The castle privately, Old Town closes and a whisky tasting in a historic vault.
The castle privately, Old Town closes and a whisky tasting in a historic vault. Here is Edinburgh, arranged privately — browse it by the occasion you're marking, by what moves you, or by the season that suits you best.
What an advisor can open that an algorithm cannot. Each of these is staged on your terms — the access, the timing, the people.
The castle opened thirty minutes before the ticket barriers activate — the esplanade yours, the Scottish Crown Jewels (the Honours of Scotland) seen with a royal curator who explains why they survived the Act of Union while the English Regalia did not.
A merchant's cellar beneath the Old Town, turned private dining room — a chef who sources exclusively from within fifty miles of the city, a wine list that begins and ends with Scottish producers, the cobblestones above you two centuries old.
The hill above the New Town with the Edinburgh architectural historian who mapped the neoclassical grid below you — the Parthenon columns, the Nelson Monument, Arthur's Seat catching the last light, and the story of the Athens of the North that the city still half believes.
Not a package — a starting point. Each is a journey we have designed and refined; your advisor reshapes it for the version only you would recognise.
An anniversary or milestone marked in Edinburgh, with a setting worthy of the occasion.
The castles, estates and living history of Edinburgh, privately.
The markets, cellars and private kitchens that define Edinburgh.
Edinburgh in August is the world's largest arts festival — a box at the International Festival for the performance that everyone is talking about, the Military Tattoo from a private terrace in the Esplanade, and the Fringe show that your advisor identified three months ago as the one that sells out before it opens.
Each a starting point — our advisors weave them into a single, seamless journey.
August transforms Edinburgh: the International Festival, the Fringe, and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade run concurrently, and the city is at its most charged. For travelers who prefer calm, late spring or September offer long daylight, fewer crowds, and easier reservations. If you do want the Tattoo, premium seating and surrounding hotel blocks sell out months ahead, so Forest Travel secures these well in advance.
Yes. We can arrange after-hours or pre-opening private tours of Edinburgh Castle, including the Crown Jewels and the Great Hall, with a specialist historian guide. The Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed at Leith, can also be visited privately, and we frequently pair either with a private whisky tasting led by an independent expert.
Most luxury travelers base themselves in the New Town, with its Georgian crescents and proximity to George Street, or along the Royal Mile in the Old Town for atmosphere. Two to three nights is ample to cover the Castle, Holyrood, Arthur's Seat, and Dean Village at an unhurried pace.
Edinburgh sits naturally as the gateway to Scotland: many guests fly into London for several days, take the train or a private flight north, then use Edinburgh as a base before continuing into the Highlands by chauffeured car. Your advisor can structure the routing so the cultural city days and the scenic Highland drives flow without backtracking.
The Old Town is steep and largely cobbled, with several closes and stairs that vehicles cannot reach, so a chauffeured car combined with a knowledgeable walking guide works best. For day excursions to the coast or the Highlands, a private driver is more comfortable and flexible than rail, particularly with luggage.
Edinburgh Castle can be opened thirty minutes before the ticket barriers activate, so the esplanade is yours. You see the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish Crown Jewels, with a royal curator who explains why they survived the Act of Union while the English Regalia did not. The Crown Room itself sits on a public, timed-entry route, so this access is limited in number and requested months out rather than booked on demand.
The dinner takes place in a merchant's cellar beneath Edinburgh's Old Town, turned into a private dining room, with cobblestones two centuries old above you. The chef sources exclusively from within fifty miles of the city, and the wine list begins and ends with Scottish producers. It is one of the experiences an advisor can open, staged on your terms for access, timing and people.
A dusk walk on Calton Hill, above Edinburgh's New Town, is led by the architectural historian who mapped the neoclassical grid below you. You take in the Parthenon columns, the Nelson Monument and Arthur's Seat catching the last light, and hear the story of the Athens of the North, an idea the city still half believes.
Edinburgh's visitor levy is five per cent of the accommodation cost, charged on the first five nights only. It applies to stays from 24 July 2026 booked on or after 1 October 2025, and is calculated before VAT. It covers hotels, apartments, aparthotels, guest houses, short-term lets and even vessels, but not parking, meals, drinks or transport. On a suite it is real money, so it belongs in the budget.
Edinburgh is a poor fit for anyone with limited mobility who expects to be driven to the door. Cobbles, gradients and stairs are the fabric of the city, and several Old Town closes and stairways cannot be reached by vehicle. The working approach is a chauffeured car for arrivals and departures, meeting you at the bottom of the hill, with a knowledgeable walking guide in between.
June or September for most travelers, within the May to September season. Both bring long daylight, fewer crowds and easier reservations than August. Choose August only if the festivals are the reason to go: the International Festival, the Fringe and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo run together then, the city is at its most charged, and premium Tattoo seating and hotels sell out months ahead.
A private journey through Scotland starts from around US$1,350 per person per night, so a week across Edinburgh and the Highlands starts from around US$9,400 per person, before international flights. Private castle access, a sporting estate and a chauffeured car move the total. In Edinburgh, add the city's visitor levy of five per cent on the first five nights. Forest Travel's planning fee is US$250 per itinerary.
The most memorable are private. Edinburgh Castle can be opened before the ticket barriers, with a royal curator beside the Honours of Scotland; dinner can be served in a Georgian merchant's cellar beneath the Old Town; and an architectural historian can lead a dusk walk up Calton Hill. The Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed at Leith, can also be visited privately, and Forest Travel arranges each one.
Two to three nights is enough for Edinburgh at an unhurried pace: the Castle, Holyrood, Arthur's Seat and Dean Village, with a private dinner and a dusk walk on Calton Hill. Most guests base themselves in the New Town or along the Royal Mile, then continue into the Highlands by chauffeured car or come north from London by train or private flight.
Every journey here is a starting point a private advisor reshapes entirely around you — your pace, your people, the Edinburgh only you would recognise.
A real person answers: an in-house luxury travel advisor, in English or Spanish. The first conversation is complimentary.
