See Edinburgh through the eyes
of a historian
For more than a decade I have guided visitors through the best
of Edinburgh’s Old Town, New Town, Holyrood Park, and beyond.
The writer Hugh MacDiarmid described Edinburgh as “a mad god’s dream”, and what a dream it is! I have lived in Edinburgh for fifteen years — it is a city I love deeply and which I relish sharing with visitors from all over the world. I customise every tour to make sure you see and learn about the things that most interest and excite you.
My tours aren’t the standard “stop and point at things” style. Yes, we’ll visit famous landmarks and hidden recesses alike, but along the way I’ll show you how to identify the age of our buildings, teach you some Scots language expressions, explore the city’s countless literary connections, regail you with folkloric tales, answer any questions about Scotland you’ve always wondered about, and share my favourite historic sites in Edinburgh and
across Scotland.
Prior to every tour and included in my fee I can provide suggestions for your trip to help you make the very most of your time in Scotland. Afterwards I follow up on any lingering questions you have and can compile a list of books, films and television shows, and research materals to give you an even greater understanding of Scotland’s story.
By tour’s end you’ll come away understanding what forces influenced Edinburgh’s development from the Bronze Age through the Medieval period to today, and with a local historian’s perspective on why Edinburgh truly is one of the world’s great
capital cities.
Tour options and prices
All tour options and destinations are flexible. We can focus on Old Town, New Town, Holyrood Park, or a combination thereof depending on your interests and the amount of time we have together. All options include pre-arrival trip planning help and post-tour follow up with recommendations and further learning materials.
Short tour (up to 2.5 hours) - £160
Half-day tour (up to 4.5 hours) - £240
Full-day tour (up to 8 hours) - £425
*Variable and discounted rates are avilable for hotel referrals and partnerships.
Email me at dcweinczok@gmail.com to enquire about available dates and book your private guided tour of Edinburgh!
Old Town
The beating heart of Edinburgh for over 900 years, the Old Town is what I call a ‘Franken-city’ with time periods and architectural styles mashed together in a glorious warren of history. Expect tales of sieges and battles, poetry recitations, gothic burial grounds, narrow and brooding closes, and remnants of ancient beliefs dating back thousands of years. This is the Edinburgh of the Wars of Independence, of Mary, Queen of Scots, of the Jacobite Risings, and so much more. This is Auld Reekie at its auldest and reekiest.
Highlights include…
Edinburgh Castle
New College
Makars’ Court & Writers’ Museum
St Giles Cathedral
Closes including Advocate’s Close, Bakehouse Close,
Borthwick’s Close, and Riddle’s Court
Greyfriars Kirkyard & Greyfriars Bobby
Grassmarket
Victoria Street & Cockburn Street
University of Edinburgh
New Town
New Town is the ‘Enlightenment in stone’, a Georgian and Victorian planned town built to mark Scotland’s place in the modern world. It is the birthplace of Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, and its environs inspired Arthur Conan Doyle and Mary Shelley’s iconic characters. Monumental Calton Hill is testament to Scots’ love for ancient Athens and Rome, while the manicured ‘wilds’ of the Water of Leith stirred the hearts of Romantic painters and writers. Yet New Town has its dark sides, too, with its grandeur borne of Empire and Transatlantic slavery. Where does its legacy stand today? That’s for you to decide.
Highlights include…
Dean Village
Water of Leith walkway
St Bernard’s Well
Stockbridge & Circus Lane
Rose Street
Princes Street Gardens
St Cuthbert’s Parish Churchyard
Scott Monument
St Andrew Square
Calton Hill
Holyrood Park & Arthur’s Seat
Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat are like a chunk of the Highlands that ventured south for a ceilidh and never made it home. The seat itself, a volcanic plug left over from Scotland’s primordial past, contains legends of King Arthur. Its lochs have yielded ancient treasures, and the remains of Iron Age forts and farms can still be traced — if you know where to look. Together we can conquer the summit or do as Nan Shepherd would and delight in the lower reaches and secret places of the park. Either way, you’ll get panoramic views for miles around (weather allowing!) and a taste of Scotland’s glorious hills without leaving the city.
Highlights include…
Holyrood Palace
St Margaret’s Loch
St Anthony’s Chapel
Salisbury Crags
Hunter’s Bog
Piper’s Walk
Dunsapie Loch & Dunsapie Crag
Crow Hill & Whinny Hill
Arthur’s Seat summit
Tour testimonials
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"The knowledge you shared with anecdotes and tidbits of trivia made it the best tour any of us had ever experienced. We cannot stop talking about how much we enjoyed it! Thank you also for your follow up. We appreciate you!"
Mary S., June 2025
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"David was knowledgeable and informative and one of the best guides we have had over many decades of travel. His breadth and depth of historical knowledge was outstanding. He answered each of our many questions without hesitation, and went at our pace without rushing us. It’s not easy to digest 800 years of European history in 3 hours, but David enabled us to do so."
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"David our guide was the quintessential tour guide, rich in history wrapped into stories that had us engaged from the beginning to the end! Honestly, if you are interested to learn Scottish history, David is your guide! I have travelled the world and don’t think I have come across a guide who is so rich in history, he really brought the town to life!
