As a continuation from my 7-day Scotland itinerary, I bring to you a little of Edinburgh’s evil witchcraft.
Edinburgh is one of the world’s most historical cities and this city is one of Scotland’s most popular destinations.
We know this city to be one of the most amazing, historical and picturesque cities in the whole world…but did you know that Edinburgh has quite an eerie past?
Did you know, the Old Town used to be a site of witch burnings and public executions, FOR REAL?
That is why, Edinburgh’s Old Town is most famous – or should I say infamous – for its morbid, ghostly past.
If you’d like to know more and simply explore the depths of Edinburgh’s soul, there’s no better way than to embark on some of these ghost tours in Edinburgh. In doing so, not only will you be able to give yourself the fright (that you asked for), you’ll also be able to appreciate the beauty that holds this city together.
Keep on reading to find the best Edinburgh ghost tours in the city!
All the history, stories, things to do, events, and happenings begin with the Royal Mile in the Old Town, from the Castle to Holyrood. A series of lanes, arches and alleyways grow out of this long street, falling away to either side and extending to the New Town.
There are over 244 vaults around the Old Town. Vaults are small, cramped, underground spaces used as living spaces for the poorer residents of Edinburgh in the past. They are the sites of some of the most haunted places.
And so, I couldn’t introduce you to Edinburgh without first giving you a lowdown on some of the best Edinburgh ghost tours I’ve taken.
At A Glance
Best Edinburgh Ghost Tours You Don’t Want To Miss!
1. Edinburgh Dungeon
It’s like Halloween all year round when it comes to the Edinburgh Dungeon. The act begins from the ticket counter, when a guy dressed in shades and black overalls sit behind prison bars takes reservations from a line outside.
Having failed to book my ticket before they close twice in a row, I was determined to finally get it done the third time, queueing in the rain.
The Edinburgh Dungeon showcases tales from Edinburgh’s dark history through a series of 11 live shows and 2 underground rides, through really a really immersive and engaging haunted tour.
Actors scream (in a bid to scare), use sudden movements, and forcefully volunteer their audience (me included) to get spanked, tortured, remove intestines (that’s what I did) and more.
I did find that all the speaking through screams made it hard to hear exactly what they were saying at times.
With special effects (chairs that make you sit and then suddenly jerk backwards), 360-degree theatrical sets, live shows and thrilling rides, you’ll get to heighten your senses seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and feeling Edinburgh’s ghostly history.
I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but the rides did include sitting in a boat as it floats through a river while it is totally in the dark (you never know what may pull you from the sides) and a sudden drop (which I thought was most unexpected and the best part of the tour!).
Circus Lane, Edinburgh
You will want to stick to your companions throughout this 80-minute tour as you walk through narrow walkways in low lighting. I did it all on my own, and was the only person in my group to be without anyone.
2. The Real Mary King’s Close
Join a tour at The Real Mary King’s Close buried deep beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. This warren of underground scenes were once part of the city’s most vibrant streets.
These hidden closes have been the source of myths and legends for years and now visitors can learn the real truth about Edinburgh life between the 17th and 19th century. Not only that, this tour also mentions some of the most dramatic episodes from the city’s past.
I was initially baffled about what this tour was about as I signed up for The Real Mary King’s Close tour, but I knew it was one of the defining experiences in Edinburgh.
While not exactly a ghost tour, it is one of Edinburgh’s iconic underground ghost tour that quite accurately depicts the story of life on The Real Mary King’s Close.
The residents who used to live here have clearly passed away, but their memories are never forgotten. Their story is told through a character guide who plays a one time resident of the Close. This dark attraction is home to the infamous ghost of Annie, who is a lonely young girl whose family are thought to have died in the plague.
This specific tour focuses on real social history. However, this underground time capsule is regarded as one the most haunted places in Scotland.
I was glad that this was one of the first tours I joined, for it gave me a good background of what it was really like for the people who lived, worked and died underneath Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile on the Close, Edinburgh’s underground dingy, dirty streets.
It was hard to imagine how large families used to live in such closed spaces, sleeping, cooking and pooping in the same space. Or how their poop used to discarded out of the windows onto a street where everyone walks on.
Standing underground on a series of narrow, dark passageways in the Old Town frozen in the 17th century, I learned about the story behind the cry of gardyloo, the deadly plague epidemic that befell Edinburgh, the scary-looking Plague Doctor, Mary King’s daughter and other essential characters that make up Edinburgh’s scary history.
Don’t miss the uniquely preserved spaces from the 17th century and discover the real stories of Edinburgh’s past residence that you can only find in this underground tour of The Real Mary King’s Close!
The one-hour-long tours run every 15 minutes, but pre-booking is advised due to its popularity.
3. Mercat Tours: Evening of Ghosts & Ghouls
Mercat Tours offer 5 different ghost tours. These are all quite different from their usual walking tours. These tours include tours that are appropriate for children and tours for adults only as well. They have tours in the haunted vaults, the graveyard and through the Old Town of Edinburgh. Although I must say, they offer some of the best night tours in Edinburgh.
Mercat Tours is also the only company in the city that offers vault tours during the day. Furthermore, day tours are also a good way to beat the crowds. They also have tours available in French and German which makes it all the more inclusive!
Mercat Tours offer several historic walks and ghost tours, plus they have a strong focus on telling a good story. If you’re up for this thrilling adventure, then this is a great way to discover the fascinating history of Edinburgh.
Hidden in another side of Old Town is the Blair Street Underground Vaults. As one of the largest system of underground caverns in Edinburgh that was built in the 18th century beneath South Bridge, it cannot be missed.
Only Mercat Tours grant access to these Underground Vaults, and so I found myself with Mercat Tours’ Evening of Ghosts & Ghouls tour one evening.
NO REGRETS.
Mercat Cross, Edinburgh
First, you’ll meet your cloaked Mercat guide at Mercat Cross and follow him through the shadowy closes of Edinburgh’s Old Town. These are dark streets untouched by daylight, yet filled with so much history. You’ll get to experience what some of them are, as your guide re-enacts them.
Our guide regaled the dark and sinister past of Edinburgh – torture, murder, hangings – occasionally screaming in our faces for the scare effect. Hear about the horrifying yet real stories of the gruesome punishment and the unsettled spirits that lurk around the city. You’ll get to see (and might even feel) how the poor souls of the past still haunt the city of Edinburgh.
As the night goes, we descended into the haunted Blair Street Underground Vaults.
Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh
He would pause in the silence for effect, shut all lights, whisper, let out a cold breath and create echoes within the dark Underground Vaults. It’s hard not to be gripped into the stories of Edinburgh’s past with our guide’s animated storytelling.
The last part of the tour saw us gathering in Megget’s underground candlelit cellar for a dram of Scottish whisky, lager or soft drink. As we warm ourselves up after an evening of chilly ghost walk, our guide continued sharing more tales of Edinburgh’s ghoulish past, and the tortured souls that stalk the city’s streets.
Edinburgh Castle
He made it sound so convincing that until this day – I have second thoughts on whether such ghostly truths are really true.
Throughout the 2 hours, we were highly impressed by the guide’s enthusiasm and energy. He also managed to inject humour into the tour, which made it all the more engaging.
Unfortunately, the only way to experience the underground vaults is by joining a tour. Make sure that you book in advance as these tours can sell out very quickly.
Mercat Tours is Edinburgh’s original 5-star ghost tour and it has been in operation since 1985. They offer a variety of tours to suit visitors of all ages. This award-winning tour brings the past to life in a ghoulish manner through murky tales, ghostly apparitions and exclusive access to Blair Street’s underground vaults.
Bear in mind that this tour is not for the faint-hearted. This was where body-snatchers Burke and Hare are said to have stored their victims.
Tours run from 11am to 10pm Duration: 1-2 hours Price: From 14 GBP, with discounts available for students, children, and seniors.
4. City of the Dead
City of the Dead is one of the most top-rated ghost tours in Edinburgh and it’s the company that I went with during one of my first visits to the vaults.
The underground vaults were built in 1788 and it was used as a storage space and a place where workshops for businesses near the South Bridge were conducted. However, the bridge was poorly constructed and the water from the surface would leak down into the vaults. The vaults were then abandoned in 1795 and then it became the slums, turning into a red-light district with countless brothels and pubs.
Moreover, the city’s poor called these vaults their homes. The room had no sunlight as its air was poorly circulated. It was even cramped and dark and it had no access to running water nor proper sanitation. Crime was widespread all around but by 1820, the leaking became so intense that even the squatters had left.
One of the stories I remember the most is that of a girl and of her mother. The little girl felt someone grab her hand. Thinking it was her mom, she grabbed back, but the hand ‘felt weird’ and according to the story, it slowly kept squeezing her hand until it hurt.
“You’re hurting me,” the girl said.
Then her mother answered, “I’m over here, honey.”
The guide found out that the girl was standing alone. Who held her hand? How did she get separated? Nobody really knew. Nobody can even prove if it even happened but the ghost story is really a hit and people love it!
Obviously, the guy jumping out of the corner in the dark doesn’t help at all either!
City of the Dead offers 3 spine-chilling tours. The Underground City of the Dead Ghost Tour will take you into the depths of Edinburgh’s legendary underground city.
The tour will make you walk through the dark tunnels, often referred to as Damnation Alley. People do say that these places are stalked by a malevolent presence known as the South Bridge Entity.
In the olden days, this underground city was a place where many people had lived in times of hardness and poverty. This place was also ripe with the plague making it a really miserable place to live in.
The City of the Dead Haunted Graveyard Tour gives you an all-in access to Covenanter’s Prison and the Black Mausoleum of Edinburgh. These places are said to be haunted by the famous Mackenzie Poltergeist. Hundreds of people actually claim they have encountered the poltergeist on this tour! Apparently, this is “the weirdest history with the wildest stories and wickedest humour around.”
The third hair-raising tour is the Double Dead Walk. This one takes you to South Bridge Vaults and Covenanter’s Prison in Greyfriars Kirkyard. These are 2 of the most haunted places around. All of the tours are written and researched by the historical and award winning novelist J. A. Henderson. The tours are taken by a couple of costumed guides who tell stories in a theatrical way through improvisation and entertainment to make each tour quite special and unique.
The City of the Dead Tour is dubbed as one of Britain’s best ghost walks and it’s without a doubt the most spine-chilling one on our list. Visiting the site of one of the most documented supernatural cases of all time: The Mackenzie Poltergeist. The people who have encountered this entity claim to find unexplained scratches, burns and bruises the next day.
As their website forewarns, join at your own risk!
3:30pm and 8:30pm Duration: 90 minutes Price: 13 GBP per person
Not suitable for children under 12
5. Free Ghost Tour
When it comes to free haunted walking tours, this is your best choice in all of Edinburgh.
Free Ghost Tours offers a set of daily tours that depart from the Royal Mile. This tour covers all the major sites and it tells the most haunted stories of the city such as the real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the haunted graveyard, the witch trials, and the Westport Murderers.
If you’re not looking for a terrifying experience, this is a good tour for you as it’s suitable for children. The entire tour runs on tips, so don’t forget to tip and do be generous!
5pm, 7pm, and 9:30pm Duration: 90 minutes Price: Free, on a tip-only basis
6. The Ghost Bus
The Ghost Bus is a ghost tour on wheels and it provides a spooky ghost tour with a comedic touch. When you join this tour, you’ll be whisked around the city in a black double-decker bus from the 1960s. You’ll get informed and are sure to be entertained along the way.
The tour guides are all trained actors and this gives this tour a much more theatrical touch. The buses are decorated too which makes it a fully immersive experience. If you’re looking for something more unique than a standard walking tour, then this is it!
For those whose feet need resting, this tour allows you to experience a ghost tour from a seat on a double-decker vintage bus. On the tour, you’ll be accompanied by a local guide.
You’ll also visit Edinburgh’s eeriest locations such as Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket and the Royal Mile. Hear different accounts of strange occurrences witnessed there – including executions and unimaginable torture and murder. Although, don’t be surprised if a ghost hijacks your bus during the ride..!
The stories are humorously told by a creepy conductor and these stories also provide a quirky yet sinister insight into the madness that has taken place throughout the history in this city.
Edinburgh’s hair-raising past will certainly give you a surreal experience when you hear about the city’s frightful history; from Burke and Hare to the Great Scottish Witch Hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries. Watch out for a few dark passengers though, as the bus was previously used for funerals!
For this tour, you’ll be stepping on board a classic 1960s Routemaster bus and embark on a 90-minute journey into the depths of Auld Reekie. A combination of comedy and horror with a theatrical twist, the cleverly-named Ghost Bus Tour (get it?) will take you on a spooky adventure around some of the city’s most famous landmarks.
Book your Ghost bus tour here.
7:30pm and 9pm Duration: 75 minutes Price: Tickets are 17 GBP, with discounts available for students, seniors, and families.
7. Auld Reekie Tours
Auld Reekie Tours offers a few different tour choices for anyone looking for quite the scare. The tours include a vault and graveyard tours, as well as an adult-only tour for anyone looking for that extra bit of scare.
If you’re specifically looking for a frightening tour, you should check out their nightly Terror Tour. It’s only suitable for 18+ year olds and it’ll definitely leave you wishing you had a nightlight when you get home!
Not only do they have the standard vaults tour, you can actually book out the vaults for an overnight stay if you’re feeling a bit braver than others. Bear in mind that it’s not cheap, but it would definitely be a memorable experience!
Another name for Edinburgh is Auld Reekie and this is due to the smoke from coal fires that curled into the winter air, creating a spooky mist over the city. Auld Reekie simply translates to ‘old smokey’.
Today, the smoke has disappeared from the city along with the coal fires. However, the spookiness is far from gone in Edinburgh. In earlier days, it was illegal to be homeless, thus forcing the less fortunate to move underground, creating a warren of underground streets and cellars… Quite unfortunate, really.
Join Auld Reekie Tours to see and feel for yourself how these streets now are haunted by their previous residents. There are 4 possible tours to choose from:
- The Vaults Tours, known as Scotland’s most haunted underground experience, takes you beneath the streets of Edinburgh and reveals the dark and unpleasant history of the city.
- In the Ghost & Torture Tour, walk along the cobbled streets as you listen to frightening stories and visit a torture exhibition.
- The Vaults & Graveyard Tour leads you into the Greyfriars Kirkyard and also the Underground South Bridge Vaults. These are 2 of the most hair-rising locations in Edinburgh.
- The last tour option takes you to Terror Tour. This is where you can explore the underground vaults of Edinburgh and you also get to uncover the secret behind the infamous stone circle.
Beware that is at 10 terror! A walk in these ancient tunnels will really guarantee to get your blood pumping as you hear the water dripping. You might even feel the presence of the unfortunate people who used to live here.
Auld Reekie Tours is the only tour company to have exclusive use of its own vaults. They bring the hidden network of streets and cellars to life. If you’re not familiar with this, then this was where Edinburgh’s poor and destitute once lived.
Listen to the most blood-curdling stories as you explore the eerier side of Edinburgh with its historic criminal underworld and a medieval torture museum. While you’re at it, you should also finish off with a drink at one of Scotland’s haunted pubs.
10:30am-10pm Duration: 75-90 minutes Price: From 12 GBP
Stockbridge, Edinburgh
If you’re wondering why none of the photos depict these Edinburgh ghost tours, it’s because they have a no-photo policy in these dark underground dungeons.
The enactments, the props, the acts, the effects and the stories of these Edinburgh haunted tours were so vivid and entertaining that, as a horror buff myself, I truly enjoyed following.
These tours will give you the most amazing tours of Edinburgh’s haunted and (not-so) secret past. They’re perfect for solo travellers, friends and families alike. So have the best time and just enjoy what this city has to offer!
I highly recommend you book yourself at least one of these ghost tours to get the full Edinburgh experience.
TIP: If you’re here in August, don’t miss the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, with dozens of military bands and dance groups performing within the castle grounds.
Special thanks to VisitScotland for this Scotland experience and Changi Recommends for keeping us connected throughout! All opinions remain my own.
12 – 15 September 2018, Wed – Sun
