Full Day tour of Edinburgh
Visit Edinburgh Castle
City Centre Hotel
Edinburgh is a charming city that offers both old and new. There is the medieval old town with its cobbled, narrow streets and old buildings and the new town where there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. Join us as we explore this fascinating city on a full day guided tour and take time wandering around the historic Edinburgh Castle that sits proudly overlooking the city below.
What’s Extra
Welcome to Edinburgh! Check-in at our hotel. When evening comes, we enjoy a welcome drink with other Solos guests before dinner in the restaurant next door to the hotel.
After breakfast we meet our local walking guide who will spend the day taking us on a leisurely walking tour of Edinburgh. We will explore the ancient burgh of Edinburgh dating from the early 11th century with the founding of Holyrood Abbey in 1128 and St. Giles Kirk in 1130. We will also see how Edinburgh became a medieval city, boasting a Castle, Burgh and Abbey.
We wander past churches, pubs, museums, gardens, shops and more! The Royal Mile & Old Town are not to be missed! We then move on to visit the High Kirk of St. Giles, now widely known as St. Giles Cathedral. We then follow the Royal Mile through the centre of the old town.
Finally, we get to the Princes Street Gardens separating the Old & New Towns. Once in the New Town, that is not actually that new, you will see Holyrood Palace and the Holyrood Parliament buildings and much more of the New Town and its remarkable architecture.
After breakfast we will walk the short distance to Edinburgh Castle – approximately 20 minutes. We will enter the castle for a tour around this historic site that dates back to 12th century. The castle houses the Honours (Crown Jewels) of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny, the famous 15th century gun Mons Meg, the One o’ Clock Gun and the National War Museum of Scotland.
After time spent in the Castle the rest of the day is at leisure to perhaps stroll along the Royal Mile over to Holyrood Palace and gardens or simply just enjoy the Royal Mile which is lined with medieval tenements, stacked with shops, cafés and street entertainers.
After a leisurely breakfast you can decide what you would like to visit further, as today is at leisure to do as you please. The location of our hotel provides a base that means you can walk to many of the popular sights of the city including Holyrood Park which is a 640 acre Royal park adjacent to Holyrood Palace and the parks highest point is Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcano, and sits 251m above sea level giving excellent view of the city; it is also the site of a large and well preserved fort.
If you feel like venturing a few more miles you could take a bus over to the Royal Yacht Britannia, the former royal yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in service from 1954 until 1997. You can wander the 5 decks of this yacht and walk in the footsteps of royalty and the rich and famous!
Or if you are in to art there is a choice of three national galleries to choose from, all within walking distance of our hotel.
After breakfast you may wish to enjoy some more free time to explore before departing Edinburgh for your journey home.
A modern Edinburgh hotel in a Georgian building within walking distance of the city’s top attractions. Our hotel provides a great base to explore the sights of Edinburgh.
The hotel has a lounge bar and ‘Great Room’ where breakfast is served. WIFI is available throughout the hotel.
Our comfortable ensuite rooms offer tea/coffee making facilities, In-Room Heating and A/C Controls, iron/ironing board, flat screen and hairdryer.
Holiday Inn Express® – Edinburgh City Centre hotel is a 10-minute walk from Edinburgh Waverley station in the city’s New Town. It’s a short stroll to the York Place tram stop, which has a direct connection to Edinburgh Airport. Parking at the hotel is £20 per night. The hotel has only 7 spaces so are unable to reserve.
A reasonable level of fitness/mobility is required
The dress code for during your stay is casual. Comfortable shoes for walking and sightseeing are recommended.
There is often confusion on the question of gratuities, since it frequently depends on the type of holiday, location and, of course, your attitude towards tipping, as to what is normally expected. In order to give you a rough idea, we have given appropriate guidance below. The Tour Leader will be on hand to offer advice or suggestions if required but gratuities are offered entirely at the sole discretion of the individual. We suggest a group collection at the beginning of your holiday to cover drivers, guides and hotel staff (including restaurant, kitchen and reception staff) of approximately £5. Your Tour Leader will collect this on your behalf and distribute it accordingly, thus relieving you of the burden of who, when and how much to tip. The tipping of bar staff and housekeeping will be left to your individual discretion (the rounding up of the drinks bill and a small amount left in your room on departure should cover this and would be much appreciated). As is customary, ‘the hat’ will be passed around for the driver and guide on all optional excursions. For any meals that are not included in your itinerary, restaurants expect a 10% gratuity (do check that service has not already been added to your bill). For taxis 10% of the metered fare.
| Month(s) | Highest temperature | Lowest temperature |
|---|---|---|
| May | 14 °C | 8 °C |
| September | 16 °C | 11 °C |
I was so nervous about embarking on my first Solos Holiday, but I shouldn’t have been – it was the best thing I have ever done!
Wow! Got to see the famous shipwreck beach in Zakynthos with Solos. Can’t wait to discover more of their destinations!
Our tour leader Monica was exceptional! Had such a good time and will be rebooking with Solos. Thanks for a great holiday!
Had the best time with Solos! Discovered beautiful destinations and met some lifelong friends.
