City of the Dead Tour: Explore Edinburgh's Haunted Graveyard & Encounter the Mackenzie Poltergeist

Embark on a spine-chilling City of the Dead Tour in Edinburgh. Explore haunted graveyards, encounter the infamous Mackenzie Poltergeist, and uncover the city’s dark history.

Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Greyfriars Kirkyard - All tours last approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes and leave from the “Tree of the Dead” located outside St Giles Cathedral on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Each guide is a local expert on Edinburgh’s fascinating and horrifying history, with their own unique style and delivery so no two tours are ever the same.
    Combining history,…
What's Included
  • Local, expert guide
What's Not Included
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information

A compelling fusion of historical intrigue, joviality, and terror, this narrated pedestrian journey escorts you through the enchanting history of Edinburgh and into a sealed-off area of the Greyfriars Kirkyard, notorious as the Covenanter’s Prison.
This is the dwelling of the ‘Mackenzie Poltergeist’, considered the most thoroughly recorded paranormal…

Location
St Giles' Cathedral
High Street
All tours leave from the "Tree of the Dead" outside St Giles Cathedral on the pavement facing the Royal Mile. Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes prior to departure.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(186 Ratings)
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Txfunmom
Dec 18, 2024
Just enough scary - Ross was the most animated, sarcastic, funny guide. He kept us engaged and entertained. The tour wasn’t too strenuous so if you are older or out of shape you can do this!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matthewl276
Dec 17, 2024
A lot of fun, highly recommend - Ross was our guide. He was funny and friendly, and very devoted to the tour. We all really enjoyed it! Would recommend for anyone, the stories are fantastic.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Compass08062797953
Dec 11, 2024
Great Tour! - We’ve been on lots of ghost tours, and this was certainly one of - if not - THE BEST. Russ was wonderful! He told great stories and kept our attention/made sure it was a great experience, even in the December cold. The tour featured plenty of creepy stories with a little history thrown in. The graveyard was also a neat/“chilling” experience. 10/10
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P6963vvbrians
Dec 10, 2024
Great ghost tour, better guide - Ross - The ghost tour was great! It was very in depth and gave both a real but also fun experience. Our guide, Ross, was very dedicated to his work and that man deserves a raise. Would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants some city history and ghost stories.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passenger53382333323
Dec 1, 2024
Amazing experience, guide was 10/10! - This was our first ghost tour, and it completely exceeded our expectations! Our guide, Ross, was absolutely amazing - hilarious, full of energy, and a master storyteller. He had us hanging on to every word, perfectly balancing the spooky tales with well-timed humour that kept everyone engaged. Ross made the stories come alive, and I felt fully immersed in the history and hauntings of Edinburgh. It was not only informative but also thoroughly entertaining. This was one of the best tours we've been on. I would highly recommend booking this with Ross!
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R2999takevinl
Nov 11, 2024
Really enjoyed it, gets the imagination going. - We thoroughly enjoyed the graveyard tour. Gerry our guide was great, he really set the scene with his stories, describing some of the misery and suffering that the place has seen over hundreds of years, and a few more more recently. You can certainly see why there are so many tales about the place. We walked around the graveyard the previous day in daylight, it looked quite creepy then. Going on the tour in the dark felt completely different. If you're into history, this tour is a must! There's even a tree that looks like a bum.
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The_real_doobie
Oct 24, 2024
Brilliant guide, expert storytelling - Gerry is a brilliant guide in every sense. You can tell how diligently he’s honed his craft. I took the Double Dead tour years ago and it showed me just how effective a tour guide could be at enrapturing an audience in a story. That tour set me on a trajectory to become a tour guide myself. I was so glad to come back and see that this company is still doing superb work. Thank you to City of the Dead for changing my life!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Weechinaaa
Oct 21, 2024
Tour guide was 10/10 - I’ve done this tour a few times over the years and find it to be the best ghost tour in and around Edinburgh. This was the first time I was guided by Ross who was absolutely incredible, the perfect combination of humour and scary story telling. He was absolutely fantastic in every way. Definitely the most enjoyable of my visits! Only thing I did really miss was the big scare when someone used to jump out, would love to see that return!
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Karipostmas
Oct 20, 2024
Amazing!! - Brilliant! And the Oscar goes to our tour guide Ross! The tour was captivating and even my two teenage daughters were taken by the storytelling combined with scottish wits and sarcasm. And of course the chill of the most haunted place on Earth. We absolutely loved this!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Juliocz941fc
Dec 18, 2024
Went to say hi to MacKenzie - This being the only tour with access to the Black Mausoleum, it's definately worth taking it. The guide was quite good and the tour itself is 100% worth it, if you like this sort of experience, of course.
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