Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends

Overview

Available languages

German

English

Spanish

2 hours

Mobile ticket

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.

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.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Professional guide

Hotel pickup and drop-off

What To Expect

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 • Admission Not Applicable

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 • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Tour with English guide

Tour with German guide

Halloween Special Tour

Reviews

4.76

3,832 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

3339

277

Exceeded our expectations
Anna H,
Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Not like regular guides tours! Lots of facts and fun! Even our teens enjoyed the tour. Lovely guide!
Shoutout to James!
Sarah F,
Nov 2, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We enjoyed the tour very much! Loved the spooky facts about Edinburgh - and James delivered them in a funny manner. Also he kinda looked like a ghost from a few hundred years ago himself with his top hat - so that just made it even better! Would definitely recommend James!!
Witty and amazing tour guide
Emer S,
Nov 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Very good tour made even better by Charlie the tour guide who was very witty and made the whole tour more interesting highly recommend
entertaining & informative
Silvana I,
Oct 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Learnt a lot of interesting and fun things, was given a different perspective on places, cemetery at night was an experience I did not expect in this lifetime :) Our guide, Dave (from Australia) was excellent! Knowledgeable, fun, energetic!
Fantastic night in a great city with a great guide!
Emma K,
Oct 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
It was a great tour! Niamh was fantastic, she showed us some great sites and kept everyone enthralled with not just her knowledge but her wit. We learnt so much in just 2 hours. Edinburgh is Absolutely fascinating and would love to go on the other tours she does the next time we’re back!
Happy hallowen tour
Simone V,
Oct 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
They make you take a very interesting and fun tour at the same time, I recommend going there and booking in the hallowen period for an even more exciting experience!
Spooky tour for all ages
helenmU4395BK,
Oct 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Great tour for all ages - the guide was funny and informative and we all enjoyed his spooky historical tales. My sons aged 18, 15 and 10 particularly liked that the tour ended in a dark, drizzly graveyard!
Lame not informative
timmcreview,
Oct 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00
When people are paying for a tour don’t force them to introduce themselves like it’s a secondary school classroom. Grow up
Perfect balance of spooky and informative
HelenM280809,
Oct 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I opted for this tour as it seemed like it had a balance of historical info as well as spooky tales and we weren’t disappointed. My boys aged 18, 15 and 10 all enjoyed it equally. Our guide was funny and engaging but informative too. Ending the tour in a dark, drizzly graveyard was a hit!
Walking Tour with lots of talking
Melina E,
Oct 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00
Enjoyed the tour and locations. Would have appreciated more sites and less unnecessary talking about things that were not important to tour locations.