Top Edinburgh Pop Culture in 2026

Uncover a different side of Edinburgh and learn about its dark past with this guided walking ghost tour. Uncover the mysteries, legends, murders, and dark stories over the centuries, including stories about corpses, serial killers, witches, fairies, as you walk along the Royal Mile, with stops at the Old Calton Cemetery and Canongate Kirkyard.

Explore Edinburgh’s spookiest closes and strangest places and learn about the Old Town’s history while hearing tales of accused witches and warlocks. This walking tour takes you to some of Edinburgh's lesser-known haunted locations, letting you avoid crowds and discover a darker, mysterious side of the city.

Hear secrets from beyond the grave on this haunted vaults and graveyard walking tour in Edinburgh. As night falls across Scotland’s ancient capital, follow a guide through the streets and learn the mysteries of the city’s dark past. Visit venues believed to be haunted, including Greyfriar's Kirkyard and the Niddry Street Vaults—and keep your wits about you for sightings of the un-dead.

Edinburgh's underground network of vaults, which dates from the 1700s, is one of the most fascinating parts of the city to explore. To truly understand these former slum dwellings, and their dark histories, you need to explore them in the company of a guide who can provide all of the necessary context, background information and spooky stories.

Step off the tourist trail and explore the Scottish capital’s hidden secrets on this underground walking tour in Edinburgh. Follow a guide from the South Bridge in Edinburgh Old Town down below street level, where a series of ancient vaults lie. As you explore the dark passageways, learn why the vaults were built, hear of the poor souls who sought refuge in the depths and discover a hidden witchcraft temple. Gain insight into city life during the 18th century, and learn of the deadly diseases which threatened Edinburgh’s inhabitants.

Delve into Edinburgh’s horrific history on this evening ghost bus tour. With your spooky local guide, visit the city’s most terrifying locations, haunted by infamy and restless spirits! From your seat in a double-decker vintage bus, gaze at eerie sites such as Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket, and the Royal Mile. Throughout the trip, hear anecdotes and facts about Edinburgh’s chilling past, replete with bloody executions, unspeakable tortures, and murder.

The Harry Potter audio tour with an interactive quiz and a graveyard hunt for the names behind the characters! Discover a real-life Diagon Alley, Tom Riddle's grave and the locations where the magical series was penned on this self-guided audio tour of Harry Potter's Edinburgh. Created by a Potter fan who loves trivia, this tour with an optional quiz mode takes you to some of the most magical sites in Edinburgh that inspired the Harry Potter series. Spend as much or as little time at each stop and explore at your own pace. From the chess pieces that inspired Wizard's Chess to a botched execution that may have created Nearly Headless Nick, and ending where Rowling's handprints are set in stone — this tour gives you a blend of everything magical about the city. Available offline in 9 languages. A full refund guarantee means you can book with confidence — no Unbreakable Vow required.

Ah, Edinburgh! They don't call it "The Jekyll & Hyde City" for nothing. During the day, a respectable figure, with its astonishing architecture and wondrous history. But when the sun sets, it tells an entirely different story... Hear all about the darker history of Edinburgh: murderers, thieves, cannibals, hangings and decapitations, witches, the Plague and streams of human waste. Learn about the most notorious citizens of Edinburgh and how ghost stories are born. This is not a ghost tour: we don't need costumes or people jumping from behind the corners, Edinburgh's Dark History itself is enough to make your skin crawl. And oh, how we love to share it with our visitors...

"Outlander" fans are sure to want to book this full-day tour that combines the hit TV show's filming locations with Scottish history, without the worry of figuring out logistics. Join this small-group tour from Edinburgh that visits key sites, including Culross, Doune Castle, Blackness Castle, Midhope Castle, and Linlithgow. Travel comfortably in a 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach while exploring the real settings behind the popular show.

Listen to Edinburgh’s grisliest tales on a haunted evening walking tour. Experience the ghastly histories of monsters, madness, and murder that cast a dark shadow on Scotland’s capital. See where witch trials, pagan rituals, and executions took place, then visit the chilling Old Calton Burial Ground and Canongate Kirkyard to learn about body-snatching and some of the infamous individuals interred here.

See the best of medieval Edinburgh—without the hassle of putting together your own sightseeing itinerary—on this walking tour, which includes skip-the-line access to Edinburgh Castle. As you walk, listen as your guide shares the history of this formidable city with ancient Roman roots and UNESCO-listed historical attractions. Explore atmospheric cobbled walkways along the Royal Mile, then breeze into Edinburgh Castle to witness royal opulence.

The Blair Street Vaults shouldn’t be missed when visiting Edinburgh—especially for fans of the spooky and macabre. But independent visits aren’t allowed, so you’ll need to a guide to gain access to this restricted underground area. On this ghoulish walking tour, descend into the darkened depths of the vaults and hear vivid retellings of torture, murder, and body snatching from your guide.

Explore the stunning Scottish Highlands on a full-day excursion that includes Glencoe and Loch Ness. Set out from Edinburgh aboard a comfortable coach to experience some of the area's top sights and attractions. Enjoy a chance to escape the bustle of modern life as you learn the fascinating history of Glencoe—a village made famous as a setting for movies in the “James Bond” and “Harry Potter” series—and see the world-renowned Loch Ness too,

With a history spanning almost a millennium, Edinburgh’s streets and buildings have seen more than a few dark and spooky goings-on over the years. On this walking ghost tour, join a paranormal investigator for a visit to some of the city’s most haunted spots, all the while being regaled with tales of murder, mystery, intrigue, and spooky spirits.

Ideal for kids, this walking tour of some of the most important places in Edinburg to do with the writing of Harry Potter takes in the history of Edinburgh and the lore behind one of the most famous wizarding worlds ever created. Learn where inspiration was taken to build the Harry Potter franchise, and see where the original books were written—in local cafes dotted around the city. As well as Harry Potter sites, visit Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars graveyard, and local churches and monuments.

See a different side to Edinburgh and combine the best of the underground and haunted graveyard tours on this double dead walking tour, during which you visit two of the city’s spookiest attractions: South Bridge Vaults and the Covenanter’s Prison. The latter is only accessible on City of the Dead tours and our guide provides plenty of exclusive insight you wouldn’t get on your own.

Edinburgh is notoriously one of the most haunted places in the UK, making it a prime destination for ghost-hunters. Dare to discover the city’s dark side on this evening tour and visit the eerie Blair Street Underground Vaults, follow in the footsteps of the infamous Edinburgh Mob, then settle your nerves with a dram of Scotch whisky in Megget's Cellar.

While most walking tours help you explore Edinburgh’s storied cobblestone streets, they often skip over the darker and more mysterious aspects of the city’s history. On this ghost tour, hear the story of some of Edinburgh’s most infamous ghosts and learn about the ghoulish torture methods that the city used to use to punish wrongdoers.

Explore Edinburgh from a different perspective—and combine sightseeing with fantasy—on this small-group Harry Potter™-themed tour designed for adults. Wander through the city’s Old Town to find spots known to have inspired writer J.K. Rowling, see landmarks including Waverley Station and the Royal Mile, and step inside a graveyard that’s reportedly haunted. Afterward, visit a traditional pub and savor an alcoholic drink all included.

Edinburgh’s dark and desultory past means its streets are haunted by restless souls and wandering specters. This ghost tour—perfect for those fascinated by the supernatural—takes you to two of Edinburgh’s most haunted locations. Under the cloak of darkness, descend to the Blair Street vaults to explore a shadow-shrouded underground world. Visit Canongate Kirkyard, the final resting place of famous characters, and listen to gruesome tales of torture, cannibalism, and murder.

Swap the usual sightseeing tours for the chance to discover the palaces and castles of the "Outlander" TV series on this tour from Edinburgh. Visit some of the sites that starred in the fictional Jacobite saga, including Linlithgow Palace, the setting of Wentworth Prison; and Culross, the setting of Claire’s herb garden. Throughout the tour enjoy guide commentary with fun behind-the-scenes stories about the show.

Visit a bespoke whisky lounge right in the heart of Edinburgh for a journey through Scotland's past. Savor single malt whiskies from several esteemed distilleries to uncover the secrets of Scotch whisky-making, and experience the great Scottish tradition of storytelling on this tasting tour.

Check off Stirling Castle, the Kelpies monument, and Loch Lomond on this day trip from Edinburgh. Have a photo stop at one of the largest equine sculptures in the world—The Kelpies, then travel through Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Finally, visit Stirling Castle, one of Scotland's most important landmarks (upgrade to include admission).