Covers London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Central Europe, where the ghost walks are old and the summer nights are short.
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Edinburgh is the ghost tour city. Eight of the ten tours that cleared our bar are ghost tours, and most of them go underground, into the vaults built into the arches of South Bridge in the Old Town.
That's the difference from London. In Whitechapel the guide points at a street corner. Here you go down a staircase off the Royal Mile and stand in a stone room with no window, and the tour is the only way in.
The operators split the underground between them. Auld Reekie, City of Edinburgh Tours and City of the Dead use the South Bridge vaults. Mercat has the Blair Street vaults to itself. City of the Dead is the only company with keys to the Covenanter's Prison in Greyfriars Kirkyard, and that's a big part of why it tops this page.
The one thing to plan around is summer. In June it isn't dark until after 11 p.m.
At a glance
Best overall
City of the Dead: The Double Dead Tour, 8.0
Best for families
The World Famous Underground Ghost Tour at 6:45 p.m.
Best vaults tour
Mercat's evening vaults walk with a dram, 7.3
Adults only
Auld Reekie's Late-Night Terror Tour, strictly 18+
Cheapest good one
SANDEMANs Darkside at $32 (€29), rated 4.8
When it gets dark
4:25 p.m. in December, 11:01 p.m. in June
On this page
The 10 best night tours in Edinburgh, ranked
Every tour we scored in Edinburgh that cleared our bar (rated 4.4 or more from 50+ reviews), in Night Score order. Night Score = 30% rating, 10% review count, 20% price per hour, 40% how much the night is the point. How we score
Two locked places in one night: the South Bridge vaults and the Covenanter's Prison inside Greyfriars Kirkyard, a section only City of the Dead tours enter. That access, plus a 4.9 rating from 1,018 reviews, puts it first. The group is tiny, a maximum of 6 by the page's own count, so you can actually hear the guide in the vaults. Minimum age 12. It leaves from the tree beside St Giles' Cathedral and ends at Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, which is handy. The operator's daytime vaults tour is a separate product; this is the evening one.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.2
Review countData · 10%7.6
Price per hourData · 20%8.0
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 1 hour 45 minute City of the Dead Tours walk into the South Bridge vaults and the locked Covenanter's Prison in Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Good to know: Small groups (the page states a maximum of 6); minimum age 12. Leaves from the tree beside St Giles' Cathedral and ends at Greyfriars Bobby's Bar. The operator sells a separate daytime vaults tour, so this is its evening product.
After dark: Combines the South Bridge vaults with the locked Covenanter's Prison in Greyfriars, a section only City of the Dead tours enter.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Edinburgh Darkside Ghost Tour of Mysteries and Murder and Legends
Ghost tours
7.7/10Night Score
From $32 (€29)
2 hours
Starts: Evening; time chosen at booking
Large group, 10+
4.8 (3,939 reviews)
Two hours, mostly above ground, and the best views of any tour here. SANDEMANs starts at 130 High Street, crosses South Bridge, climbs Calton Hill and the Old Calton Burial Ground with the city lit up below, then drops down Jacob's Ladder to Canongate Kirkyard. Rated 4.8 across 3,939 reviews and $32 (€29), it's the strongest all-rounder after the winner. No vaults, though. Groups run up to 35, and it's recommended for 10 and up. It ends at a pub on the Royal Mile, where the drinks are on you.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%7.1
Review countData · 10%9.6
Price per hourData · 20%8.9
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour SANDEMANs ghost walk from 130 High Street via South Bridge, Calton Hill and Jacob's Ladder to Canongate Kirkyard.
Good to know: Recommended for ages 10 and up; up to 35 per group. Ends on the Royal Mile at a pub, where drinks are at your own expense. Also on GetYourGuide (t136052, 4.8, 1,497 reviews); we kept Viator for its review count.
After dark: An evening walk that climbs to Calton Hill and the Old Calton Burial Ground after dark, with the city lit below.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The only way into the Blair Street vaults, which Mercat Tours has to itself, and it ends with a candlelit drink in Megget's Cellar below the street: a dram of Ballantine's, a hazy IPA or a soft drink. The Vaults Museum is included. A 4.7 rating keeps it out of the top two. At $41 (€37) it's the priciest Edinburgh ghost tour here, and it's still cheaper on this listing than the same tour on Viator. Starts at the Mercat Cross. Small groups, no children under 5.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.3
Review countData · 10%9.1
Price per hourData · 20%7.9
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A two-hour Mercat Tours evening walk from the Mercat Cross to the Blair Street vaults, with a drink in Megget's Cellar.
Good to know: Includes a dram of Ballantine's Scotch, a hazy IPA or a soft drink, plus the Vaults Museum. Small group (Mercat's Viator listing caps it at 18); no children under 5. Viator sells it as 2934P18 (4.8, 679 reviews) at $46.10, so the GetYourGuide price is lower.
After dark: An evening-only storytelling walk ending in the Blair Street vaults, with a candlelit drink below the street.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The family pick. City of Edinburgh Tours pitches the 6:45 p.m. slot at families, it takes kids from age 5 with child discounts, and at 75 minutes it ends before anyone melts down. It goes into the South Bridge vaults and past Greyfriars Kirkyard. With 10,946 reviews it's the most-reviewed tour in the city, but the 4.6 rating is what holds it at fourth. Meet at the police box at 124 High Street; it returns there. Up to 28 per group. One catch: in summer 6:45 p.m. is broad daylight.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.6
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%7.9
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 75-minute evening ghost walk by City of Edinburgh Tours from the police box at 124 High Street, with the South Bridge vaults and Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Good to know: The 6:45 p.m. tour is pitched at families; no under-5s. Up to 28 per group; child and senior discounts. Returns to the start. The GetYourGuide 'Evening Underground Ghost Tour' (t70363, 4.4) looks like the same operator's listing and was not recorded.
After dark: An evening walk of the Old Town that goes down into the South Bridge vaults and past Greyfriars Kirkyard after dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Strictly 18+, and it means it. Auld Reekie's late slot goes into the South Bridge vaults plus their Torture Exhibition, at the hour the ghost stories are set. It's a short 75 minutes for $35 (€31), which is why the value score is middling, and the 4.6 rating across 4,723 reviews puts it level with the family tour above. Meet at the police box in front of 300 Lawnmarket, opposite Deacon Brodie's Tavern. Skip it if you're claustrophobic or have trouble with stairs and uneven floors. Groups are large.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.6
Review countData · 10%9.9
Price per hourData · 20%6.7
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 75-minute adults-only tour by Auld Reekie Tours into the South Bridge vaults plus their Torture Exhibition, from the Lawnmarket.
Good to know: Strictly 18+. Meet at the police box in front of 300 Lawnmarket, opposite Deacon Brodie's Tavern. Not for claustrophobia or limited mobility. Auld Reekie's own Viator listing of this tour (8752P3, 4.7, 455 reviews) caps groups at 32.
After dark: The adults-only late slot takes you into the South Bridge vaults at the hour the ghost stories are set.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
City of the Dead Haunted Graveyard Tour in Edinburgh
Ghost tours
6.6/10Night Score
From $31 (€28)
1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Evening; time chosen at booking
Small group, 12+
4.7 (258 reviews)
Same company as the winner, same locked Covenanter's Prison, no vaults. Bookings are capped at 7, so it's as small as tours get. What keeps it sixth is a thin record: 258 reviews, a fraction of the others here, even if they average 4.7. It runs 90 minutes from St Giles' Cathedral and ends inside Greyfriars Kirkyard in the dark. Minimum age 12, English only, and the page warns people with heart or back problems off it. If you're choosing between the two City of the Dead tours, the Double Dead is the better night.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%4.1
Review countData · 10%5.5
Price per hourData · 20%7.9
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 90-minute City of the Dead Tours walk from St Giles' Cathedral into Greyfriars Kirkyard and its locked Covenanter's Prison.
Good to know: Very small groups (the page caps bookings at 7); minimum age 12, English only. Ends inside Greyfriars Kirkyard. Not for those with heart or back problems.
After dark: Night entry to the locked Covenanter's Prison inside Greyfriars Kirkyard, closed to ordinary visitors.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Greyfriars Kirkyard plus the South Bridge vaults (Viator calls them the Niddry Street vaults) in 90 minutes, from Auld Reekie's spot on the Lawnmarket. Rated 4.6 from 7,514 reviews. What lowers its dark score is that the same tour also runs in the daytime. So pick an evening slot when you book, or you're paying for a different experience. Auld Reekie suggests it for ages 12 and up, and it's $35 (€31). Same meeting point as the Terror Tour, so don't mix them up.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.6
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%7.4
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A 90-minute Auld Reekie Tours walk combining Greyfriars Kirkyard with the South Bridge (Niddry Street) vaults, from the Lawnmarket.
Good to know: Suggested for ages 12+, no children under 2. Same Lawnmarket meeting point as the Terror Tour. Also on Viator (8752P4, 4.8, 2,161 reviews, $35.37); we kept the GetYourGuide listing for its review count.
After dark: Greyfriars Kirkyard and the vaults are eerier in the dark, though the same tour also runs earlier in the day.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
A comedy horror show on a converted Routemaster that drives the Old and New Towns in the evening. It's theatre more than history, and that's fine if you know it going in. Rated 4.5 from 4,903 reviews, which is what drops it to eighth. It's $28 (€25) for 75 minutes, leaving from outside Edinburgh Central Library on George IV Bridge. Be on time: latecomers aren't let on once the show starts. No food or drinks except bottled water, no big bags. Good for a group that doesn't want to walk.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%1.8
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%7.6
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A 75-minute comedy horror show on a converted Routemaster by The Ghost Bus Tours, leaving from outside Edinburgh Central Library on George IV Bridge.
Good to know: Late arrivals are not admitted once the show starts. No food or drinks other than bottled water on board, no large bags. The Viator listing (6743EDI, 4.3) is below our bar.
After dark: A theatrical show on a blacked-out vintage bus that runs in the evening through the Old and New Towns.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The Original Pub Crawl 7 Bars 7 Shots and Discounts
Pub crawls and bar tours
5.7/10Night Score
From $20 (€17.90)
6 hours
Starts: Evening departures
Large group, 18+
4.5 (944 reviews)
Cheapest night out on the page at $20 (€17.90) for six hours, and a straightforward deal: seven bars, six shots plus a bomb shot to start, no cover charges and 25% off at some of the bars. It starts inside Bar 50. The 4.5 rating from 944 reviews is what keeps it ninth. It's 18+ and the page says not for pregnant women. It's a crawl, not a tour; you'll learn nothing about the Old Town. Plan the trip home now, because six hours from an evening start puts you on the night buses.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%1.8
Review countData · 10%7.5
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A six-hour guided crawl of seven Edinburgh bars by The Original Edinburgh Pub Crawl, starting inside Bar 50.
Good to know: Includes 6 shots plus a bomb shot to start (7 in all), VIP entry with no cover charge and 25% discounts at selected bars. 18+, not for pregnant women.
After dark: A guided night out across seven bars that only runs after dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Two professional actors performing Scottish literature between a few Old Town taverns, starting outside the Beehive Inn in the Grassmarket. It's a lovely, odd evening and the 4.7 rating agrees. Only 100 reviews, though, and the pubs rather than the dark are the point, which is why it's last. At $33 (€29) for two hours, budget for your own drinks; the page is unclear on whether any are included. Under-18s can't go in because Scottish licensing law keeps them out of the pubs.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.3
Review countData · 10%4.1
Price per hourData · 20%8.8
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A two-hour walk between a few Old Town taverns with two professional actors performing Scottish literature, by The Scottish Literary Tour Trust.
Good to know: Meet outside the Beehive Inn in the Grassmarket. Under-18s cannot enter the pubs under Scottish licensing law. The page is unclear on whether drinks are included, so budget for your own.
After dark: An evening of theatre in Old Town taverns; the pubs and the performance are the point, not the dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Reserve links go to GetYourGuide or Viator. Booking through them can earn us a commission at no cost to you; it never changes a score or a rank. How we make money
What an Edinburgh night is actually like
The Old Town after dark is mostly the Royal Mile and the streets that fall off it. Closes and wynds drop away from the main road down steep stone steps, lit by a lamp here and there, and that's where every ghost tour on this page starts. Meeting points cluster around the Mercat Cross, St Giles' and the police boxes on the High Street and the Lawnmarket.
The New Town across Princes Street Gardens is quieter and Georgian and not much use for ghosts. The Grassmarket is for pubs.
The castle is closed at night. You see it floodlit from below, from Princes Street or the Grassmarket, and that's the best view of it anyway.
Greyfriars Kirkyard surprises people. The kirk says it's open to visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you can walk among the graves at midnight on your own if you want. What's locked is the Covenanter's Prison, a gated section of the kirkyard. That's the City of the Dead tours' territory.
Vaults, graveyard, bus or pub: how to pick
Want to go underground? Book a vaults tour. There are two vault systems and they're not interchangeable: Mercat has Blair Street, and Auld Reekie, City of Edinburgh Tours and City of the Dead share South Bridge. If you're torn, the City of the Dead Double Dead does vaults and the Covenanter's Prison in one go. Our Edinburgh Vaults tour page goes deeper on the underground.
Age is the real filter here.
Under 10: the World Famous Underground Ghost Tour (from 5) or Mercat's vaults (from 5), or the ghost bus.
10 to 11: add SANDEMANs Darkside.
12 and up: both City of the Dead tours open up.
Adults: the Late-Night Terror Tour and the two pub nights.
Group size is the other one. The City of the Dead tours stay tiny; most of the rest take 28 to 35 people. In a vault, that matters. Thirty-five people in a stone room means the back row hears every third word.
The ghost bus is fun and it's not really a ghost tour. Think of it as a show.
The free version: Calton Hill and Greyfriars on your own
Two free things beat most paid evenings.
First, Calton Hill at dusk. Walk east along Princes Street, take the steps up past the Old Calton Burial Ground, and you get the castle, the Old Town spires and the Firth of Forth turning dark below you. The Darkside tour does the same climb, with stories.
Second, Greyfriars Kirkyard after dark, which is open all night. Walk down Candlemaker Row from the Greyfriars Bobby statue, go in through the gates and wander. You won't get into the Covenanter's Prison, and you shouldn't try. You'll see its gate, though, and that's half the atmosphere.
Then drop down Victoria Street to the Grassmarket for a pint. No ticket needed.
Getting back late: Lothian NightBus
Edinburgh runs night buses every night of the week, not just at weekends. Lothian's NightBus network runs from around midnight until 4:30 a.m., seven days a week, on 18 routes: 12 Lothian Buses routes in the city plus 3 East Coast Buses and 3 Lothian Country routes out to the surrounding towns.
A NightBus single on Lothian Buses is $4.70 (€4.20; £3.50). On the East Coast and Lothian Country night routes the single runs up to $12.40 (€11.10; £9.30), depending on how many zones you cross.
Most ghost tours here are done long before midnight, so for most visitors this only matters after the pub crawl. The Old Town is compact. If your hotel is central, you'll walk.
When to go: Edinburgh's long summer light
This is the page where the sunset table matters most. In December it's dark by 4:25 p.m., and a 6:45 p.m. ghost tour is deep in the night. In June it isn't dark until 11:01 p.m. So between May and early August, almost every ghost tour on this page happens in daylight unless you book the latest slot, and even the late ones are dusk at best. The vaults don't care, they're underground. The graveyards and Calton Hill do.
Best months: October to March. October has Halloween and dark by 6:51 p.m. mid-month. Hogmanay at the end of December is the other big draw, so book early.
It's colder than London. January nights drop to about 36°F (2°C), and even July only gets down to 54°F (12°C), which is jacket weather on Calton Hill. It also rains more: the weather data shows 16 rainy days in an average July and October. Bring something waterproof. The vaults are dry; the walk to them isn't.
What to skip
Daytime vaults tours, if you came for ghosts. The Underground Vaults Tour that runs all day (4.5, 12,704 reviews) didn't make this list because nothing about it is framed for the evening, and Mercat's multi-sensory vaults tour runs in the afternoon. Same rooms, less mood.
The Extreme Paranormal tour scored 4.3, below our bar. And don't stack two South Bridge vault tours on consecutive nights; if you want two, do South Bridge one night and Mercat's Blair Street the next.
When it gets dark in Edinburgh
Times are for the 15th of each month in 2027, local time with daylight saving, computed with NOAA’s solar equations for Edinburgh. Dark is the end of civil twilight, when streetlights and floodlights take over; fully dark is the end of nautical twilight. Night lows are 2016–2025 averages from the Open-Meteo historical archive. Every city side by side
Month
Sunset
Dark
Fully dark
Night low
January
4:09 p.m.
4:53 p.m.
5:41 p.m.
36°F (2°C)
February
5:14 p.m.
5:53 p.m.
6:37 p.m.
37°F (3°C)
March
6:14 p.m.
6:51 p.m.
7:35 p.m.
37°F (3°C)
April
8:17 p.m.
8:57 p.m.
9:48 p.m.
39°F (4°C)
May
9:17 p.m.
10:06 p.m.
11:23 p.m.
46°F (8°C)
June
9:59 p.m.
11:01 p.m.
–
50°F (10°C)
July
9:49 p.m.
10:45 p.m.
12:38 a.m.
54°F (12°C)
August
8:51 p.m.
9:35 p.m.
10:33 p.m.
53°F (12°C)
September
7:32 p.m.
8:10 p.m.
8:55 p.m.
50°F (10°C)
October
6:13 p.m.
6:51 p.m.
7:34 p.m.
46°F (8°C)
November
4:06 p.m.
4:48 p.m.
5:34 p.m.
40°F (4°C)
December
3:38 p.m.
4:25 p.m.
5:14 p.m.
38°F (3°C)
Where Edinburgh ranks
The best place a Edinburgh tour reaches on each of our other pages.
By our Night Score, City of the Dead's Double Dead Tour (8.0). It's the only tour that takes you into both the South Bridge vaults and the locked Covenanter's Prison, with groups of 6 at most. It's 12+. For younger kids, the World Famous Underground Ghost Tour takes children from age 5.
Can you go into the Edinburgh vaults without a tour?
Not in practice. The vaults are opened on guided tours, run by the operators on this page. Mercat has the Blair Street vaults; Auld Reekie, City of Edinburgh Tours and City of the Dead use South Bridge. Details on our Edinburgh Vaults page.
Is Greyfriars Kirkyard open at night?
Yes. Greyfriars Kirk says the kirkyard is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Covenanter's Prison section is locked, and only City of the Dead tours go inside it.
Are Edinburgh ghost tours scary for kids?
Some are built for kids and some keep them out. City of Edinburgh Tours pitches its 6:45 p.m. tour at families and takes children from 5. Mercat also starts at 5. SANDEMANs Darkside is recommended for 10 and up, City of the Dead is 12+, and Auld Reekie's Terror Tour is strictly 18+.
Do night buses run in Edinburgh?
Yes, every night. Lothian's NightBus runs from about midnight to 4:30 a.m., seven days a week, and a city single costs $4.70 (€4.20; £3.50).
Further reading
Official sources
Lothian Buses: NightBus– 18 NightBus routes, midnight to 4:30 a.m. hours and NightBus single fares, checked October 26, 2026
