Trams operated in Edinburgh from 1871 to 1956, and resumed in 2014. The first systems were horse-drawn, while cable-haulage appeared in the city in 1888. Electric trams first ran on systems in neighbouring Musselburgh (1904) and Leith (1905), meeting the Edinburgh cable-trams at Joppa and Pilrig respectively. Electrification meant cable trams last ran in 1923, with through running now possible to Leith and as far east as Port Seton. The various systems were operated by different private and municipal entities over the years; the Edinburgh and Leith systems had been merged under Edinburgh Corporation by 1920, but it wasn't until 1928, after the partial closure of Musselburgh line, that all trams operating in Edinburgh were in the sole control of the corporation. The last electric trams ran in 1956, but electric trams returned in 2014 with the opening of Edinburgh Trams. Many of the trams from the horse/cable/first electric era were built in Shrubhill Works. Two trams have been preserved, a horse tram and an electric tram, built by Shrubhill in 1885 and 1948 respectively. A 1903 Dick Kerr cable-tram has also been purchased for preservation. Remnants of the cable-tram system can be seen in Waterloo Place and Henderson Row, and of the Musselburgh line at Morrison's Haven.

The first horse trams were introduced by the Edinburgh Street Tramways on 6 November 1871. After three years, the company had 32 horse-drawn tramcars in use. There were around 100 by 1894.

Use of horse trams was hindered in many areas by the steep gradients of the city, with some lines requiring teams of five horses to negotiate the terrain, and other routes were simply impossible to serve. The solution was found in the cable tram system, already in use in San Francisco - powered by a network of steam fired power stations, cables laid in conduits in the ground running at constant speed could be gripped and released as needed by trams, in order to stop and start, or otherwise adjust their speed. Edinburgh Northern Tramways began the first cable tram services in January 1888.

Electrification of the cable-trams began partly in mitigation of the effects of the unpopular merger of the Edinburgh and Leith burghs in 1920. Another factor was the susceptibility of the whole system to gridlock in the event of a single break in the cable.

The corporation's last electric tram ran on 16 November 1956.

At Pilrig, the cable trams running along the busy Leith Walk route crossed the city boundary between Edinburgh and Leith. When the Leith system was electrified in 1905, passengers had to transfer between the two modes, in what became known as the 'Pilrig muddle'. This lasted until electrification of the Edinburgh system, with the first through tram running on 20 June 1922.

The Edinburgh Street Tramways Company was originally authorised by the Edinburgh Tramways Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. lxxxix) to construct tramways in Edinburgh, Leith and Portobello. Their first horse tram service began on 6 November 1871. It ran from Haymarket, via Princes Street and Leith Walk, to Bernard Street, Leith, replacing a horse-drawn carriage service.

Edinburgh Northern Tramways began the first cable-hauled tram services in January 1888.