Private Tour
500 Years of Crime and Punishment: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
From bodysnatching and beheadings to witchcraft and whippings, we share real life stories of crime and punishment from the last 500 years on this self-guided GPS audio tour.
Along the way you’ll see major Aberdeen landmarks, from Marischal College to the Mercat Cross, and learn how they were witness to darkest chapters in the city’s history. Scot Free Tours sheds a light on the baffling and often unjust laws of the last five centuries – and reveals that past is not as far away as we think.
Thousands of people have loved our 5-star rated live tours and now you can experience them with freedom of an audio guide! The tour plays audio automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smartphone's GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which also works offline. Start the tour in the app, put your phone in your pocket, and let us guide you around Aberdeen.
The total walking distance is 3km and takes about 45 minutes without stopping, but you can pause anytime!
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Lifetime access to this tour in English
VoiceMap app for Android and iOS
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
Smartphone and headphones
Transportation
Food and drink
Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
What To Expect
The Tolbooth Museum
Now a museum, this used to be the gaol, where criminals in Aberdeen were kept. We’ll point out where public hangings used to take place as we start off our tour on crime and punishment in Aberdeen.
Castlegate
The Mercat Cross is where public announcements would be made – and public punishment would be handed out. The structure is decorated with carvings of Scottish monarchs and we’ll be focusing on the story of one queen and how she dealt with an outbreak of treason.
Options
500 Years of Crime and Punishment: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
Reviews
29 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
500 Years tour
Richard B,
Apr 23, 2025
- Viator
3.00Tour itself was interesting but the directions need to be better. I spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get to the next stop. I ended up just skipping those and keep going.
Weird walk
Samira D,
Jun 1, 2024
- Viator
2.00This tour should definitely be updated as there are lots of construction sites through out the walk. Furthermore, some of the walk will guide you though not so nice parts of the city that seem unnecessary. The starting point is hard to see through construction and I wish we would get more background knowledge of the sites we pass.
Fun and enlightening
Yvonne J,
Apr 13, 2024
- Viator
4.00Interesting stories told well; saw the city in a different light ; explored parts of the city that I wouldn’t otherwise
Love the Personalized guided tour on my time.
Charlotte H,
Sep 25, 2023
- Viator
5.00My husband and I were able to take the tour at our speed, stopping where we wanted to stop and adjust as we saw fit. This was perfect for getting to know a new area with the stories and history. It is my absolute favorite way to see a city. I will definitely be checking out more as we travel in our future. Thank you.
Dont
Cheryl S,
Aug 4, 2023
- Viator
1.00Super frustrating Could not find where to start even with asking 4 locals After 30minutes of walking around i gave up
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Operated by VoiceMap Audio Tours