop on the correct one. Also, the bus is only operating from 8:55am-5:05pm, so plan accordingly.”

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City of the Dead: The Double Dead Tour

2.City of the Dead: The Double Dead Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 900 reviews · 1 hour 45 minutes (approx.) · from $31Top rated

Double Dead Tour in Edinburgh links South Bridge Vaults with Greyfriars Kirkyard and Covenanters Prison, guided in English (about 1h45).

“I enjoyed it all, was nice to hear the history and see the sites at night , tour guide added a little humour which is always good”

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Underground City of the Dead Tour

3.Underground City of the Dead Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 272 reviews · 1 hour 20 minutes (approx.) · from $27

Explore Edinburgh’s haunted Underground City on a guided tour through the South Bridge Vaults, with history, chills, and a small group.

“We enjoyed the whole experience. Rebecca was an amazing host. We would recommend this tour to friends and family for their next holiday in edinburgh.”

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Edinburgh City Bike Tour – Choice of E-Bike or Manual

4.Edinburgh City Bike Tour – Choice of E-Bike or Manual

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 241 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $87

Choose an e-bike or manual bike on a 3.5-hour small-group ride through Edinburgh, from Union Canal to Leith and Portobello Beach.

“Stuart was essential to having fun during our adventure e-bike tour!! We loved everything about the biking tour, from the Meadow, Alexander's Seat (seeing deer), to the beach (which we love!) and all around Edinburgh! We learned a great deal while burning off calories and riding through Scotland's most beautiful places!!”

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City of the Dead Haunted Graveyard Tour

5.City of the Dead Haunted Graveyard Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 225 reviews · 1 hour 20 minutes (approx.) · from $27

Evening small-group haunted graveyard walk in Edinburgh. Visit Greyfriars Kirkyard and Covenantor's Prison with local guides, in English.

“Storytelling was fantastic!!! Our guide was a great host!! Great information about haunted Edinburgh!!”

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Big Bus Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off City and Britannia Bus Tour

6.Big Bus Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off City and Britannia Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 172 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.) · from $34

Ride Big Bus Edinburgh Hop-On Hop-Off with a 48-hour ticket, 9-language audio, and two routes linking key sights, including the Royal Yacht area.

“Excellent way to see Edinburgh. I did the entire bus trip in one day to get the lay of the land and see where everything was and then spent the next day walking around all of the interesting sites. The bus commentary was also very helpful and informative about all of the different locations.”

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City of the Dead Underground Vaults (Day)

7.City of the Dead Underground Vaults (Day)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 113 reviews · 1 hour 20 minutes (approx.) · from $27

Step into Edinburgh’s South Bridge Vaults for a 1h 20m lantern-lit ghost tour with a small-group guide, ages 12+, in English.

“On March 19th, 2025, our small lovely group led by charismatic guide Joshua descended into the dark and mysterious vaults of old Edinburgh. I was rather sceptical - until Joshua started telling us his bone-chilling stories, in the complete darkness, illuminated only by the faint light of a lantern. I still get goosebumps when I remember that strange sensation of being in the presence of something dead and ghostly! The frightening reality of the past intertwined with horror. A brilliant and fascinating tour, played out like a small performance. Bravo, Joshua! For the first time in many years, I went to bed that night with the lights on!”

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Private Edinburgh City Half-Day Tour

8.Private Edinburgh City Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $586

Private half-day Edinburgh tour in a VIP Mercedes, with hotel pickup, a focus on the Royal Mile, and flexible stops guided by Alan’s team.

“Paul was amazing! He got to our (private tour for my hubby and I) hotel a few minutes before our pickup time which is always nice because you can get started right away. The tour started before we even got in the van by providing us historical background on culture and land ownership. We drove to Dean Area and learned about the origins of stadium seating and some fun facts about golf. After a bit of exploring we moved on from there to many other wonderful sites. We did a lot of walking and with the private car it was easy to cover much of the town. Paul was funny…”

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Private Edinburgh City 4-Hour Guided Tour in a black cab LEVC TX

9.Private Edinburgh City 4-Hour Guided Tour in a black cab LEVC TX

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 61 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $592

Private 4-hour Edinburgh tour by black cab LEVC TX, with live guide commentary, photo stops, and an easy overview from Royal Mile to Calton Hill.

“Great tour, lovely experience! Very nice tour guide - went out of his way to make sure we were happy.”

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Private City Kickstart Tour: Edinburgh

10.Private City Kickstart Tour: Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 57 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $92

Private 90-minute Edinburgh intro with a local guide, hitting St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, and key sights, plus tailored tips.

“My adult daughters and I met Monica on June 17th, 2024, for the KickStart tour of Edinburgh, Scotland lasting 1 1/2 hours. Monica was delightful and very enthusiastic. She gave us a fantastic tour beginning in Old Town; relaying the key elements in the history of the city’s development and telling us interesting stories behind the monuments and sites we visited including some places that served as inspiration for JK Rowling’s HARRY POTTER book series. We were flying home that same day and were unable to take a longer tour; however we could easily have spent an entire day with her. Tour is a solid 5 stars. Terry S.”

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Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour with Live Guide

11.Edinburgh Hop-on Hop-off City Tour with Live Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 48 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $24

Live-guided hop-on hop-off loop through Edinburgh, linking New Town and Old Town stops, with WiFi onboard and easy Castle access.

“Upon asking when last bus was - was told 6:45 which is true unless you need to get from Rose street to Grassmarket. We ended up spending $10 in unplanned cab fare. Tour people were hard to hear and not funny at all. Boring which was unexpected and we had three. Try a red one.”

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Edinburgh Shore Excursion: City Tour and Royal Yacht Britannia

12.Edinburgh Shore Excursion: City Tour and Royal Yacht Britannia

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 41 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $92

Cruise-day Edinburgh tour with Royal Yacht Britannia, Holyroodhouse photo stop, and Edinburgh Castle, plus guided coach pickup and narration.

“We have been using Tour Services for over 30 years, this was the worst experience we’ve ever experienced.”

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Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh City one way Private Transfer

13.Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh City one way Private Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 30 reviews · 20 to 59 minutes (approx.) · from $151

Private Edinburgh Airport to city transfer for up to 8. Flight-tracked meet and greet, air-conditioned Wi-Fi ride, direct to your hotel.

“After traveling for 20 hours we were looking forward to our driver. The driver never showed up to pick us up from airport. We waited for an hour. We called the contact number on our voucher numerous times and no answer. It was a very disappointing experience.”

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Edinburgh Custom Private Tour with a Local, see the city unscripted

14.Edinburgh Custom Private Tour with a Local, see the city unscripted

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 29 reviews · 2 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $69

A customizable private walking tour of Edinburgh with a local host, from Royal Mile stories to Dean Village and Mary King’s Close.

“He was quite interesting, informative and friendly. His city knowledge was extensive and very useful. We shall return for a longer visit in this fine city.”

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