Aberdeen's Dark History: Self-Guided Audio Tour of 500 years of Crime and Punishment

Uncover Aberdeen’s dark history on this self-guided audio tour. From bodysnatching to witchcraft, explore 500 years of crime and punishment while discovering the city’s landmarks.

Duration: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • The Tolbooth Museum - Now a museum, this used to be the gaol, where criminals in Aberdeen were kept. We’ll point out where public hangings used to take place as we start off our tour on crime and punishment in Aberdeen.
  • Castlegate - The Mercat Cross is where public announcements would be made
  • and public punishment would be handed out. The…
What's Included
  • Lifetime access to the tour
  • Available in English
  • Includes VoiceMap app for iOS and Android
  • Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
What's Not Included
  • Smartphone and headphones
  • Transportation
  • Food and drink
  • Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Additional Information

From tales of grave robbing and executions to stories of magic and corporal punishment, we present you with authentic crime and penalty accounts spanning the last half millennium on this autonomous GPS audio journey.
You’ll encounter key Aberdeen highlights such as Marischal College and the Mercat Cross, all the while learning about their significant…

Location
The Tolbooth Museum
Castle Street
Start outside the Tolbooth Museum on Union Street. Before arrival, install the VoiceMap app and use the code provided on your ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart any time and complete at your own pace.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.2
(27 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Charlotte_h
Sep 25, 2023
Love the Personalized guided tour on my time. - My husband and I were able to take the tour at our speed, stopping where we wanted to stop and adjust as we saw fit. This was perfect for getting to know a new area with the stories and history. It is my absolute favorite way to see a city. I will definitely be checking out more as we travel in our future. Thank you.
Review provided by Viator
376arweng
Aug 11, 2023
Highly recommended - really interesting - This was excellent and I'd highly recommend it. So good to be able to go at a time that suited us and the app installation was very straightforward. The tour itself was really interesting, well narrated and a good length, with opportunities to stop and look at things in more detail. Very good value for money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anneke_s
Apr 2, 2023
Great walking tour! - I was pleasantly surprised by this tour. We really enjoyed it and learned a lot while walking the streets of Aberdeen anyway.
Review provided by Viator
Yvonne_j
Apr 13, 2024
Fun and enlightening - Interesting stories told well; saw the city in a different light ; explored parts of the city that I wouldn’t otherwise
Review provided by Viator
68sarab
Sep 23, 2023
Few glitches but very enjoyable - This was my first time working with GPS specific technology. Loved the information, delivered in an easy to listen to and engaging tone. Witch trials, beheadings, body snatchers, Mary Queen of Scots and and anatomy school! Really fascinating. Route was interesting with varied terrain. Personally had a bit of a fail as was unable to access the church yard as it was locked, but may have been doing my tour a little late. Found my way back on route without too much bother and peered through the railings. One of the other buildings referred to has, I think been demolished since the tour was recorded (little disorientating). I think that this is well worth doing if you have an hour or two to spend. Would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andreia
Jun 16, 2023
Great self-guided tour! Shame about the stopping and starting for me - The facts about all the history of crimes and punishments were gruesome but very interesting. However the app kept stopping for me and saying I was going off course... my partners however kept working well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Blaeveren
Aug 26, 2024
A bit too expensive for too little added value - It was nice to walk along less well known parts of Aberdeen, and the offline tour with GPS worked really well. I just am not impressed by the (short) stories or the narration of it. If you read or have heard a lot about Aberdeen of Scottish history this tour won't add a lot of value, certainly not in relation to its price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jo_p
Jun 17, 2023
Be cautious - Great story but a bit ‘ify’ in parts for the directions at points & possibly due to a combo of locus & poor connectivity. However when you pass the multi storey flats its a point of danger. These flats are rife with crime & not sure that tourists should be alone here. Im a native & had concerns. That aside, the commentary was great, very informative & plenty to learn from the tour itself
Review provided by Viator
Samira_d
Jun 1, 2024
Weird walk - This tour should definitely be updated as there are lots of construction sites through out the walk. Furthermore, some of the walk will guide you though not so nice parts of the city that seem unnecessary. The starting point is hard to see through construction and I wish we would get more background knowledge of the sites we pass.
Review provided by Viator
Cheryl_s
Aug 4, 2023
Dont - Super frustrating Could not find where to start even with asking 4 locals After 30minutes of walking around i gave up
Review provided by Viator
From $7
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).