Edinburgh Dark History Tour: Explore City's Murky Past and Notorious Figures

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…
What's Included
  • 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,…

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.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(699 Ratings)
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Flick1234568890
Aug 23, 2025
A truly dark history - Robert was an amazing guide- very knowledgeable and made the history come alive. Introduced us to the sad story of Robert Fergusson!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sofiafw4571pp
Aug 18, 2025
Awesome tour guide - It ended up being just my group so we got a more private tour! Our guide, James, was super enthusiastic and was very knowledgeable on the cities gruesome details. He asked us our preference on what type of history we want to know which is awesome, in case you are a bit squeamish about a dark history. He catered to what we could handle and seems like he really enjoys what he does. We got to walk quite a bit around the city and learn what was tourist myth and what was true. Loved it!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
164flynnm
Aug 16, 2025
Amazing Experience - Kieran was our guide. Amazing tour, very knowledgeable and very engaging. Kieran made sure everyone knew exactly what was going on and knew everything in great detail.
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Pablo_b
Aug 16, 2025
Great tour. Our guide Joe... - Great tour. Our guide Joe brought to life the history of Edinburgh, what is was like to live there in past and the interesting and often dark stories of various real historical figures.
Review provided by Viator
Ellen_o
Aug 13, 2025
Tour with Robert & Robert Ferguson - If you fancy a walk through some kirkyards and stories of the dead, this is a must. Robert, and his friend Robert Ferguson offered a nice evening stroll around some of the quieter, hidden-away parts of the city. Robert was super knowledgeable on his history, and answered a bevy of questions from our group alongside a number of anecdotes about all sorts of Scottish history. A little more relaxed than some of the hurried tours we’d been on, but would definitely recommend to any history fans or anyone just looking for some good stories while walking through graveyards
Review provided by Viator
Huronfoodie
Aug 8, 2025
Great! - Fantastic tour with James! Would absolutely recommend this tour. Historical info was super interesting and James made it humorous while sticking to the darkness of reality.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kate1984
Aug 6, 2025
Fab way to spend a few hours learning about the history of the city! - We had a fab time on our dark history tour yesterday with our lovely guide James. We were the only group in the tour and he was still very enthusiastic about giving us all the relevant information. He made it interesting and engaging for our 3 teenagers so they had a great time too! It was gory, it was informative and it was fun! Just the right amount of time for the tour! Would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mssecretsquirrel
Aug 13, 2025
Spooky stories and fun facts. - I was at the Edinburgh Fringe travelling solo for a couple of days and want to go out and about while also having a giggle on an unusually hot evening in the city. Robert was our tour guide. He is a structural engineer by day and spooky storyteller by night! We had a very small group, just 3 other travellers. Robert who has a passion for the history of his city regaled us stories of daring escapes, triumph and tragedy. He has a laugh you won’t forget! It’s a super good way to see the city centre - especially if you’re travelling solo. Wear comfortable shoes. Good value for money. Thanks, S
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Wont_stay_again22
Aug 11, 2025
Don't miss this when in Edinburgh - Very enlightening as well as entertaining. Guide Callum was engaging with each guest on the tour, affable, humorous and knowledgeable.
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A
Aug 9, 2025
It was good. - The guide was good in the delivery of information. He was personable. I would have enjoyed more, but I was too tired. It was a job well done.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $22
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).