About Our Castle Tour
This tour includes a little of The Royal Mile and a lot of The Castle. We meet on the Royal Mile and start by giving a little background history to Edinburgh, helping to put everything into context. While moving up to the castle esplanade you will learn about the history of Edinburgh Castle. You will also learn about the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and two of the most famous figures from Scottish history. These are of course, Robert the Bruce and Mel Gibson… I mean William Wallace!
Entering the Castle, we stop by the Argyle Battery where you will learn about the 1 o’clock gun. Moving on we head down to the Hospital Square where we get impressive views from the Western Panorama. Following on from this we will head up towards the castle barracks and prisoner of war camp. All of these areas have enthralling stories that only a guide can truly bring to life.
We then climb to the top of Castle Rock entering the medieval section of Edinburgh Castle. Here we see the oldest building in Edinburgh, St Margaret’s Chapel and Mons Meg, a monstrous canon.
The tour finishes in the Crown Square which is the heart of Edinburgh Castle. While here you will learn about the daring attacks against this iconic fortification.
Know Before You Go
THE ENTIRE TOUR TAKES PLACE OUTSIDE
What? Are we not entering the Castle?
Well, yes, but Edinburgh Castle is so much more than just a castle. It’s more like a small village behind the castle walls. We will enter the castle walls and take you through this village pointing out all the museums and attractions on the way. Once the tour is finished you will be able to enter the many buildings within the castle walls. Your guide will certainly be happy to advise on what to see inside them after your tour. As this tour takes place outside and happens year-round it is important that you dress for the weather.
LEAVE TIME AFTER THE TOUR TO EXPLORE THE CASTLE
The purpose of this tour is to guide you through the castle complex, helping you to understand the complex history. Our aim is to put everything into context so you can fully appreciate what you are seeing. At the end of the tour you will need time to go around and explore the various museums by yourself. It’s recommended you give yourself at least another hour to explore the castle at the end of the tour. The castle sits on one of the highest spots in Edinburgh and is often exposed to wind, rain and snow. The only time this tour will cancel is when the wind is blowing above 65kph (40mph) and the castle closes. On the rare occasions this happens we can either transfer your booking to another day or offer you a full refund.
IT’S ON A HILL
Edinburgh Castle sits on top of an extinct volcano. For the duration of this tour you will be walking uphill and at times on uneven ground. A moderate level of fitness is needed for this tour and it is not recommended for people with severe mobility issues. Edinburgh Castle does offer a mobility service if you are visiting the castle by yourself, however if you take advantage of this service, you will miss the bulk of the tour. We do not recommend joining our tour if you plan on using the mobility service.
NO BAGS OVER 30l OR DANGEROUS ITEMS
Edinburgh Castle is an active military base. For this reason, they do not allow big bags or dangerous items into the castle. There are baggage storage facilities in Waverley Station which is about a 5-minute walk from our start point.
