City Of The Dead Tours

A great tour of two very creepy and richly historic sites in Edinburgh's old town. We took the Double Dead tour thst included he South Bridge Vaults and the Covenanters Prison. Our tour guide Sarah was so warm and friendly and her performance was the perfect blend of hilarious and spooky. This tour is the only way to get access to the Black Mausoleum inside the locked section of Greyfriars Kirkyard and it's really worth going - especially when you hear the gruesome tales associated with it. Not just the ghost stories, but the bloody history too.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING experience. I seem to be a magnet to these typically tourist-y kind of walking tours, having done quite a few over the years in various cities. This is, by far, the best one I have ever done. By far. Our guide, Sarah, was incredible. I took the Double Dead tour and throughout the 2 hours she perfectly blended history, comedy, and spookiness. 👻 She clearly knew everything inside and out, even adding in lots of her own experiences and wisdom that helped make this a great and thoroughly entertaining tour. I could listen to her talk for hours! She even showed us her favourite tombstone in Greyfriars at the end (and explained the meaning behind the carvings). Did I see any full-bodied apparitions? No. Did I experience uneasy feelings and uneasiness? Yes. Particularly in the south bridge vaults. Having exclusive access to the locked part of Greyfriars should be a reason to book with City of The Dead anyways, but the knowledge and care that the tour was assembled with should also convince you. HIGHLY recommend if you're in Edinburgh. Bonus picture of a face(?) I may have captured in the south bridge vaults. Or it could just be the cobblestones. Who knows.

Had a great tour with Désirée in November. We went on the ‘Underground’ tour. Having done quite a few tours in Edinburgh, I’d say this was the best - the stories were great, the guide was attentive and the parts of the tour within the vaults themselves were exceotional (stuff outside was good too but similar to other tours) AND there was some ‘unexplainable activity!’. Désirée herself was friendly, helpful and attentive and really created a great atmosphere. Also had some good jokes! The tour went over stories I hadn’t heard and there was definitely a few things that happened to us in the vaults themselves - people feeling dizzy, odd sounds, and doors opening by themselves! Would definitely recommend.

Spine-Chilling Fun with Fiona on the Double Dead Tour! If you’re in Edinburgh and love a mix of dark history and ghostly thrills, do not miss the Double Dead Tour with the City of the Dead team. Our guide Fiona was absolutely fantastic — equal parts historian, storyteller, and master of the well-timed jump scare. She set the stage brilliantly by giving us the historical backdrop of why Edinburgh is considered one of the most haunted cities in the world. From plagues to executions, she wove a chilling narrative that gave real depth to the creepy locations we visited. The underground vaults and tombs were next-level eerie; just being in those spaces raised the hair on the back of our necks. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and thanks to Fiona’s storytelling and a few surprise scares, we were on edge the whole time (in the best possible way!). And yes… we even captured a ghost photo. No joke. Check your pictures carefully—something might be looking back at you. Highly recommend this tour for anyone who wants something beyond your average walking tour. Fiona made it unforgettable!

I did the City of the Dead Tour in Edinburgh with Ben, and it was absolutely fantastic! Ben is an outstanding guide, passionate, funny, and brilliant at bringing Edinburgh’s dark history to life. He created an atmosphere that was mysterious, immersive, and deliciously eerie, without ever feeling over the top. You can tell he truly loves what he does and knows his stuff inside out. A must-do experience if you enjoy legends, ghost stories, and a touch of dark humour. Thanks, Ben, for an unforgettable evening!

My friends and I did two tours whilst in Edinburgh, the Double Dead tour and the Witch tour. For the Double Dead tour, I believe our guide’s name was Lou. He was extremely charismatic and informative and clearly very experienced at giving the tours. He kept us entertained the whole time and made very funny jokes. He was by far the best part of the tour. One thing I would say is that the vaults section of the tour is slightly repetitive as you go from empty vault to empty vault but Lou made up for this by his variety of stories and information! It would be nice to have a bigger gift shop at the end as I feel this would encourage more purchases! I definitely recommend this tour for those wanting to visit the vaults as the addition of the cemetery tour is included! The second tour we did was the Witch tour with Nat. This was much more personal as it was just myself and my two friends who attended and we were told that it is a new, upcoming tour. Nat was evidently very passionate about the Witch tour and we were extremely impressed by her incredible ability to retain information and stories regarding so many individuals and their stories. It was very fascinating and we learnt a lot! Unfortunately Edinburgh doesn’t have many monuments or areas dedicated to their history of witches which meant there wasn’t much to see. However, we believe that Nat did an excellent job to make up for this by detailing so many different stories and detailing the extensive history. Overall, I would highly recommend booking with city of the dead tours- especially if you’re curious to learn more about the history of Edinburgh!

We had a great Double Dead tour with Fiona! She gave us historical context -- I didn't know that the bridges were built in order for the rich to avoid the poor-- and really set the mood for our trip into the vaults. The vaults are fascinating. It's incredible that people lived there, and Fiona's stories gave us a sense of the desperation of its residents. From there we went to Greyfriars Kirkyard and got access into a part normally closed to the public. Again, Fiona mixed history with spookiness and had us primed to see some ghosts. If you're interested in history, ghosts, creepy stories, or any combination of them, this is a great tour that will leave you both entertained and educated.

This was a great experience!! We had Ben as our guide, and he was knowledgeable, funny, and interactive. The group was large (30 something), but it didn’t impact the overall experience. Ben made sure everybody had time to explore and take photos. This is a cool way to get to learn about Edinburgh’s history and see some areas you might otherwise not think to go to!