Edinburgh's Underground City Tour: Exploring City of the Dead Vaults

Uncover the secrets of Edinburgh’s Underground City on this award-winning guided walking tour. Explore the haunted tunnels and hear chilling stories of the city’s dark past. Book now!

Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • City of the Dead Tours - This tour ventures into the most haunted section of Edinburgh’s legendary Underground City, where a population once lived in utter misery. Black as Satan’s jammies, with a fascinating history to match, these vaults were forgotten for centuries and only recently unsealed.

This part of the South Bridge Vaults is known as Damnation Alley. With good reason. These dark tunnels and are stalked by a malevolent presence known as the South Bridge Entity.

What's Included
  • Guidance by a local expert
What's Not Included
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information

Venture into the creepiest part of Edinburgh’s famed Underground City on this celebrated guided stroll. Referred to as ‘Damnation Alley’ and deserted for many years, these corridors once served as the grim dwelling for destitute men, women, and children.

Delve into the sordid history of Edinburgh as you hear the real narratives of what actually occurred underneath the city’s lanes and what might still be lingering…

• A guided, 80-minute trek through Edinburgh’s subterranean city, directed by an expert local guide.

• Option to select a daytime or evening tour.

IMPORTANT NOTE

In exceptionally bustling periods throughout the year, tours are designated SOLD OUT even when spaces remain, to prevent over-booking. Reach out to us should the tour you desire be labelled SOLD OUT, as there may be spots still free.

  • Age: Minimum 12
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Language: English only
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 10 minutes prior to departure. Please contact us if you are unable to join your tour.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(84 Ratings)
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Marionlj1609lt
Sep 17, 2024
A Very Interesting Experience - What an interesting experience. I have lived in Edinburgh for years and I didn't know the underground vaults where there. It's a fascinating world from a different era. Our tour guide Fiona was great. She brought the place alive with stories from the past. I would definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passport47964300104
Sep 10, 2024
Highlight of my week abroad! - Absolutely loved the tour, definitely the highlight of my week. Our tour guide, Jamie, is an excellent storyteller! 👍👍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
786steveg
Aug 26, 2024
Do something different - The Underground Vaults tour is something different to do in Edinburgh. There isnt too much to see in the Vaults but the stories of the Vaults are interesting if a little sad too. Also some fun created by our guide Darren who was excellent. The walking isnt too difficult but is uneven in places some high steps and narrow stairs to negotiate so wear some sturdy shoes with good tread.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Naomi
Aug 6, 2024
Experience the underworld of Edinburgh. - We had a wonderful time seeing the literal underside of Edinburgh. Fiona was a fantastic guide who brought the history to life and was very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. I think this tour would be suitable for all but extremely young children and people with mobility issues that prevent navigating uneven surfaces easily. I am not a believer in the ghosts and ghouls but it certainly adds a layer of fun to proceedings. I loved that at the end of the tour Fiona took time to emphasise that real people lived in these abhorrent conditions and situations and that not telling their stories or reflecting on their experiences would be a huge disservice to them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Beccaclucas
Jul 18, 2024
Amazing tour and guide! - Having lived in Edinburgh my whole life, I had never done a ghost tour, so decided to book one with my family. We had a really amazing time and our guide Jenny done a fantastic job and was extremely funny. She was very knowledgable and managed to cram a lot of stories in a short space of time. She interacted well with the crowd and left us wanting to attend more tours. I was amazed at the end when she told us it was her first ever tour!!! 5 starts, highly recommend! The guide really makes the tour.
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Sunshine56051256760
Jun 29, 2024
Great ghost busting tour with Beth - My 15 year old daughter and I did the Underground Vault tour with Beth. She was an amazing storyteller. We heard footsteps and others heard unexplained growling. Such a fun way to learn the city’s history and do a little ghost busting! Highly recommend and ask for Beth!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passport43884146719
Jun 16, 2024
Edinburgh underground was great - We were pleasantly surprised, our guide Rebekka was able to draw the whole group into the story very well, we had a very educational afternoon, and it was sometimes spooky, but that is the purpose of the tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Faraway651903
Jun 14, 2024
Best Ghost Tour - Went on the Double Dead tour with Artemus and had a fantastic time. He is such a great storyteller and the showmanship is some of the best I have ever experienced. It was so much fun being able to go into the vaults and hear the ghost stories, these vaults aren’t accessible to the general public. Then we went to Grey Friar’s Kirkyard to learn more about the dead buried there, the grave robbing, and the Mackenzie Ghost. This tour also gets you access to the locked off portion of the graveyard where you learn about the Covenanters’ prison that was there. I highly recommend this tour, it was the best ghost I have ever been on.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauren
Jun 12, 2024
AMAZING tour with Sara! - This tour was the best part of my trip! My tour guide, Sara(h), was INCREDIBLE! She was super knowledgeable about the history and legends of Edinburgh, while also being cheery, friendly, and personable. Her performances on the tour definitely added to the experience, with her natural way of storytelling and her ability to keep the whole crowd engaged the entire time. I can honestly say I learned so much on this tour, while also being appropriately frightened (I swear I heard the Watcher’s footsteps) I 100% recommend this tour, and if I’m back in Edinburgh I would definitely come again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emmawt8310oj
Jul 7, 2024
Tour guide never turned up! - Booked our tour, arrived 20 minutes prior to the tour starting and our tour guide never turned up! There was about 14 or so others waiting. We all tried to call, we sent emails. Never got a reply or could get through on the phone. Ended up going to the information centre which was thankfully right opposite the tour meeting point to try see if they could get in contact with the company. Thankfully the information centre was so incredibly helpful and after multiple calls they got through on the phone and we were told to request a refund. By this point it has been half n hour to 40 minutes anyways so we all left. We later got a reply to our email we sent earlier. They wrote back saying we would get a full refund and could book another tour free of charge (however we did not book again). Very unfortunate as my family and I were looking forward to this underground vault tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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