Edinburgh ghost tours: what you are booking
An Edinburgh ghost tour is a guided walk through the Old Town with stories about plague, crime and hauntings. Some tours go underground into the vaults below South Bridge. Others add Greyfriars Graveyard and the Grassmarket. All of them are told as storytelling, so the useful facts are the route, the length, the start point, the price and the age limit.
The tours below are separate products from a visit to the castle. There is no shared ticket for the castle, Mary King's Close and the vault tours. Prices are the 2026 figures for adults and change by date, so check the final price at checkout.
Our picks: ghost tours
Our take: the evening tour includes the vaults, the vaults tour stays underground for an hour, and the Old Town walk stays above ground.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in British pounds (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Underground vaults tour
- South Bridge Vaults entry
- Guide
An hour in the South Bridge Vaults with a guide; the torture exhibition depends on the option.
Check availability →
Dark secrets of the Old Town ghost walk
- Guide
- Walking tour
Two hours of Old Town stories with a guide, above ground.
Check availability →
Evening underground ghost tour
- Guided tour
- Edinburgh Vaults entry
Seventy-five minutes with a guide, including entry to the vaults.
Check availability →Edinburgh ghost tours and evening walks
Vaults, closes and graveyards after dark, with live prices and availability.
Ghost tour examples compared
Adult prices in 2026. Each row is a separate product.
| Tour | Length | Starts | Adult price | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime vaults tour (South Bridge) | 60 minutes | Every half hour, 10:00–16:30 | £24, or £80 for a group of 4 | 5 years |
| Vaults and graveyard tour | 90 minutes | 17:30, 18:00, 19:30, 20:00 | £26, or £80 for a group of 4 | 12 years |
| The Real Mary King's Close | – | Check the calendar for your date | Essential £25, Standard £28.50 | 5 years |
| Prisons of War vaults (Edinburgh Castle) | – | Part of a castle visit | See the castle ticket | – |
Both tours meet at 300 Lawnmarket. The daytime tour ends at 45 Niddry Street. The evening tour covers Greyfriars Graveyard, the Grassmarket and the Niddry Street vaults. The group price of £80 is for four people together, not per person.
For most visitors the 60-minute daytime vaults tour is the easier fit: it needs no late evening and takes children from 5. Choose the 90-minute evening tour if you are 12 or older and want the graveyard as well.
Legends, not facts
How to read the stories.
Hauntings are stories
Ghost sightings, curses and phrases like most haunted street are part of the entertainment. They are legends and marketing, not proven facts. Enjoy them as folklore, and use the route, the place and the history as what you can rely on.
What you can check
The start point, the length, the price and the age limit are set by each operator, so check them when you book. Do not plan around claims about when a chamber was built or how old it is.
Greyfriars and the Grassmarket
The graveyard is a historic burial ground in its own right, so you can also visit it on your own as a stop on a walk. Check its opening times before you go.
More things near the castle →
Separate places, separate tickets
Do not mix them up when you plan.
The vaults on South Bridge and Blair Street
The two tours above go into the Niddry Street vaults. A tour of the Blair Street underground vaults is a different product. Neither is the same site as Mary King's Close.
The underground close off the High Street
This is a guided visit to a historic close off the Royal Mile. In 2026 the Essential ticket costs £25 for adults and £18 for children aged 5 to 15. The Standard ticket costs £28.50 and £21. From 1 June to 31 August only Standard tickets are sold. Children under 5 are not admitted for safety reasons.
Booking and changes
Book online first, because tours can sell out. A Standard booking can be changed free of charge up to 4 hours before. Changing an Essential booking costs £15 per booking. The calendar shows different hours on different days, so check your date.
The castle's own vaults
The Prisons of War vaults sit below Crown Square. They show prison conditions around 1800 and tell of historical prisoners of war, many of them sailors. This is a history exhibit inside the castle, not a ghost tour.
Inside the castle →Fit a ghost tour around your castle day
The castle and the night walks use different hours.
Castle by day, ghosts at night
The castle closes at 17:00 from 1 October and at 18:00 from 1 April, so the evening vault tours start after your visit. Last entry is 16:00 in winter and 17:00 in summer. See the full calendar before you plan.
Castle opening hours →Getting to the start point
The Lawnmarket meeting point is on the Royal Mile, a short walk below the Esplanade. Allow time for the uphill and downhill walk on cobbled streets.
Royal Mile guide →Guided castle tours instead
If you want stories by day, the castle runs a 30-minute guided tour outdoors. The tour costs £6.50 per person and is a separate product from normal entry.
Guided Edinburgh Castle tours →
Edinburgh ghost tours: frequently asked questions
Is this site the official Edinburgh Castle site?
No. This is an independent guide. It is not run by Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh Castle or any tour operator, and it does not sell castle tickets.
Are the ghost stories true?
They are legends told as entertainment. Nothing supernatural has been proven. The places, the history and the practical details are what you can rely on.
Which tour suits children?
The 60-minute daytime vaults tour takes children from 5. The 90-minute evening tour with the graveyard is for ages 12 and over. Mary King's Close does not admit children under 5.
How much does an Edinburgh ghost tour cost?
The 2026 examples above range from £24 for the 60-minute vaults tour to £28.50 for the Standard ticket at Mary King's Close. Group prices are for four people together.
Do I need to book in advance?
For Mary King's Close, yes: book online, because tours can sell out. For other tours, check availability for your date before you plan around it.