Take a journey through time along Edinburgh’s most famous street with this free self-guided Royal Mile walking tour, featuring the highlights of Edinburgh’s Old Town – map and directions included.
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Follow in the footsteps of kings and queens across Edinburgh’s Old Town. The Royal Mile is a processional route connecting two regal residences – Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It’s a couple of extra hundred metres longer than a modern mile, but that’s just more space to fill with castles, churches, museums and monuments.
This self-guided Edinburgh Royal Mile walking tour takes in the area’s most famous sights as well as a few lesser-known spots. It’s only 1.9 miles long but it can easily fill a whole day if you stop off at some of the attractions along the way. It’s a good idea to pre-book tickets if you want to visit the Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse as they get very busy.
A self-guided walking tour of Edinburgh’s Old Town and Royal Mile
Start your Edinburgh Old Town walking tour outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse (EH8 8DX) at the eastern end of the Royal Mile. It’s around a 15-minute walk from Edinburgh Waverley train station, or the Lothian Buses no 35 bus runs from the Old Town to Leith and stops just outside the Scottish Parliament on the other side of the road.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
The Palace of Holyroodhouse* has been home to royalty since the 16th century, and is still King Charles’ official residence in Scotland. But its most notorious resident was Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary lived in the palace from 1561–1567, and it was here that her husband Lord Darnley had her secretary and friend David Rizzio killed in a jealous rage.
You can take a self-guided audio tour (except when the royals are in residence) which visits Mary’s chambers where the murder took place, as well as the palace’s lavish State Apartments, decorated with gleaming gold, tapestries and priceless artworks.
Scottish Parliament
Just across the road from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the contemporary Scottish Parliament building couldn’t be more different. It was designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles, but construction didn’t go smoothly – there were controversies over the location and design, it was over time and budget, and Miralles died before it was finished.
Although not everyone liked the design, it won architectural prizes for its modern use of Scottish motifs like upturned boats and the Saltire Cross. If you want to take a closer look and learn about how Scottish democracy works, you can sign up for a free tour.
Walk up the Royal Mile, then just before you reach Canongate Kirk, turn right though an archway marked Dunbar’s Close (next to Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe).
Dunbar’s Close Garden
Tucked away off the Royal Mile, Dunbar’s Close is easy to miss. ‘Closes’ are small alleyways which run off the Royal Mile, and this one hides a peaceful community garden. It was built in the 1970s but is inspired by 17th-century design. It’s divided into eight sections, with a formal knot garden, sculpted topiary, wild plantings, shady trees and lawns.
Continue climbing uphill along the Royal Mile. Just across the street from Canongate Kirk is the free Museum of Edinburgh, with exhibits from the city’s history.
You’ll also pass the Tolbooth Tavern, which was part of the original Canongate Tolbooth. It was built in 1591 to collect money from travellers, and later used as a court and prison.
The Tron Kirk
On the left-hand side of the Royal Mile, the Tron Kirk is a 400-year-old church which took its name from a ‘tron’ (weighbridge) which stood on the site. It closed as a church in 1952 and now houses a market selling arts and crafts made by artists from the Scottish Design Exchange, and is a great place to pick up jewellery, candles, artworks and knits.
Further along the mile, you pass The Real Mary King’s Close on your right just before reaching St Giles Cathedral. This spooky subterranean street was buried whole when the Royal Exchange was built on top and is now open to the public for guided tours.
St Giles Cathedral
St Giles Cathedral (also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh) was founded in 1130 – but despite the name it hasn’t been a cathedral since 1689 when the last of its bishops left. The current building dates from the 14th century, but was restored in the 19th century.
Head inside to see its stained-glass windows, including a modern design featuring Scots poet Robert Burns, and the ornate Thistle Chapel. This tiny chapel was built in 1911 for the Knights of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s greatest order of chivalry. It has 16 intricately carved canopied stalls, one for each Knight, decorated with bagpipe-playing angels.
Just past St Giles Cathedral, turn left off the Royal Mile onto the George IV Bridge. Continue straight on until you reach Chambers Street on the left, with the curved building of the National Museum of Scotland on the corner.
National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland was created in 2006 when two neighbouring museums with very different architectural styles merged to create a vast museum dedicated to all things Scottish. It has two wings – one covering Scottish history and archaeology, and the other the natural world, science and technology, art and design, and world cultures.
It’s free to visit and is well worth a look around. It also has a fantastic rooftop terrace with views across the city to the castle. It’s not the easiest to find though – head to the Kingdom of the Scots gallery in the modern wing then take the lift to the seventh floor.
Just across the road from the National Museum you’ll see the Greyfriars Bobby pub, and outside it is a small statue of a dog – Greyfriars Bobby himself.
Greyfriars Bobby’s statue
Greyfriars Bobby was a loyal Skye Terrier who captured the hearts of the public in the late 19th century. Night watchman John Gray got Bobby to keep him company and they were inseparable. And after Gray died, Bobby sat by his master’s grave for 14 years.
He became a local celebrity, with the Lord Provost of Edinburgh presenting him with a collar (now on display at the Museum of Edinburgh) to show he was licenced. His story was made into a film by Walt Disney in 1961, and fans line up to take photos with his life-sized bronze statue or leave sticks on his grave in nearby Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Follow the passageway alongside the Greyfriars Bobby pub into Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Atmospheric Greyfriars Kirkyard has been a burial ground for over 400 years. It was built on the site of a medieval friary, whose monks’ grey habits gave it its name. Over a thousand Covenanters were imprisoned here in 1679, with many starving to death or being killed. So it’s no surprise it’s said to be haunted (with ghost tours if you’re brave).
The graveyard has elaborately carved graves and monuments to figures from Edinburgh’s history, from Lord Provosts to authors and artists. Harry Potter fans might recognise a few of the names too – including Tom Riddell and William McGonagall.
Exit the Kirkyard at the north end onto Candlemaker Row, then turn left at the roundabout, cross over the road and walk up Victoria Street.
Victoria Street
Colourful cobbled Victoria Street is one of Edinburgh’s most photographed spots. It started life as West Bow, a steep, narrow alley which was redeveloped from 1829–1834 by architect Thomas Hamilton to make it easier to navigate. You can see still some of the oldest buildings at the bottom of the street, which is the last remaining part of West Bow.
Victoria Street is lined with boutique shops and restaurants – some of my favourites are Knoops for hot chocolate, IJ Mellis for cheese, Walker Slater for tweed clothing, the Isle of Skye Candle Co and Edinburgh Natural Skincare Co for eco-friendly toiletries.
At the top of the Victoria Street, turn left and left again and you’ll be back on the Royal Mile. Then turn right down narrow Lady Stairs Close.
The Writers’ Museum
Edinburgh was made the world’s first City of Literature by UNESCO in 2004, and the free Writers’ Museum honours three of Scottish literature’s best-known names – Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Even if you don’t visit the museum, it’s worth walking down Lady Stairs Close to see the flagstones in Makars’ Court, which are inscribed with quotations from Scots writers from the 14th century to the present day.
Go back down Lady Stairs Close and turn right onto the Royal Mile, following it past the Tolbooth Kirk. This was built in the 1840s and has Edinburgh’s tallest spire at 72 metres. It now houses an event space and information centre called The Hub.
Just before you get onto the Esplanade, look to the right and you’ll see The Witches Well, a cast iron fountain which commemorate the hundreds of women burned at the stake or hanged for witchcraft here between the 15th and 18th centuries. Almost opposite is a famous restaurant called the Witchery, inside a 16th-century merchant’s house.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh’s Castle* is its most famous landmark. It’s been protecting the city since the 12th century from a defensive position on top of the volcanic Castle Rock. Over the last 1000 years it’s been a fortress and royal residence, military base and prison.
Today it’s the city’s busiest attraction, with lots of different areas to explore, including the Royal Apartments, Scottish Crown Jewels and St Margaret’s Chapel, a tiny 12th-century chapel that’s the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. There’s also the prison vaults, military museums and fantastic views out across the Firth of Forth on a clear day.
Back at the edge of the Esplanade, head down a flight of stairs on your right called Castle Wynd. Cross over Johnston Terrace and go straight on down more stairs to finish your Edinburgh Old Town and Royal Mile walking tour on Grassmarket.
Grassmarket
Grassmarket has been a marketplace since the 14th century, and it still hosts a street market on Saturdays from 10am–5pm. It also has a darker history as the site of public executions – with The Last Drop pub taking its name from gallows which stood here. But today it’s one of Edinburgh’s busiest nightlife areas, perfect to finish off your walk.
If the sun’s shining, pick up an ice cream from Mary’s Milk Bar (the queues are worth it) or have beer and pizza on the roof terrace of Cold Town House microbrewery. If not, cosy up in a traditional pub like compact Wee Pub or have cocktails at Under The Stairs.
If you want to head back to Waverley station, it’s a 15-minute walk away. Or the Lothian Buses no 2 bus connects Grassmarket with Haymarket station.
Self-guided Edinburgh Old Town and Royal Mile walking tour map
If you’d like to do this free Royal Mile walking tour yourself, click on the map below to access directions through Google maps. The route is 1.9 miles (3km) and takes around 45 minutes to walk straight through, but allow several hours to include stops on the way.
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