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Lower Royal Mile & Holyrood Palace Walk
There is so much in the Royal Mile and the streets and alleys that come off it that we had to split it into two walks. The Lower Royal Mile walk runs down to the Palace of Holyrood and covers the museums, the Scottish Parliament and some of the incredible history of the area of the Royal Mile that used to be outside the old city of Edinburgh.
Locations
Miles Covered
Users
Benefits
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Each walk delivers a unique and fascinating user experience. Through Tourist Walks’ self guided tour application you can explore the hidden gems created by local experts. For people wanting to explore the neighbourhood and experience the local culture, we provide a unique experience of exploring the city using GPS guided audio tours. We provide a free walk to our new users.
Full Audio Visual Commentary
Tourist Walks is an application that can give you the freedom to explore the famous walks at your own discretion. We have created a full audio-visual self-guided experience that gives you the confidence to explore and discover the stories of various cities on your own.
Visit the Best Tourist Sites & Explore Them
Get a list of all the tourist sites you can visit. The Tourist Walks application will guide you to your next destination because every journey starts with a single step.
GPS and Multilingual Audio and Text Guidance
Even if you don’t understand the local language of the city you are visiting, Don’t worry. Audio guided walks have multilingual text assistance that will guide you in your native language.
Start/Stop/Rewind
/Restart Go at Your Own Pace
Tourist Walks’ audios are narrated by professionals who will keep you entertained while you are walking your way to the next destination. We help you discover the city around you in a more impressive way.
Download the Walk App & Use Offline. No Mobile Data Required.
It is always frustrating when you wish to travel somewhere but your mobile phone service is out-of-order. Don’t worry! Tourist Walks comes with an offline version of built-in maps you might need, even without internet access.
FREE App & Walk Summaries
Each walk delivers a unique and fascinating user experience. Through Tourist Walks’ self guided tour application you can explore the hidden gems created by local experts. For people wanting to explore the neighbourhood and experience the local culture, we provide a unique experience of exploring the city using GPS guided audio tours. The App is FREE, and all the walk summaries are FREE, each walk is individually priced and you can buy all the walks for a city at a discounted price.
Full Audio Visual Commentary
Tourist Walks is an application that can give you the freedom to explore the famous walks at your own discretion. We have created a full audio-visual self-guided experience that gives you the confidence to explore and discover the stories of various cities on your own.
Visit the Best Tourist Sites & Explore Them
Get a list of all the tourist sites you can visit. The Tourist Walks application will guide you to your next destination because every journey starts with a single step.
GPS and Multilingual Audio and Text Guidance
Even if you don’t understand the local language of the city you are visiting, Don’t worry. Audio guided walks have multilingual text assistance that will guide you in your native language.
Start/Stop/Rewind
/Restart Go at Your Own Pace
Tourist Walks’ audios are narrated by professionals who will keep you entertained while you are walking your way to the next destination. We help you discover the city around you in a more impressive way.
Download the Walk App & Use Offline. No Mobile Data Required.
It is always frustrating when you wish to travel somewhere but your mobile phone service is out-of-order. Don’t worry! Tourist Walks comes with an offline version of built-in maps you might need, even without internet access.
The Lower Royal Mile & Edinburgh Walk is packed with history and fantastic stories
- Tour Name - Lower Royal Mile & Holyrood Palace Walk
- Tour Location - Edinburgh
- No. of Attractions - #12
- Tour Starting Point - Holyrood Palace
- Tour Ending Point - White Horse Close
Just some of the highlights of the Lower Royal Mile & Holyrood Walking Tour
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyrood is one of the best places to visit in Edinburgh. It is the official residence of the British Monarch in Scotland, and don’t forget the present Royal family is directly descended from Mary Queen of Scots. The site of the Palace was originally a guest house for pilgrims to Holyrood abbey and dates from the 16th Century. You can also see the remains of the Abbey founded in the 12th Century by King David 1 of Scotland. According to medieval legend a miraculous event took place near here in 1128. The Scottish King David I, against the advice of his priest, set out hunting upon the Feast Day of the Holy Rood, which is Scots for the Holy Cross. He came upon a huge, white stag and gave chase but was suddenly thrown from his horse. The maddened stag immediately turned upon its pursuer and King David began frantically praying to God for his salvation. The story is told that a fiery cross appeared between the stag’s antlers before it vanished from sight. A grateful King David built a shrine on the site of the miracle, founding Holyrood Abbey. Find out more on the tour.
The Scottish Parliament has guided tours a café and a shop. It has been the home to the Scottish Parliament since 2004. It’s controversial appearance is said to be inspired by upturned boats on the shore and leaf shapes. It uses many Scottish materials in its construction such as granite from Aberdeenshire, and stone from Caithness. The wall that runs along the Royal Mile, the Canongate Wall, has many Scottish carved stones incorporated into it.
The Scottish Parliament
Queensberry House
This is the late 17th Century Queensberry House and is the scene of a dark piece of history. The house was owned by the 1st Duke of Queensberry and the Duke’s eldest son was known to be insane and was kept hidden and locked up in the house. On the night of the signing of the Treaty of Union in 1707, when everyone was out, the son felt hungry and escaped his room but all he could find was a kitchen boy. His father came back and found him roasting and eating the poor boy. It is now part of the Scottish Parliament building.
The Museum of Edinburgh
The Museum of Edinburgh is also known as “The Speaking House” because of the series of latin inscriptions on the outside. The originals are inside the museum. The Museum is free and features spectacular collections of decorative art which reveal a rich history of Scottish craftsmanship, from beautifully cut and engraved glass, and intricately made silver from Edinburgh and Canongate, costume, longcase clocks, along with Scottish pottery and Scottish porcelain dating from the 1760s.
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Moray House
This is Moray House and it was built in 1625. It is one of the finest mansions to survive in the Old Town. Oliver Cromwell stayed here in 1648 and made it his headquarters. The Treaty of Union with England in 1707 was also signed here, it is now a teacher training school.
Worlds End
Worlds End Court is so called because it was the last Court before the Old City Gate called the Netherbrow Port which we cover on another part of this walk. It also got the name from being literally the world’s end for many of the city’s poor. Unless you had money you could not leave the city as you had to pay to return through the gate, so many people had to live their entire lives within the city walls. The World’s End pub here is a good spot to eat and drink.
Museum of Childhood
The Museum of Childhood, which is free to enter, was the first museum in the world to be dedicated to the history of childhood and it attracts over 200,000 visitors a year. Amongst the displays you will find toys, games, clothes, books and dolls, dating from the 1800s to the present day so some you may recognize from your own childhood.There are five galleries to explore throughout which you will find fascinating.
John Knox's House
John Knox’s House which dates from the end of the 15th Century. Originally it belonged to James Mossman the goldsmith to Mary Queen of Scots. His initials and those of his wife Mariota Arres are shown on the outside of the building. It gets its current name as it is said the great Scottish church reformer John Knox lived here in the late 16th Century. The house is open to the public and is part of the Netherbrow Arts Centre and the Scottish Story Telling Centre. There is also a café if you are in need of refreshment. There are exhibitions on three floors that tell the stories of the buildings famous residents. Find out more on our tour.
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Canongate Church
Canongate church built by King James VII of Scotland, James II of England for the congregation that used the Abbey Church at Holyrood when it was turned into a chapel royal for the use of the Knights of the Thistle. On the right-hand side of the gateway there is a statue of Robert Fergusson a poet, who performed at private house parties. However. he suffered from mood swings and ended up in an asylum where he became delusional and imagined himself to be king and wore a grown of plaited straw. Not long after he took his own life, and was buried in a pauper’s grave in this church yard with an epitaph by Robert Burns who admired his work greatly. You can see his and other gravestones of well-known people if you go into the graveyard by taking the path to the left of the church. Find out more on our tour.
Dunbars Close
Dunbar’s Close and you will find a quiet secluded garden often called the Mushroom Garden that is laid it out in the style of a 17th Century Edinburgh garden. In the 17th Century these buildings belonged to the writer David Dunbar hence the name. Find out more on our tour
White Horse Close
White Horse Close is named after Mary Queen of Scot’s white horse. It was used as a Royal Mews in the 16th Century and King Charles met Scottish nobles here in 1639 for a conference. There was also a hayloft, houses, and the White Horse Inn. The Inn was the Edinburgh terminus for the London to Edinburgh stage coach service. In the 18th Century the trip took eight days and ended at Scotland Yard, now the home of the Metropolitan Police. Find out more on our tour.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. After the walks have been downloaded, for which you need an internet connection, no mobile data is required to do the walks.
No you can pause and resume at any point within the walk. Whether you need a coffee or a comfort break the walks are entirely flexible.
Yes you will receive both verbal guidance and a GPS enabled map to take you around each of the points of interest on the walks.
No the walks are circular so you will receive multiple options of where to start each walk.
Yes there are providing you buy them as a bundle, not one at a time. You can even buy all the walks in one package at a very generous price.
For each point of interest you will get information both verbally and in text and sometimes video form together with helpful images to get the most from each one.
You can pay by all manner of credit and debit cards as well as Paypal.
In the walk summary we point out if the walk is suitable for wheelchairs and pets, and there is also an indication of the distance of the walk, and how long it will take.
Yes we would love to hear from you through our website: www.touristwalks.co.uk
Happy Tourists
I absolutely enjoyed using the Tourist Walk app! The guided walking tours are very informative and interesting. I was able to find the tour I wanted quickly and easily, and the app was very easy to navigate. The walking tour itself was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about the city. Overall, I would highly recommend this.
Carla Mathew
Tourist Walk is an excellent walking guide app. It is extremely user-friendly and provides great information on the various tours available. I would highly recommend this app to anyone visiting a new city!
Shaun Miles
Tourist Walk is an amazing app that provides guided tours of various cities. The app is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate. I was able to find the tour I was looking for quickly and easily. The tour itself was very informative and interesting. I would highly recommend this app to anyone visiting a new city!
