Edinburgh Cab Tours

Private Driving Tours From Edinburgh

Edinburgh Cab Tours runs private guided driving tours that start in Edinburgh and reach across Scotland and into the north of England. The about page says Andy Marjoribanks set the company up in 2013 as a taxi tour specialist around Edinburgh, and that it now does private guided tours all over Scotland and covers Northumberland, York and the Lake District. Stephen Maloney started working with Andy in 2018, covering busy periods, and the about page says he is taking over the company as of February 1st as Andy retires. It runs its own tours with its own small team of driver guides rather than reselling other operators' trips. Alongside day tours and multi-day tours it offers airport, cruise ship and golf transfers, and the homepage describes the service as private guided tours in luxury and comfort in top-of-the-range vehicles, with driver guides it calls entertaining, engaging and informative.

Edinburgh City Tours and Day Trips

The tours page lists its Edinburgh city tours by length. The Edinburgh 2 Hour Tour, a whistle-stop tour of the key locations, is £200. The Edinburgh 4 Hour Tour, which the site calls its most popular tour of the Old and New Town, is £350. The Edinburgh 8 Hour Tour, billed as the essential tour of the city, is £650. The tours page FAQ explains the split: half-day tours of 2 to 4 hours cover the highlights at a faster pace, while full-day tours of 8 hours or more go slower and often add a nearby destination such as St Andrews or Stirling.

The one day trip described in full is the Rosslyn Chapel Tour at £370 for up to six people. It lasts approximately 3 hours including transfers of about 30 minutes each way, with up to 2 hours at the 15th-century chapel, including a 20-minute presentation by one of the chapel guides. On the way back the driver stops at a couple of vantage points over Edinburgh for photos. Unlike most tours, chapel entry is included in the price (the page notes this is correct as at February 2025). The tour runs between 08.00am and 6.00pm in a Mercedes V Class people carrier, with pickups and drop-offs at hotels and guesthouses in the city center; multiple pickups are not available.

Other day tours on the menu include Edinburgh and Stirling Castle, Edinburgh and St Andrews (£650, described as historic Edinburgh and the home of golf), the Scottish Borders, Hadrian's Wall and Vindolanda Fort, a Glenkinchie Distillery tour, the Essential Highlands of Scotland, Balmoral Castle and the Highlands, the Northumberland Castles Tour (£650) and the Essential Outlander Tour for fans of the TV series. The tours page also mentions whisky distillery tours to Speyside, the Highlands, the Lowlands and Islay, and private walking tours of Edinburgh for visitors who would rather go on foot.

Multi-Day and Custom Itineraries

Two multi-day tours are named: the Isle of Skye 3 Day Tour at £2,550, which travels through the Highlands to Skye, and the 4-Day York and Northumberland Tour, featured as the best of medieval England. The homepage FAQ says multi-day Highland tours start from around £2,250. A Trace Your Roots Tour is also on the menu, and several testimonials describe days spent finding ancestors' homes and graves.

Customization is central. The site offers to design a private custom tour from a guest's own ideas, either as a single day starting and finishing in one place or as a point-to-point trip through Scotland, the Scottish Isles and the north of England, with itineraries from two days to two weeks or longer. The tours page FAQ says guests often combine elements of several tours, such as Edinburgh sightseeing plus a Highlands day trip.

Vehicles, Groups and Accessibility

The homepage says the company can supply vehicles seating 3, 7 or up to 16 passengers, and the tours page FAQ says most tours take up to six passengers in standard vehicles, with larger vehicles available on request. On accessibility, the homepage FAQ says a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for manual wheelchairs can be arranged on request if guests say so when booking, so the company can match them with the right driver-guide and vehicle, and the booking form asks whether there is a wheelchair passenger.

What the price covers is spelled out in the FAQ: the private vehicle, the driver-guide and transport for the whole tour. Admission to castles, distilleries and other attractions is separate and paid on the day, with Rosslyn Chapel the stated exception. The Rosslyn page says tours run all year round unless shown as unavailable on the booking calendar.

Booking and Terms

Booking is a two-step process on the booking page: check the booking calendar for available dates and times, then complete the booking form for the chosen tour, or email info@edinburghcabtours.com, or call Stephen on +44 7859 014885. The form asks for pickup point, date and time, party size, and the number of large suitcases and carry-on cases. Guests are asked to read the privacy policy and terms and conditions first. For cruise passengers, the Rosslyn page points to a separate cruise ship transfer page for transfer fees. The Rosslyn page states that cancellation fees apply and refers to the terms and conditions, but the cancellation windows and fee amounts themselves are not on the tour, booking or FAQ pages.

Reviews, Gaps and Who It Suits

The homepage shows a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence badge and says its Tripadvisor and Google reviews are all 5-star ratings. Testimonials on the site, the company's own selection, name Stephen most often and also Allan and Andy, and describe airport pickups, cruise ship collections at South Queensferry, family history days and custom multi-day trips.

The homepage FAQ puts full-day tours to places like St Andrews or Balmoral at £650, but no price is shown for the Stirling, Borders, Hadrian's Wall, Highlands, Outlander, distillery, walking or custom tours, or for the transfers, so those need a quote. The site does not state languages other than English, deposit or payment terms, or how far ahead to book.

Edinburgh Cab Tours suits couples, families and small groups who want their own driver and a flexible day in and around Edinburgh, cruise passengers with limited time, and travelers who want a custom multi-day route or a family history search. Solo travelers on a budget should note that the Rosslyn price is for the whole vehicle of up to six, so the per-head cost depends on how many share it.