Castle to Calton Hill, Edinburgh: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from Edinburgh Castle to Calton Hill: 3 stops, about 1.9 km, about 25 minutes of walking plus about 20 minutes of listening. Start at Edinburgh Castle, home of the One O’Clock Gun and of the Honours of Scotland, the oldest crown jewels in the British Isles; the castle is a ticketed visit. Walk down the Royal Mile, a Scots mile of about 1.81 km, past the Heart of Midlothian outside St Giles’ Cathedral. Finish on Calton Hill, where the National Monument, meant as a replica of the Parthenon, stopped at twelve columns in 1829.
- Stops:
- 3
- Distance:
- about 1.9 km
- Walking:
- about 25 min
- Listening:
- about 20 min
Castle to Calton Hill, Edinburgh: how long does the walk take?
About 45 minutes in all: about 25 minutes on foot over about 1.9 km, plus about 20 minutes of audio at the 3 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Castle to Calton Hill, Edinburgh: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, and Calton Hill. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.0 km, about 14 min on foot.
Route and map
Navigate with Google Maps, listen with Mappu: the stories keep playing while you follow the route.
Opens Google Maps with walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
The Honours of Scotland, a crown, a sword and a scepter, are the oldest crown jewels in the British Isles.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Royal Mile · about 0.9 km, about 12 min on foot
Stop 2
Outside the west door of St Giles’, a heart-shaped mosaic in the cobbles, the Heart of Midlothian, marks the site of the Old Tolbooth prison.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Calton Hill · about 1.0 km, about 14 min on foot
Stop 3
Work on the National Monument, meant as a replica of the Parthenon, stopped in 1829 when the money ran out, leaving just twelve columns.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
How does this self-guided walking tour work?
The audio guides on this page stay free: open any stop to listen in your browser.
Walk Mode uses your location to narrate places as you walk. It opens in the Mappu app at the first stop, Edinburgh Castle. Your first walk is free for three stops with a free Mappu account.
Walk Mode: 2 hours for 50 credits (€4.99 Starter pack)
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
Useful for your visit
Tickets, tours and practical extras for this trip, from Mappu's partners.
- Guided history tour of Edinburgh Castle, tickets includedGetYourGuide · Partner(opens the partner's site in a new tab)
- Royal Mile Edinburgh and more: guided tourViator · Partner(opens the partner's site in a new tab)
Partner links (Airalo, Amazon, Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Klook, Tiqets, Trip.com, Viator, Welcome Pickups): if you book or buy through them, Mappu may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Route checked by Mappu on October 23, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.