- 1.5 h
- 4 km
- Start Royal Academy. Finish Scottish Parliament. Moderate activity level. Stairs and uneven surfaces.
- Audio Tour
- 8.50 pp
- Purchase more than one and receive a discount
Have a listen
A self-guided walking audio tour in the atmospheric Old Town of Edinburgh.
You will explore the fascinating historical buildings that give the area its character, and admire award-winning contemporary architecture like the famous Scottish Parliament.
On this tour, you’ll meander through narrow closes, beneath stepped gables and turrets, pausing at breathtaking viewpoints. The narrator will also show you the easy-to-miss details on the buildings, and share old maps and drawings as you walk Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile.
- Audio
- 1.5h
Edinburgh’s Old Town Highlights
The Origin of Scottish Design
“Whether you are new to Edinburgh, or already know the city, you will get a huge amount from it.”
Highlights
- The oldest tenement on the Royal Mile
- An unusual, lesser-known side of the National Museum of Scotland
- The difficult-to-find Riddle’s Court, once a merchant's house
- The sweeping views from Victoria Terrace
- The (in)famous Scottish Parliament
How audio tours work
When you purchase directly from us, you donate £1 from every tour to the Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings.
- After you paid for the tour, you will receive an activation code by email, along with detailed instructions that follow below.
- To go out and do the tour, all you need is a free audio tour VoiceMap app for iPhones and Android devices. Install it on your smartphone via Apple AppStore or Google Play's store.
- Find your tour in the app by entering your code that you received in the email from us.
- Download the tour to your fully charged smartphone. The audio will be available offline along with an offline map.
- Fetch some earphones and explore with our guide in your ear.
- The tours are location aware, so you will hear directions and stories as you move.
- Pause anytime in wonderful cafes and shops, and take as many pictures as you please!
More about the audio tour in Edinburgh Old Town
Along the way, we will answer questions like:
- Is the Old Town really that old?
- Which medieval Scottish castles inspired Victorian buildings in Edinburgh?
- Why did construction of the Scottish Parliament go ten times over budget?
The Old Town is the most popular attraction in Edinburgh. It contains the oldest buildings in the city and is steeped in fascinating and complex history. Hence, one can truly feel the medieval spirit of the burgh on the walking tour amongst the countless turrets and gables.
Royal Burgh of Edinburgh
Established as a royal burgh in 1125, Edinburgh has developed from a fortress into a market town of half-timbered houses. However, these were later superseded by less fire prone stone buildings, some of which have survived since 15th century.
The tall tenements grew in height and density as a result of enclosing the city with defensive walls.
The hidden castles
This Edinburgh Old Town tour will start on the Mound, with a jaw-dropping sight of the dense Old town tenements perched on the slopes of the Royal Mile. We will walk through the elegant serpentine Cockburn street, under the multitude of crow stepped gables and turrets. Here, we will learn how the political alliances influenced Scottish Baronial architecture.
Royal Mile and its closes
While on the Royal Mile, your audio guide will narrate the story of the city’s landmark and the oldest building on the street – St Giles Cathedral. Around the corner, you will discover the national museum inspired by Corbusian geometries and Iron Age Pictish structures.
Canongate and Scottish Parliament
Next, to seek out the oldest remaining tenements and houses, you will explore a sequence of atmospheric alleys, courtyards and terraces.
The walk will take you down the Royal Mile into Canongate, previously a separate burgh built up with nobles’ mansions, where we will admire some elegant contemporary student housing.
At last, you will savour the story of the controversial postmodern Arts & Crafts building – the Scottish Parliament.
More about the audio tour in Edinburgh Old Town
Along the way, we will answer questions like:
- Is the Old Town really that old?
- Which medieval Scottish castles inspired Victorian buildings in Edinburgh?
- Why did construction of the Scottish Parliament go ten times over budget?
The Old Town is the most popular attraction in Edinburgh. It contains the oldest buildings in the city and is steeped in fascinating and complex history. Hence, one can truly feel the medieval spirit of the burgh on the walking tour amongst the countless turrets and gables.
Royal Burgh of Edinburgh
Established as a royal burgh in 1125, Edinburgh has developed from a fortress into a market town of half-timbered houses. However, these were later superseded by less fire prone stone buildings, some of which have survived since 15th century.
The tall tenements grew in height and density as a result of enclosing the city with defensive walls.
The hidden castles
This Edinburgh Old Town tour will start on the Mound, with a jaw-dropping sight of the dense Old town tenements perched on the slopes of the Royal Mile. We will walk through the elegant serpentine Cockburn street, under the multitude of crow stepped gables and turrets. Here, we will learn how the political alliances influenced Scottish Baronial architecture.
Royal Mile and its closes
While on the Royal Mile, your audio guide will narrate the story of the city’s landmark and the oldest building on the street – St Giles Cathedral. Around the corner, you will discover the national museum inspired by Corbusian geometries and Iron Age Pictish structures.
Canongate and Scottish Parliament
Next, to seek out the oldest remaining tenements and houses, you will explore a sequence of atmospheric alleys, courtyards and terraces.
The walk will take you down the Royal Mile into Canongate, previously a separate burgh built up with nobles’ mansions, where we will admire some elegant contemporary student housing.
At last, you will savour the story of the controversial postmodern Arts & Crafts building – the Scottish Parliament.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, we offer private walking tours guided by a local architect, for groups of up to 30 people.
Absolutely, if you are curious about cities and culture, an architecture tour will reveal lots of insights about Edinburgh.
Yes, except Dean Village where the audio tour passes through a cemetery.
After you paid for the tour, you will receive an activation code by email, along with detailed instructions.
To go out and do the tour, all you need is a free audio tour VoiceMap app for iPhones and Android devices. Install it on your smartphone via Apple AppStore or Google Play’s store.
Once purchased, Edinburgh audio tours are not refundable. However, your ticket will be valid indefinitely, so you can take the tour at any date, gift it to someone else, or enjoy a virtual tour.
The audio tour is available in English. Guided tours for private groups are also available in French.
On most audio tours of Edinburgh, we climb from 20 to a 100 steps. Our flattest walking audio tour is in the New Town.
Yes, but for the optimal experience and understanding of the content we recommend following a preset order.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, we offer private walking tours guided by a local architect, for groups of up to 30 people.
Absolutely, if you are curious about cities and culture, an architecture tour will reveal lots of insights about Edinburgh.
Yes, except Dean Village where the audio tour passes through a cemetery.
After you paid for the tour, you will receive an activation code by email, along with detailed instructions.
To go out and do the tour, all you need is a free audio tour VoiceMap app for iPhones and Android devices. Install it on your smartphone via Apple AppStore or Google Play’s store.
Once purchased, Edinburgh audio tours are not refundable. However, your ticket will be valid indefinitely, so you can take the tour at any date, gift it to someone else, or enjoy a virtual tour.
The audio tour is available in English. Guided tours for private groups are also available in French.
On most audio tours of Edinburgh, we climb from 20 to a 100 steps. Our flattest walking audio tour is in the New Town.
Yes, but for the optimal experience and understanding of the content we recommend following a preset order.