Explore the hidden secrets of Edinburgh’s Old Town with a group of like-minded folk on a guided walking tour. Hear tales of espionage, treason and bloody revolution. Visit nooks and crannies you never knew existed. There are many underground ghost tours in Edinburgh that explore the area but which ones offer the best experience?
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What is an Underground Ghost Tour?
A ghost tour is a guided walking or driving tour of a city’s popular or notorious ghost sites. Some tours evoke the ghosts of a locale’s past through stories, legends, and folklore.
Some people say that you feel an eerie feeling when you go on a ghost tour. A lot of times there are scary stories about the buildings and towns so it can be a kind of frightening for some people. Edinburgh is a city of legends and stories, where you’ll find hidden secrets. Some of these legends are about the ghosts that haunt the underground streets of Edinburgh.
What to Expect From Underground Ghost Tour Edinburgh?
Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities in the world, with sites ranging from royal palaces to dark alleyways. A typical Edinburgh underground ghost tour will take you on a journey through this rich history, taking you back to the stories of witches, ghosts and ghouls that have been roaming around the city for centuries.
The tours are guided by actors, which create an immersive theatre experience for the audience. The actors act out different characters in different stories to make the experience even more real. Most Edinburgh underground ghost tours will take you through the heart of the city, which is where most of the spooky tales are centred
Greyfriars Cemetary
Top Scariest Places to Visit in Edinburgh
The dark streets and vaults in Edinburgh, with so many beautiful yet abandoned buildings, make it a perfect setting for a horror story. Particularly, the Old Town of Edinburgh is a beautiful, eerie and intriguing place. But we all know that the city has so much more than just its castles and cobbled streets to explore and experience. Underground vault tours in Edinburgh will take you through spooky stories of crime and punishment.
Here are the Top of the Spookiest Places for Those who Love a Good Scare!
1. The Canongate Kirkyard, which is located at the top of Holyrood Road. This place is significant because it was originally built as a cemetery for people who lived in this area but has now transformed into an area where many famous people are buried, including Sir Walter Scott and Alexander Wilson. This place is haunted by many phantoms, as many people were executed as witches here during the 16th century. Late-night underground vaults terror tour is a hair-raising experience!
2. Edinburgh Castle, which has been said to have been cursed by King James VI of Scotland. There have been reports from those who have visited the castle late at night who say they saw figures walking around carrying candles and wearing all black robes.
The Vennel Steps
3. The Vennel: A narrow alleyway near the Grassmarket which leads down to the Cowgate. It was at one time the main thoroughfare for this medieval town. There are many hidden places, and it’s not uncommon for all sorts of strange sounds or voices to be heard coming from these nooks and crannies.
4. Cockburn Street: Rumoured to be the site of an ancient leper colony, Cockburn Street has seen much death and destruction throughout its long history. With its dark, winding corridors abandoned is one of the scariest streets in the city. Edinburgh murder mystery stories are the secret stories that lurk beneath the surface of Edinburgh. You’ll be amazed by what you can find in those hidden corners
Follow along with this guide for some hauntingly mysterious Edinburgh murder mysteries and ghost stories.
I’ve put together a list of the best underground ghost tours in Edinburgh
The tours are aimed at people who like ghost stories, mysteries and legends. The underground ghost tours are guided by actors, which create an immersive theatre experience for the audience. Experience the history, legends, and tales from this unique perspective.
Here find the best underground ghost tours in Edinburgh
Edinburgh: Ghostly Underground Vaults Tour
The secret Edinburgh’s underworld is located just under Tron Bar at Blair Street. Now, you can visit vaults with award-winning storytellers of Mercat Tours. They are the only walking company with exclusive access to the vaults.
Even though the underground passages are empty now, the guide, who is also a professional entertainer, brings the history to life and sets the scenes for each part of the tour, making it unique and individual. This Edinburgh underground ghost tour is highly recommended by Tripadvisor.
Haunted Underground Vaults and Graveyard Tour
Expect to get shivers on a tour of the haunted sites of Edinburgh and visit the Greyfriars Kirkyard and Edinburgh Vaults. Learn about the dog that cocked his leg where rotting corpses lay and hear stories about notorious criminal
Late Night Underground Vaults Terror Tour
Go under the streets of Edinburgh's Royal Mile to hear terrifying ghost stories on a 75-minute tour of the Auld Reekie. See the infamous stone circle vault, and a horrifying torture exhibition. Wander the wynds and closes off the Royal Mile above ground.
Comedy Horror Show: Edinburgh Ghost Bus Tour
If you prefer to sit comfortably rather than walking, then this haunted history bus tour is perfect for you. With this tour, you’ll be exploring Edinburgh’s murder mysteries, locations in this macabre theatrical journey around the city of Edinburgh.
On these horror fun evening tours in a voltage bus, you’ll hear tales too, including Burke and Hare murders as well about the paranormal side of Edinburgh
Edinburgh: Extreme Paranormal Underground Ghost Tour
Take a late-night walk around Scotland's capital and be prepared to have the scariest night of your life. Visit Edinburgh's most haunted graveyard and then follow your guide into the Underground Vaults where all sorts of strange stuff happen after dar
City of the Dead's Double Dead Tour
Named by Lonely Planet Edinburgh’s Best Ghost Tour and acclaimed several other awards, these tours are a combination of history, hair-raising horror and humour.
Guides are professional entertainers, so if you dare to visit the most haunted graveyard that tour is your best choice. Please keep in mind that the tour can cause distress, so you join it at your own risk.
Edinburgh Darkside Walking Tour: Mysteries, Murder and Legends
During the16th and 17th centuries, Edinburgh was one of Europe’s most vibrant centres for witch killing. A time of fear and panic where thousands of innocent men and women were prosecuted and flew into flames.
Scotland’s King James VI believed witchcraft was a form of Satanism and anyone actually could be accused of witchcraft (herbalist or mentally ill most often). As a result, more women were murdered here than anywhere else in Scotland (around 4.000). The local guide conducts the tour of Edinburgh murder mysteries.
Free Ghost Tour
Come to the FREE 1.5 hour Ghost Tour and hear ghostly tales and sinister stories that will transport you back to the terrifying past of old Edinburgh as we walk spooky shadows and haunted alleyways.
Underground City of the Dead Tour
Discover Edinburgh's Underground City, known as the city's most haunted location, on a tour that takes you below the streets. With a guide, you'll explore tunnels known as 'Damnation Alley' and learn about their history and ghosts.
The Real Mary King's Close
A reputation for the most haunted place in Scotland has given Mary King Close a major boost as a tourist attraction. The Great Plague of 1645, the most devastating epidemic, killed nearly half of the population.
The Edinburgh Authorities wanted to separate the healthy from dying and so there is a local legend that they bricked 300 victims into the underground of Mary King Close and left them to die. Wrapped in myths and legends, this incredible place offers an authentic experience.
