Edinburgh tours for schools
Take your learning outdoors with our teacher-designed and led Old Edinburgh activity tours
5 star rated on Tripadvisor
Outdoor learning with Historic Edinburgh Tours
Edinburgh was the stage for many fascinating episodes in Scotland’s history. Your guide, Robert, will take your classes on a carefully planned exploration of places directly linked to the project your class is undertaking. He’s a primary school teacher with over twenty-four years of classroom teaching experience.
There’s nothing quite as motivating as learning about history at the very places in which it happened. Our images and laminated sheets will help your pupils understand how your tour area has changed over time. We’re expert storytellers and will immerse your pupils in the lives of the people who once lived here. Images, props, and historical evidence are all used to give your class a clear understanding of the past.
Come with us as we explore Edinburgh’s history!
Choose from our range of activity tours of Edinburgh
CFE 'First level' Castle project tour
Your guide will take your pupils on a learning journey all about ‘castles’. We’ll look at a castle's structure, what makes it a ‘castle’ and not merely a ‘house’, and we will use laminated cards to work out how we would defend or attack a castle. Usually, we recommend Craigmillar Castle. This is a brilliant place to explore and is considerably quieter than Edinburgh Castle.
Please note that your booking fee for the castle is not part of our fee.
£3 per pupil. No charge for adults.
Old Edinburgh activity tour
Our Old Edinburgh activity tour will take your class on an evidence-exploring journey around parts of the Old Town.
Pupils will work in pairs to analyse and evaluate different pieces of historical evidence. They’ll have opportunities to check and critique the accuracy of various sources of evidence as they walk the streets of Old Edinburgh.
Your class will explore Greyfriars Kirkyard, visit the Grassmarket, West Bow and Royal Mile and an Old Town close. We may even be able to attempt a recreation of the old prison!
£3 per pupil. No charge for adults.
Mary, Queen of Scots tour for schools
Take your class back in time to the Edinburgh, which Mary, Queen of Scots, would have known. Your pupils will use a variety of pieces of historical evidence to help discover the stories of Mary’s past.
We’ll see where she spent some of her childhood, walk the streets she’d have known, and see a replica of her tomb! We’ll also get an opportunity to visit the site of Kirk o’Field - the location of the assassination of Mary’s second husband!
£3 per pupil. No charge for adults.
Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites
Your class will tour the places that were important in the final Jacobite Rebellion. They will use various pieces of evidence to discover what Edinburgh was like in 1745, how the Jacobite army took the city and how the Hanoverians and Jacobites within Edinburgh acted during this period.
We’ll learn about some of the important people, both men and women, who played a part in this exciting moment in Scotland’s history. Your learning will take place at the actual sites where history happened!
£3 per pupil. No charge for adults.
Slum life in Victorian Edinburgh tour
Perfect for classes who have been studying the Victorians or a topic on 'inequality'.
There are so many resources that look at the lives of the rich and famous…this tour looks the other side of the story.
Edinburgh’s Old Town was effectively a slum dwelling. This tour will take your class right into the heart of the most impoverished areas. Your pupils will use various pieces of historical evidence to unravel the forgotten stories of people who struggled to survive in a society that did little for them. Your class will also learn about history and citizenship issues relevant to today's community.
£3 per pupil. No charge for adults.
My Primary 5 class and I had a fantastic experience on Robert's walking tour. It was engaging, well organised and brilliantly resourced. The tour complimented our Old Edinburgh topic perfectly, being immersed in the history of the city and using different sources providing a rich context for learning. Robert was incredibly knowledgeable and supported pupils in being scrupulous history detectives. Following 2 years without excursions, the pupils were so excited to be learning in the real world and thoroughly enjoyed this experience. It was appropriate and well pitched to pupils in second level. I would highly recommend this tour. Thank you Robert, hopefully the pupils will see you again to learn about the Jacobites!
Miss A Wittland- Tripadvisor review - April 2022
