Free tour

"Better than the best" Brian Pendreigh's Edinburgh Old Town - smaller groups, officially rated Excellent

4.96

Excellent(67)

Edinburgh

Duration: 2 hours

Languages: English

Guru: Brian

PRO

Verified quality

Registered on 11 October 2023

A bit of history, a bit of trivia and a few wee jokes. Born and bred in Edinburgh, I worked as a reporter, feature writer and cinema editor on The Scotsman for 17 years and subsequently wrote regularly for the Guardian and London Times. I have written and edited several books, including The Times on Cinema and On Location - The Film Fan's Guide to Britain and Ireland. More recently I have featured as a tour guide on national television on the This Morning programme.

Free reservation and cancellation

Pay-what-you-want tour, no set price, reservation and cancellation are free

Tour description

"Brian was better than the best" Ravati Sukumar, August 2024.

The highest rated Edinburgh Old Town tour on GuruWalk.

Join an award-winning journalist and 5-star tour guide for his classic Old Town tour. A personal tour with an Edinburgh native and smaller groups than other big operators.

"Fantastic experience and very informative with fun stories sprinkled throughout! The small tour group made it even more engaging." Vi, San Jose, June 2025.

"Brian was great, he has a great depth of knowledge and he himself is a fascinating person... We touched on royal history, current politics, fact and fiction, culture and so much more." Renata, Paris, August 2025

Brian's tours have even featured on ITV's This Morning show.

Visit Edinburgh Castle, St Giles Cathedral, Greyfriars Kirkyard and the closes and wynds of the Royal Mile.

Learn about the world’s first skyscrapers and how people coped without toilets or bathrooms.

Its not just history… Learn about the city’s link with Marvel superheroes and how Scotland ended up with a unicorn as its national animal.

Compare handprints with JK Rowling. And learn how a meeting with a tourist from Tennessee changed my life and may change the course of Scottish history.

GuruWalk algorithms favour big operators with multiple guides and several tours a day, so you have done well to make it to my listing.

"Amazing experience, it was better and bigger than anything we expected. Brian was amazing, extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. Highly recommended!" April 2025 Miroslav, Zagreb

"Brian was the best tour guide ever!!! Showed us around many cool sites and included personal stories you can't get from others!! Book a tour now!!!" July 2024 Cailyn Myers, Texas

"The tour was labeled 'Better than the best' and lived up to the billing." Dipankar, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 2025.

Highlights

What will we see on this tour?

Meeting point:

122 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1SG, UK

Meet outside the Tron Kirk Market, 122 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QS. It is a former church on the junction of the Royal Mile and South Bridge. I will have a large black (or red) umbrella.

Outside visit

Royal Mile

Outside visit

Fleshmarket Close

Outside visit

Edinburgh City Chambers

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end the amount they consider appropriate (amounts usually range from €15 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).