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
Supplied by
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 10,445 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Georgia_W, Aug 2026
Our tour guide, John Kincaid, was hilarious and creepy (in a good way) and very informative. Very happy to have chosen this tour and recommend it to anyone
Vladimir_G, Aug 2026
Our family had a great experience on a tour led by John Kincaid. John was a performer who brought Edinburgh urban myths and history to life. If you appreciate mysterious, slightly eerie outings that are both educational and entertaining, this tour is an absolute must.
Kim_M, Aug 2026
Great overview- not enough time in cemetery and wish for less tales in underground and more tales and strolls in cemetery- went back on own
Mohammad_K, Aug 2026
Absolutely brilliant experience from start to finish. We booked the world famous underground ghost tour not quite knowing what to expect, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.
Our guide, Jock, made the whole thing. He stayed fully in character as a soldier the entire time, and his commitment to the role took the tour from good to unforgettable. He had the perfect balance of eerie storytelling, dark history, and genuine humor, and he clearly knew the material inside and out. The underground setting is atmospheric on its own, but a great guide is what brings it to life, and Jock delivered.
We laughed, we got a few good scares, and we came away actually knowing more about the history down there. If you get the chance to have Jock as your guide, count yourself lucky. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting.
Roman_H, Aug 2026
Cassandra!! Es war sehr sehr toll. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
BobS, Aug 2026
Somewhat informative. Slightly entertaining.
Very little “ghost” content
Ive been on better tours in other cities
CATRIONA_P, Aug 2026
Was historically interesting and John made it good fun. Would highly recommend. My teenage children thoroughly enjoyed the experience as they don't know Edinburgh well.
Karen_M, Aug 2026
Very interesting! Lots of interaction with the “Ghost
Guide” Great way to visit parts of the city with intriguing stories an about Edinburg’s past.
R_P, Aug 2026
First part was underground however it was tight space with too many people at the tour. I would have thought for safety and comfort reasons there would be less people in any one tour. We did not continue after this part as it was not to our liking.
Angela_A, Aug 2026
Fun tour. Got to see some spooky sites in the underground. Lafayette was our tour guide and he was amazing!
pamela_g, Aug 2026
Lafaytte was an excellent tour guide. Very expressive and interacted in a fun way with the crowd. We would definitely recommend him!!
Canadian friends from Montreal
Ronald_S, Aug 2026
John was a great guide! The tour was just right in time and duration. Very informative. Will do this again.
Amanda_S, Jul 2026
Our guide was fabulous, energetic and entertaining. The graveyard was cool with a ton of history. Our group was a bit disappointed with the underground part, thinking we would see more.
Aditi_V, Jul 2026
Our guide Cassandra was nice . She made the tour interesting. Gave us a snapshot about the history of Edinburg town.
Brett_S, Jul 2026
We had a great time touring the underground vaults and graveyard. Our guide Soljier Jock made the trip entertaining and informative. Not really scary from ghosts, but a couple people were a little chlostrophobic being underground in the vaults. The guide made it fun and a good value for the price.
JaNice_K, Jul 2026
Didn't spend much time underground which was disappointing, but what we did see was cool. Soldier Jack was awesome, however, so he made it worth it.
Christine_M, Jul 2026
Our tour guide Lafayette was absolutely amazing!!!!!!! Very interactive, amazing personality, knowledgeable about country! We could not have asked for a better tour guide!!!!!! He had us laughing the entire walk! Friends from Chicago give you 5 stars!!!!!!!!!
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
From $26.16
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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