Edinburgh Dark History Tour: Explore City's Murky Past and Notorious Figures

Uncover Edinburgh’s dark and twisted past on a captivating tour. Discover the city’s notorious figures, gruesome crimes, and chilling ghost stories. Prepare to be haunted!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Old Town - A walking tour down the Royal Mile of Edinburgh, where your guide will share with you the darker history of Edinburgh.
  • Heart of Midlothian - Former site of the Old Tollbooth, one of Edinburgh’s most notorious buildings. Hear about some of the characters once imprisoned and/or executed here, and why it ultimately became recognised…
What's Included
  • In-person guide throughout the tour
Additional Information

Oh, the charm of Edinburgh! It’s not dubbed ‘The Jekyll & Hyde City’ without good reason. By daylight, it’s an upstanding character with outstanding construction and fascinating past. Yet, as night descends, it narrates a wholly different tale…
Discover the shadowy side of Edinburgh’s history: killers, robbers, flesh-eaters, executions and beheadings,…

Location
West Parliament Square
Find us across the square in Front of St. Giles Cathedral. Search for the white umbrella with the logo of All-Star Guides.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(526 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Kris
Nov 1, 2024
Interesting Tour - even in the Rain! - Kieran is a fantastic guide! He kept us engaged even though it was rainy and chilly. He told us fascinating stories of Edinburgh’s history and gave us tips for other places to visit or tours to take. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in Edinburgh history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
467griffinb
Nov 1, 2024
He is such lovely company and he's so incredibly funny! I would definitely go again! - Our tour guide was James, and he was an absolutely phenomenal storyteller! So passionate and amazing company! Everything was so interesting!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Manuelcarretta
Oct 30, 2024
A must do! - Absolutely fantastic! Done the tour with my wife and my 8 years old and we can't help but keep talking about it! Kieran our guide was top notch. Passion, knowledge and laughs! We learnt more about Edinburgh on the tour then in 2 days walking around. It's a must!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steevie84
Oct 30, 2024
Best Walking Tour we've been on - We were very impressed by the breadth and depth of our guides' knowledge. Lydia held the group's attention absolutely (despite the rain!), for the entirety of the tour. Not being a fan of jump-scare tours, this one was perfect for us. Gritty, historically researched tales of Edinburgh's dark history. Lydia really has a fantastic ability in bringing the history to life. The locations are varied, and you begin to get a real sense of what life must've been like in previous centuries in Edinburgh. The 2 hours flew by, and we really enjoyed it. When we are next back, we will be looking out for other All-Star Guide tours to book ourselves on to.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kairin_r
Oct 27, 2024
Very fun and informative!... - Very fun and informative! Toit guide was exceptional! Learned a lot and was during the spooky season.
Review provided by Viator
Lauren_j
Oct 27, 2024
Great tour guide - Euan our tour guide was the best very funny, very informative and great delivery on the subject matter, really enjoyed ourselves thank you
Review provided by Viator
Davis_h
Oct 26, 2024
Jumpy People Don't Need to Miss Out on the Dark History - Great experience to get skin-crawling stories of the city's history while still being able to sleep with the lights off. Lydia was a fantastic storyteller and did a great job humanizing the regular people who lived in the city back then.
Review provided by Viator
Scott
Oct 25, 2024
Really informative and great guide Robert! - Robert was a great tour guide, he was so enthusiastic, knowledgeable and a great storyteller. Was more than happy to recommend other places in Edinburgh to visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nisabeta
Oct 25, 2024
Entertaining and informative tour - Our guide Calum was engaging, professional, knowledgeable, amusing and very friendly and kept us entertained throughout with his excellent storytelling skills. I live in Edinburgh, yet still learned a lot and would highly recommend to both tourists and locals.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Corrin_w
Oct 24, 2024
Great Tour! - Calum was awesome! His humor kept everyone engaged and he was very knowledgeable! I would recommend to anyone visiting Edinburgh who is interested in learning about the dark history without the gimmicks of other tours!
Review provided by Viator
From $19
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).