Edinburgh Old Town and Rosslyn Chapel: Full-day private tour
Walk Edinburgh's layered centuries, from castle to countryside chapel
A nine-hour private tour of Edinburgh's Old Town and the Scottish countryside around Rosslyn Chapel, with hotel pickup, luxury transport for up to six passengers, and a live English-speaking guide. The itinerary moves from the medieval heart (Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, St Giles Cathedral, Palace of Holyrood House, Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill) through the Georgian elegance of New Town, then south to the 15th-century Rosslyn Chapel, famous for its Masonic connections and later popularized by The Da Vinci Code. Bottled water is included. Entry to Rosslyn Chapel is included, and optional paid entry to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace or Royal Yacht Britannia can be added at checkout.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Edinburgh and visit Rosslyn Chapel
- Tour Edinburgh Old Town landmarks
- Visit Edinburgh Castle and Royal Mile
- See Grassmarket and St Giles Cathedral
- Explore Palace of Holyrood House
- View Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill
- Contrast with 18th century New Town
- Have lunch
- Travel to Scottish countryside
- Visit Rosslyn Chapel
What’s included
- Hotel, accommodation or port pickup.
- private luxury Mercedes transport for up to six passengers.
- live English-speaking guide.
- bottled water.
- entry to Rosslyn Chapel.
- live commentary throughout the day.
Next departure: 9 Oct 2027
Information
Nine-hour private tour of Edinburgh's medieval Old Town, 18th-century New Town, and 15th-century Rosslyn Chapel with Mercedes transport and expert guide.
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The experience
The tour starts with hotel, accommodation or port pickup and moves through Edinburgh's Old Town on foot and by vehicle, stopping at the major landmarks that define the medieval capital. You'll see Edinburgh Castle perched on the volcanic rock, walk sections of the Royal Mile where the city's history is written into the cobblestones, stand in the Grassmarket where markets and executions once happened, and visit St Giles Cathedral with its distinctive crown steeple. The guide provides live commentary throughout, explaining what you're standing in front of rather than rushing past it.
After the Old Town, the tour shifts to New Town: the 18th-century grid of Georgian terraces and squares that shows Edinburgh's later reinvention. This contrast between medieval density and planned elegance is the point: you see how the city rebuilt itself. Lunch happens here, giving you time to eat before the afternoon leg.
The final stretch takes you out into the Scottish countryside to Rosslyn Chapel, a 15th-century structure built with intricate stone carving and said to hold Masonic symbolism. It gained wider fame through The Da Vinci Code, but the chapel itself (its architecture, its carvings, its history) is what you're there to see. Entry is included. The full day runs nine hours, and the private Mercedes means no waiting for other groups or managing public transport between stops.
Top questions
What landmarks do I actually stop at in Edinburgh's Old Town?
Edinburgh Old Town includes Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Grassmarket, St Giles Cathedral, Palace of Holyrood House, Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill, plus other locations the guide will point out. You'll walk some of these and view others from the vehicle depending on the stop and the time available.
Is entry to Edinburgh Castle or Holyrood Palace included in the tour price?
Entry to Rosslyn Chapel is included. Entry to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace or Royal Yacht Britannia can be added as optional paid extras at checkout if you want to go inside those attractions.
How does the tour handle the distance between Edinburgh and Rosslyn Chapel?
After lunch in New Town, the private Mercedes transport takes you south into the Scottish countryside where Rosslyn Chapel is located. The drive is part of the tour. You're not arranging separate transport.
What's included in the nine-hour tour besides the guide and transport?
Hotel or port pickup, private luxury Mercedes transport, live English-language commentary from the driver-guide, bottled water and entry to Rosslyn Chapel are all included. The tour accommodates up to six passengers.
Can I add this tour if I'm arriving by cruise ship?
Yes. At booking, you'll need to provide your ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and latest re-boarding time so the driver can coordinate pickup and return to the port on schedule.
Operated by Edinburgh Cab Tours. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 28 days ago
Edinburgh Old Town and Rosslyn Chapel: Full-day private tour
9h · EN · at your hotel
from £ 825 per group
≈ US$ 1,110 in your currency
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