Are you an art and design teacher in Scotland planning a creative, affordable, and educational day out for your pupils? PicTours Edinburgh offers a unique phone photography walking tour tailored for National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher levels – designed to develop critical thinking, observational drawing skills, and personal response in line with the SQA curriculum.

Pair your PicTour with a visit to one of Edinburgh’s free national galleries or museums, and you’ve got a full day of inspiration that hits curriculum goals and sparks creative energy – all without breaking the budget.

🎒 What’s Included in a PicTours Edinburgh Field Trip?

📍 A guided walking tour through Edinburgh’s historic and modern streets
Explore the iconic Old Town, colourful closes, dramatic viewpoints, and hidden creative corners – ideal for gathering source material.

📸 Phone photography skills for all levels
Pupils are taught how to use their mobile phones as creative tools – framing, contrast, textures, perspective, and light are all explored.

🧠 Creative tasks to develop ideas and sketchbook work
From compositional challenges to reflective writing prompts, our walking tours build the visual and contextual research needed for National 5, Higher, and AH folios.

🖼️ Links to key curriculum aims

• Observational drawing through digital photography
• Analysing and responding to the visual environment
• Personal development of ideas for expressive and design work
• Recording ideas from first-hand experiences

🖼️ Add a Free Gallery Visit for a Full Day of Creative Learning

After your tour, extend your visit with a free museum or gallery trip – all within walking distance of our tour routes:

1. Scottish National Gallery

Explore work from Botticelli to Turner to the Scottish Colourists. Free entry with pupil resources available online.

2. Scottish National Portrait Gallery

A stunning interior and a rich collection of portraiture across time – excellent for contextual studies and critical analysis tasks.

3. City Art Centre

A contemporary gallery featuring rotating exhibitions from Scottish artists – brilliant for showing pupils the diversity of modern creative practice in Scotland.

🚌 Why Teachers Choose PicTours Edinburgh

✅ Led by experienced creative guides – we’re used to working with school groups and adapt the tour based on age and level
✅ Curriculum-aligned – supports National 5, Higher & Advanced Higher Expressive and Design units
✅ Great value – cost-effective group pricing, and all museums are free
✅ Low admin – fully risk assessed and easy to plan
✅ Accessible and inclusive – encourages pupils of all abilities to engage with the visual world around them

📅 How the Day Works

• Start Time: Usually 10:30am (flexible for school travel times)
• Meeting Point: Central Edinburgh (Waverley/Balmoral area)
• Tour Duration: Approx. 1.5 hours
• Lunch: Bring packed lunches or eat at Princes Street Gardens or museum cafés
• Afternoon: Self-guided visit to gallery or museum
• End Time: Around 2:30–3:00pm for a relaxed return journey

🎨 Book Your Edinburgh Art Trip with PicTours

Whether your pupils are preparing folios or just beginning their creative journey, PicTours Edinburgh brings the city to life through photography, storytelling, and visual exploration.

📞 Group bookings welcome
📧 Email [email protected]

PicTours – Capture Stories, Not Just Selfies.
✨ Inspire Scotland’s next generation of artists through the lens of Edinburgh’s streets.