Tours Offered
Tours presently operate on a private basis and are priced at £60 per hour - simply reach out in the contact form and we’ll fix up a date :). You can also use the booking page if you already know what tour & time you’d like.
If you’re looking to join a public tour, I co-operate with several walking tour companies in the city, and I’m happy to share my upcoming tours if you enquire. If you’re interested in combining 2 or more tours, let me know too!
Horrible History - Dark Edinburgh Private Tour
£90-£180/1.5-3 hrs - your choice of duration
This “Ghost tour” is… 100% real. No Casper the Friendly Ghost - we’re talking medieval prisons, the plague, public torture and execution methods, Scottish witch trials, cholera and typhus epidemics, underground vaults, cemeteries, serial killers, and a grand finale of cannibals.
Needless to say, the topics are graphic, so if you’re squeamish, this one might not be for you. But if you like this true-crime-vibe and want to know the real, uncensored Edinburgh… then this is a good place to start.
Recommended duration: 1.5-3 hrs
Recommended locations: For 1.5 hours: Royal Mile, Mercat Cross, North Bridge, Tweeddale Court, Chessel Court, Tolbooth Prison & Tavern, Canongate Kirkyard. For 3 hours: Addition of Greyfriars Kirkyard, the Covenanters Prison, George Mackenzie Mausoleum, the Grassmarket. Option to swap for the Old or New Calton Cemetery and the Old Calton Jail - contact me for details of each route :)
Price (private tour): £90 (1.5hrs)-£180 (3hrs). For public tours, please reach out to ask about my schedule.
Dreadful Doctors - The Edinbugh Medical History Tour
£120-£180 (2-3 hours - your choice of duration)
Full day [6 hr] option with lunch break available for £360.
Did you know that modern medicine pretty much came from Edinburgh? From anaesthesia, antiseptic surgery, the hypodermic needle, antibiotics, the theory of evolution, bionic limbs, first ever cloned animal - it can all be traced back to the capital of Scotland. We’ll talk about the famous chloroform parties of James Young Simpson, how one surgeon had a 300% mortality rate, how serial killers helped develop modern medicine, and why you should think of Edinburgh every time you brush your teeth.
Recommended locations: Surgeon’s Hall Museum (outside - option to include tickets to the museum to visit on your own time), Old College, Charles Darwin House, National Museum of Scotland, the University of Edinburgh Old Anatomy School*, Meadows Walk and Lauriston Place*, Greyfriars Kirkyard, the Cowgate, Grassmarket and West Port, St. Cuthbert’s Kirkyard*, West Princes St. Gardens*.
These are all Old Town & Univeristy area locations - a Medical Tour of the New Town is also possible; please get in touch in advance for that. Locations with an asterisk (*) are included depending on the time of the tour, or your route preferences.
Price: £60 per hour (private tour); recommended min. 2 hours (£120). Public tour not available.
Wicked Warlocks - The Scottish Witch Trials Private Tour
£60-£90/1-1.5 hrs (your choice of duration)
You’ve probably seen plenty of “witchy” tours around Edinburgh and wondered - what’s the deal with that? Short answer - due to its Presbyterian religion, Scotland is often considered to have held the most brutal witch trials in modern history - of which the most famous cases were of course tried here, in the capital city.
We’re talk about the history of the witch trials from beginning to end - from ancient Celtic fairies, druids and charmers, the Reformation and how one man began a 200-year witch hunt (and is now buried… in a car park), and what Mary Queen of Scots has got to do with it. On the site of an old prison, we’ll discuss how to find, accuse and imprison a witch - even have our own little witch hunt - and how to choose the appropriate method of torture and execution. We’ll talk about the most famous “witches” tried in Edinburgh - including warlocks! - and the most famous witch hunters too. If we have time, we’ll make the journey to Greyfriars Kirkyard, where we’ll meet a fine lawyer - the only man who stood up for the accused 300 years ago and now haunts the graveyard. Finally, we’ll make our way to the gates of Edinburgh Castle, where we’ll talk about how the Scottish Enlightenment brough the end to this madness, and how we remember the witches today.
It’s not an easy tour - and it will get quite graphic at times - but if you can handle it, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s an adventure that won’t leave you for a long time…
Recommended locations: For 1 hour: Royal Mile, St. Giles Catheral, Parliament Square, West Parliament Square, Riddle’s Court, Victoria Terrace, Castle Esplanade. For 1.5 hours: Addition of Greyfriars Kirkyard & the Cowgate.
Price (private tour): £60 (1 hr)-£90 (1.5 hrs). No public tours available.
Graduate, Gatecrash, Girlboss - Edinburgh Women’s History Tour
This tour is in progress (these take time to write!), so if you’d like to take it, I will need a 1-2 days notice :)
Recommended duration: 2 hrs (£120).
Let’s face it - most Edinburgh tours are a bit of a sausage-fest. If you’ve ever wondered - where the hell are the women?! - then this tour is for you.
We’ll talk about iconic queens (including my favourite, Joan Beaufort, an absolute LEGEND), as well as victims (and female perpetrators - yes, they existed!) of witch trials, prominent authors and musicians, 17-th century businesswomen, religious rebels (did you know one woman hit a priest with a chair mid-sermon? Iconic), the fight of women to study medicine, some incredible survival (even resurrection) stories, the history of sex work in the city, victims of serial killers - and if you have the stomach for it, most infamous women criminals too - from arsenic poisoners to serial child murderers.
Recommended locations: Castle Esplanade, Riddle’s Court, City Chambers, St. Giles Cathedral, Grassmarket, Greyfriars Kirkyard, Calton Jail View*, Canongate*, Surgeons’ Hall Museum (outside - although entry after tour will be possible to purchase).
Price (private tour) - £120 (2hrs). No public tours available.
Harry Potter Private Tour
£90/1.5 hr - £120/2hrs (your choice of duration)
I’m sure you’ve noticed the abundance of Harry Potter experiences in Edinburgh. So what’s the big deal? Is it worth it? My answer - yes, if it’s with the right tour guide. I’m a huge fan of the books, they’ve been my comfort read since 6th grade, and I’ll happily take you on a 2-hour adventure revealing the truth and myths about J.K. Rowling’s life in Edinburgh and the inspirations behind the Potter universe.
We’ll talk about the tough beginnings of Rowling’s life in Edinburgh, how she finally managed to get the story published, the inspirations that Scottish folklore and history lent to the Potter-verse (from unicorns, house elves, sphinxes…), her rise to fame and stay in the famous Balmoral hotel. We’ll retrace her steps from the Elephant House Cafe she used to frequent, the Greyfriars Kirkyard whose tombstones gave inspiration to some or the characters (or did they?), the possible prototypes for Hogwarts, all the way to Victoria Street, the alleged Diagon Alley. If you’re familiar with the universe and want to follow a guide that actually knows what she’s talking about - trust me, book this one. You won’t be disappointed.
Disclaimer: None of Harry Potter was filmed in Edinburgh (although I’ll mention some of the Scottish filming locations on the tour) - this will be a tour purely based on the books and J.K. Rowling’s life in the Scottish capital.
Recommended duration: 2 hrs.
Price (private tour): £120.
Old Town Private Tour
£120-£180 (2-3 hours - your choice of duration)
Think of it as your “Edinburgh Starter Pack”, covering history, culture, local recommendations for food, attractions, shopping and more; 100% tailored to your preferences.
Recommended duration: 2-3 hrs
Recommended locations: Royal Mile, City Chambers, Parliament Square, Writer’s Court, Ramsay Lane, Grassmarket, Victoria Street, Greyfriars Kirkyard, National Museum of Scotland.
Price (private tour) - £120 (2hrs) - £180 (3hrs). For public tours, please reach out to ask about my schedule.
Edinburgh Castle Private Tour
£60-£90 (excl. admission) for 1-1.5hrs - your choice of duration
If the Castle is on your Edinburgh to-do list, the best way to see it is with a trusted guide. It’s a big complex of over 20 buildings with 13 (!) museums, which cover over 3000 years of history. To make the best out of the visit, having a good guide is essential.
We’ll talk about Macbeth, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, Napoleon, Queen Victoria, the World Wars and more. I’ll show you the soldier barracks, the castle prisons, the One O’Clock Gun, St. Margaret’s Chapel, the Royal Palace, and the Crown Room; all complete with beautiful vistas to the North and West of Edinburgh.
Guiding is only allowed in the outdoor parts of the complex, so after the tour leave yourself at least 1 hr for exploration of your selected museums.
Recommended duration: 1-1.5 hrs
Price (private tour): Flat fee of £60-£90 for the tour, plus the price of castle tickets. Dates subject to ticket availability on the castle website. For public tours, please reach out to ask about my schedule.
Get in touch
Interested in a tour? Plese fill out the contact form and I’ll be in touch as soon as possible. :) Alternatively, use the Booking Page.