Old Town Historical and Underground Tour
5
Full view
Old Town Historical and Underground Tour
By City of Edinburgh Tours
Recommended by 96% of travelers
This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher
Discover the history of Edinburgh from above and below group on a sightseeing tour that offers deeper insight into local history than typical tours. A historian guide leads you around the UNESCO-listed Edinburgh Old Town and reveals underground vaults that are usually off-limits to the general public.
from per adult
$16.06
from per adult
$16.06
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 5-99, max of 6 per group
Duration:1h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Ticket type:Mobile
English
Highlights
- Delve deeper into local history on a tour of Edinburgh Old Town
- Access underground vaults that are usually off-limits
- Discover historical info that you won't find in the guidebook
- Enjoy a more intimate glimpse into the area as you explore on foot
- 90 Minute tour of Edinburgh’s Old Town and South Bridge vaults.
- Tour led by a well trained, highly knowledgeable and personable guide.
- Relaxed nature of the tour allows for plenty of questions and further discussion.
- Learn about the extraordinary events which shaped this great city.
- Access to our exclusive section of underground.
- For those who want to learn more about Edinburgh’s past this tour is a must do!
What's not included- N/A
- Departure details
- 124 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UK
Return details- Returns to original departure point
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 36194P14- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- How much is Old Town Historical and Underground Tour?
- Old Town Historical and Underground Tour price starts from $17.29. Discover and book Old Town Historical and Underground Tour on Tripadvisor
- What is the Old Town Historical and Underground Tour cancellation policy?
- Old Town Historical and Underground Tour cancellation policy: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. Discover and book Old Town Historical and Underground Tour on Tripadvisor
- Which company provides Old Town Historical and Underground Tour?
- Old Town Historical and Underground Tour is hosted by City of Edinburgh Tours. Read reviews, discover additonal experiences or contact City of Edinburgh Tours on Tripadvisor. Discover and book Old Town Historical and Underground Tour on Tripadvisor
- How much time do I need for Old Town Historical and Underground Tour?
- On average, this experience will take approximately 1h 30m. Discover and book Old Town Historical and Underground Tour on Tripadvisor
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 36194P14
Itinerary
- You'll start at124 High St124 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1QS, UKSee address & details
- 1City of Edinburgh ToursStop: 45 minutesTron Kirk Niddry wynd Vaults Canongate KirkyardRead more
- You'll return to the starting point
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator.
Voyageuse_1806
00A good ghost tour
Thanks to our amazing guide, Sweany Beans, we had a wondeful time! Thanks also to Linda for helping us!
kubyemilie
00Funny, excising and Scary
The trip with Dr. Knocks was funny, interesting and scary. Would definitely recommend for a trip around the city as…
O218CVjosephp
00A Great Look at Edinburgh's Dark Past
A perfect mix of scary, informative, and fun! Dr. Knox was an amazing guide both funny and terrifying at times. Str…
victoirebcq
00Frightfully fun tour with Sawney Bean !
So. Much. Fun! We've had a spooky and very interesting tour of Edinburgh darkest places and secrets with Alexander …
HUGOO M
00Spooky late night tour with Sawney Bean
We had an excellent time with Sawney Bean as our tour guide. He was funny, interesting, full of fun anecdotes (if y…
peteo888
00Tour of the dark side!
We found the tour entertainment and informative. The Red Witch was an excellent guide, funny and well eble to manag…
bensav7
00Brilliant
Went for the later evening uncensored tour with Dr Knox. He was absolutely superb. Loved the stories. Would 100% re…
Luke W
00Great tour!
Merry Andrew was amazing from the knowledge of Edinburgh's history to the very funny out of the blue jump scares du…
Rebecca K
0010/10 Would Recommend
We had Sawny Bean as a tour guide. He was great! Very entertaining and he had great stories! The tour was very fun!
Karen G
00Highly recommend
The Red Witch tour guide was brilliant. Really brought the stories of Edinburgh to life. Highly recommend
michellemZ9685AY
00Red Witching Walks
A great tour around the spookier side of Edinburgh with the Red Witch. Would 10/10 recommend doing it in the evenin…
Catariiiina
00Edinburgh tour
Very interesting. The Red Witch created a very atmospheric tour. Would definitely recommend for friends/ couples/ f…
gabimP9761XM
00So much fun!!
Dr. Knox was the perfect guide for a spooky evening out in Edinburgh! He never broke character, knew the history ex…
N7873LOtammyc
00The Red Witch- great tour guide!
The Red Witch was very informative and so funny! She shared some great stories with some humour and made it fun and…
George A
00Fun and spooky walk
Great experience walking with the ghost that is Jessie King. We loved and enjoyed learning the dark side of Edinbur…
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
404 reviews
Excellent
364
Very good
24
Average
8
Poor
2
Terrible
6
Mark B
1 contribution
We visited Edinburgh for a day trip and wanted a quick tour of the city and the underground vaults. The tour lasted around an hour and a half - despite this, it went into plenty of depth on the city’s history and didn’t lack any dull moments; mainly thanks to the amazing story telling of our guide Alastair. He was a lovely friendly guide, telling the story of Edinburgh’s history with lots of humour and liveliness; we really appreciated his attention to detail when pointing out certain buildings etc, and telling us little fun facts around the way.
Would definitely recommend this tour if you want to learn some facts about Edinburgh’s history and you’re short on time/ visiting for the day. For £13 per ticket the tour is really good value for money and Alastair was an added bonus!
Would definitely recommend this tour if you want to learn some facts about Edinburgh’s history and you’re short on time/ visiting for the day. For £13 per ticket the tour is really good value for money and Alastair was an added bonus!
Written August 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Aoife
Newry, UK2 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
On Wednesday we went for the Old Town and Underground tour and had Ben as a tour guide. He was fantastic, attentive and an exceptional story teller. He was enthusiastic about the history he was retelling and it hooked the attention of the group everytime. He was humorous and friendly while engaging with the group making it a very interesting and enjoyable tour.
The tour of the underground itself was good although we didn't realise we would only see part of the street which was a little disappointing but all in all I would recommend the tour for all history lovers!
The tour of the underground itself was good although we didn't realise we would only see part of the street which was a little disappointing but all in all I would recommend the tour for all history lovers!
Written July 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Stuart K
Glasgow, UK41 contributions
Jan 2022
Informative and interesting tour, led by John (the Scientist) Napier. My main reason for visiting Edinburgh was to discover more of the history of the buildings and closes and this tour was ideal. Fascinating facts and interesting tales of the past certainly get your imagination going. John is an excellent guide. Not only does he possess the required knowledge for a successful tour but he projects his voice clearly and powerfully, getting the point across easily. He engages his audience immediately and with a mixture of factual, dramatic and humorous delivery, holds the attention for the duration.
The optional questions at the end of this review page ask if face masks were provided and were tour guides required to wear them in public places. Unfortunately, as we were making the booking my partners' phone rang and we were distracted. I'm almost certain we were told masks were available if required but we had our own anyway. Masks were worn by everyone when entering the vaults, otherwise not required by guides or participants.
The optional questions at the end of this review page ask if face masks were provided and were tour guides required to wear them in public places. Unfortunately, as we were making the booking my partners' phone rang and we were distracted. I'm almost certain we were told masks were available if required but we had our own anyway. Masks were worn by everyone when entering the vaults, otherwise not required by guides or participants.
Written January 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Mary
1 contribution
Aug 2022 • Family
This tour was very good. 100% recommend doing this tour, it was very interesting and I loved listening to the stories that were told about the city. There was a lot of information and stories about Edinburgh that you would not know of unless you were told/shown. Our tour guide Howard was excellent at setting the scene and creating a fun atmosphere within the group. The stories were well said and very interesting. Thank you for such a great experience.
Written August 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Patty D
9 contributions
Jul 2022 • Solo
It’s one thing to look at beautiful Edinburgh on your own, but it’s a different ball game to have a fun, entertaining and knowledgable guide (bonus: in historical costume!) lead you through it. Our guide „John Napier” was a charming, charismatic guide who brought the grim history of Edinburgh to life with brilliant storytelling and a wicked sense of humour. He knew how to engage the group and delivered a perfect mix of spooky anecdotes, historical vignettes, linking in architectural peculiarities. Wandering the Old Town, exploring Greyfriar’s Kirkyard in the evening gloom and entering a buried underground street while learning about life in the olden days and the harrowing plague years was just right up the alley of this old girl. Left Edinburgh with renewed appreciation. Thank you John N, you were fabulous. Highly recommended.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Fraser
1 contribution
Nov 2021 • Friends
Fantastic tour led by James Douglas. An excellent storyteller, James keeps you entertained throughout the journey whilst piecing together the history of the Old Town. Regardless of if you're on your own or with friends, I'd recommend the late-night tour to have the full experience.
Written November 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Susan W
Truro, UK4 contributions
Sep 2022 • Friends
OK so where do I start. I start at a very lovely welcome by Dr George Ray our tour guide.
His enthusiasm and knowledge never wained throughout . He had me captivated at every word as his stories were engaging and full of history.
As someone who has lived in Edinburgh in the passed I found this a whole new experience that I had to try. It opened my eyes to new things and places I never knew existed.
I cannot recommend this tour by Dr Ray enough. A round of applause all round at the end of the tour was given. Please experience his story telling, you will love it
His enthusiasm and knowledge never wained throughout . He had me captivated at every word as his stories were engaging and full of history.
As someone who has lived in Edinburgh in the passed I found this a whole new experience that I had to try. It opened my eyes to new things and places I never knew existed.
I cannot recommend this tour by Dr Ray enough. A round of applause all round at the end of the tour was given. Please experience his story telling, you will love it
Written September 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lindseystravelsfarandwide
London, UK21 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
We attended this tour with our beautiful pooch, Dave in tow and Agnes as our fantastic tour guide. She made history come to life with her passionate story-telling and interactive style. We were made to feel very welcome and would recommend this tour to anyone as a great introduction to the city. Thank you Agnes!
Written September 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kerryd111
8 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
Easy to find meeting point and check in. First stop was Underground Vaults then the short walking tour commenced. Billed as 1hr 30mins but lasted slightly longer (not a bad thing) as our amazing guide for the day Alistair had centuries worth of tales to relate. He was very knowledgable and was able to project his voice well over the general city rabble. Incidentally, we had the same tour guide last time we went on the City of Edinburgh ghost tour. Which was best? Too close to call. Would we go back? 100% yes! Not to be missed!
Written July 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jamie W
Shoeburyness, UK1 contribution
These kind of tours are only as interesting as the person delivering the information and luckily for us Alistair was as energetic and amusing as he was informative. Despite the tour over running a bit, Alistair still found the time to answer a question that I had at the end whilst we walked back to town. I’d definitely recommend this tour if you have 90 minutes to spare and want to get a flavour of Edinburgh’s rich history.
Written September 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
volvo90
3 contributions
What time is the last tour on a Sunday and is the tour suitable for a nearly 13 year old?
GoPonyToo
Province of Terni, Italy103 contributions
Hello,
I'm looking for the start time of this tour, as we'll be training over from Glasgow and wouldn't want to have to rush the experience.
Thanks so much for a speedy reply in advance.
Para el tour en español unicamente felicitar al guia ISMAEL. Gran profesional, amable, cercano y que disfruta con su trabajo y hace disfrutar a los demas!! Fuimos tres amigos desde Hondarribia y fue genial. Recomendable para toda la familia!!
Y Ismael no te lo confesamos para no asustarte pero tuvimos una experiencia paranormal en tu tour!! 👻👻
Un saludo!!!!!!!
