I did Sandeman's free Edinburgh walking tour which was a great way to get oriented in the city and learn about its history and culture. Our guide, Rory, is a local and has a PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh, so you're getting a perfect mix of academic depth and genuine, lived-in perspective. Over about 2.5 hours, he brought the Old Town to life through its architecture, layers of religious history, and the cultural shifts that shaped what Edinburgh is today. We also walked along the charming Victoria street which was rumored to be the inspiration for Harry Potter's Diagon Alley. Rory was incredibly knowledgeable and kept the whole group engaged the entire time. If you're visiting Edinburgh and love history, culture, and architecture, this tour is 100% worth your time. read more

See all

As a solo woman in my thirties, I wasn't sure what to expect from this Harry Potter Tour, but it was fun, educational, and inspiring! Jen Cresswell, our tour guide, was engaging, knowledgeable, and her enthusiasm was contagious! There was a good combination of Edinburgh history and Harry Potter/JK Rowling facts. Also, in comparison to other tours, this tour didn't include as much walking. If you have time to kill in Edinburgh, I highly suggest it! You can see some of this tour in my Edinburgh travel YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qLiFyK2xuY&t=7s https://www.neweuropetours.eu/jen-cresswell-booking-page/?fbclid=IwAR3lrnNKoUEZsQ5zgeMjdktXA3VCZxY2W2THGHPej50d7c2-9ihOzwyvrTA read more

See all

Our guide Alasdair really made this experience special. He had a way of keeping the entire group engaged while also making it feel like I was just hanging out with a good friend. Without being overly theatrical or dramatic, he exuded both the gravity and humor that these dark stories deserve. He added his own local's touch to make me feel like I was really getting an insider's view of the city. I really appreciated his collection of crazy stories and interesting spaces. read more

Sandeman's New Edinburgh Tours - Guide Alasdair describing the view on Calton Hill - Walking Tours Near Me

I took the Edinburgh dark side tour and it was great! Heard some fascinating stories and learned a lot. The tours are available in multiple languages. It took me up calton hill, the royal mile, some graveyards, and more. read more

Free? Yes, it's free. So the thing I wondered about a free tour was if it was worth my time and effort. So I showed up a little cynical and figured I would only stick around for a few minutes. Even for a Saturday morning, the crowd was pretty big. At least 150 or so people waiting. They quickly spun off the Spanish-speakers into one group and then passed out numbered tickets to everyone. These were used to cut down the large crowd into smaller groups of 25 or so for each tour guide. When my number was called, I followed Matt and a crowd of other people to a nearby spot. Matt kept up a great patter with lots of interesting tidbits about the tour. He wasn't obvious about the money thing other than a brief explanation at the beginning and then we were off on our tour. We stopped at a dozen or so spots, where Matt would speak in a loud voice to the group, interspersing facts with his own stories about Edinburgh. He was friendly and engaging, and before I knew it, our three hour tour was complete. We'd stopped in a bunch of great places - Grassmarket, Victoria Terrace, the Greyfriars Kirk and more - each time with a good amount of detail and history. Matt did a great job and since each of the tour guides was wearing a bright red t-shirt and followed mostly the same path and found the same ending - Princes Garden. I could see that most of the groups finished with the same 25 or so, which means that they too were enjoying the tour. I wished I had done this on the first day that I arrived as opposed to waiting until the third day. I would have liked to take the Ghost tour with them or Saturday night's pub crawl, both of which sounded really interesting. Next time. At the end, Matt made another brief mention about him not being paid by Sandeman's, but by us tourists as tips. I had no problem handing him some money - he earned it! So a big thumbs up for the Sandeman's tour. If I'm in another city where they offer these tours, I'll absolutely use them. And also a big shout out to my boy Matt. Great job, man! Freedom! read more

Quite a lot of things to do in Edinburgh can be complete tourist traps and if you don't know the city you might find yourself paying more than you expect for a guided tour, that's why Sandeman's New Edinburgh Tours are fantastic to know about. This tour will lead you through Edinburgh's meandering streets and tell you a lot about the history that you might not know if you're just walking around yourself. There are stacks of stops on the tour including Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh University, Tron Kirk and much more plus you will find out information about grave diggers Burke and Hare and witch burnings too. The best thing about this tour is that it's absolutely FREE, that's right, you don't have to pay a penny. Well... at least not until the end when you're obliged to leave a tip for the tour guide. Leave as much as you want to and even if you give £5 it's still so much less than other tours in the city and for three hours it fills a whole afternoon too that you would probably have spent on some other tourist attraction or drinking coffee and eating cake in Starbucks. Whether you're a tourist or a local this tour is great and even if you do feel that you know the city pretty well you might find out some interesting facts and if you've got nothing better to do for three hours it's a great way to spend an afternoon. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic so this tour will never be dull, just make sure you wear comfortable shoes as there's three hours worth of walking/standing involved. The free tour meets everyday at the Starbucks by the Tron Kirk on High Street. There are three tours per day and the meeting times are 11am, 1pm and 3pm. The tour ends in Princes Street Gardens so it's a good location to browse after the tour. These tours really are fab and they're not just in Edinburgh either, I've also been on these free tours in Berlin and Munich so whatever city you find yourself look up Sandeman's New Europe Tours as there may be one in the city you're visiting and who can resist a freebie? read more

Sandeman's New Edinburgh Tours - http://www.newedinburghtours.com - Walking Tours Near Me

See all

Did the free walking tour with Alastair as the group's guide. He was great - hilarious, friendly, and knowledgeable. The whole tour lasted three hours and you tip whatever you want, so it's definitely worth your money! The tour covers just the Old Town area, but you learn a lot about Edinburgh's history. For Harry Potter fans, the tour also covers pretty much all of the sights/places that were supposedly linked to the creation of Harry Potter. I was planning to do a HP tour (also with Sandeman's) separately, but Alastair was completely honest and said that his tour would cover most of it. I did some Googling and he was right. Would totally recommend for first-time visitors to Edinburgh that are interested in the city's vibrant history! read more

Awesome free tour of Edinburgh and highly recommend. This is our second tour with this company (we also recently done one in Paris) and they are just great tours generally. Make sure to reserve online and make sure to bring cash for tipping at the end of the tour. Meeting point is outside the Starbucks on the Royal Mile. Make sure to get there 15 minutes or so before the tour is set to start, as tours can fill up. Our guide, Richard James, although Welsh, has been a resident of the area for 10 years and studied British history at university, and was very knowledgable. Just as important, he has a great ability to tell a good tale and keep the attention of a large and a diverse group of English speaking tourists. Remember they work for tips, so tip well if you end up enjoying the tour as much as I did. Would highly recommend! read more

We had the greatest time on the Darkside Walking Tour in old town Edinburgh w/ tour guide, Angus. We had been in Edinburgh for one day, had walked the Royal Mile, toured the Edinburgh Castle, but still didn't feel like we saw much of this great city. We got to see a lot of cool places we wouldn't normally see and view many landmarks that he was able to describe. We met the group at a central location. There were about 15 in the group and it was very easy to hear and understand Angus, who was extremely entertaining. The tour was not too spooky - more fun storytelling. We enjoyed it greatly and would highly recommend to other travelers! read more

Can't say enough about how great Paula was as our guide. We had terrific weather, and everyone was in a good mood, and she gave us so much great information. It was just the right pace, and everything was like a story. I wish I had recorded some of them to share with my family. I left a 10 pound tip, hope that was enough?? As an American I struggle with the money. I saw all kinds of things I wanted to see, learned so much, and would definitely do again next place I go. Good for kids, too. read more

I highly recommend taking Sandeman's free tour of Edinburgh. Our tour guide was Fiona, and she was incredible! She was knowledgeable, funny, and entertaining. I don't want to spoil the fun stories and little surprises (especially for Harry Potter fans) that you get during the tour, but I will say that the overview you get of Old Town, Edinburgh is great. Because it's free, tips are encouraged at the end, and the guides definitely deserve it. This tour was better than some tours that I've paid upfront for. My friends and I loved it so much that we decided to go on the paid castle tour with Sandeman's (25 pounds) later that day. Our guide for this tour was Jen, who was good and informative, but the tour covered less than we expected. During the tour, we just walked around on the grounds of the castle, but it was only after the tour that we got to look around inside the buildings and look at the beautiful view. read more

I did the free tour with Sandeman as my first thing on the first day I was here. Tour guides are fantastic and work for tips - so they're committed to keeping you engaged and interested throughout, so you will tip them as much as possible by the end to repay their work. The tour spanned ~2.5 hours if I recall right, and covered all of the major sights in Old Town. Fantastic. I loved this free tour so much that I subsequently signed up for the Castle Tour the same afternoon. So much history, but told by such terrifically engaging tour guides. I'm terrible with names, but did my free tour with a Hufflepuff, and my Castle tour with a red-haired Scottish chap. Both fantastic. Would highly recommend doing your city tours with Sandemans and no one else. read more

Jen was a great city guide!! So knowledgeable and funny. Thank you for a wonderful introduction to your beautiful city!!

While in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK during the Spring of 2016 I heard about free tours that were available with Sandeman tours. This company exists in other countries and I believe they even have an outlet in NYC. But I am only reviewing my experience in Edinburgh, and it was a positive one. I had been warned to be careful because it was just a come one and they'd heard-sell me on their paid tours and bring us by expensive eateries where they get kick-backs. This was not the case at all. The thing that stood out to me most was how knowledgeable and passionate the tour guide was. And this was no quick 10 minute presentation. This was in depth, informative and fun. We did stop to grab a snack but we really needed the break by then and the place was reasonably priced, clean and pleasant. Once the tour was over I was all too happy to sign on and pay for an even more extensive tour with them. There was no hard sell at all. The guide mentioned the fact that there was a discount available to anyone who signed up through him on the same day, and it was never brought up again unless someone asked questions. Of course he also mentioned tipping him, but he earned those coins like a boss! I can't believe how much they packed into a free tour. Later in the week I joined them again for a very enjoyable and exhaustive bus tour of the countryside. The way these guides know the area you'd swear they had PhD's in the subject. Just wonderful - and very reasonably priced too. The folks that I encountered through Sandeman were easily the nicest people I met the entire time I was in Edinburgh. Highly recommended. read more

Australian Dave did an amazing job! He was entertaining and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the tour immensely! read more

Sandeman's New Edinburgh Tours - Walking Tours Near Me

Great tour guide, loved the tour, even if it was in the pouring rain.

Highly recommend. First, let me say that the weather could not be worse and the tour guide (Allistair) pushed through it and made it such an awesome tour that I stood there in soaked but completely forgot it was raining because I was so entertained. My friend and I took the Dark Side tour in Edinburgh. It was really educational and I loved how much we got to see during the tour. Be prepared to do some walking. It was also extremely inexpensive. He even paused for a few minutes so you can get some really nice pictures of the city. There are a lot more tours that sandermans offers but I didn't get a chance to do. read more

A little secret for all your travellers going on the cheap: there is an official Free Tour being set up in many big European cities. Don't be fooled by other proclaiming "free tours". This one is official and professional, the guides are trained very well and take you on very long entertaining but also educational walks through the city. And yes it is free. So how does it work? Tips! At the end of the tour if you are satisfied you tip your guide. Be warned at high peak tourist seasons these tours tend to be a lot of people. You can also book a private tour as well (check out their website for more details). After living in Edinburgh for three years I decided to take the opportunity of a friend's visit to try out this tour. I was so amazed by how well organised it was, how lovely our guide was and all the stuff I learnt on Edinburgh! Be warned though: this is not a free ride for all. At the beginning of each tour, other than your guide, there is another person from their office counting heads of attendants. For each tour participants your guide has to give a certain amount of money back to the company, and whatever is left he or she gets to keep. The tour is long and well worth it, and surely you can part a few pounds for your guide instead of buying another latte later. Would recommend this tour to anyone visiting or living in the City and wants a good tour of all the highlights. read more

This company run tours in most of Europe's capitals, with the unique selling point of making them entirely free (sort of). I have particularly fond memories of being on their New Berlin Tour a year or two ago, and trying to find a suitable place to sneak off after 3 hours of cold, rain, and the guide's dulcet tones got just a bit too much. Being a less sprawling metropolis, Edinburgh's version is thankfully a bit shorter, yet the cold, rain and dulcet tones are now joined by the biting coastal wind that's a permanent feature of the city, so you'll still spend most of the tour in appalling discomfort. As for content, it's basically just all the usual tourist stops, which are fascinating for actual tourists but less so when you see them every day. It's still nice to learn a bit more about the history of the city and it's landmarks though, and while the guides lack the humour and showmanship of their ghost walk competitors, I have to admire their knowledge and interest in their work. It gets a bit awkward at the end when the guide goes cap in hand and sacrifices their dignity to beg for tips. A fiver is fair enough, but I literally couldn't believe the nerve of a few charlatans who tossed shrapnel at the poor girl as if she were a beggar. She sort of was, but that isn't the point. I seriously hope this isn't the only money these people get, as a few coins a day doesn't go too far round about here. read more

Edinburgh in itself is a gorgeous city, but having navigated through Old Town with the help of our wonderful guide, Jen, made us appreciate it so much more than if we had gone around on our own. She is very knowledgeable of the city and the history of Scotland, and she even spared a few minutes to chat with me after the tour had ended! I learned a lot of extra tidbits! Amazing tour, amazing guide, amazing city! read more

This was our second Sandeman's Tour and it was as good as the first one (in Prague). The concept is easy: they market the tour as free but at the end you tip your guide as much as you think the tour was worth. Our guide, I have forgotten her name - I'm so sorry! She was American with an unpronounceable surname and very loud (her words not mine!) Anyway, she was a really good guide. Half American, half Scottish and really knew her stuff. She made the tour interesting, funny and before we knew it we had walked around a large part of the old city. The sites that are visited are in the old city, and she took us to some places you wouldn't naturally come across (she took us down certain "closes" - the alleyways with stairs that you see so many of in Edinburgh - to show us courtyards with interesting stories etc). The group was a decent size - not too many so we couldn't hear (she spoke loud enough and clear enough for us all to hear). The thing with Sandeman's is that you WANT to pay them at the end. The tour lasted about 2.5 hours and is an excellent way to start your trip: you get a brief idea of your surroundings and can pick things to go back to and visit in more detail. 5 out of 5! read more

I'm going to average this to four stars. The free tour - 5 stars! Tour guide was Alan (Who looked like a pirate, no joke) and was a great storyteller. He went through all of the big attractions of Edinburgh and their history, making it all very fun and exciting. The paid Dark Side tour - 3 stars. This one was of the dark side of Edinburgh's history. The tour itself was fine but the tour guide was not that good. He simply had a loud voice (He was Aussie) rather than being a great tour guide or storyteller. It sounded like he was reading from a script and somehow even his jokes sounded like they were from the script. So average of 4 stars. Do the free tour definitely and then ask who the tour guide is for the Dark Side. read more

This was our second Sandeman's tour and we enjoyed it just as much as the first (London). Our tour guide was Paula and she was very good. She spoke loud and clear and was great at story-telling. It's nice to get a walk through the city as our first activity with a guide and then branch out on your own. I think Stephanie O. is referring to Paula in her review... And I have to agree that she was funny and made the tour interesting. It is nice that you set your own price (a.k.a. Tip). I typically tipped what I thought a regular tour would cost on average--comparing with other walking tours. These guys do a great job so tip them accordingly! I would definitely recommend these tours. In fact, I think it's the first thing you should do when you get to a city where they are available! read more

Meh. This tour takes you pretty much to the main attractions. It didn't leave me breathless, but it was alright. It was free, so I suppose I had built up a great image in my head but wasn't especially impressed. It was alright...! Good value!! read more

Every Sandeman New Europe Tour operation is a classy act, and this one is no different. The free walking tour was great, full of knowledge, the tour guides welcome your challenging questions and takes you to the nooks and cranny that most tours don't. The pub crawl was basically pays for itself with all of the free drinks and drink specials but be warned if you drink every drink special and have a drink at every location you will be feeling it by the last stop. The Ghost tour was well done, but it was more of a bloody journey of Edinburgh, still fun though since it comes with a free drink at the end of the tour. You will be walking up Calton Hill so bring your walking shoes. If you plan of doing the Ghost tour and the Pub Crawl, buy the combo ticket, you save money and know what you are doing for two nights you are in town. read more

My friend and I had a tour with Allen (might have spelled that wrong...sorry man!) and it was fantastic. He's lively and energetic and pretended to nail my ear to a wall. I have travelled all over the world and taken too many tours to remember. This tour is above average. Way way far beyond average. Our guides enthusiasm was great and just made everything that much more enjoyable. It isn't a short tour for free either. I didn't have enough time to take any of the evening tours but I most likely would have. Edinburgh is a pretty large place and this tour really takes you through the heart of the old city and through its hi lights. What a great introduction to a place with so much history. Thanks!!!! read more

I was recommended the Sandeman's free walking tours by a friend who did one in Madrid and couldn't stop raving about it! Ithought why not try it in Edinburgh. First tip, book it for your first day, it's well worth your time and will give you a starting base of knowledge on the city. Second tip, If you are going to book a free walking tour only do so if you intend on tipping the guides. They are excellent and deserve to be rewarded for the work they put in! Our guide Fraser was extremely knowledgeable, nice and personable. He spoke clearly and was even kitted with a mic which came handy in a noisy part of time. Fraser is very professional and I paid what a walking tour would cost on average as it was as good if not better than some of the walking tours I have had. I was hoping Fraser would be guiding the castle tour but instead it was his colleague Greg. This tour wasn't free but having had a great experience with Fraser we were happy to pay and weren't disappointed with Greg either. Two different styles of guiding but equally good. Greg is a formidable story teller, getting into character (especially when mentioning Queen Victoria or great Scottish warriors!) and making history come to life. The only negative feedback about Sandeman's is I wish they had more destinations! read more

My wife and I took part in a walking tour of the old city. Our tour guide was Angus, and he was superb. Witty, knowledgeable but never condescending (easy trap to fall into when humour can tend to the sarcastic) he had all of us asking questions and joining in the general fun. Be generous folks, these tours are basically an honour system, I saw a couple walk off without paying a penny. If I knew your names I'd post them here! read more

Angus was exceptional guide! Equally entertaining and knowledgeable. Sandeman's tours have not disappointed.

Went on a great tour today of Edinburgh with Lachlan! Tour was very informative and Lachlan was very entertaining. Would recommend these tours to anyone visiting Edinburgh. Just look for the red umbrellas! read more

Took the "free walking tour" at 11 with Australian Dave. Tour started in the Royal Mile and ended at Greyfriar's. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. It is recommended that you tip ten pounds per person and I think this is reasonable. They offer other tours for a fee as well. Check out their website. read more

See all

I was incredibly lucky to get Alasdair as my guide for the Free Walking Tour because not only did he keep us laughing and entertained the entire time, but he also had an amazingly impressive knowledge of Edinburgh's complex history. I absolutely loved every minute of it and he was even kind enough to stay afterwards and answer additional questions I had about "best spots" in the city for things to do, etc. - I could not recommend this tour or Alasdair enough! :) read more

My sister and I went on a free walking tour with Greg who was the best tour guide I have ever had on a free walking tour. He was entertaining, passionate, and extremely knowledgeable. Wish we had more cash to give him a larger tip. Showed/explained to us everything we wanted to know and more! read more

Max was our tour guide for the walking tour and he was high energy!! He kept the tour fun and interesting. He kept us all laughing as well. We really enjoyed our tour! read more

We had the best guided tour of Edinburgh Castle with Australian Dave! He was passionate about the topic and was very entertaining and educational! Thank you Australian Dave! @AustralianDave rocks! read more

Sandeman's New Edinburgh Tours - Walking Tours Near Me

I visited Edinburgh in the summer of 2015, and have been meaning to write this review for ages. Our tour guide, I believe his name was Albert, was so wonderful! We had a marvelous look at the city, on a budget that my friends and I could afford. I ended up (voluntarily) paying more for this tour than any other I took because it was that good! read more

Max is the best tour guide I've ever had. The perfect balance of entertaining and informative - his energy is absolutely spot-on. He never felt like he was reciting a script, and he had highly informed answers for every question that was thrown at him. If you've ever wanted a fun, fact-filled tour of Edinburgh from a delightful cross between Tim Curry and the merchant from Resident Evil 4 (and I say that as a huge fan of both), use Sandeman and make sure you get Max! read more

Took the Free Tour of Edinburgh this afternoon. The spanish version, that is. Our guide, Pascual, was fantastic! He had lots of knowledge about the town and its upcomings, plus a lot of fun facts, too! Very approachable and enriching. Definitely worth the cost, and more! Haha! read more

Adam was our tour guide for this tour and he was absolutely amazing. He is a great story teller, very theatrical, and also very knowledgeable. His delivery and integration with narrative and history reminded me of one of my favorite podcasts (Lore). He hung out a bit after the tour to walk us back into town and give us recommendations. We went on this tour later in the day, after having an equally excellent experience with Angus on the free and very informative walking tour of Old Town. It was great, so we ended up signing up for the spooky lore tour later. Adam you're rad, and keep on being awesome! Warm vibes from your Boston friends! read more

I hate walking tours. I think they are lame and only show you the touristy spots - which we all know are over priced and rarely show you the real city. Well, this tour does show you the touristy spots, but they make it really cool. This is my 2nd city where I've done the free walking tour by Sanemans and I cannot recommend this company enough. The guides are so passionate about their cities and you can tell they love their jobs. A great way to spend a few hours.. And they even got me to finally try haggis - which was awesome. read more