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Tours/Edinburgh/Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour

Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour

Edinburgh1h 30min
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
+5 photos
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour
Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour

At a glance

Duration
1h 30min
Price from
$12 / person
Location
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Languages
EN
Group
Private
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Confirmation
Instant
Ticket
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Operator
Questo
Meeting point
The game starts at the Witches' Well on Castlehill. After booking, we'll message you a code and activation link. Activate with your own email, then log in to the Questo app with that email. No message? Open the Questo app, tap "Bought a quest somewhere else?" and enter your booking reference number.

Description

This is a self-guided exploration game where you'll be solving a paranormal case involving real people and their wandering ghosts. The file on Edinburgh's Old Town has been open since 1966. You, with your detective and observational skills, and a little help from the Questo app, will try to close it in 2 hours. The route takes you down the Royal Mile and through Greyfriars Kirkyard, past 13 of its darkest addresses. Your job is to take statements from the dead and check them against the record. You'll discover dark stories like the councillor who burgled the houses he fitted with locks, the woman who woke up after her own hanging, and the body snatchers who never broke a single law. Each location involves inspecting a real-world object and solving a challenge. Best after dark with your phone lantern. About 1.4 miles of walking, with unlimited breaks. Hints and 24/7 support available if you get stuck. Perfect for Halloween or any night you're in the mood for creepy ghost stories.

Schedule & prices

Runs
Every day
Next available
Mon, Oct 19
Adult (ages 14+)
$12

Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $14.

From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 18.

Tour Options

Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour

Itinerary

Witches well
8 min

You'll start on Castlehill, just below the castle esplanade, where the app opens your case file and introduces the agent running it. Your first task will be to find a small iron fountain on the wall and work out what's hidden under the sticker in your photo. You'll learn that it's the only memorial to the more than three hundred women burned on this hill, and that it doesn't even run.

The Hub
7 min

You'll walk to the foot of the tallest spire in Edinburgh and use two street signs on the railings to crack a five-letter password. You'll learn why it was built to be seen from the New Town, and why it carries the name of a building that no longer exists.

Deacon Brodie's Tavern
8 min

You'll stop at Deacon Brodie's Tavern on the Lawnmarket and compare its famous two-faced sign with your photo to find what's missing. You'll learn about the respectable councillor and locksmith who let himself into the houses he had fitted, and who later inspired Robert Louis Stevenson.

Victoria Street
7 min

You'll go up onto Victoria Terrace, above the curve of Victoria Street, and find the word missing from a nearby sign. You'll learn about Major Thomas Weir, who confessed in 1670 to crimes nobody had accused him of, and why his house then stood empty for a hundred years.

Grassmarket
7 min

You'll head down to the Grassmarket and find the stone plaque at the old gallows site to complete its inscription. You'll learn about Maggie Dickson, hanged here in 1724, who woke up in the cart on the way to her burial.

Greyfriars Kirkyard
8 min

You'll walk into Greyfriars Kirkyard to the domed tomb of Bluidy Mackenzie, decode a scrambled instruction and inspect the door to answer it. You'll learn about the 1,200 Covenanters held through a winter in the field next to his grave, and the night in 1999 that started the hauntings.

Greyfriars Bobby
7 min

You'll stop at the little bronze dog on the corner of Candlemaker Row and pick the real statue out of four photos. You'll learn what the council records say about Scotland's most loyal dog, and why one historian thinks there were two.

National Museum of Scotland
7 min

You'll walk along Chambers Street to the statue of William Chambers outside the museum and spot the detail added to your photo of one of its bronze panels. You'll learn how the man who bought Bobby's licence cut the city's death rate by a third, and what he demolished to do it.

Old Town
7 min

You'll go round the back of the old Royal Infirmary, to the lane where the anatomy school took its deliveries at night, and decode a word from a weathered plaque. You'll learn what a body was worth in a hard winter, and why taking one was never against the law.

John Knox House Museum
8 min

You'll walk down the Royal Mile to the brass line in the road where the city gate once stood, read the World's End sign, then compare the carved panel on John Knox House with your photo. You'll learn why the gate came down in 1764, and why Knox probably never lived in the house that carries his name.

Tron Kirk Market
6 min

You'll stop at the Tron Kirk and find the detail that exists only in your photo of its sign. You'll learn what was found under its floor in the 1970s: a whole sixteenth-century street, still paved.

St Giles' Cathedral
10 min

You'll finish at the Heart of Midlothian outside St Giles', where you'll turn every fragment you've collected into one final question about the Mercat Cross. You'll learn why people still spit on the heart in the cobbles, and how Deacon Brodie tried to survive his own hanging.

What's included

Included
Full availability: Every day of the year.
Flexibility: start, take a break and continue at your own pace.
Access to the self-guided city exploration game in the Questo app
Not included
Live game master or physical guide
Private transportation
Meals

How it compares in Edinburgh

  • Starting price $12 is 82% below the typical $65 for tours of similar length in Edinburgh

Excurgo comparison of 1,246 Viator tours, recalculated daily.

Important Information

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • A charged smartphone with internet is required to play the game in the Questo app
  • Comfortable walking shoes are recommended

Cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

1+ days before100% refund
0–1 days before0% refund

Frequently asked questions

How long does Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour take?

Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour lasts about 1h 30min. The itinerary has 12 stops.

How much does Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour cost?

Prices start at $12 per person for this Edinburgh experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $14. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.

What days does Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour run?

According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day.

Can I cancel Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour for free?

Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.

Where does the tour start?

The meeting point is The game starts at the Witches' Well on Castlehill. After booking, we'll message you a code and activation link. Activate with your own email, then log in to the Questo app with that email. No message? Open the Questo app, tap "Bought a quest somewhere else?" and enter your booking reference number. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.

What languages is Edinburgh Haunted Old Town Self Guided Ghost Tour offered in?

The experience is available in EN.

Is this a private or a group tour?

It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 30 travellers can book together.

Is the tour suitable for children?

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Will my booking be confirmed immediately?

Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.

$12/ person
Duration1h 30min
LanguagesEN
ConfirmationInstant
Check availability on Viator →
Booked and paid on Viator.com
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

No booking fees from Excurgo
Payment and confirmation are handled by Viator
Excurgo support

Excurgo earns a commission from Viator when you book through this link, at no extra cost to you.

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