Greyfriars Kirkyard Tour: Discover the Stories of Old Edinburgh's Deceased
5.0
48 Ratings
Edinburgh
Uncover the captivating stories of Old Edinburgh's deceased on the Greyfriars Kirkyard tour. From martyred Covenanters to infamous ghosts, discover the secrets of Scottish history in an entertaining and respectful manner.
Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Greyfriars Kirk - This entire tour takes place within the historic burial ground. We don’t visit the Kirk itself, although we recommend guests visit this wonderful building during their visit to Edinburgh.
  • Historic Edinburgh Tours - Our entire tour takes place within the historic burial ground of Greyfriars Kirkyard.
What's Included
  • Expert local guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The tour of Greyfriars Kirkyard is tailormade for those curious about the annals of Scottish history. The individuals interred within the Kirkyard helped shape Edinburgh into its present form. We’ll recount some of the most pivotal, engaging, and unexpected tales about these truly intriguing individuals. All this will be done in a fun, professional, and dignified way.

Greyfriars is a captivating location tethered to some truly astonishing accounts from Scotland’s past (and not just related to Edinburgh). Their narratives form an integral part of Edinburgh’s history. You will discover more about these personalities while standing a mere few inches from their final resting places.

Listen to the extraordinary stories of martyred Covenanters, a humorous artist, a notorious specter, tomb raiders, the guilty Irish slayers Burke and Hare, a suffering spy and, certainly not least of all, the devout Skye Terrier, Greyfriars Bobby.

Are you prepared to encounter the ‘Deceased of Ancient Edinburgh’?

  • Due to uneven surfaces. we will try to make alterations for wheelchair users.
Location
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Candlemaker Row
Just inside the main entrance, next to the grave of Greyfriars Bobby (the pink headstone which you see as soon as you enter the Kirkyard).
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(48 Ratings)
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Ellahj8265xt
Mar 12, 2024
Entertaining and Informative your around Edinburgh! - An amazing insightful and entertaining tour around Edinburgh! An excellent way of learning about Edinburghs history and getting to see famous landmarks with interesting stories and fun facts along the way!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Renoc
Dec 15, 2023
TRAVEL WRITER REVIEW: A FABULOUS TOUR AND EXPERIENCE - As a travel writer, I was asked to visit Edinburgh for two weeks and review a range of hotels, venues, and experiences. This is one of the tours that caught my eye when researching, and I'm so glad we went on it. From our very first communication some months ago, Robert couldn't have been more helpful. He was always on hand for any questions, changed the time of the tour to suit me, and ensured that everything ran smoothly with the arrangements. When we met up on the afternoon of the tour, he was bang on time and such a lovely guy. He was very easy to talk to, I felt comfortable asking questions, and we had a laugh on an essentially cold and rainy day (which was perfect for this particular tour, it added to the atmosphere). Robert took us all around the Kirkyard, told us grim and macabre stories, lightened the mood with his wit, and made the experience one to really remember. I'll enjoy doing my write-up of this experience, as it brings back some great memories! If you get to do this - or any other - tour with Robert, go for it. It's not only educational in a fun way but enables you to explore the darker side of Edinburgh and its rich history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Niconiconiconi
Nov 4, 2023
Amazing Experience with a wonderful guide - We did the Greyfriars Kirkyard tour with Robert and it was one of the highlights of our entire trip. Robert sent clear instructions on when and where to meet and arrived ready to go. He spent a few minutes getting to know us and what we wanted out of the private tour. We then proceeded with a wonderful hour and 45 minute tour that included a lot of history, some great folklore and many delightful stories. Robert is a great story teller and guide, he also ended the tour by showing us a great balcony in the Scottish Museum that allowed us the opportunity to take some amazing photos of Edinburgh Castle and Greyfrair's Kirk. I recommend Robert as a guide and this tour to anyone wanting a lot of great stories of the characters in Greyfriar's Kirk.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nathank_d
Nov 1, 2023
Wonderfully fun tour! - This tour was amazing! Robert is an amazing guide and the tour was one of the highlights of our entire trip. He met us and we talked about what we wanted to learn about during the tour, he listened and then walked us through a fun and informative tour of the kirkyard. He finished up by showing us an amazing picture spot at the nearby museum. Great experience and I can't recommend it enough!
Review provided by Viator
Juanpablo_g
Oct 2, 2023
History of Greyfrier’s graveyard told by an expert. - Robert gave an excellent tour with great detail. He was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with and I would highly recommend taking this tour if you are interested in the history of Edinburgh.
Review provided by Viator
Monika
Jul 29, 2023
Citytour - Great experience for everyone who is interested in Edinburgh! Robert was very kind and funny. We appreciated the way how he introduced history of town. He knows lot of funny stories🙂 Danke Robert
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_m
Oct 16, 2022
Great Morning in Greyfriars Kirkyard - I had a wonderful tour with Robert Howie. He was so knowledgeable and brought the history to life. I would recommend the tour to all!
Review provided by Viator
Bino63
Oct 13, 2022
Great custom private tour for my family - My family wanted a private tour of the kirkyard to get all our questions answered and this was perfect. Relaxed, not too long for younger kids and Robert ,our guide, created a custom experience for our family.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maroberts65
Aug 1, 2022
Greyfriars cemetery with Robert - Robert was fabulous as our tour guide of Greyfriars Cemetary. He had some really interesting stories and when my wife needed to pause the tour to go to the bathroom, we went next door to the museum and he gave us a mini tour of the museum and Edinburgh university. It’s a great way to learn history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
919xavierj
Jul 20, 2022
Entertaining and Educational - He was very entertaining and good with the kids. I learned lots of new things. He told us all about kilts to wrap it up, and recommend us lots of good restaurants and even taught us about Celtic FC’s origins.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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