Private Old Edinburgh Tour – Walk in the footsteps of Royals and Rogues!

Edinburgh’s Old Town is best understood on foot, one grim tale and crooked lane at a time. This private walk links Greyfriars Kirkyard, the Royal Mile, Cowgate, and Old College through stories of Mary, Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Robert Burns, Burke and Hare, and the city’s old execution sites.

I like two things right away: the route reaches places many city walks skip, especially Cowgate and the University of Edinburgh, and the guide uses old photographs and props instead of asking you to picture everything from a bare stone wall. Robert, a lifelong Edinburgh resident and teacher, is also known for tailoring the pace and subject matter to the group.

The main drawback is its focus. This is a history-heavy walk with grim subjects, steep Old Town streets, and no major indoor attraction included. At $117.84 for a private group listed as up to one person, the value depends on how much you want personal attention rather than a lower-cost group outing.

Key points to know before you book

• Greyfriars sets the mood: Begin inside the kirkyard with the competing versions of Greyfriars Bobby’s famous story.
• The route covers Edinburgh’s darker side: Former execution sites, Tolbooth Prison, Deacon Brodie, and Burke and Hare all feature.
• Archive images make the past easier to see: Robert uses photographs and other visual aids while explaining how places once looked.
• The pace is personal: This is a private activity, so you can ask questions, pause, and set a rhythm that suits your group.
• Cowgate gets proper attention: You will hear about life among Edinburgh’s Victorian poor in an area many walks pass by.
• The ending has a surprise: The final University of Edinburgh stop near Old College is tied to an explosive historical episode, literally.

Starting among the graves at Greyfriars Kirkyard

The walk begins just inside the main gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard on Greyfriars Place. This is a smart starting point because the graveyard gives you an immediate sense of Edinburgh’s older, more crowded character without requiring a long introduction.

Your first story concerns Greyfriars Bobby, the little dog associated with the kirkyard. The guide presents several versions of the tale and lets you decide what to make of them. That approach says a lot about the tour: it is not only a list of dates, but a conversation about the stories Edinburgh has chosen to preserve.

You spend about 15 minutes here, and admission is free. The surface may look simple, but the location helps set the tone for the rest of the walk. You are about to hear about loyalty, crime, punishment, royal conflict, and death, often within a few steps of ordinary modern streets.

Robert’s style appears especially suited to this opening. He is described as a lifelong citizen of Edinburgh and a teacher by trade, and his approach combines facts with humor. If you enjoy asking questions instead of listening to a fixed speech, the private format should work well.

Candlemaker Row and the Grassmarket’s darker stories

From Greyfriars, the route moves along Candlemaker Row toward the Grassmarket. You spend about 25 minutes in this part of the Old Town, learning about a major Scottish wedding and following the path of the pre-wedding party.

This section is useful because it moves you beyond the most familiar postcard view of Edinburgh. The Grassmarket is now an easy place to pause, eat, or admire the castle, but the tour places it inside the social and political life of an earlier city.

The route also covers three former execution sites and the location of the old Tolbooth Prison. These subjects are not treated as a quick collection of spooky anecdotes. They help explain how public punishment worked and how closely daily life, government, crime, and spectacle were once linked.

You should expect some grim material here. If you prefer a light architectural walk, this may feel too heavy. If you want the less polished side of Edinburgh, the Grassmarket section gives you plenty to think about.

One practical benefit is the flexible pace. The tour does not force you through a large group at a set speed. You can stop for a question, take in a view of Edinburgh Castle, or spend a little longer on a story that catches your interest.

The Royal Mile, from Mary to Deacon Brodie

The longest part of the walk lasts about 40 minutes and follows several points along the Royal Mile. This is the section where royal politics, local scandal, and everyday Old Town life come together.

You hear about where Mary, Queen of Scots spent part of her childhood, then visit a small courtyard with a royal connection. The route also introduces Deacon William Brodie, a respected cabinetmaker and civic figure whose double life ended with a hanging.

Brodie’s story works particularly well on a walking tour because the setting matters. Instead of hearing only about a notorious criminal, you are placed in the streets where status and reputation carried real weight. The contrast between public respectability and private wrongdoing gives the Royal Mile section a strong human focus.

The route continues with a short history of St Giles and the former Mercat Cross. The cross was an important civic site, and the guide connects it to Prince Charles Edward Stuart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. This is a useful moment for anyone trying to sort out the competing royal and political loyalties that shaped Scotland.

You also visit an old close, a narrow Old Town passage with an unusually memorable story. Archive images help here. Modern Edinburgh can make it hard to picture how dense and enclosed the city once was, but an old photograph gives you something concrete to compare with the street in front of you.

Do not expect a full visit inside St Giles or a long castle tour. Edinburgh Castle is seen from its hilltop position, and the focus remains on stories connected to streets and sites rather than on entering major attractions. That keeps the walk moving, but it also means you may want a separate visit to the castle and church.

Cowgate and the life of Edinburgh’s poor

The Cowgate stop lasts around 10 minutes, which is brief, but its subject adds needed balance. Here you learn about life among Edinburgh’s Victorian poor, an aspect of the city that can disappear behind royal names, grand buildings, and tourist shops.

Cowgate is often left out of shorter Old Town walks. Including it helps you see that Edinburgh was not only a city of monarchs, rebels, judges, and famous writers. It was also a hard place for ordinary people living with poverty and poor conditions.

The stop is less about a grand landmark than about social context. That makes it valuable, though you should not expect a long neighborhood visit. The guide uses the surrounding streets as a prompt for explaining how people lived, rather than presenting Cowgate as a polished attraction.

This is one reason the tour feels more rounded than a route devoted only to royal history. You get a look at the people below the level of courts and civic ceremony.

Burke, Hare, and the University of Edinburgh

The final major section takes about 30 minutes and includes two stops connected with the University of Edinburgh. The first concerns William Burke and William Hare, the notorious murderers who supplied bodies for medical study.

The guide explains how the pair operated, why they were able to kill so many people, and what happened to them afterward. This story connects crime with the rise of medical education and the demand for bodies, giving you more than a simple account of two criminals.

Because this is a walking tour, you encounter the story in the setting tied to it rather than in a museum display. Robert’s use of humor and props can help make such a grim topic easier to follow, though the subject remains unsettling. Families should decide for themselves if their children are comfortable with stories of murder and hanging.

You may also get a look at the guide’s traditional Highland outfit. Robert has been described as wearing a striking kilt, and that personal touch adds character without turning the walk into a costume show.

The final stop is near Old College, or inside it if access is available. The building looks impressive today, but the story attached to the site is more explosive than its formal exterior suggests. The exact historical episode is presented as a literal explosion, making this a memorable way to close the route.

This ending also leaves you near South Bridge, roughly ten minutes from where you started. It is a practical finish if you want to continue around the university area or return toward the Royal Mile.

Robert’s guiding style and the value of a private walk

Robert is the central part of the experience. He is described as a local who has lived in Edinburgh all his life and works as a teacher, which helps explain the mix of structure, storytelling, and humor. He has also been praised for asking about interests at the start and adjusting the walk to suit the group.

That matters more than it may seem. A private two-hour tour can become either a useful introduction or an overloaded history lecture. A guide who checks what you want to know can spend more time on royal history, crime, architecture, folklore, or daily life instead of treating every subject exactly the same.

The private format also means only your group participates. You can ask direct questions without worrying about holding up a large crowd, and you can set a comfortable pace. Several experiences described by past customers involved families, couples, and even a single person who ended up receiving a private walk when nobody else arrived.

Archive photographs are another strong feature. They give you a visual link between the current city and the older one. Props add a little theatrical flair, and Robert’s humor keeps the darker stories from becoming relentlessly bleak.

There is a small uncertainty to keep in mind: the guide may not be Robert on every date, and access to Old College may depend on whether it is open to the tour. The supplied information clearly identifies Robert, but booking details do not promise a named guide for every departure.

Is $117.84 good value for two hours?

The listed price is $117.84 per group, with the booking described as up to one person. That wording is unusual for a private experience, so check the final booking screen carefully if you are traveling with more than one person. The important value point is that you are paying for a private guide rather than a seat on a large group walk.

For one person, the price buys a tailored introduction to Edinburgh with no separate admission fees along the route. For a couple or small group, the cost can make more sense if the booking price remains per group rather than per person. You receive two hours of guided time, local interpretation, archive imagery, and a route covering several different parts of the Old Town.

I would not choose it mainly to save money. A regular group walk may cost less. I would choose it if you value personal questions, a slower pace, and stories that go beyond the most obvious Royal Mile stops.

The route also helps you make better use of your first time in Edinburgh. You finish near South Bridge, and the walk gives you enough context to decide which areas deserve a longer independent visit later.

Walking conditions and who will enjoy it most

You need a moderate level of physical fitness. The tour covers Old Town streets, including areas where the route may feel uneven or sloped, though the supplied information does not give a precise accessibility assessment. Wear comfortable shoes and leave room for pauses rather than treating the two hours as a race.

This is an outdoor experience and requires good weather. If poor weather causes cancellation, you are offered another date or a full refund. Edinburgh’s weather can change quickly, so a waterproof layer is a sensible part of your plan.

I would recommend this walk to:

• First-time visitors who want a clear Old Town orientation
• History fans who enjoy crime, punishment, royal politics, and local characters
• Couples and families who prefer a private pace
• People who want Cowgate and the university area included
• Anyone who likes visual aids and a guide with a playful sense of humor

I would be more cautious if you want to spend most of the time inside attractions, avoid grim subjects, or see every major Edinburgh landmark in detail. This is an interpretive street walk, not a castle ticket, museum visit, or broad city sightseeing tour.

Should you book the Old Edinburgh Tour?

Book it if you want Edinburgh explained through people and stories rather than only through monuments. The strongest reasons are the private format, Robert’s local and teaching background, the use of archive images, and the route’s attention to Cowgate, old closes, execution sites, and the university.

The tour is especially useful early in your stay. It gives you a sense of how the Royal Mile, Grassmarket, Greyfriars, and South Bridge fit together, while pointing out subjects you can explore later.

Skip it if your main goal is a low-cost group activity or a long indoor visit to Edinburgh Castle. But if you want a personal, story-led walk with a frank look at royal drama, poverty, crime, and local folklore, this is a strong two-hour introduction.

FAQ

Where does the tour begin?

It begins just inside the main gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard, Greyfriars Place, Edinburgh EH1 2QQ.

Where does the tour finish?

The usual ending is on South Bridge, about ten minutes from the starting point at Greyfriars Kirkyard.

How long does the tour last?

The walk lasts approximately two hours.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the activity.

Is admission to the stops included?

The listed stops have no admission charge. Old College may be visited inside if access is available, but the tour can also take place near Old College.

What happens if the weather is poor?

The experience requires good weather. If it is canceled because of poor weather, you are offered a different date or a full refund.