Mountebank Comedy Walk

The Mountebank Comedy Walk of Edinburgh flips the standard walking-tour formula by putting comedy in front of history. It is a guided stroll through the Old Town led by performers, and it blends real stories of the city's past with jokes, improvisation and plenty of audience banter. Thousands of visitors have rated it, and it has held a perfect score, which tells you that the format works: the history is solid enough to teach you something, and the humour keeps people of different ages and backgrounds engaged. If you enjoy the Fringe, you will recognise the style, with guides who are comfortable working a crowd, picking on people lightly and keeping an eye on the pace. That is also the tour's main appeal for people who find traditional walking tours slow or dry. Expect to hear about the executions and plagues of the Old Town, the odd characters who shaped the city, and the myths that have grown up around the Mile, all told with a comic edge. It suits groups of friends, couples and families with older children. It is not a scholarly tour, and it is not meant to be, so if you want a historian's footnotes, choose one of the small-group history walks instead; if you want to laugh while you learn the basics, this is an excellent first-day activity.

Because the tour is performed outdoors, the experience depends on the weather and the crowd, and the guide may adjust the route and the jokes accordingly. Check the start times, meeting point and duration when you book. As with any comic show, some of the material is a little irreverent, and the tone is aimed at adults and older children; if you are travelling with younger kids, check the age guidance when you book.

Comfortable shoes and a rain layer are sensible, since the route takes in cobbles and steps. If you have a hearing impairment or need step-free access, ask the operator in advance.

What makes the walk useful, rather than just funny, is that it takes in the places you will want to recognise later. A comic first walk gives you the vocabulary for the Old Town, so that when you return to the Royal Mile, St Giles' Cathedral and the Grassmarket on your own, you know who is who and what happened where.

That is why it works well early in a trip. The jokes also help with the hard parts of Edinburgh history, such as the grim sanitation and the witch trials, which can be heavy if delivered straight. Guides handle the darker material with a light touch, but they do not hide it.

Slot the walk into your first morning or afternoon. Follow it with a long lunch on the Mile or in the Grassmarket, then spend the rest of the day on the castle and the free museums with the context fresh in your mind. In August the tour sits comfortably alongside the festival season, when the city is at its liveliest.

If you want a more serious companion, add the Real Mary King's Close or a guided walk through Greyfriars Kirkyard later in the trip. A tip, as with most walking tours: arrive a few minutes early, and be ready to be teased gently if you stand at the front.