The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour: A Dramatic Romp through Old and New Town's Historic Pubs
4.5
409 Ratings
Edinburgh
Join the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour for a hilarious and engaging romp through the historic pubs of Edinburgh's Old and New Town. Experience a dramatic script performed by professional actors and discover the lesser-known literary characters that have shaped the city's tavern life. A must-see cultural attraction since 1996!
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Edinburgh Old Town - The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour is is a brilliant and witty dramatic romp through the wynds, courtyards and pubs of Edinburgh’s Old and new Town.
What's Included
  • Professional actors
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic Beverages
Additional Information

Join the adventurous pair, Clart (synonym for dirt!) and our polished-intellectual Mcbrain, as they guide you on an amusing and smart theatrical journey through the back alleys, squares, and pubs of historical and modern Edinburgh. A hilarious battle of brains featuring three centuries of excellent literature and vibrant personalities.
The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour presents a theatrical script acted out by two professional actors, it goes beyond mere tour guides reciting from books. The tour extends past the familiar Scottish literary figures such as Burns, Scott, and Stevenson, and ventures into the lives of the most flamboyant, literary personalities who have contributed to the humour and wit that define the unique pub culture of The Old and New Town.

This acclaimed Tour was the first literary tour introduced in Edinburgh in 1996! It has since entertained over 500,000 happy visitors on a captivating literary exploration through Edinburgh. It is esteemed by many as a trailblazer and often featured as a ‘Must-visit’ cultural landmark in travel guides globally.

Location
Beehive Inn
Grassmarket
Look out for our Ticketing person wearing bright vest. The tour starts up the stairs at The Beehive on the top floor. Feel free to purchase a drink at the bar beforehand and bring it upstairs with you to enjoy the first scene!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(409 Ratings)
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David_s
Apr 7, 2024
Tremendous - Holy smokes! What a fantastic time filled with poetry, history and laughs. This is the tour you want to take!
Review provided by Viator
281ylvad
Apr 1, 2024
Recommend! - Recommend! Had a great evening with Hazel and Paul. They taught us a lot about Scottish literature, at the same time as they kept us entertained. It was a perfect mix between acting parts and information parts. Overall, very happy with the tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connector39098136133
Mar 30, 2024
A literary play tour, genious! - Great tour, bringing the element of acting really enhanced the tour and made it easier to understand and learn about Edinburghs literary scene. Hazel and Paul were such sweet guides and definitely recommend their tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
113dinahb
Dec 23, 2023
A fun run through Edinburgh’s literary history - Great fun with very congenial and energetic hosts. The content is suitable for even the somewhat unliterary-minded but still highly entertaining for those who already know something about the theme.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
110lest
Oct 27, 2023
Wonderful evening! - The presenters were wonderful, the topic engaging. It was a delightful journey back to the times of the writers and extremely entertaining!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X8539yndebras
Oct 23, 2023
Perfect evening - This was one of the highlights of my husband's trip to Scotland. How amazing to hear poetry read in beautiful courtyards in Edinburgh. The actors were both amazing (sorry I can't remember their names). It had a very relaxing feel, and we enjoyed visiting some of the historic pub locations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E2706pxlauraw
Oct 7, 2023
A great evening in Edinburgh! - What a memorable and unique tour/pub crawl! To get the most out of this tour, it's helpful to be at least passingly familiar with the "big three" - Burns, Scott, and Stevenson. That said, you'll still have a blast (and learn a lot) if you're not! The two actor guides do a masterful job of gliding between short acting/character segments and informative bits, which really makes this evening stand out. Everyone in the group had a great time, and gained a deeper appreciation for Edinburgh's literary greats. Enthusiastically recommended! 
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stroshane007
Oct 5, 2023
Outstanding tour, brilliant acting, a few pubs, and lots of humor. - Michael and Blair were amazing! Dramatic and hilarious! A great tour around the heart of Edinburgh with contributions from Robbie Burns, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and many others great Scottish writers you may not know.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
958meaganb
Oct 1, 2023
Fun Historical Adventure - Dougall and Riley gave an excellent performance as Clart and McBrain, and kept us laughing throughout the tour. If you are a history buff, this is a must for your experience in Edinburgh!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pennae
Sep 28, 2023
An enjoyable literary tour, but not a pub tour - From reading the reviews, I had quite different expectations to what actually happened on the night. The tour began well, at the starting pub upstairs at the Beehive Inn, but this ended up being the only time we were inside or sitting down on the tour. The rest was outside, in the cold and the rain, huddled under umbrellas or in laneways. The second ‘pub’ stop involved getting drinks from a downstairs bar and bringing them up outside to stand in the rain (albeit under a tree). We didn’t have a third pub stop. The actors were great and the skit enjoyable, but it was a bit of a struggle at the end of a day of walking.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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1 Adult
May 2024
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