Free Walking tour Edinburgh | GuruWalk

What it’s like

Walking tours round Edinburgh's Old and New Town, with a Harry Potter trail and after-dark ghost walks on the list.

This is a walk round the city with someone who knows it, rather than a bus or a museum stop. The Harry Potter trail is the obvious one to save for last if you've got a kid who's read the books, tracing the streets that fed into the story. There's also a straight Old Town and Royal Mile route, a New Town and Dean Village one if you fancy something quieter, and a ghost walk for after dark if your crowd can handle a scare.

Tours run from 1.5 to 3 hours depending which one you pick, which is a fair stretch for younger legs, so the shorter option is worth thinking about if you've got a four or five-year-old in tow. It's all on foot at pavement pace, so buggies and pushchairs are going to have a harder time on cobbled streets like the Royal Mile.

It's billed as free, which is rare for a city tour and worth knowing before you plan the day's budget. There's no booking link listed, so the practical move is to just show up at wherever the tour starts.

Need to know

How long to allow

1.5 to 3 hours depending on tour

• The ghost walks run after dark, so better suited to older kids who won't be spooked witless.
• Tours are all on foot, with cobbled streets in the Old Town, so buggies will have a bumpy time of it.
• Pick the shorter tour length if you've got little legs along.

Plan your visit

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