£570

Pay a deposit of 20%

Tour Details

  • Duration 8 Hours
  • Departs from Glasgow
  • Departs 9:00 am
  • Returns 5:00 pm (approx)

What’s included

Not included

  • Entrance to attractions

  • Lunch

  • Optional gratuitues

Our service

  • Book direct for the best rate

  • We operate all our own tours

  • Guaranteed tour departure

  • Reschedule at any time if your plans change

  • Fully transferable, secure deposit

  • Instant confirmation of your booking

  • Customisable itineraries and flexible routes
  • We’ll plant a tree to offset the carbon footprint of your tour

Our private tour of Edinburgh from Glasgow takes in the historic Capital City of Scotland and offers a wealth of things to see in a day. After leaving Glasgow we’ll join ‘The Royal Route’, passing interesting landmarks before arriving at the Forth Bridge and the gateway to Edinburgh. Then we’ll continue for an informative and entertaining discovery tour of Edinburgh in your luxury tour van and on foot.

The city offers a seemingly endless collection of things to explore including the medieval old town, Georgian new town, mighty castle and docklands area. Learn why Edinburgh is called the 7 hill city, see some of the famous views and explore local areas that are off the beaten track.


Each one of our private tours is conducted in our premium Mercedes minivans, ensuring your comfort as we venture along the small cobbled streets around Edinburgh and narrow back roads of the highlands.

Your knowledgable kilt-wearing private tour guide will tell you the stories and show you the sights on this tour. We offer flexibility and your time inside and outside the vehicle is up to you.

RECOMMENDED SIGHTS ON THIS TOUR …
The road to Edinburgh

During the drive to Edinburgh, we will pass the iconic Kelpies statues at Falkirk and Linlithgow Palace, which has a magnificent position on Linlithgow Loch. We will then arrive at our first stop, the Forth Bridges View Point. Then, we will continue on into the city for an in-depth tour.

Edinburgh New Town

This tour begins in the New Town of Edinburgh, which was built in the late Georgian period in part to relieve the city’s overpopulation and partly to provide an enlightened city to live in. We’ll travel to Calton Hill to see the world-famous view over the city and Castle. Calton Hill has some quirky architecture including the unfinished National Monument of Scotland.

Edinburgh Old Town

Learn about the effects of the Black Death, the great fire and the developments that led the world to the modern age on this comprehensive tour of Edinburgh’s medieval old city and dark history.

During our visit, we’ll explore much of The Royal Mile, which runs from the Castle to the Palace and runs through the heart of Edinburgh’s old town. We’ll go to St Giles Cathedral and explore the closes (alleys) of Edinburgh, and learn about its history, folklore and stories from long ago.

As the former hanger of Edinburgh’s criminals, the Grassmarket has a sinister past. Your guide will tell you about numerous famous stories regarding executions in the Grassmarket area, including Maggie Dickson’s story, as you climb the ‘Vennel’ and enjoy a unique view of Edinburgh Castle as well as the remains of the Flodden Wall.

Edinburgh is famously the inspiration for Harry Potter. Victoria Street is the inspiration for Diagon Alley and the perfect place to buy a new wand! Victoria Street is a winding cobbled street bordered by eclectic and colourful shops.

Edinburgh Castle

As we walk along the castle Esplanade the castle comes into view. This is where the Military Tattoo is performed every year in August as part of the Edinburgh Festival.

There are lots of historic buildings at the castle, the oldest one is St Margaret’s Chapel, built by King David I to commemorate his mother in the 11th century. The Scottish National War Memorial is the castles newest building, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer and completed in 1927.

As part of James IV’s extensive building work at the castle, the Royal Apartments and Great Hall were used as a royal palace by the Stewart monarchs until 1603.

The Honours of Scotland – the Scottish crown jewels are housed the Palace Crown Room alongside the Stone of Scone. Edward I of England removed the Stone in 1296 and took it to Westminster Abbey but it was returned to Scotland in 1996.

As part of the castle’s military heritage, there is a small, mostly ceremonial garrison. Ceremonially, a gun is fired from the castle rampart at one o’clock every day as an immortal timepiece for the city.

Grassmarket

From its sinister past to modern day leisure destination, there are many famous stories about executions that your guide will recite as we walk through this popular area.

Canongate

At the bottom of the Royal Mile stands Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the monarchy in Scotland. Discover its fascinating history from Mary Queen of Scots to Jacobite occupation and its role in modern royal life.

The modernist Scottish parliament building stands in stark contrast to the Palace across the road and is home to the devolved Scottish national government. Learn about the controversial architecture of this building, how it came to be what it is today and why these buildings are located where they are today.

Arthur’s Seat

Arthur’s seat is the dramatic volcanic ‘plug’ mountain that can be seen from all corners of the city. If open, we will drive round Queens Drive that circumnavigates Arthur’s seat that offers fantastic views over and beyond Edinburgh.

Leith

Although technically an independent town, Leith’s extensive docks offer cobbled lanes, old tramways, surprising architecture, and historic bond warehouses that evoke the past of this bustling port in many ways. As you stroll along The Shore’s old canal, imagine what this busy port must have been like.

Off the beaten trail

On this trip we will also have the opportunity to get of the normal tourist route and explore some of our favourite Edinburgh enclaves. See where people live and how the history that makes Edinburgh famous extends to these areas.

At the end of the day it’s time to return west to Glasgow.

October 11, 2021 8:34 pm
  • Distance Instructions

Tour Gallery

Places this tour visits

No two private tours are the same, but these are popular places to see on this Edinburgh Explorer Private tour from Glasgow

Recent Customer Testimonials

  • Nancy F

    The perfect introduction to the city and enough history for us to feel much more grounded when we explored on our own the next day. Also covered more sites in one morning than we could possibly have done in our short time.

    Published On: September 9, 2019
  • Rebecca W

    Private whisky tour is the way to go! Alexander did a zoom meeting to get exactly what we wanted and then tailored a 6 day, 5 night trip exactly to what we wanted and what we didn't know to ask for! 3 nights in Islay with a variety of tours [...]

    Published On: June 17, 2022
  • Erza M

    I splurged on the Mary Queen of Scots Private tour for my birthday. What a special treat! I had the pleasure of enjoying this trip privately on my own with my guide Hazel who was very friendly and informative throughout the entire day. It was really nice to have her [...]

    Published On: August 17, 2022
  • Emma N

    I’d highly recommend Experienced Tours. It’s a brilliant way to see Scotland the way you want to with a personalised tour.I thought they were very reasonably priced too. We’ll definitely be using them next time we’re back over this way.

    Published On: August 9, 2018

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