Edinburgh - Dark History

5.0 (921 reviews) 2 hours Free cancellation

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921 reviews

5.0

Edinburgh - Dark History — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Edinburgh - Dark History, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Ah, Edinburgh! They don't call it "The Jekyll & Hyde City" for nothing. During the day, a respectable figure, with its astonishing architecture and wondrous history. But when the sun sets, it tells an entirely different story...

Hear all about the darker history of Edinburgh: murderers, thieves, cannibals, hangings and decapitations, witches, the Plague and streams of human waste. Learn about the most notorious citizens of Edinburgh and how ghost stories are born.

This is not a ghost tour: we don't need costumes or people jumping from behind the corners, Edinburgh's Dark History itself is enough to make your skin crawl. And oh, how we love to share it with our visitors...

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At a glance

Duration: 2 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 30 people
People per booking: 1–30
Guide: English
Operated by: All-Star Guides

Ages: Infants (0–5 years) · Children (6–15 years) · Adults (16–60 years) · Seniors (61–120 years)

What is included

Included

Included: In-Person guide

Itinerary

Old Town

Passing by

A walking tour down the Royal Mile of Edinburgh, where your guide will share with you the darker history of Edinburgh.
Heart of Midlothian

10 min

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 by Sir Walter Scott as the Hard of the Midlothian.
St Giles' Cathedral

10 min

What seems like the car park hides a secret, as well as the burial place of one of the most controversial figures in Scottish history.
Mercat Cross

10 min

Another infamous execution site. Hear about the importance of the building in the life of the city, and about a literal killing machine which was once kept inside St. Giles Cathedral.
Royal Mile

40 min

Walk down the Royal Mile, where you'll hear about some of Edinburgh's notorious citizens, the Black Plague, and how the city's poor sanitary conditions eventually led to a most peculiar tradition.
John Knox House Museum

5 min

Learn about the architecture of 16th century Edinburgh, and witness one of the most "authentic" corners in the city centre.
Canongate Kirk

40 min

Wander among graves of old, hearing about body snatchers, cannibals, and learn how ghost stories are born.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Our meeting point is in WEST Parliament Square, across the square in Front of St. Giles Cathedral. Search for the white umbrella with the logo of All-Star Guides.