Edinburgh Audio Tour: Underground Echoes and City Secrets

Underground Echoes and City Secrets is a self-guided audio tour of Edinburgh, starting from The Scotsman Hotel at 20 North Bridge Road. It's delivered by AudaTours, and the whole thing runs through their free app, so you can set off whenever you fancy rather than sticking to a fixed date or time. It's open from Sunday 25 October 2026, with daily slots, and you follow it at your own pace.

The route takes you beneath the cobblestones of the Royal Mile, where the guide says the cries of rebellion, sermons and secret agreements still echo. From there, it wanders through the city's alleys and squares, stopping at thirteen landmarks along the way. You'll pass the City Art Centre, the Museum on the Mound, St Giles' Cathedral, the Old College courtyard and St Cecilia's Hall, among others. The narration is provided by guides who bring each site to life with the kind of history and detail you'd never get from a plaque on the wall.

Because it's an audio tour, you're in charge of the timing. You can linger at a particular spot if it catches your eye or keep moving if you're in a rush, and the audio works offline through the app, so you don't have to worry about your signal cutting out as you move through the streets. One thing to keep in mind is that no entry to any building or site is included, so you'll be taking in the landmarks from the outside.

It starts from £3.99, and since it's self-guided, you can fit it in whenever suits you best.