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You want to scare the bejeesus out of yourself and your companions? then you MUST take these tours. I have done this both at night and during the day..... day is bad enough but it is REALLY spooky at night!
There are various ones to go on, not recommended for those with dicky hearts, fondly termed Auld Reekie's Underground Tour, Terror Tour, Tour of Witchcraft and also Ghost and Torture Tour.
The old town was a small place, surrounded by high walls, so they built up and up to a height of 7 stories in some places to get everyone in to these tenement buildings. When they ran out of space they dug down and formed the Vaults which are under most of the Old Town. This is where the poor people lived and died in utter darkness and filth. It is reputed to be haunted with many sightings and physical phenomenon. We actually caught a spooky sphere on camera!
Cost? a mere £7-6 lasting 1.5 hours to scare the wits out of you! Tours start 12.30 13.30 14.30 15.30 16.30 Leave a Comment Address: Tron ChurchPhone: 0131 557 4700Directions: The Tron Church is at the corner of the Royal Mile, where it meets the Bridges, big old dark church, built on top of the existing streets which are excavated inside. Good centre for getting information about what to see and do.Website: auldreekietours@blueyonder.co.uk
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There are several different companies offering ghost tours in Edinburgh, something about the mood of the city lends itself very well to this sort of thing, creeping along the dark closes of the city after dark and in the dark, dank vaults under the Royal Mile.
There are several companies that do these tours, I chose Mercat, no advance reservations were needed, just show up near St. Giles on the Royal Mile and look for the guy in the cape.
Mercat's tour wasn't like the cheesy ones we've done in places like New Orleans where you know you've heard the same story set in a different locale, really how many sausage makers ground their wives into sausages? And had a local police man bite into her wedding ring? This tour seemed to be based in fact, the guide enhanced the stories with gruesome sound effects, gory details and much animation which made it both historical and fun.
This tour focused on the area around the Royal Mile so there wasn't a ton of walking involved, after several stops above ground they took us into the vaults under the city. The guide did a really nice job of building up the haunted factor, even me, a huge skeptic, looked around in nervous anticipation of a ghostly spectre. And I may have even seen one in my room later that night ;-)
They offer a premium tour for an extra L1.50 which extends the tour to include a drink in a nearby pub, I didn't take this option because I still hadn't eaten dinner but in retrospect I should have, it would have been fun as I met some nice folks on the tour.
Some other options I've seen recommended:
Witchery Tours
Blackhart City of the Dead tour Leave a Comment
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I believe the best way to explore a new city is to start off with a hop-on hop-off bus tour. The City Sightseeing Edinburgh tour was very good and informative. It went to all the major places in Edinburgh: Edinburgh Castle, Princes St., The Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat, Greyfriars, Calton Hill, Holyrood House.
The driver and staff were helpful and friendly. if you had any questions.
The tour is in many languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Italian and Dutch.
Tickets are valid for 24 hours and you get 10% off the entry to Edinburgh Castle with your ticket.
Adults: GBP 8.50
Concession: GBP 7.50
Child: GBP 2.50
I took this tour in 2004 and 2005. I took it again in 2005 to refresh my memory, but found that I remembered most of the commentary anyway - it really sticks with you! Leave a Comment
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The best tour you can find in Edinburgh to visit the Highlands is for sure the Scotline Tour. You can find them in 87, High Street (Royal Mile). They have about 10 different fantastic tours. We chose two of them. The first one was the Loch Ness Experience (full day) visiting the wonderful Highlands, the impressive Urquhart Castle and a very enjoyable Loch Ness cruise. The second one was Loch Lomond visiting Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. Every moment was a great excitement for us! SUPERB!
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 Witchery Tours (2005) by Kaspian
The tour started at 7:00 PM. It was informative, they told lots of stories, demonstrated various torture devices, and as we walked around they had several characters jump out and describe different eras of Edinburgh's history. (One of their staff, Rory, ran frantically around town switching costumes and trying to head us off so he could jump out from behind buildings--the poor guy was usually completely winded.) The character, costume, and story of the "The Foule Clenger" was especially interesting.
Our guide, Alexander Clapperton (deceased), identified my girlfriend immediately from the crowd as a witch, and (did what all boyfriends can only secretly dream of) put a pair of thumbscrews on her. "Scream and confess you're a witch!," he told her, "Scream!". But as he tightened them, she held her ground and only muttered a whimpering "Owww..."
So, not scary but kind of fun. Kids would also love it!
The tour was very cheap, ?7. And as part of that admission, you get a book, "Adam Lyal's Witchery Tales," which is worth at least ?4.
Bonus Tip: Flip to the "Ghosts" chapter at the back of the book later and do your own walk of the haunted areas by night. It scared the hell out us! Leave a Comment Address: 84 West Bow (Victoria Street), Edinburgh, EH1 2HHPhone: +44 (0) 131 225 6745Website: http://www.witcherytours.com Other Contact: info@witcherytours.com
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 George Heriot's School-what
Hogwarts is based on! by Lady_Godiva, 2 more photos
The tour visits these sites (taken from the company's website):
• Edinburgh Castle
• St Giles’ Cathedral
• The Royal Mile
• Old & New Towns
• Mercat Cross
• Greyfriars Kirkyard (cemetery) and Greyfriars Bobby
• Scott Monument
• Princes Street Gardens
• Grassmarket
• Site of Witch Burnings
• The original ‘Hogwarts’
• William Wallace and the Stone of Destiny
• National Museum
• Edinburgh University
• Covenanters’ Prison
• Martyrs’ Memorial
• The Mound
• Tron Kirk
• Burke and Hare Bodysnatchers
• The real Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
• The Scottish Enlightenment Leave a Comment Address: In front of Starbucks Cafe on high streetDirections: There'll be guides in red t-shirts daily at 11am in front of the Starbucks Café by the Tron Kirk on the High Street.Website: http://www.newedinburghtours.com/
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After taking the Ghost & Ghouls tour with Mercat the night before, I decided to do a 2nd one with them during the daytime, Secrets of the Royal Mile. The crowd was a wee bit smaller for this one (2 of us!) I really enjoyed this one as well, our guide Olive took us into St. Giles pointing out things that I hadn't seen the day before when I visited, Parliament Hall, which is now a Law Court, which I hadn't known you could visit, showed us where John Knox is buried (in a car park behind St. Giles, marked only with a small square), told us the story of half-hangit Maggie and showed us the "peeing" statue of Charles II. The tour ended when we reached the top of the Royal Mile near Edinburgh Castle.
Cost was L7.50, you can save L1 if you have done a previous tour with them, bring your ticket with. Leave a Comment
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 scared meself to death! by willy_wonka
back in early days, in the days of the industrial revolution, many of the poor peasants and workers had to live underneath in the cellars of their wealthy employer's. disease was rife, and many people died down here in the filthy squalid dark cellars. it is now said that many ghosts haunt the many tunnels under edinburgh.
so we walked around in the dark, and it was pretty damn scary i can tell you that! some people felt what they thought was chilly fingers on their faces. i've always been a sceptic, but i must admit, after this, i think im a believer! Leave a Comment Directions: meeting point for tour is out the front of the tourist office, intersection of royal mile and cockburn street.
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Edinburgh is reputed to be the most haunted city in the British Isles, except possibly York. While I'm a doubting Thomas, the Ghost Walks are immensely entertaining and informative. They teach a great deal of local history, folklore, and a good deal about the customs, architecture, and daily life of times past.
Several ghost walks take you into the passages that run beneath the Old Town. They are definitely eerie and would give anyone "the willies". St Mary's close is said to be the most haunted place. As the Black Death swept through Edinburgh in the 14th century, an entire neighborhood was sealed off and quarantined. Months later, after all had died, the place was cleaned out. This area lies beneath the City Chambers.
Later, these passages housed sweatshops and some of the workers who toiled inside them. There are all kinds of stories about them.
None of my photos have ever revealed any ghosts. Someone please let me know if you see any on this page that I missed. Leave a Comment Address: 4 Rothesay Terrace, Edinburgh EH3 7RYPhone: 44 (0)131 473 3666Directions: Visit the Edinburgh Convention Bureau at the above address, or the mercattours website below. The phone number is for the Convention Bureau.Website: http://www.mercattours.com/home.asp Other Contact: http://www.edinburgh.org/
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 Mary King's Close (2005) by Kaspian
In 1753, the tops of several buildings were knocked down and their lower sections and several alleys ("closes") were used as the foundation for a large new building, the Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers). Over the next two hundred years, rumours grew of abandoned streets, houses, shops, and closes buried beneath Edinburgh.
After years of people nagging the council and asking to go down and see the basement for themselves, the council opened the Real Mary King's Close as a world-class tourist attraction in April 2003.
We made it to the entrance and gift-shop, but didn't actually go down for a tour because you should book in advance for this and our train was leaving in less than 20 minutes. (And the station was about a 10-minute walk.) But the curiosity and ghost stories about this underground close were killing me inside--so I had to at least see the entrance. Did they lock up a whole bunch of people in this alley to die of the black plague or not? It's part of the urban legend of Edinburgh; that there's an older part of the city underneath the current one--where bones still rot, where there are still shops with items in the windows, where ghosts roam freely, where pre-Victorian plague-era apartments still exist intact. How friggin' cool is that!? Even if it is all a fairy tale--it's still an important part of the mythos of the city.
Admission was very expensive if I remember right. Leave a Comment Address: 2 Warriston's Close, Writers' Court, EdinburghPhone: 08702 430160Directions: The Real Mary King's Close is situated just off the High Street, opposite St. Giles Cathedral. The entrance is on Warriston's Close.Website: http://www.realmarykingsclose.com
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