Little Fish Tours
ENTRY
from £10
WHERE
Edinburgh
What it’s like
Walking tours through Edinburgh's Old Town and Castle, on foot and standing for up to two hours at a stretch.
This one's less a ride and more a proper walk. Little Fish Tours runs three different walking tours around Edinburgh: an Old Town history and folklore tour, a Castle tour, and a whisky tasting evening one that's clearly aimed at the grown ups. The Old Town tour and the Castle tour are the two that'll actually work with kids in tow, both starting outside the Café Nero on the Royal Mile by the Adam Smith statue, easy enough to spot with the big green and white umbrellas.
Worth knowing before you commit: these are proper walks, not a stroll. The Old Town sits on an extinct volcano, so the routes are steep and the ground's uneven, and you're on your feet standing for the full two hours. That's fine for an older kid who can handle a decent walk and likes a bit of history and ghost story mixed in, but it'd be a hard shift with a toddler or a buggy. The Castle tour is the shorter option at an hour and a half, and it's a nice detail that they don't actually meet at the castle itself, since the castle won't let tour groups gather on the esplanade, so you start back at the statue instead.
Prices range from £10 for the Old Town tour up to £38 for the Castle tour, and there's a private tour option if you want the guide to yourselves, though that first hour will set you back £180. Tours run daily, with the Old Town going out at 10am and 2pm and the Castle tour adding a midday slot too.
The whisky tasting tour is a separate beast entirely, running in the evening and meeting at a café called Hot Toddy on Jeffrey Street rather than the Royal Mile. That one's not accessible by wheelchair either, on top of being a drinking tour.
Need to know
- Best for
- Older kids who can manage a two-hour walk on steep ground
- How long to allow
- Edinburgh Old Town Tour 2 hours, Castle Tour 1.5 hours, Whisky tour 2 hours
- You're standing for the whole two hours on the Old Town tour, so comfortable shoes matter more than you'd think.
- The Castle tour runs three times a day (10am, 12pm, 2pm), giving a bit more flexibility than the Old Town tour's two slots.
- The whisky tasting tour meets at a different location entirely (Hot Toddy on Jeffrey Street), not the Royal Mile start point.
- That venue for the whisky tour isn't wheelchair accessible.
Plan your visit
How much do the tours cost?
The Old Town tour is £10, the Castle tour is £38, and the whisky evening tour is £18. A private tour starts at £180 for the first hour.
How long do the tours last?
The Old Town and whisky tours both run for two hours. The Castle tour is shorter at an hour and a half.
Is this suitable for a toddler or a buggy?
It would be tough going. You are on your feet for the whole tour on steep, uneven ground, since Edinburgh's Old Town sits on an extinct volcano.
Where do the tours start?
The Old Town and Castle tours both start outside Café Nero on the Royal Mile, by the Adam Smith statue, under the green and white umbrellas. The whisky tour meets separately at Hot Toddy on Jeffrey Street.
Why doesn't the Castle tour actually meet at the castle?
Edinburgh Castle doesn't allow tour groups to gather on the esplanade, so the guides start you off at the Adam Smith statue instead.
Featured in 1 Huddlepin list
See all Steam Railways & Boat Trips in Edinburgh · Things to do in Edinburgh
MAKE A DAY OF IT
