Main Image

Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends

How to Get Around
Digital
120 minutes
English

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.

Options

Tour with English guide

Tour with German guide

Tour with English guide

FromNZD $47.81Per Person

What's included in Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends

(Subject to Option Inclusions)

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.

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.

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.

Inclusions

  • Professional guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • 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.

Meet

Pickup and Dropoff

You will make your own way to the meeting points

Meeting / End Points

  • The tours starts at 130 High Street (The Royal Mile), on the corner with Stevenlaw's Close. Look for the guide with the SANDEMANs red name badge.

Redeem

Ticket Redemption

Direct access

Please be at your meeting point 15 minutes before departure.

Operator

Sandemans Tours