City of the Dead Tour

I LOVED this tour!! We went after a very busy day of performing and we wanted to do something exiting! We had a brilliant night, our guide was was great! She was a very vibrant and happy Australian Ariadne! She was clearly someone who enjoys their job and in this day and age that is a blessing – She was nothing but lovely – She did walk fast – but id rather keep up with someone than stroll and waste time. She waited for all of the group to catch up and didnt start till everyone was ready. There was a big group but she kept us all entertained and under control! It was at times very scary and a few very odd things happened. She told us loads of tales and was happy to answer any questions we had. The places you go on the tour, are selected parts of the citys underground and graveyard where no-other tours go, which is a great selling point. The stories were exiting and also at times very dark. The mood in the Vaults were very tense at times, but if it got a bit over tense, the guide would try to lighten the mood. Yes there is a scare – but apparently – im not 100% sure but that person is there ANYWAY incase extra medical attention is needed, obviously if nothing happens they just jump out to lighten the mood….its not that big a deal! Its actually funny and it lasts for 2seconds. In the Covananters prison Near the end of the tour, I didnt feel very well and fainted. The guide could not have been more helpful – and took away any embarassment I felt. She simply helped me up and took me over to a place i could sit down with my friends while she got the other members of the tour out and ended it. Overall we had a brilliant night and it was well worth the £12.50 which i think is really good. If you believe in the paranormal your in for a treat and if you DONT believe…well you will once the tours over!!! We are going back next year – or this year if we get back to Edinburgh! We have also spoke to other guides and they are charming so is the manager Charlotte. Best tour we have ever done!!!
xx

A few of the reviews are a bit harsh on here. Just goes to show that you cant please everyone! I have gone on tours with "City of the dead" now for almost two years whenever i am in Auld Reekie" and i have not had a bad one yet. Every guide that i have had has been funny and very informative and only too willing to hang around after the tour to answer any questions. Out of the two tours they offer i prefer the "Underground city tour" of the Vaults under the South Bridge. The last tour i did was only last week with a newer guide called Jamie. What an experience, how that chap managed to get all the information into 90 minutes i dont know but he left us all wanting more by the end of it.

And i cant wait untill my next visit.

Just terrible. We went on the 19th Feb 2011. There were almost 60 people on the tour. The guide, Gerry or Garry admitted that it was way overbooked but alas continued on happily (because he'd just made a lot of money). Absolutely no atmosphere, couldnt see things properly because of all the people etc. Just a shame to waste the money. Unfortunately i can't recommend it.

My husband and I visited Edinburgh in July 2006 and took the City of the Dead Tour while there. We had already taken another ghost tour in the city previous to this one, and I thought the first one was MUCH better. We were not impressed with the City of the Dead Tour at all. It started off fairly well, with some interesting stories of Edinburgh’s gory history, but once we left the Royal Mile and started walking down to Greyfriar’s the whole thing became a shambles. Most of this was down to the guide, an Australian girl who took off walking at such a speed that i’m sure some of the older people in the group couldn’t keep up and were left behind. We were practically running just to keep up and we were in our twenties!

The churchyard itself was very interesting, with the grave of Greyfriar’s Bobby and his owner, and the history of the MacKenzie poltergeist was quite frightening. We entered the Mausoleum which was very scary, and the guide was getting us all creeped out telling us about the incidents of people being attacked by the poltergeist, so everyone was very surprised when a guy in a cheap “Scream” mask jumped out at everyone! My husband was the exception, he didn’t even flinch! I thought this was just a cheap way to get a scare out of everyone and I wasn’t impressed by it at all.

Maybe the tour would have been better if we’d had a better guide; I don’t know. all I know is that I wouldn’t recommend it and won’t be taking it again!

This ghost tour was probably my least favorite of the four I went on in Edinburgh. The actor was quite over the top but he was still amusing. The historical facts were a bit…sketchy but I think it was more about the spooky atmosphere with them than anything else. This tour did involve someone jumping out and shouting which I think kind of ruins it but they told us that the poltergeist feeds on fear. We started off on royal being told about witches and torture and then were taken to the greyfriars graveyard and showed the locked covenanters prison. It was interesting to go into this place that during the day is out of bounds. Nothing spectacular happened during our tour. It was a fun evening though and would probably good for a halloween evening or if you just want to have fun.

This tour was alot of fun if not always historically accurate. We went on a 10pm night tour. We started off at St Giles cathedral hearing tales of torture and witches! Then our guide lead us to the greyfriars graveyard and proceeded to lead us into a crypt. After the tour we were lead to a tiny shop in the graveyard where you can buy all sorts of nic nacs.
Greyfriars is very atmospheric at night and if you want a good time and a bit of a scare go on this tour.

Many appreciate the city of Edinburgh for its history; others are interested in the ghost stories and haunted sites. If you are one amongst the latter then you may want to experience the City of the Dead Ghost Tour. This nocturnal tour starts at ST Giles Cathedral and moves around parts of old town Edinburgh.
The guides are knowledgeable as well as enthusiastic and the tour is interesting. Please take note it is not for the faint hearted. The darkened city and echoing footsteps of your fellow peers creates an eerie atmosphere. Without giving away too much of the tours highlights and 'true’ stories one can say that it is frightfully exciting to seek the presence of the Mackenzie Poltergeist. Bear in mind that he has been known to follow some people home.

The best ghost tour in Edinburgh!!!!!

The tour starts outside St Giles' Cathedral on Edinburghs Royal Mile and ends in Greyfriars Cemetery inside a haunted Mausoleum. The first part of the tour is fairly light-hearted and has funny and historical tales about Edinburghs past. It slowly works its way to the Cemetery where you enter the Mausoleum and then it gets scary! The Mausoleum is said to be haunted by the 'Mackenzie Poltergeist' and there have been hundreds of reported attacks by this Poltergeist. It really is very creepy in there (in an exciting way) and quite claustrophobic. I've been on this tour many times because I can't quite believe it exists unless I am attacked, and I never have been. Who knows if the reported attacks are made up or not but it doesnt really matter as this tour is brilliant, the best of it's kind in Edinburgh. I always make a point of bringing out-of-town friends on the tour. Everyone should do this!!!!

For this tour you meet outside St Giles Cathedral on the High Street. Its a very informative tour which makes the fact telling very interesting by infusing humour. Eventually end up in Greyfriars graveyard which is very interesting. Quite a bit scarier than other ghost tours. There are different tour guides who all do the tour differently.