Edinburgh - Dark History

Ah, Edinburgh! They don't call it "The Jekyll & Hyde City" for nothing. During the day, a respectable figure, with its astonishing architecture and wondrous history. But when the sun sets, it tells an entirely different story...
Hear all about the darker history of Edinburgh: murderers, thieves, cannibals, hangings and decapitations, witches, the Plague and streams of human waste. Learn about the most notorious citizens of Edinburgh and how ghost stories are born.

This is not a ghost tour: we don't need costumes or people jumping from behind the corners, Edinburgh's Dark History itself is enough to make your skin crawl. And oh, how we love to share it with our visitors...

Meeting Point

West Parliament Square

W Parliament Sq, Parliament Sqr, Edinburgh EH1 1RF, UK

Find us across the square in Front of St. Giles Cathedral. Search for the white umbrella with the logo of All-Star Guides.

What's included:

• In-Person guide

What to expect:

Duration: 2 hours

Old Town

Edinburgh

A walking tour down the Royal Mile of Edinburgh, where your guide will share with you the darker history of Edinburgh.

Pass by without stopping

Heart of Midlothian

197 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1PW

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.

10 minutes

St Giles' Cathedral

High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1RE

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.

10 minutes

Mercat Cross

Mercat Cross, Edinburgh

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.

10 minutes

Royal Mile

High St., , Edinburgh, EH1 2PB

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.

40 minutes

John Knox House Museum

43-45 High Street, , Edinburgh, EH1 1SR

Learn about the architecture of 16th century Edinburgh, and witness one of the most "authentic" corners in the city centre.

5 minutes

Canongate Kirk

153 Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8BN

Wander among graves of old, hearing about body snatchers, cannibals, and learn how ghost stories are born.

40 minutes