The World Famous Underground Ghost Tour
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Edinburgh, Scotland
+2
- 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Edinburgh is known for its dark past, and this evening walking tour is the original one to showcase the city's historically sinister and spooky side. Discover the hidden ‘wynds’ (alleys) and closes of the Old Town as you learn their mysteries and horrors; visit the ghost-ridden Greyfriars Kirkyard; and explore the city’s underground vaults to uncover their spirits and secrets. Your tour is led by a creepily costumed guide to get everyone into the spooky spirit of things.
- See a side of Edinburgh most tourists won’t get to experience
- Great for anyone from history buffs to fans of spooky stories
- Learn more about the Edinburgh vaults and their 400-year history
- The early evening tour is a great choice for families
What's Included
- 75 Minute evening walking tour of Edinburgh’s Old Town and South Bridge vaults.
- Guide plays a real, distinct and infamous character from Scotland’s history.
- Walk through the Old Town’s distinctive closes, wynds and secluded squares.
- Visit the world-famous, eerie, unforgettable Greyfriars Kirkyard.
- Hear terrifying stories of hauntings, murders, executions and cannibalism.
- 6.45pm Evening tour is suitable for families.
- Travel back in time and descend into our section of underground street.
- None
- No under 5s
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 124 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UK
Old Police Box in front of StarBucks
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Meet your guide on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile in the early evening. Your guide will be dressed as one of the Scottish capital’s most infamous historical characters, bringing an extra spook factor to your experience.
Then, set out on foot to explore the hidden wynds and closes radiating from the Royal Mile. Stroll through shadowy lanes and courtyards, and listen as your guide details their dark history and horrifying secrets, hearing tales of the criminality and murders once rife here.
Next, head to what is claimed to be the world’s most haunted cemetery: Greyfriars Kirkyard. Walk around the tombstones, and listen to stories of poltergeists, missing bodies, and the graveyard’s famously loyal dog.
Lastly, follow your guide into Edinburgh’s underground vaults. Explore the dark subterranean chambers, and uncover their 400-year history as you hear gruesome snippets about ghosts, torture, murder, witchcraft, and unexplained events.
As you walk, watch and listen or any strange events and noises: many visitors to the vaults have reported weird sensations and sightings.
When it’s time, re-emerge into the streets of the Old Town, where your tour ends when you say goodbye to your guide.
Then, set out on foot to explore the hidden wynds and closes radiating from the Royal Mile. Stroll through shadowy lanes and courtyards, and listen as your guide details their dark history and horrifying secrets, hearing tales of the criminality and murders once rife here.
Next, head to what is claimed to be the world’s most haunted cemetery: Greyfriars Kirkyard. Walk around the tombstones, and listen to stories of poltergeists, missing bodies, and the graveyard’s famously loyal dog.
Lastly, follow your guide into Edinburgh’s underground vaults. Explore the dark subterranean chambers, and uncover their 400-year history as you hear gruesome snippets about ghosts, torture, murder, witchcraft, and unexplained events.
As you walk, watch and listen or any strange events and noises: many visitors to the vaults have reported weird sensations and sightings.
When it’s time, re-emerge into the streets of the Old Town, where your tour ends when you say goodbye to your guide.
1
Edinburgh Old Town
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- guests should arrive 10 minutes prior to tours
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 28 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 10,291 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Mary_A, Jul 2026
The docent was very knowledgeable and good at what he does. Unfortunately due to events beyond his control he arrived 35 mins late and he was in a foul mood and made the first 20 mins of the tour uncomfortable. I believe he would have been great if he was not so frustrated by what occurred prior to the tour
Beate_B, Jul 2026
Very good performance. Easy registration and simple to find the start point. You have to be good on your feet. We would do it again.
MariJo_G, Jul 2026
We had a great experience on our tour! Our tour guide, Dr. Federick, was a great storyteller and we loved going into the underground vaults.
Samantha_C, Jul 2026
We were extremely disappointed with this underground ghost tour. For a tour that takes place inside cramped underground vaults, overloading the group with way too many people is not only uncomfortable, it’s a serious safety issue. Cap the groups at 10 to 15 people maximum—cramming large crowds into confined subterranean spaces is irresponsible.
The experience was so claustrophobic and packed that my fiancé actually suffered a panic attack—not because the tour was scary, but because of how tight and overwhelming the space was. When we were forced to leave early due to the conditions, our guide didn't even acknowledge what was happening and simply asked if we wanted to continue.
To top it off, the tour quality was awful. The guide openly admitted at the start that he couldn't follow the script, dragged us around aimlessly, and with a group that size, it was nearly impossible to hear or keep up. Overall, this felt like a greedy cash grab designed to cram in as many people as possible rather than deliver a safe or quality experience. Save your money.
Joan_K, Jul 2026
The underground tour was quite hot and very stuffy - our group was quite large so difficult to hear at times and hard to navigate through very crowded sidewalks - I thought I’d get more information - our guide was just okay - trying to be a character and play a part vs telling us more about the history
JUSTIN_B, Jul 2026
Great tour, super informative, our guide Davey was great. Very well organized and professionally run. Would highly recommend.
Don_E, Jul 2026
A very good tour of the dark history of Edinburgh. Guide plays the role well and provides lots of historical details.
Dorothy_H, Jul 2026
Very interesting. Our guide was very good and stayed in character the whole tour. The tunnels were very warm and spooky.
Karen_M, Jul 2026
Fun, fascinating peek into a long-forgotten time. Our guide Cassandra was delightful (“follow the bone”), taking the topic seriously but with a lighthearted touch that made the information entertaining. Highly recommend.
Monica_B, Jul 2026
It was a last minute thought to do this tour and I selected based upon the great reviews. Overall it was ok but not great. The locations we were taken to were interesting but our guide moved fast so you had to keep up or get left behind! Also, our guide tried to connect through jokes but they fell flat and the facts he shared seemed to be more about trying to shock us then to learn from.
Astha_B, Jul 2026
It would have been much better if the tour was at night. In day light it did not feel like a ghost tour
Kristin_C, Jul 2026
Our family of four really enjoyed this tour with James! Definitely recommend to those heading to Edinburgh.
Jacqueline_W, Jul 2026
Thought it would be longer but the guide was very good and entertaining, lots of information given and funny comments
William_W, Jul 2026
We had a blast on this tour. James Douglas is hilarious. He peppered the tour with both facts and humor…even bringing in complete strangers on the street into his performance. The tour does involve a steep spiral stone staircase and the underground tunnels may cause problems for the claustrophobic. Highly recommend this tour and James specifically…if you get him make sure to tell him you need a gun or a dog.
Barbara_L, Jul 2026
Cool experience! Defenitely something out of the ordinary and interesting. It takes you to places you might now normally go in Edinburgh.
Ibrahim_N, Jul 2026
Cassandra was an amazing guide! She made the Edinburgh Underground Ghost Tour both entertaining and informative. Her storytelling was engaging, she had a great sense of humor, and she kept the whole group interested from start to finish. We had a fantastic time and would highly recommend this tour with Cassandra!
Randy_R, Jul 2026
Entertaining and educational. Cassandra was our guide and she did a fantastic job of involving the group in the tour. She was very knowledgeable about the history of Edinburgh.
Erin_G, Jul 2026
Cassandra was amazing! I learned a lot about the history of Edinburgh, while also being thoroughly entertained. Was a little spooky at times, I really loved my experience.
Susan_T, Jul 2026
This tour is quite cheeky and fun. You also get to see a bit of old Edinburgh. The underground part might be a bit challenging if you are claustrophobic, but that part doesn't last too long. The graveyard is especially fascinating and beautiful.
Shivaun_M, Jul 2026
The tour guide was very animated and really great. Very fun and engaging vibes. The tour itself needs a lot more ghosts, but was overall still pretty good. Guide needs a raise for the effort put into his character.
Nigel_N, Jul 2026
As we are both paranormal investigators we were open minded on what the tour of the historic sights had to offer and the underground vaults. Martin was very knowledgeable and had a sense of humour to make the tour enjoyable at the same time being interesting. We both felt a presence in the vaults with being touched and took a pic of the stocks which was interesting once we got back from vaults to see what we'd picked up if anything.
Price is great value but would've liked longer in the vaults but with other tours I know that would be difficult. A great experience overall
Nigel & Jo.
Sheila_L, Jul 2026
Our guide, Cassandra, was so entertaining, knowledgeable, and offered good tips. Really good storytelling!
Tiana_C, Jul 2026
The tour was enjoyable. Tour guide James is entertaining and knowledgeable. Ended up staying another 1.5 hours in the kirkyard.
Stacey_M, Jul 2026
A wonderful and entertaining tour led by David, the “ghost” with the most! I especially loved going to the cemetery and hearing all the creepiness!
Gill_K, Jul 2026
The experience lasted only 60 mins advertised at 75mins. There was no tour or information on the Royal Mile as expected nothing was pointed out there at all
The tunnels were short and very boring the graveyard was the best bit .
Aaron_B, Jul 2026
A walk through Edinburgh with little to no discussion about ghosts or hauntings. It was just a short history lesson and had absolutely nothing to do with hauntings or death other than we walked through a graveyard. The underground portion was lame with props and a bad smell.
Robin_E, Jul 2026
The tour was not scary but very entertaining. The guide was fun. We enjoyed it very much. I recommend the tour for families.
Laura_R, Jul 2026
Well informed tour guide. Great communicator and very interesting history of Old Town and the Royal Mile.
Kathleen_H, Jul 2026
We enjoyed the tour, our Guide John was engaging and funny
The subject is a bit grim but he was great with the younger people adding humour when needed
Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone
Darek_F, Jun 2026
It was a fun tour. Tight quarters and dark rooms are worth noting in case that bothers you. Jon kincadaid did a fantastic job and kept the tour moving.
From $25.75
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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