West Parliament Square
W Parliament Square, Edinburgh EH1, UK
Find us across the square in Front of St. Giles Cathedral. Search for the white umbrella with the logo of All-Star Guides.

End point

Canongate Kirk
153 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8BN, UK

What To Expect

Old Town (Pass By)

Heart of Midlothian

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St Giles' Cathedral

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mercat Cross

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Royal Mile

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

John Knox House Museum

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Canongate Kirk

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

369 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 369 reviews

Get the real story on Edinburgh

Laura_P, Sep 2023

This was one of the best historical tours i have been on. Matt turned a wet rainy night into 2 hours of historical story telling. A lot of tours rely on dramatic inaccuracies to entertain you. Not this one! Yes we got the fun stories but Matt was honest if they had historical evidence or if they were passed down stories. Loved how he directed us to various places to visit to do our own research, or to see exhibits that provided evidence of what he was speaking about. I wish we had more time to do more tours though this company.

Interesting

Ann_M, Sep 2023

The tour was good. We thought there would be more ghost stories but the Matt was most enjoyable as a guide.

Fantastic guide for a brief city trip.

Danielle_S, Aug 2023

Iona was very knowledgeable and told the story of the city very well. She led us well through the crowds and really helped bring the dark history of Edinburgh to life. Thank you.

Exciting, cool, informative, funny

Finn_D, Aug 2023

Our tour guide Sarah was very entertaining and knowledgable. She was a fountain of knowledge of Edinburgh, and was able to point out small pieces of the city that had huge significance of the history. She also gave us great recommendations for vegan food, both of the places she suggest we went and tried; they were awesome! We would definitely recommend Sarah to others, as her upbeat and friendly demeanour nicely contrasted the dark history she was telling us.

Thorough Professional and cooperative

Qaisar_K, Aug 2023

Unfortunately, we were not able to make it, due to our fault, but the team offered us the alternative date to join them and even contacted on the same day so we can join during the tour. Very supportive and thorough professional. I would love to join them if ever possible in future for the tour.

Very informative!

Hannah_W, Aug 2023

Iona was such a warm, informative and bubbly tour guide who learnt us a lot about the dark side of Edinburgh! The tour was very well planned and she was happy to answer any questions we had.

Sarah is the best guide

Sylvia_B, Aug 2023

Sarah is a very talented and entertaining storyteller, we had a great time! We want to know more about Edinburgh‘s dark history nie because she gave us so many intriguing insights.

A fun and educational experience

Adel_B, Jul 2023

Our tour guide (Sarah) was an absolute treat. She was knowledgeable, engaging and entertaining. I loved hearing some very interesting stories about the questionable history of the beautiful city of Edinburgh.

Interesting and Informative

Gary_C, Jul 2023

Sarah was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. The places we visited and her information of people, times and events that occurred helped us learn about life in Edinburgh over its history.

Well worth your time !

Ravi_R, Jul 2023

Sarah was a lovely guide who made this tour really memorable. I would highly recommend it as you get to know and see places you would normally just miss

Best old town tour

Gregg_G, Jul 2023

This tour is a must do. Let it be your old town tour of choice. Our guide was Iona. She is a native, a poet and an incredible guide and story teller. She told the story of old town and wove in fascinating narratives of murder, beheadings , witch craft, and body snatching with the intriguing history of Edinburgh but always in a PG kid safe manner. Cannot recommend this tour enough. Make sure to ask for Iona !!!

Informative, interesting, and fun evening

Kara_B, Jul 2023

Our guide Matt was fantastic and shared a ton of the history of Edinburgh without making it feel dry or boring. The stories were great and it was amazing to conceptualize the sights in and around the royal mile with these stories from the past. Great value and tour!

Edgar is an incredible...

Javi_M, Jul 2023

Edgar is an incredible storyteller, we enjoyed the tour a lot, with dark, funny and scary stories. Amazing, would definitely recommend!

Great

Gemma_W, Jul 2023

The tour guide was amazing. Full of knowledge and extremely friendly and helpful. Funny at times and always checked to ask if we had any questions. Every good tour! Thank you

Dark history worth it

Sophia_B, Jul 2023

Matt was awesome! Very informative and gruesome tour. Learned about the dark and ugly history of a beautiful city. Matt was theatrical but also very knowledgeable. Had a great time!

Recommended for all curious souls

Maja, Jul 2023

We loved this tour! Lydia was perfect. Kind and funny with rich and interesting stories that related not only to the past but also to the complexity of human nature across time.

Grave robbers, poltergeists and other dark facts

Chris_C, Jul 2023

We did not know what to expect with this tour, but it turned out to be a great deal of fun! Sarah was an amazing guide, tying in historical perspectives with the darker side of historical happenings. The stories were both informative and a little eerie, while giving a different view to Edinburgh. We enjoyed talking to Sarah about her own personal experience and would definitely book another tour with her.

Dark History enlightened

Amanda_B, Jun 2023

Lydia was fantastic. Her knowledge of history was phenomenal. She didn’t rely on embellishments, but made the history relevant and interesting. She was pithy and witty. She kept us interested and engaged. Highly recommend! We particularly enjoyed the body snatching stories.

Easy walk- Interesting Stories!

Amy_F, Jun 2023

My father and I did this easy walk walking tour our first evening in Edinburgh and loved it! Finally was welcoming and had many great stories and facts! Tour ends at a great time and location to digest the details over dinner on The Royal Mile

We were lucky enough to...

Bill_S, Jun 2023

We were lucky enough to be shown around by Edgar, but this tour is fantastic no matter who is taking you around. I wanted real history and this tour did not disappoint at all.

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