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Edinburgh Dark History Tour: Explore City's Murky Past and Notorious Figures
5.0
844 Ratings
Edinburgh
Uncover Edinburgh’s dark and twisted past on a captivating tour. Discover the city’s notorious figures, gruesome crimes, and chilling ghost stories. Prepare to be haunted!
Uncover Edinburgh’s dark and twisted past on a captivating tour. Discover the city’s notorious figures, gruesome crimes, and chilling ghost stories. Prepare to be haunted!
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Old Town - A walking tour down the Royal Mile of Edinburgh, where your guide will share with you the darker history of Edinburgh.
- Heart of Midlothian - 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…
- Old Town - A walking tour down the Royal Mile of Edinburgh, where your guide will share with you the darker history of Edinburgh.
- Heart of Midlothian - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Learn about the architecture of 16th century Edinburgh, and witness one of the most “authentic” corners in the city centre.
- Canongate Kirk - Wander among graves of old, hearing about body snatchers, cannibals, and learn how ghost stories are born.
What's Included
- In-person guide throughout the tour
- In-person guide throughout the tour
Additional Information
Oh, the charm of Edinburgh! It’s not dubbed ‘The Jekyll & Hyde City’ without good reason. By daylight, it’s an upstanding character with outstanding construction and fascinating past. Yet, as night descends, it narrates a wholly different tale…
Discover the shadowy side of Edinburgh’s history: killers, robbers, flesh-eaters, executions and beheadings,…
Oh, the charm of Edinburgh! It’s not dubbed ‘The Jekyll & Hyde City’ without good reason. By daylight, it’s an upstanding character with outstanding construction and fascinating past. Yet, as night descends, it narrates a wholly different tale…
Discover the shadowy side of Edinburgh’s history: killers, robbers, flesh-eaters, executions and beheadings, sorcerers, the Pestilence, and rivers of human filth. Get to know the most infamous residents of Edinburgh and the origins of ghostly tales.
Don’t mistake this for a phantom tour: there’s no need for outfits or scare tactics, the Bleak Past of Edinburgh itself is haunting enough. And how we relish illuminating our guests with it…
Location
West Parliament Square
Find us across the square in Front of St. Giles Cathedral. Search for the white umbrella with the logo of All-Star Guides.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(844 Ratings)
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Trail15264708499
Jan 29, 2026
loved it! many thanks from Canada - to our tour guide James if you’re reading this - thank you for such an amazing experience!!
did the dark history walking tour in Edinburgh with James and honestly?? iconic. it rained a bit (because of course it did) but it genuinely added to the whole experience. it was just my boyfriend and i there, but we liked it that way because it felt less like a tour and more like wandering around the city with someone who just knows everything and loves telling the stories behind it (: was also quite entertaining watching our tour guide casually quiz my Scottish bf on history and keep him on his toes x
if you guys can, ask for James. funny guy, wildly knowledgeable, and he delivered the most unhinged stories in the best way possible.
one of my favourite birthday presents ever.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sophie
Jan 27, 2026
very enjoyable, engaging and amusing - Amazing history facts, delivered by our enthusiastic and passionate tour guide, joe. A great experience, it really deepened my knowledge of edinburgh and its significance as the capital of scotland. would highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ryansmithevans
Jan 26, 2026
Fantastic tour - Had a fantastic time, Rob showed us around and answered a load of questions from us history buffs. Impressive tour with lots to remember
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniel_m
Jan 17, 2026
Tour with personality over the darkest face of Edinburgh - I really like it when the guide feels the story and conveys it to you with his words. This tour makes you get into the darkest parts of Edinburgh. It has parts of morbidity, fear, humor, the truth that I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Jaidaa2018
Jan 13, 2026
An authentic glimpse into the dark history of Edinburgh - We booked this tour looking for a non-gimmicky, authentic tour into the history of Edinburgh, and boy did James deliver!
His energy throughout the tour was fantastic, with heaps of true local history delivered with fun quips and humour. While covering gritty and confronting topics, he made sure to leave us feeling brighter upon leaving each location, and particularly our final location in the Canongate Kirk.
The group size was small, which made travel perfect and the group was catered for in time for questions and relevant banter.
The price was also accessible and well worth it for the quality of the tour and time spent sightseeing.
I would happily go on this tour again (with unsuspecting friends), and look forward to trying some of the other tours available through the city as I have no doubt they'd be as quality as this one.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D1099froscard
Jan 12, 2026
A dark history tour with plenty of laughs - Brilliant tour, James managed to pack alot of fun and humour into some of the grimness tales imaginable. The tour was packed full of insane facts and stories. As someone who has lived in the city before, it gave me a much greater understanding of the more macabre side of Edinburgh's history that I just would have overlooked without taking a tour! James was also good at answering any random questions you might have.
Just book it, you won't regret it :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
William_r
Jan 4, 2026
This was a really solid... - This was a really solid tour. Joe, our guide, did a great job setting the scene and giving us a flavour of the city and its history. Despite being a very cold evening (the temperature getting down to zero after sunset), the tour kept us moving and full of information to keep us intellectual warm. A good story was told.
Review provided by Viator
Mobile77018
Jan 2, 2026
Excellent historical tour - Our experience with Joe was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Edinburgh, and he was an engaging speaker. I would recommend this tour for anyone who is interested in learning more about the dark reality of local history in Edinburgh.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explorer61079486970
Jan 1, 2026
10/10 - Can’t recommend Robert enough - Robert was an extremely knowledgeable and passionate guide, taking us through the Dark Histories of the Royal Mile of Edinburgh. This tour is one that you won’t regret taking as a lover of history, or local culture. I particularly appreciated Robert’s humble and thought-provoking approach, not just reeling off facts but being willing to answer questions at any point, and quizzing us on prior knowledge, ensuring we’d come away from the tour having learned something new and interesting about the City’s past.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mikechrislachlan
Dec 29, 2025
Do this tour you won't be disappointed - The guide was friendly and really approachable his sense of humour and amity to connect with his audience was second to none. Give James a raise. He clearly loved his topic and his history knowledge is a reflection of his education but his ability to make it enjoyable is not something you can learn. I repeat give him a raise
Review provided by Tripadvisor
