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Walkers climbing the grassy path towards the summit of Arthur’s Seat under a blue sky

Arthur’s Seat Tours & Edinburgh Tickets

Guided hikes up the volcano, plus the Edinburgh experiences that fit around it.

You do not need a guide to climb Arthur’s Seat — but a good one turns a steep walk into a story about volcanoes, kings, body-snatchers and the birth of geology, and takes the guesswork out of choosing a route. GetYourGuide lists several small-group hikes, including sunset and early-morning departures.

Because the hill takes only half a day, we also list the Edinburgh experiences that pair best with it: Holyrood Palace at its foot, the castle at the other end of the Royal Mile, Old Town and underground tours for the evening, whisky tastings for afterwards, and day trips to the Highlands. Every link goes to a real, current GetYourGuide product; prices are indicative and shown live when you click through.

Which one is right for you?

I just want to climb the hill

A two-hour guided hike from Holyrood, or the longer walk that adds Calton Hill.

Walkers climbing the grassy path towards the summit of Arthur’s Seat under a blue sky Guided hike from €28
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Holyrood (see listing) ⭐ 4.9 (130)

Edinburgh: Guided Hike to Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park

The straightforward way to climb the hill with someone who knows it: a two-hour guided walk from Holyrood through the park to the summit and back, with the story of the volcano, the royal park and the city laid out below you. Rated 4.9 by well over a hundred walkers and one of the lowest-priced guided hikes in Edinburgh.

  • The summit of Arthur’s Seat at 251 m
  • Volcano geology, history and legends explained
  • Small group, limited to about 10 walkers
Check price & availability
The Nelson Monument and the columns of the National Monument on Calton Hill, with the Firth of Forth behind Guided hike from €31
🕒 3 hours 📍 From City centre (see listing) ⭐ 4.9 (92)

Edinburgh: Hike Arthur’s Seat & Calton Hill

A three-hour walk that links the city’s two classic viewpoints: first the monuments of Calton Hill, then down past Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament and up through Holyrood Park to the top of Arthur’s Seat. A lot of Edinburgh for the price, and highly rated.

  • Two of Edinburgh’s seven hills in one morning
  • Calton Hill’s monuments, then Holyrood Park
  • Small group with a local guide
Check price & availability

I want the best light

Go up for sunset, or early with a mountain guide.

View from Arthur’s Seat over yellow gorse and Holyrood Park to Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth Guided hike from €56
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Holyrood Park (see listing) ⭐ 5.0 (82)

Edinburgh: Arthur’s Seat Sunset Hike

An evening ascent timed so you reach the top as the sun drops behind the castle and the Old Town skyline. The guide picks quieter paths and, importantly, gets you down again safely in fading light. A perfect five-star rating from more than eighty guests.

  • Timed for golden hour over the city
  • Led by a qualified guide on quieter paths
  • Safe descent as the light fades
Check price & availability
The dark outline of Arthur’s Seat against an orange dawn sky Guided hike from €56
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Holyrood Park (see listing) ⭐ 5.0 (14)

Edinburgh: Arthur’s Seat Hike with Mountain Guide

A two-hour climb with a qualified mountain guide who takes the less-trodden lines up the hill and treats it as what it is — a small piece of the Highlands inside the city. Departure times vary through the year, including early starts for sunrise; check the listing.

  • Qualified mountain guide
  • Quieter trails away from the crowds
  • Early or daytime departures, depending on date
Check price & availability

Hill in the morning, history after

Holyrood Palace is at the foot of the hill; the castle is at the top of the Royal Mile.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse and the ruined abbey beside it seen from above, with Edinburgh beyond Entry ticket from €26
🕒 About 1.5 hours 📍 From Palace of Holyroodhouse, foot of the Royal Mile ⭐ 4.8 (6,388)

Edinburgh: Palace of Holyroodhouse Entry Ticket

The King’s official residence in Scotland stands at the very foot of Arthur’s Seat, which makes it the natural pairing for the climb. The ticket covers the State Apartments, the rooms where Mary, Queen of Scots lived, the roofless 12th-century abbey and the gardens. The palace closes during royal visits — check dates when you book.

  • The State Apartments and Mary, Queen of Scots’ chambers
  • The ruins of Holyrood Abbey and the gardens
  • Multimedia guide included
Check price & availability
Visitors in Crown Square inside Edinburgh Castle, below the clock tower of the Royal Palace Guided tour + ticket from €41
🕒 1.5 hours 📍 From Royal Mile, near the castle (see listing) ⭐ 4.7 (14,316)

Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket

Edinburgh’s other volcano. This best-selling tour — more than 14,000 reviews — includes your castle ticket and a guide who walks you through 900 years of sieges, kings and prisoners before leaving you free to explore. Castle tickets regularly sell out in summer, so book ahead.

  • Castle entry ticket included
  • The Honours of Scotland and St Margaret’s Chapel
  • Stay on inside after the tour
Check price & availability

Something for the evening

Vaults and graveyards by night, or a dram beside the park.

Weathered stone memorials on a wall in Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh Ghost tour from €31
🕒 1.5 hours 📍 From Royal Mile (see listing) ⭐ 4.6 (7,425)

Edinburgh: Haunted Underground Vaults and Graveyard Tour

The classic Edinburgh evening: down into the 18th-century vaults beneath the South Bridge, then on to a graveyard by night, with tales of body-snatchers, plague and witch trials along the way. More than 7,000 reviews. Not for small children or the claustrophobic.

  • The vaults beneath the South Bridge
  • A historic Old Town graveyard after dark
  • Dark history told by a costumed guide
Check price & availability
The Palace of Holyroodhouse among trees, seen from Salisbury Crags above Holyrood Park Distillery tour from €32
🕒 1 hour 📍 From Holyrood Distillery, St Leonard’s Lane ⭐ 4.6 (1,092)

Edinburgh: Holyrood Distillery Whisky & Gin Tour

A working single malt and gin distillery in a converted Victorian railway building on the edge of Holyrood Park — close enough that you can walk off the hill and straight into a tasting. An hour-long guided tour with samples; over a thousand reviews.

  • A working distillery beside Holyrood Park
  • Guided tour with tastings
  • Five minutes from the Salisbury Crags paths
Check price & availability

Travelling with children

Harry Potter on foot and an open-top bus that stops at Holyrood.

The curving, colourful shopfronts of Victoria Street in Edinburgh’s Old Town Walking tour from €21
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Old Town (see listing) ⭐ 4.8 (13,219)

Edinburgh: Harry Potter Magical Guided Walking Tour

Edinburgh is where much of Harry Potter was written, and this hugely popular tour visits the places said to have inspired it: the curve of Victoria Street, the gravestones of Greyfriars Kirkyard and the cafés where the early chapters took shape. Light-hearted, family-friendly and very well reviewed.

  • Victoria Street and Greyfriars Kirkyard
  • The cafés and schools linked to the books
  • Fun for families — more than 13,000 reviews
Check price & availability
A green and yellow open-top Edinburgh Tour double-decker bus Bus tour from €21
🕒 24 hours 📍 From Waverley Bridge ⭐ 4.6 (7,838)

Edinburgh: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

The open-top loop from Waverley Bridge passes the castle, the Grassmarket and the New Town and stops at Holyrood by the palace and Dynamic Earth — a short walk from the start of the paths up Arthur’s Seat. Useful if you want to save your legs for the hill itself.

  • Stops at Holyrood, beside the park entrance
  • Castle, Royal Mile, New Town and Grassmarket
  • Audio commentary in several languages
Check price & availability

A day out of the city

Loch Ness and Glencoe, or a shorter day to Stirling and Loch Lomond.

The ruins of Urquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness Day trip from €68
🕒 12.5 hours 📍 From Central Edinburgh ⭐ 4.6 (20,777)

Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Scottish Highlands Tour

The best-selling day trip from Edinburgh, with more than 20,000 reviews: a long but spectacular loop north through Glencoe to Loch Ness and back through the Cairngorms and Perthshire. It is a lot of coach time, but if you have a single day for the Highlands, this is how most people spend it.

  • Glencoe and Rannoch Moor
  • Free time at Loch Ness (cruise optional)
  • A full circuit of the Highlands in one day
Check price & availability
Stirling Castle on its wooded crag above a green field Day trip from €66
🕒 10 hours 📍 From Central Edinburgh ⭐ 4.7 (1,198)

From Edinburgh: Stirling Castle, Kelpies and Loch Lomond

A shorter, gentler day out than the Loch Ness marathon: the giant steel Kelpies near Falkirk, time at Stirling Castle — yet another fortress on a volcanic crag — and an afternoon by Loch Lomond in the Trossachs. Check whether castle entry is included on your option.

  • The 30-metre Kelpies horse sculptures
  • Stirling Castle (entry usually extra)
  • The shores of Loch Lomond
Check price & availability
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All recommended tours & tickets

Twenty-one experiences we would book ourselves, from a two-hour hike to a full day in the Highlands.

Walkers climbing the grassy path towards the summit of Arthur’s Seat under a blue sky Guided hike from €28
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Holyrood (see listing) ⭐ 4.9 (130)

Edinburgh: Guided Hike to Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park

The straightforward way to climb the hill with someone who knows it: a two-hour guided walk from Holyrood through the park to the summit and back, with the story of the volcano, the royal park and the city laid out below you. Rated 4.9 by well over a hundred walkers and one of the lowest-priced guided hikes in Edinburgh.

  • The summit of Arthur’s Seat at 251 m
  • Volcano geology, history and legends explained
  • Small group, limited to about 10 walkers
Check price & availability
The Nelson Monument and the columns of the National Monument on Calton Hill, with the Firth of Forth behind Guided hike from €31
🕒 3 hours 📍 From City centre (see listing) ⭐ 4.9 (92)

Edinburgh: Hike Arthur’s Seat & Calton Hill

A three-hour walk that links the city’s two classic viewpoints: first the monuments of Calton Hill, then down past Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament and up through Holyrood Park to the top of Arthur’s Seat. A lot of Edinburgh for the price, and highly rated.

  • Two of Edinburgh’s seven hills in one morning
  • Calton Hill’s monuments, then Holyrood Park
  • Small group with a local guide
Check price & availability
View from Arthur’s Seat over yellow gorse and Holyrood Park to Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth Guided hike from €56
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Holyrood Park (see listing) ⭐ 5.0 (82)

Edinburgh: Arthur’s Seat Sunset Hike

An evening ascent timed so you reach the top as the sun drops behind the castle and the Old Town skyline. The guide picks quieter paths and, importantly, gets you down again safely in fading light. A perfect five-star rating from more than eighty guests.

  • Timed for golden hour over the city
  • Led by a qualified guide on quieter paths
  • Safe descent as the light fades
Check price & availability
The Palace of Holyroodhouse and the ruined abbey beside it seen from above, with Edinburgh beyond Entry ticket from €26
🕒 About 1.5 hours 📍 From Palace of Holyroodhouse, foot of the Royal Mile ⭐ 4.8 (6,388)

Edinburgh: Palace of Holyroodhouse Entry Ticket

The King’s official residence in Scotland stands at the very foot of Arthur’s Seat, which makes it the natural pairing for the climb. The ticket covers the State Apartments, the rooms where Mary, Queen of Scots lived, the roofless 12th-century abbey and the gardens. The palace closes during royal visits — check dates when you book.

  • The State Apartments and Mary, Queen of Scots’ chambers
  • The ruins of Holyrood Abbey and the gardens
  • Multimedia guide included
Check price & availability
Visitors in Crown Square inside Edinburgh Castle, below the clock tower of the Royal Palace Guided tour + ticket from €41
🕒 1.5 hours 📍 From Royal Mile, near the castle (see listing) ⭐ 4.7 (14,316)

Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour with Entry Ticket

Edinburgh’s other volcano. This best-selling tour — more than 14,000 reviews — includes your castle ticket and a guide who walks you through 900 years of sieges, kings and prisoners before leaving you free to explore. Castle tickets regularly sell out in summer, so book ahead.

  • Castle entry ticket included
  • The Honours of Scotland and St Margaret’s Chapel
  • Stay on inside after the tour
Check price & availability
The curving, colourful shopfronts of Victoria Street in Edinburgh’s Old Town Walking tour from €21
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Old Town (see listing) ⭐ 4.8 (13,219)

Edinburgh: Harry Potter Magical Guided Walking Tour

Edinburgh is where much of Harry Potter was written, and this hugely popular tour visits the places said to have inspired it: the curve of Victoria Street, the gravestones of Greyfriars Kirkyard and the cafés where the early chapters took shape. Light-hearted, family-friendly and very well reviewed.

  • Victoria Street and Greyfriars Kirkyard
  • The cafés and schools linked to the books
  • Fun for families — more than 13,000 reviews
Check price & availability
Weathered stone memorials on a wall in Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh Ghost tour from €31
🕒 1.5 hours 📍 From Royal Mile (see listing) ⭐ 4.6 (7,425)

Edinburgh: Haunted Underground Vaults and Graveyard Tour

The classic Edinburgh evening: down into the 18th-century vaults beneath the South Bridge, then on to a graveyard by night, with tales of body-snatchers, plague and witch trials along the way. More than 7,000 reviews. Not for small children or the claustrophobic.

  • The vaults beneath the South Bridge
  • A historic Old Town graveyard after dark
  • Dark history told by a costumed guide
Check price & availability
The Palace of Holyroodhouse among trees, seen from Salisbury Crags above Holyrood Park Distillery tour from €32
🕒 1 hour 📍 From Holyrood Distillery, St Leonard’s Lane ⭐ 4.6 (1,092)

Edinburgh: Holyrood Distillery Whisky & Gin Tour

A working single malt and gin distillery in a converted Victorian railway building on the edge of Holyrood Park — close enough that you can walk off the hill and straight into a tasting. An hour-long guided tour with samples; over a thousand reviews.

  • A working distillery beside Holyrood Park
  • Guided tour with tastings
  • Five minutes from the Salisbury Crags paths
Check price & availability
The ruins of Urquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness Day trip from €68
🕒 12.5 hours 📍 From Central Edinburgh ⭐ 4.6 (20,777)

Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Scottish Highlands Tour

The best-selling day trip from Edinburgh, with more than 20,000 reviews: a long but spectacular loop north through Glencoe to Loch Ness and back through the Cairngorms and Perthshire. It is a lot of coach time, but if you have a single day for the Highlands, this is how most people spend it.

  • Glencoe and Rannoch Moor
  • Free time at Loch Ness (cruise optional)
  • A full circuit of the Highlands in one day
Check price & availability
The dark outline of Arthur’s Seat against an orange dawn sky Guided hike from €56
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Holyrood Park (see listing) ⭐ 5.0 (14)

Edinburgh: Arthur’s Seat Hike with Mountain Guide

A two-hour climb with a qualified mountain guide who takes the less-trodden lines up the hill and treats it as what it is — a small piece of the Highlands inside the city. Departure times vary through the year, including early starts for sunrise; check the listing.

  • Qualified mountain guide
  • Quieter trails away from the crowds
  • Early or daytime departures, depending on date
Check price & availability
Walkers on a grassy path between banks of bright yellow gorse in Holyrood Park Guided hike from €24
🕒 4 hours 📍 From Edinburgh (see listing) ⭐ 5.0 (26)

Edinburgh: Hill & Nature Hike with a Local

A relaxed four-hour walk with a local who knows the city’s wilder corners: more time, more nature and more conversation than the two-hour summit tours. The exact route varies — read the listing to see which hills are included on your date.

  • A longer, slower half-day on Edinburgh’s hills
  • Wildlife, plants and local knowledge
  • Very good value
Check price & availability
St Giles’ Cathedral and pedestrians on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh’s Old Town Walking tour from €19
🕒 2 hours 📍 From Royal Mile (see listing) ⭐ 4.8 (920)

Edinburgh: Old Town History Walking Tour

Two hours on foot through the medieval Old Town with a knowledgeable local guide: the Royal Mile, hidden closes, Greyfriars and the stories of the people who lived here. An inexpensive, well-reviewed way to get your bearings on your first day.

  • The Royal Mile, closes and courtyards
  • A thousand years of Edinburgh history
  • Low price, high rating
Check price & availability
The towers and spires of Edinburgh’s Old Town skyline rising above trees History tour from €28
🕒 1 hour 📍 From Royal Mile (see listing) ⭐ 4.5 (12,608)

Edinburgh: Underground Vaults Tour

A one-hour, history-led visit to the vaults built into the arches of the South Bridge in the 1780s: workshops and taverns first, then slums and illicit stills. With more than 12,000 reviews, it is the most-booked way to see underground Edinburgh, and gentler than the night-time ghost tours.

  • The hidden chambers under the South Bridge
  • History rather than horror
  • One hour — easy to fit in
Check price & availability
A dim, narrow stone passage in the preserved underground street of Mary King’s Close Guided attraction from €34
🕒 1 hour 📍 From Royal Mile, opposite St Giles’ Cathedral ⭐ 4.7 (4,528)

Edinburgh: The Real Mary King’s Close Guided Tour

Beneath the City Chambers lies a warren of streets and houses buried when the Royal Exchange was built over them in the 18th century. A character guide leads you through homes that last saw daylight centuries ago, with the story of the 1645 plague told without gimmicks.

  • A 17th-century street sealed beneath the Royal Mile
  • Costumed character guides
  • Timed entry — book ahead in summer
Check price & availability
Two tulip-shaped whisky tasting glasses and a small water jug on wooden coasters Tour + tasting from €29
🕒 50–75 minutes 📍 From Castlehill, top of the Royal Mile ⭐ 4.7 (6,835)

Edinburgh: The Scotch Whisky Experience Tour and Tasting

Next to the castle esplanade, this is the easy introduction to Scotland’s national drink: how whisky is made, what separates Speyside from Islay, a vault holding thousands of bottles, and a guided dram at the end. Several ticket levels with more tastings are offered.

  • How Scotch is made, region by region
  • One of the world’s largest whisky collections
  • A guided tasting to finish
Check price & availability
A green and yellow open-top Edinburgh Tour double-decker bus Bus tour from €21
🕒 24 hours 📍 From Waverley Bridge ⭐ 4.6 (7,838)

Edinburgh: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

The open-top loop from Waverley Bridge passes the castle, the Grassmarket and the New Town and stops at Holyrood by the palace and Dynamic Earth — a short walk from the start of the paths up Arthur’s Seat. Useful if you want to save your legs for the hill itself.

  • Stops at Holyrood, beside the park entrance
  • Castle, Royal Mile, New Town and Grassmarket
  • Audio commentary in several languages
Check price & availability
The Royal Yacht Britannia moored at Leith docks on a grey day Entry ticket from €29
🕒 About 2 hours 📍 From Ocean Terminal, Leith ⭐ 4.9 (3,293)

Edinburgh: The Royal Yacht Britannia Ticket

Queen Elizabeth II’s yacht for more than forty years is now berthed in Leith, at the end of the tram line. Tour the state rooms, the surprisingly modest royal bedrooms and the gleaming engine room at your own pace. Consistently one of the best-rated attractions in Scotland.

  • Five decks of the late Queen’s floating residence
  • State apartments, crew quarters and engine room
  • Audio guide included
Check price & availability
A steam train crossing the curved stone arches of the Glenfinnan Viaduct Day trip from €67
🕒 12 hours 📍 From Central Edinburgh ⭐ 4.6 (9,411)

Edinburgh: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Highlands Day Tour

A full day west through Glencoe to the Glenfinnan Viaduct — the curving railway bridge made famous by the Hogwarts Express — and Loch Shiel. In season the stop is usually timed for the Jacobite steam train, though that can never be guaranteed.

  • The “Harry Potter” viaduct at Glenfinnan
  • Glencoe and Fort William
  • Timed for the steam train in season
Check price & availability
Stirling Castle on its wooded crag above a green field Day trip from €66
🕒 10 hours 📍 From Central Edinburgh ⭐ 4.7 (1,198)

From Edinburgh: Stirling Castle, Kelpies and Loch Lomond

A shorter, gentler day out than the Loch Ness marathon: the giant steel Kelpies near Falkirk, time at Stirling Castle — yet another fortress on a volcanic crag — and an afternoon by Loch Lomond in the Trossachs. Check whether castle entry is included on your option.

  • The 30-metre Kelpies horse sculptures
  • Stirling Castle (entry usually extra)
  • The shores of Loch Lomond
Check price & availability
The ornate Gothic stonework of Rosslyn Chapel under a clear blue sky Small-group day trip from €56
🕒 7 hours 📍 From Central Edinburgh ⭐ 4.7 (711)

From Edinburgh: Rosslyn Chapel & Scottish Borders Tour

South of the city, the 15th-century Rosslyn Chapel is carved from floor to vault with a density found nowhere else in Scotland. This small-group tour combines it with Melrose and the rolling hills of the Borders, and has you back in Edinburgh by late afternoon. Entry fees are usually extra.

  • The carved interior of Rosslyn Chapel
  • Melrose and the Borders countryside
  • Small-group minibus
Check price & availability
Tracks and platforms of Edinburgh Waverley station in the city centre Airport transfer from €7
🕒 About 30 minutes 📍 From Edinburgh Airport / Waverley Bridge ⭐ 4.7 (19,570)

Edinburgh Airport: Airlink Bus Transfer

The express bus between the airport and Waverley Bridge in the heart of the city, running frequently around the clock. From the stop it is a 15–20 minute walk down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Park. Almost 20,000 reviews and a simple way to have your transfer sorted before you land.

  • Frequent express buses, day and night
  • Drops you beside Waverley station
  • Single or return tickets
Check price & availability
Plan your day on the hill

A volcano before lunch, a palace after

Arthur’s Seat rises straight from the foot of the Royal Mile. Pair the climb with a guided hike, Holyrood Palace, an Old Town walk or a whisky tasting — compare and book in a couple of taps.

Browse Arthur’s Seat & Edinburgh tours Compare all tours
Good to know

Tours & tickets: FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Are there guided tours of Arthur’s Seat?

Yes. Several small-group guided hikes run most days, typically lasting two to three hours and starting near Holyrood. Sunset and early-morning walks are offered in season.

Is a guided hike worth it?

If you enjoy context, yes: guides explain the volcano, Hutton’s geology, the park’s history and its legends, and choose the best route for the conditions. If you only want the view, you can climb independently for free.

What should I wear on a guided hike?

Sturdy shoes with grip, a windproof or waterproof jacket and a warm layer, whatever the season. Bring water. Tours run in most weather but may be changed or cancelled in high winds.

Can I cancel if the weather is bad?

Most tours listed offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. Check the conditions on each listing before booking.

Do tours include Holyrood Palace?

Guided hikes usually pass the palace but do not include entry. Book the palace ticket separately and visit before or after your walk.