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Hey Reader,

It’s easy to fall for Edinburgh.

The stonework. The skyline. That feeling when you walk down Victoria Street and think, “This can’t be real.”

But here’s the thing most people don’t realise: beneath all that charm, there’s a darker story. And you’ll never see the city the same way once you know it.

I’ve done a lot of walking tours here (the perks of living in a city with a hundred options), but the Edinburgh Darkside Haunted Walking Tour stuck with me.

Not because it was scary — though it had a few spine-tingling moments — but because it pulled back the curtain.

Back in the day, Princes Street Gardens was a toxic, reeking body of water called the Nor Loch. Bodies were dumped in it. People were hanged beside it. Today, it’s where kids play and couples picnic.

Or the stories about people who lived on the lowest level of the tenements — and dreaded the call of “gardy loo” as waste rained down from the flats above. Edinburgh’s layered streets didn’t just evolve architecturally — they evolved socially, and not always kindly.

This tour brings that history to life in the best way:

• Nighttime setting
• Local guide who knows their stuff
• Stories that give depth to the landmarks you’ll walk past the next day

If you want to understand Edinburgh not just as a postcard, but as a place where real people lived, suffered, rebelled, and told stories in the dark — this one’s worth booking:
👉 Edinburgh Darkside Haunted Walking Tour (affiliate)​

If you’re more of a “full ghost story” person — the truly creepy kind — I’ve also done this one:
👉 Edinburgh Underground Ghost Tour (affiliate)​

Personally? I’m glad I did it once… but once was enough. The night tours feel more immersive and a bit less jump-scare.

If you’re planning to walk around the city after dark anyway — you might as well walk with someone who can tell you what’s beneath the cobblestones.

Let me know if you end up doing it — I’d love to hear which story stuck with you.

Fiona