Ghost Walking Tours in Edinburgh: 8 Routes Worth the Morning

1.Haunted Vaults Walking Tour in Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,183 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $33Our pick

Walk from the Royal Mile into Edinburgh’s underground vaults with a guide such as James, Louisa, Dom, or Aimee. Expect dark history, torture exhibits, steep stairs, ghost stories, and a compact one-hour visit. The tour is in English, capped at 36 people, and best for adults and older children comfortable with confined spaces.

“Our guide, Louisa was brilliant! She really made the experience enjoyable. We loved the “haunted” aspect of the tour. She was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining! A must do while in Edinburgh!”

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2.Haunted Vaults and Graveyard Walking Tour in Edinburgh

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,702 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $36

Walk Edinburgh after dark with guides such as James, Jordan, Diva, Darren, and Brendan, visiting Greyfriars Graveyard and the South Bridge Vaults. Expect local history, tales of death and haunting, damp underground rooms, and plenty of humor rather than theatrical jump scares. The 90-minute tour suits adults, horror fans, and true-crime buffs.

“Did tour in the dark, only light used was a flashlight and your own phone light. Great stories, no jump scares, and our tour guide, Darren, was kind and funny. This tour was not theatrical but it would’ve been cool to see the guide dressed in something other than regular clothes to set the tone. The vaults and graveyard stories were interesting and one story easily led into the other. The night of the tour, I woke at 3am, to a skinny man with grey hair standing at the edge of my bed. I’ve had “the hag” before and it reminded me a lot of the same experience, but I…”

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3.Dark Secrets of the Old Town Ghost Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,671 reviews · 2 hours · from $24

Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town with guides such as Sonia, Jen, Tommy, Gavin, and Nick, hearing stories of witch trials, the Black Death, Burke and Hare, Scottish faeries, and graveyard legends. The two-hour route visits Canongate Kirkyard and Old Calton Cemetery, with English, German, and French tours available.

“it was amazing, really interesting our tour guide was called Ignas, he was brilliant, full of some amazing history and facts, and was very funny too! Overall a brilliant experience”

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4.Witches & Haunted History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,290 reviews · 1h 15m · from $24

Join guides such as Hazel, Juniper, or Angelica outside Caffè Nero near St. Giles’ Cathedral for a 75-minute walk through Edinburgh’s Old Town. Hear the human stories behind Scotland’s witch trials, visit historic closes and streets, and finish at Grassmarket. Expect character-led storytelling, some humor, steep sections, and a respectful look at injustice.

“my tour was amazing! loved every second and was welcomed into Junipers little coven of baby 🧙‍♀️ Juniper is passionate about this terrible history of beautiful, clever and smarter than men ladies who were accused of witchcraft. loved every second & will happily go again! $$$ well spent 🥰🧙‍♀️💜🖤✨️”

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5.Guided Ghost Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 289 reviews · 1h 15m · from $26

Walk Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with a costumed Spanish-speaking guide, then visit Greyfriars Graveyard and the 18th-century Niddry’s Wynd vaults beneath South Bridge. Guides such as Lafayette and Rosa Mari bring humor, mystery, and gruesome city tales to this compact tour. Expect uneven, underground spaces and a brisk pace.

“Tuvimos la suerte de que nos asignaran el mejor guía posible, EL GRAN LAFAYETTE, explicando la historia de la ciudad y dando detalles de cada uno de los sitios que visitamos, y siempre con unn toque humor que hace que te metas más de lleno en el tour, fantástico y súper recomendable, y si tienen tienen la suerte de que te toque este magnífico guía, Lafayette pues mejor aún.”

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6.Dark History Royal Mile Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 271 reviews · 2 hours · from $20Best value

Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town and Canongate with an English-speaking guide such as James, Robert, Lydia, or Kieran. Hear true stories of murder, witches, plague, executions, thieves, and sanitation, then visit Canongate Graveyard to see how ghost tales take shape. This is dark history without costumes or jump scares.

“James was a great guide, informative, humorous and made it such an interesting tour.”

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7.Edinburgh Ghosts & Gore Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 208 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $22

Follow deceased cemetery director Alexander Clapperton through Edinburgh’s Old Town for 90 minutes of witchcraft, plague, torture, executions, and invasion tales. Expect comic acting, summoned characters, a few jump scares, cobblestones, and the included famous Jumper-ooters. The tour is in English and suits families with older children and teens.

“I absolutely loved this tour. It’s clearly made by history lovers, for history lovers. I rather enjoy dark history and find most tours just go over all the same points with summarised detail. This one had so much to offer, plenty of stories I’d never heard, and had me laughing regularly throughout. I cannot recommend it enough!”

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8.Ghosts, Ghouls & Gallows :The Original Bristol Ghost Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 76 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $20

Join a cloaked English-speaking guide in Bristol’s Old City for 90 minutes of ghost stories, crime tales, urban legends, and reported paranormal activity. You’ll walk near St Nicholas Market, explore dark lanes and former execution sites, and finish with an interactive quiz. Meet at Queen Square by the statue of William III.

“Kieran was an amazing tour guide, so knowledgeable and highly entertaining. Learned so much over the course of the night and he built on things we already knew really personalising the tour. Would highly recommend!”

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