Holyrood Palace walking tours: a live guide, on foot
The Mary, Queen of Scots walk — £19.50
This is the tour I’d send a friend on. It starts at Abbey Strand, in front of the Abbey Strand Apartments just outside the palace gates, and works up the Mile past John Knox House, the Mercat Cross and St Giles’ Cathedral to the castle esplanade — 1.5 hours at a relaxed pace, with a live English-speaking guide, often Chris. It’s rated 4.6 from 95 reviews, and the reviews are about the history, which tells you something. Sean from the UK: “Best historical tour I have been to in the UK. I came out of this feeling sympathetic for Mary.” Martin from Canada liked that Chris explained the reasons behind each turn of events, which is harder than reciting dates. It’s pet-friendly and wheelchair accessible; the operator asks you to skip the high heels, sensibly, given the setts.
What it doesn’t include: any entries. You walk past the palace, the cathedral and the castle; you don’t go in. The natural pairing is the £22 palace entry ticket the same day — Mary’s actual chambers, and the spot where Rizzio was murdered, are inside the palace, and I’ve covered them on the Mary, Queen of Scots rooms page. My full write-up is the Mary tour review.
The Harry Potter tour with palace entry — £58
The family option, and the only walking tour here with palace entry in the price. It’s 3.5 hours: a guided walk from the Tron Kirk market (meet opposite Bella Italia on the Royal Mile) through Victoria Street and Greyfriars Kirkyard to the Elephant Café, then an independent palace visit — the guide doesn’t come inside. Rated 4.6 from 33 reviews, and the guides are the reason: Janeece from the US found Jackson enthusiastic and hilarious, and Ulrika from Germany kept it short — “Really fun with our guide Jackson.” Wheelchair accessible throughout. The detail is in the Harry Potter tour review.
The £99 small-group day, for completeness
The Royal Tour isn’t a walking tour as such, but its middle section is one: a guided Royal Mile walk through Victoria Street, past St Giles’ and the Mercat Cross, down to White Horse Close, sandwiched between a guided castle visit and palace entry with audio guide. At £99 for five hours with both entries and bus transport included, it’s the pick if you want one guide carrying the whole day — details in the Royal Tour review. It needs four people minimum and doesn’t suit wheelchair users, unlike the two walks above.
| Best storytellingEdinburgh: The Mary Queen of Scots Guided Walking Tour | Edinburgh: Harry Potter Tour & Palace of Holyrood Entry | The Royal Tour: Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, Royal Mile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £19.50 | £58 | £99 |
| Duration | 1.5 h | 3.5 h | 5 h |
| Palace entry | Not included | Included | Included |
| Route | Palace gates to castle esplanade | Old town Potter sites, then palace | Castle, Royal Mile, palace |
| Wheelchair | Yes | Yes | No |
| Rating | 4.6 (95 reviews) | 4.6 (33 reviews) | 4.7 (8 reviews) |
| Book this → | View → | View → |
Budget pickEdinburgh: The Mary Queen of Scots Guided Walking Tour
Family favouritePalace entry includedEdinburgh: Harry Potter Tour & Palace of Holyrood Entry
Small groupBoth entries includedThe Royal Tour: Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, Royal Mile
The Mary walk runs whether the palace is open or not — it stays outside the gates. If you’re pairing it with palace entry, remember the palace is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays outside 21 May–7 September; the walk is one of the few things on this site that still works on those days.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the Mary, Queen of Scots walk include Holyrood Palace entry?
No — no entries at all, which is how it stays at £19.50. Most people pair it with the £22 palace entry ticket the same day; all the 2026 prices are on the ticket prices page.
Does the Harry Potter tour guide come into the palace?
No. The guided walk ends after the old town section and you visit the palace independently with your included entry ticket, at your own pace on the one-way route.
Are these walking tours wheelchair accessible?
The Mary walk and the Potter tour both are, and the Mary walk is pet-friendly too. The £99 Royal Tour is the exception — it isn’t suitable for wheelchair users.
Which walking tour is best for families?
The £58 Potter tour — the guides play to a younger crowd and the palace entry is already in the price. If your family cares more about real history than film locations, take the Mary walk instead, or compare everything on the all tickets and tours page.