Edinburgh: City of the Dead Haunted Graveyard Tour
Inside the World's Most Haunted Graveyard, Where Thousands Claim Contact
You walk the Royal Mile and Edinburgh's closes with a local expert guide, then enter the locked Covenanters' Prison inside Greyfriars Kirkyard: the only tour operator with access to this section. The tour covers the city's haunted history and the Mackenzie Poltergeist legend, where thousands of visitors have reported physical encounters. You're told upfront it can cause distress and you enter at your own risk, which is exactly what makes it credible.
Step-by-step itinerary
Edinburgh haunted walking tour
- Meet local expert guide
- Walk through Edinburgh closes and alleys
- Enter Greyfriars Kirkyard
- Explore haunted graveyard sites
- Visit Covenanters' Prison locked section
- Learn about Mackenzie Poltergeist
- Royal Mile 30m
- Greyfriars Entry included 1h
What’s included
Your 90-minute tour includes a local expert guide who leads you through Edinburgh's closes and alleyways, entry into Greyfriars Kirkyard, and exclusive access to the locked Covenanters' Prison section: the only tour operator with a key to this area. The guide covers the city's haunted history and the Mackenzie Poltergeist legend throughout the walk.
- Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 20:30
Last departure this season: 2 Mar 2027
Information
A 90-minute walking tour from Edinburgh's Royal Mile into Greyfriars Kirkyard and the locked Covenanters' Prison, lair of the Mackenzie Poltergeist.
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Traveler reviews
The experience
Hands pressed against cold stone. Visitors step into Greyfriars Kirkyard, not the manicured version you'd see on a postcard, but the locked section called the Covenanters' Prison, a 16th-century walled cemetery that's been called the world's first concentration camp. This is where the tour goes that most people never reach, and it's the reason City of the Dead holds the only key. The walk starts on the Royal Mile and winds through Edinburgh's closes and alleyways before you arrive at the graveyard itself. Your guide is a local who knows the city's history (the real history, not the sanitized version), and they'll tell it with their own style, which means no two tours sound quite the same.
The Mackenzie Poltergeist is what people come for, though. It's the best-documented supernatural case on record, according to those who study these things, and the stories are specific: hundreds of visitors have reported being touched, pushed, scratched, or knocked down inside the Prison. City of the Dead has recorded thousands of these incidents. Whether you believe in poltergeists or not, the atmosphere inside that locked section is different: colder, heavier, the kind of place where your breathing changes without you deciding to. The tour doesn't promise you'll encounter anything. It just says you might, and that you enter at your own risk. That honesty is part of why people come back.
The whole thing is walking (uneven ground, narrow passages, stone steps), so you need to be comfortable on your feet. The tour combines history and horror with humour, which keeps it from feeling like a lecture or a pure scare experience. Your guide will explain who the Covenanters were, why this place matters to Edinburgh's past, and then let the graveyard itself do some of the talking. It's not recommended if you have cardiovascular issues, spinal injuries, or difficulty walking. Those aren't arbitrary restrictions, they're there because the terrain and the psychological weight of the space are real.
Top questions
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What makes this tour different from other Edinburgh ghost tours?
City of the Dead has exclusive access to the Covenanters' Prison, a locked 16th-century section of the graveyard where the Mackenzie Poltergeist encounters are recorded. Other operators cannot enter this area.
Is the Mackenzie Poltergeist real?
It's the best-documented supernatural case on record. Thousands of visitors have reported physical encounters (being touched, pushed, or knocked down) inside the Prison. Whether you experience anything depends on the visit.
Is this tour suitable if I have mobility issues?
The tour involves walking on uneven ground, through narrow passages, and over stone steps. It's not recommended for travelers with difficulty walking, spinal injuries, or poor cardiovascular health.
Can the tour cause distress?
Yes. The tour description states it can cause physical and mental distress, and visitors join at their own risk. The content covers dark history and the psychological intensity of the locked Prison section.
Is there public transport near the starting point?
Yes, public transportation options are available nearby the Royal Mile in central Edinburgh.
Operated by City of the Dead Tours. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 10 days ago
Edinburgh: City of the Dead Haunted Graveyard Tour
1h 30m · EN
from £ 23 per person
≈ US$ 31 in your currency
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