Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends | 2 hours

3628 Reviews | Edinburgh
Select Date and Travelers
You can select up to 9 travelers in total.
Adult (14-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 9
2
Child (0-13) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 9
0
Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Tour with English guide
2 Adults x $25.69
$51.38
Approx Total
$51.38

Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: German, English, Spanish
  • Professional guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

Overview

See Edinburgh’s shady side. The gruesome and the glorious. The ghostly and the ghastly. This 2-hour tour is a wickedly entertaining walk on the wild and dark side of the Scottish capital. Explore the spots where murders, monsters and mayhem have become things of legend, and visit Old Calton Burial Ground or Canongate Kirkyard, two of Edinburgh’s most chilling cemeteries. Throughout the tour, hear real-life tales of witches, body-snatchers, vampires, cannibals and more from your entertaining guide.

Itinerary

  • Royal Mile

    Meet your guide on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare of the Old Town, and then set off on foot to begin your walking tour of the city’s shade side. Edinburgh is crawling with odd activity, and there are tales of murderers, vampires, monsters and even cannibals that locals nervously recall to each other.

    10 minutes

  • North Bridge

    Follow your guide through dark courtyards and eerie alleys, and hear spine-chilling stories of executions, murders, torture, ghosts and witchcraft. Then, make for the North Bridge, with its own formidable history, before climbing Calton Hill.

    30 minutes

  • Calton Hill

    Feel the hair on the back of your neck stand on end as your guide tells real-life tales of gore and gruesomeness, including stories about the witch trials that once took place here. Discover how the site is still used today for pagan rituals such as the Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival, and drink in 360-degree views of the city’s skyline.

    30 minutes

  • Old Calton Burial Ground

    Then, continue to the Old Calton Burial Ground, one of Edinburgh’s chilling cemeteries. See the imposing mausoleum that marks the final resting place of David Hume, who is said to have made a deal with the devil, and perhaps hear of the infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare.

    30 minutes

  • Canongate Kirk

    Alternatively, visit the Canongate Kirkyard cemetery, which dates back to the 17th century. Rest assured, there is no staged gimmickry, monster masks or made-up stories on this tour.

    30 minutes

  • Edinburgh Old Town (Pass By)

    After roughly two hours, your tour concludes at a local pub near the Royal Mile, where you can purchase a pint of beer or a dram of whisky to help cool your nerves after this entertaining and intriguing tour (own expense).

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • The independent guides who employ us to market their tours have your best interests in mind; while the tour usually includes the sites & stories mentioned and lasts about 2 hours, your tour may vary depending on what your guide thinks is best for your group
  • We unfortunately do not advise guests in wheelchairs to join the Dark Side Tour, due to the narrow stairways and steep hills. We apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment caused.

Free Cancellation

June 19100% refund
June 20No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews

4.8

3628 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    3168
  • 4 stars
    260
  • 3 stars
    84
  • 2 stars
    50
  • 1 star
    66

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 3168 reviews with 5 stars

Belen our guide was...

Published on Mar, 2025

Belen our guide was great! Interesting tour! I wish there had been more information about the plague, but I think that would have been impossible due to the time constraints and the tour was jam packed with so much information, it was great! Belen was funny too, which is always helpful when talking about spooky things! I don’t how she remembered all those facts and dates, but it was great!

Great experience with Belle!

Published on Mar, 2025

This was a great experience. Belle was a wonderful host! While we still had the creep factor, Belle had a way of making this a fun. There were definitely a few gasps from the group. So, if you're looking for something a little different to do, and get some out-of-the-box history on Edinburgh, do this! But beware, it's all true!

Great experience with Belle!

Published on Mar, 2025

This was a great experience. Belle was a wonderful host! While we still had the creep factor, Belle had a way of making this a fun. There were definitely a few gasps from the group. So, if you're looking for something a little different to do, and get some out-of-the-box history on Edinburgh, do this! But beware, it's all true!

Excellent

Published on Mar, 2025

It was cold and rainy, but it just added to the mystic of the evening. The tour guide was fantastic and was all of the stories he told!

Excellent

Published on Mar, 2025

It was cold and rainy, but it just added to the mystic of the evening. The tour guide was fantastic and was all of the stories he told!

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