Free Things To Do In Edinburgh

What Is It

• A ghostly guided walking tour of Edinburgh's Old Town.
• Move from street level down into the underground vaults.
• Learn Edinburgh's dark history from an English speaking guide and master storyteller.

What Will Do

• Walk the streets of Edinburgh on a ghostly guided tour.
• Listen to gruesome tales of torture and murder from your storyteller guide.
• See a hidden side of Edinburgh as you move from the old cobbled streets down underground to the vaults.

What Inclues

• A 1 hour guided walking tour.
• Entrance to Edinburgh's underground vaults.
• The dark history of Edinburgh as told by an English-speaking guide.

Travellers Talk

• A Very scary but enjoyable experience.
• A great way to experience Edinburgh's history!
• A Fascinating tour by a fantastic tour guide

Is It Right

• If you love giving yourself a scare and enjoy horror stories, this is the tour for you. It's equally good for those who love history, especially dark history!
• This is a walking tour so you need to be reasonably fit.
• Tours are not suitable for under 5's and the night tours are for adults only.

What Is It

• A 2 hour walking tour seeing the places that inspired J.K. Rowling to write Harry Potter.
• A must for true Harry Potter fans!
• Discover Edinburgh from a magical point of view.

What Will Do

• See the architecture that inspired Hogwarts and Diagon Alley.
• Visit the cafe where she wrote some of the Harry Potter books.
• Learn how Edinburgh's dark history inspired J.K. Rowling.

What Inclues

• 2 hour walking tour.
• Guided tour in English or Spanish
• Insight into JK Rowling's life in Edinburgh.

Travellers Talk

• Awesome time exploring Edinburgh learning about Harry potter. Things were pointed out we would have never found by ourselves. A must for any potter fan
• So knowledgeable and fun. My partner has never seen Harry Potter and even he enjoyed the tour!
• The HP tour was truly entertaining from beginning to end

Is It Right

• All Harry Potter bookworms, young or old, will enjoy this tour.
• Best for lover's of the books as the tour is about the author and where she found inspiration rather than the movies.
• Muggles will enjoy the tour of Edinburgh even if they have no idea about any of the Harry Potter storylines!

What Is It

• Fast track entry to the Royal Britannia Yacht " The floating Royal Palace!
• Learn the history of the ship in the visitor centre.
• Then step aboard and see what life was like onboard for the Royal Family as well as the crew.

What Will Do

• Learn the history of the ship through the handheld audio guide.
• See the State Drawing Room, the Queen's Bedroom, the Admiral's cabin and more.
• Go below deck to see the crews quarters and the engine room.

What Inclues

• Fast track entry to the visitor centre and yacht.
• Access to the Britannia's 5 decks.
• Handheld audio guide in 28 languages.

Travellers Talk

• Fantastic tour - well set up and organised.
• Excellent half day out, worth every penny of the admission fee
• It was fabulous had a real feel for how the Royals relax and entertain

Is It Right

• If you take an interest in the Royal Family, you'll enjoy this tour!
• Fun for the whole family.
• A good way to spend an enjoyable couple of hours on the coast.

What Is It

• Fast track entry to Edinburgh Castle.
• Explore the Royal Palace and grounds including the Crown Jewels exhibition at your own pace.
• Admire the panoramic views of Edinburgh.

What Will Do

• Take a free 1 hour long guided tour of the castle.
• Learn the history of the Scottish Monarchs
• See where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son.

What Inclues

• Fast track entry to the castle.
• 1 hour guided tour (on a first come, first served basis)
• Access to the on-site National War Museum.

Travellers Talk

• Edinburgh Castle is a "must-see attraction " when visiting the city. I highly recommend to take a tour.
• Certainly a must see, spent a good 3 hours here. The Scottish Crown Jewels and sword were awe inspiring and the views are breathtaking
• It is really the heart of the city, you don't want to miss this experience, but be ready to spend half a day there, it is huge!

Is It Right

• If you love history, royals, military, and sightseeing this is a ticket you don't want to miss out on!
• For for the whole family.
• This ticket does not include audio commentary and the guided tour is a first-come-first-served basis " If you want to get a comprehensive overview of Edinburgh castle a guided tour would be preferable rather than the standard entrance ticket.

What Is It

• A hop-on-hop-off bus tour of Edinburgh with 14 stops.
• 24 hour / 1 day unlimited access.
• The modern open-top buses have Wi-Fi access and audio guides.

What Will Do

• Move around all the key sights of Edinburgh hopping on and off the bus at 14 stops.
• Audio commentary via headphones ensures you know the sights that you're passing.
• Enjoy the panoramic views from the open-top deck and make use of the onboard Wi-Fi to upload your photos to social media instantly!

What Inclues

• 1 day / 24 ticket with unlimited hop-on-hop-off access.
• Headphones and audio commentary in 8 languages.
• Map and onboard Wi-Fi access.

Travellers Talk

• A grand day out!
• A wonderful way to see the highlights of the city.
• Informative and good value for money

Is It Right

• If you have enjoyed hop-on-hop-off bus tours in other cities, Edinburgh's version will also please you.
• Great for people who are limited on time and want to move around the city with ease.
• Suitable for the whole family including disabled visitors.

What Is It

• Holyrood House Palace is the official Scottish residence of Queen Elizabeth II.
• The grounds contain the iconic ruins of Holyrood Abbey.
• This entrance ticket includes an audio guide available in 9 languages.

What Will Do

• See the State Apartments where the Queen and the Royal Family stay when in Scotland on official matters..
• See the historic chambers of Mary Queen of Scots".
• See the iconic 12th century ruins of Holyrood Abbey and wander in the gardens.

What Inclues

• Entrance ticket to Holyrood House Palace
• Entrance to Holyrood Abbey ruins.
• Audio guide available in 8 languages.

Travellers Talk

• I thoroughly enjoyed the tour around Holyrood Palace and found it very interesting.
• The palace is beautiful. The tour uses hand held recorders but there are many staff available to answer any questions you might have.
• Beautiful castle, wonderful displays and ever-helpful and knowledgeable wardens.

Is It Right

• A must for those who love seeing inside 'real life " castles and palaces.
• Anyone with an interest in history and the Royal Family will enjoy this tour.
• Not suitable for photographers because photography is not permitted inside the palace rooms.

What Is It

• A full day tour to see the beauty of Scotland's dramatic scenery.
• Visit Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, and Glencoe.
• See small quaint villages plus iconic locations.

What Will Do

• Visit Loch Ness and take a cruise in search of Nessie, or explore the ruins of Urquhart Castle.
• Visit Glen Coe, the site of the 1692 massacre of the Clan MacDonald.
• See Highland Cows, mountains, bogs, moors, hills, lochs, and more!

What Inclues

• Full day trip by coach with local driver/guide.
• Live commentary onboard the air-conditioned coach.
• 12 hour round trip.

Travellers Talk

• Great value and a wonderful sightseeing trip, would do it again
• Loved the tour. The information provided by the tour guide was interesting and insightful
• The trip was amazing, we really enjoyed it and we learnt tons of new things about Scotland

Is It Right

• A great way to see the countryside and experience more of Scotland than just Edinburgh.
• A good introduction for those who are short on time but want to see Loch Ness and other places.
• The price does not include food or entrance fees so do take this into consideration if you're on a budget.

What Is It

• A thoroughly entertaining ghostly experience!
• A theatrical ghost bus ride & walking tour through Edinburgh's most haunted places
• Ghost stories galore to send shivers up your spine!

What Will Do

• Ride the only spooky black bus that survives from the Necropolis Bus Company.
• Learn about the grave robbers, plague victims, and ghosts of Edinburgh.
• Walk in the graveyards with your spooky storytelling conductor.

What Inclues

• Bus ride on a black vintage route master bus.
• Commentary in English.
• A theatrical walking tour.

Travellers Talk

• What an entertainment!!!! Loved it loved it loved it....So much fun and information at the same time.
• Mr Volvo was hysterical. Great tour. Enjoyable time
• It was amazing, from the minute we stepped on the bus until the end!

Is It Right

• If you want fun and laughter mixed with spine-tingling thrills, this is a tour for you.
• Good for those looking for an evening of fun.
• Not recommended for younger kids or those who hate horror stories!

What Is It

• A walk-through historical experience with actors, special effects, scenes, shows, and rides.
• 11 360-degree interactive shows.
• 2 fun & frightening underground rides.

What Will Do

• See, hear, touch, smell, and feel the dark side of Scotland's history.
• Walk through 11 interactive 360-degree shows as you uncover real-life ghost stories.
• Take a spooky boat ride into the lair of cannibal Sawney and scream with delight on the Drop Dead Drop Ride.

What Inclues

• Entrance to Edinburgh Dungeon experience.
• 2 thrill-tingling rides.
• 11 interactive shows to walk through.

Travellers Talk

• From beginning to end it was filled with tension, humour, frights, palpitations and nervous sweats!!
• A super experience for all, a must see and do when in Edinburgh.
• We had a fantastic time, great history, spooky stories and the vaults were amazing!

Is It Right

• A fun experience for those who love interactive tours and a fascination for horrible history.
• Not suitable for people with a nervous disposition.
• Not recommended for children under the age of 8 and not suitable for under 4's.

What Is It

• Access to the 17th century subterranean streets located below The Royal Mile.
• A fully narrated history tour.
• Costumed characters help bring history to life.

What Will Do

• Visit the pre-tour exhibition room to get a basic understanding of what you're about to see.
• Then, with your tour guide and other members of your group, make your way below ground to Mary King's Close.
• See the warren of streets and spaces and learn about the people who lived here and how the lanes came to be underground.

What Inclues

• Entrance ticket to the Real Mary King's Close tour.
• Access to the pre-tour exhibition room and gift shop.
• Guided tour in English or Spanish with audio guides available in other languages.

Travellers Talk

• Very interesting, especially for those who enjoy history.
• A very entertaining and informative hour with a delightful blend of facts and humour.
• So much information and context, you really get a feel for what it was like in that time period.

Is It Right

• An interesting tour for those who like history and sightseeing, learning about a city's past.
• Not suitable for wheelchair users and those with mobility issues due to uneven surfaces, low-level lighting, and steps.
• Although this tour is not intentionally scary, some young kids might find it so due to the location.