7 Alternative Ways To See the Best of Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a small city, so if you’re short on time you can easily hit the highlights in a day – a job best done from the seat of a classic MINI Cooper. These private tours are customisable, so you can head straight to whichever sights you most want to see, whether that’s Edinburgh Castle or the unmissable views from Arthur’s Seat. Let your guide lead you to local haunts that few tourists would find and make sure you leave time to explore the coastal neighbourhood of Leith – the home of Scotland’s oldest pub – before rounding off the day with a traditional Scottish meal.

See a gruesome side of this picturesque city from the top deck of a vintage double-decker bus. As you wind your way along Edinburgh’s cobbled streets, your guide will introduce you to creepy characters like Half-Hangit Maggie and two cadaver-stealing gravediggers, while telling chilling tales of witch hunts in the 16th century. See a different side to famous landmarks like Edinburgh Castle and peek at Greyfriars Kirk as night falls – one of Britain’s most haunted spots. It’s said to be plagued by a violent poltergeist who stalks the gravestones after dark.

Edinburgh is famed for its annual Fringe Festival, and its comedy clubs helped to launch the careers of comics like Jo Brand and Graham Norton – both of whom were on-stage regulars before their big breaks. Dip your toe into the city’s comedy scene by swapping your usual Old Town tour guide for a kilt-wearing Scottish comedian who will lead you around sights like the Royal Mile and Mercat Cross (a medieval trading spot that was the site of royal proclamations and punishments). Don’t expect dry historic details, but do expect to learn plenty of Scottish slang and laugh until your sides are sore.

This jogging tour of the city zips between highlights like Holyrood Park and Edinburgh’s Old Town in roughly two hours; it’s perfect if you hate the idea of skipping the gym or want to maximise sightseeing time. Take in the elegant 18th-century architecture of the New Town and catch your breath at the top of Calton Hill, where your efforts will be rewarded with sweeping panoramas over the city. Reluctant runners, don’t be put off – the guides are energetic, but the leisurely pace of the tour means you don’t need to be in the midst of marathon training to keep up.

In the 17th century, Mary King’s Close was once one of Edinburgh’s busiest thoroughfares. To explore it, however, you’ll need to head below the cobbled streets of the Royal Mile, where it was buried for centuries. On this theatrical tour, you’ll be led along underground alleyways and through houses, giving you a unique glimpse of life on the close 400 years ago. With plenty of myths and legends thrown in for good measure (and a costumed character as your guide), it’s the most evocative way to delve into the city’s past.

There’s hardly a better way for Potterheads to spend an afternoon than on a tour of the spots that inspired the best-selling book series in history. JK Rowling famously penned the seven Harry Potter books while living in Edinburgh and based some of their most iconic settings – like Diagon Alley and even Hogwarts itself – on real-life locations around the city. See Lord Voldemort’s burial place in Greyfriars Kirk and the hotels and cafés that were Rowling’s favourite writing spots. Plus, hear how the city’s history of magic helped her to dream up the details of the wizarding world.

If you’re intrigued by the scientific side of history, this tour should be at the top of your Edinburgh bucket list. Your guide, Dr Sujai Kumar, will lead you along a fascinating route that encompasses spots like the Old College of the University of Edinburgh (once home to Charles Darwin), the old medical school and the National Museum of Scotland. Dr Kumar’s enthusiasm for the unusual and the world changing is infectious, and his seemingly endless repertoire of facts add colour and humour to tales of Einstein, Nobel Prize-winner Peter Higgs and Dolly – a local sheep that helped shape the field of genetics.