Should we book a private tour in Edinburgh or would the Hop On Hop Off be sufficient to see the city?

When? How many days will you be there? What do you hope to see?

The HoH is a bad idea, the best idea is find something like this https://www.nomadepicureans.com/euro...r-self-guided/
Edinburgh has many walking routes that a HoH just will not get to and more to the point gives you a crazy vehicle persepective of a city designed for walking. (a bit like visiting Venice in a car)

The OP asked the exact same question re Waterford so I assume they are on a cruise. I personally would not do a tour in either city (a H-o-H-o isn't a totally terrible idea in Edinburgh if one has mobility issues).

Me personally - I'd pick a site or two and visit on my own but some cruisers are more used to be taken by the hand and shown things.

Edinburgh is a very walkable city. I've never taken a HOHO bus. Never felt the need. I think you would enjoy walking through the wonderful neighborhoods of Edinburgh. If you have the time, I do recommend a Mercat walking tour. They offer many different tours. We did the Royal Mile tour which included Edinburgh Castle.
https://www.mercattours.com/

If you are not on a cruise, which hotel are you staying at? We stayed at the Ibis St. Andrews Square and we walked everywhere from there. All you need is a good map and sturdy walking shoes!

Greetings
I agree with the above posters. I personally have never taken a HOHO bus or actually booked a walking tour anywhere but I know that they can be both informative and enjoyable. Edinburgh while quite hilly is very walkable. I prefer to do my own research and most places we visited in Edinburgh had self-guided audio tours which were more than sufficient. If you haven't already done so, I would recommend reading the Edinburgh information in a Fodor's Scotland guide book or any other guide books. The public library is always my first stop for guidebooks when planning any kind of a trip, along with websites that provide a lot of information, Visit Scotland I found quite helpful and then websites for specific destinations too see days/hours of operation, etc.

Thanks so much for everyone’s help. Yes, we’re on a cruise and only have about 7 hours in each city. Your input has been greatly appreciated. We have some decisions to make. Excellent advice.

So with only seven hours, I might look into a private tour to give you a taste of what it is like to visit Edinburgh. Another option would be to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia and then take a tram to St Andrew Square to have some sense of Edinburgh. It was always a place I had wanted to visit and was lucky enough to travel there in October. We did spend 5 nights and that seemed to be the right amount of time for my husband and I.

For Edinburgh -- what I would do is if they offer one, take the Cruise line's shuttle into the city centre (it would most likely terminate somewhere near St Andrews Square or Waverly Station -- but anywhere in the city centre would do) Then either walk or take a city bus up to the Castle, tour the castle, walk down hill the length of the Royal Mile visiting Gladstone's Land and St Giles Cathedral on the walk. Maybe detour down the hill to the Museum of Scotland if you are making good time. Then catch a taxi back to the cruise ship. Lunch in any pub along the Royal Mile.

If the cruise line doesn't offer a shuttle, just take a cab all the way to the Castle. I personally would not take a city bus from the cruise terminal because your time is limited and you will want to streamline things as much as possible.

Didn't seeMadam 397's post because we were posting at the same time. I personally would not take a tour. I'd want to be free to explore the Royal Mile at my own speed.

My first question was , “When?”

Edinburgh in August is unlike Edinburgh at any other time of year.