Edinburgh Old Town Historic Tour
Walking tour of Edinburgh's Old Town by a born and bred local covering true historical events plus filming locations such as Outlander
Location
Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill Edinburgh EH1 2NG United KingdomRefund Policy
About this event
Edinburgh is a city with two faces, the wide windswept streets of the New Town built during the Georgian period; and the cramped Old Town which grew from the extinct rocky outcrop and down Castlehill into what became the Royal Mile which stretched from the Castle at one end to the Palace of Holyrood House at the other.
Beginning on the Castle Esplanade, our 3-hour tour will take you across the centuries from the birth of the Old Town to the present day. We will not only cover the key, historic events which took place in our glorious city, but also point out film locations for programmes and movies such as Outlander and Avengers: Infinity War.
- The role Edinburgh Castle played during our city's turbulent history including the Jacobite siege of 1745 plus other true stories of this most spectacular medieval fortress.
- The innocents executed on Castlehill under the Witchcraft Act of 1563 including Agnes Sampson and Geillis Duncan - the latter being the inspiration for the Outlander character.
- Stories about the historic buildings and closes (gated alleyways) which have defined our historic city.
- John Knox and the Reformation
- Edinburgh on the big and small screen - film locations for Outlander, Avengers: Infinity War and more
Frequently asked questions
Good question. The Thistle Street Bar plays host to thousands of visitors each year. Many of them would like to know more about Edinburgh. As the landlord was born here and is passionate about Scottish history the logical step was to start running our own historical tours.
Edinburgh's history can be incredibly dark so we would suggest that only children who are 12 years of age and over should attend and only if accompanied by an adult.
Please meet us 10 minutes before the start time of your tour on the south side of Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. This is our starting point. The tour will end around three hours later outside Holyrood Palace at the foot of the Royal Mile.
The total distance will be no more than 1.5 miles.
The tour will take around three hours from start to finish. However we can stop for toilet breaks if required at some of the friendly pubs and other venues along the way.
We would love to say yes, but the reality is that as we will be exploring narrow alleyways and cobbled streets which are not particularly stable in parts, we wouldn't recommend it to people who use a wheelchair.
Yes. We'll just take our time so that people with mobility issues can enjoy the tour as much as everyone else. Also, if we know in advance, we can bring hiking poles to make getting around a little easier. If you would like to request this just drop us an email to welcome@thistlestreetbar.com.
Our tours take place in all weathers so please choose appropriate clothing to match the conditions on the day of the tour. Your footwear should also be sturdy and comfortable enough to handle the cobbled and hilly streets of Edinburgh's Old Town - and waterproof it it's a wet day!
Edinburgh is a busy city and we want everyone who attends our tour to receive excellent value for money. For this reason, we keep our group numbers small with a maximum of 12 people at any one time.
Edinburgh is a major Scottish tourist attraction and as such can be very noisy. This is why we have invested in a TourTalk communication system. Each attendee is supplied with headphones so you will hear what your guide is saying quite clearly above the hustle and bustle.
Unfortunately not all the sites we visit on our walking tour are dog friendly so we admit assistance dogs only on our tours.
Yes, you can email us on welcome@thistlestreetbar.com and we will reply the same day.