Edinburgh Monsters Tour: A Dark History Review

So, you’re planning a trip to Edinburgh, right? And maybe, just maybe, the usual historical sites sound a bit… well, dull? If that’s the case, then a walk on the decidedly spooky side could be exactly what you are after. The ‘Edinburgh Monsters of the Royal Mile’ tour seemed like a potentially great way to unearth the darker, almost unsettling secrets of this old city, instead of simply hearing the typical tourist tales. But, like your experience probably will be, mine was a question: would it really live up to its grim promise? Here’s, very honestly, how it actually went, and what you could potentially expect.

What Even is the ‘Monsters of the Royal Mile’ Tour?

In short, the ‘Monsters of the Royal Mile’ is one of quite a few themed walking tours that happen right in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. But, the catch? This one’s very focus is not your regular kings-and-queens type affair. Instead, it, too, delves into the seriously grim and often genuinely disturbing chapters of Edinburgh’s past. Think of things like cannibals, crazed murderers, and ghost stories that definitely aren’t for the faint of heart. This particular tour actually promises to show you a sinister side of the city that many of those daylight tours just tend to gloss over, which, obviously, may not be everybody’s cup of tea! What’s interesting is that tours, that tackle unsettling parts of the city, seemingly attract a certain type of traveller – people interested in the unsettling parts of history.

What You Can Potentially Expect

Well, first off, expect some walking – potentially comfortable shoes are actually quite essential. The tour winds through the closes and courtyards that sprout off the Royal Mile, areas absolutely steeped in centuries of not always particularly cheerful history. The guides? Almost invariably they are performers in their own right, so their telling of tales is dramatic, engaging, and almost certainly embellished for effect, which might be right up your alley. They really do lean heavily into the theatrics, that is to say, so don’t go expecting a particularly dry historical lecture, right? It’s storytelling brought to life, really.

That almost inevitably also means that the experience may vary a bit, right, depending on the guide you get. Some can really ratchet up the tension and create an, almost, unnerving atmosphere, whilst some can actually lean more toward dark humor and tongue-in-cheek delivery. I think it’s safe to say that the quality is generally high, anyway, and most reviewers praise, really praise, the enthusiasm and performance skills of the guides. It all makes things that bit more interesting, when it really matters!

Gory Stories (and Some Historical Context)

As a matter of fact, don’t expect simply random ghost stories; the tour actually does blend the spooky stuff with what is hopefully a fair bit of historical context. They’re very likely to touch on subjects like the Burke and Hare murders (infamous graverobbers!), as well as the darker elements of the Scottish witch trials, for example. Very likely to touch on legends, too, for good measure. Of course, that actually does mean the tone is often rather graphic and potentially disturbing, very disturbing in places. Basically, this is not a tour suitable for young children, right, or anyone really sensitive to depictions of violence, or people being unnerved for the point of shock factor.

The Route and Stops

The route actually typically hits many of the atmospheric spots along the Royal Mile, including, say, narrow alleyways (known as “closes”), graveyards, and buildings with a dark history, very dark history indeed. What’s really great about walking with a guide, by the way, is that you’ll often get access to spaces and perspectives you would almost definitely miss wandering alone. Also, guides seem to, often, know good spots for taking, that is to say taking Instagrammable shots, but then that does rather depend on what it is that floats your boat!

A good guide, arguably, will very definitely use these locations to ramp up the story, like you probably hope for. In places like graveyards, just imagine, the darkness and old tombstones do bring out something extra from what they’re saying. Tours at nighttime could, therefore, definitely increase the feeling that you’re a little vulnerable and increase suspense too.

The Good Bits About the Tour

First and foremost, it’s the sheer entertainment value, as one would almost certainly expect. The guides definitely bring the stories to life, making even the gruesome bits oddly, or even oddly enjoyably, captivating. It’s very likely they will inject an element of humor to temper things here and there, too. Another, somewhat more positive, point, is that it presents, to the viewer at least, Edinburgh’s history in a way that really sticks. Instead of remembering names and dates, it may actually very definitely imprint vivid tales on your mind of the more colorful characters that made up Edinburgh’s historic past, too.

The price isn’t very steep in that respect and should compare favorably with, almost certainly with other tour choices, although I do definitely think some are cheaper (and likely for a reason!). In my humble opinion, this walking tour’s slightly different format should very easily suit people traveling alone who’d very much rather experience more social and fun activities with other people.

Things to Consider Before Booking

Alright, so if you’re seriously thinking of going on this, or a very similarly spooky tour, bear in mind the, too often rather grim subject matter. Is that kind of content what you actually want? Then you may just need to ensure that all members of your party will actually be alright with listening to potentially grim stories, which it is reasonable to feel unsure about!

Then the next thing, maybe, is just to check reviews, obviously on whatever booking platform you’re on. Doing that is sure to give you the latest information on the tour’s specific route and the style of different guides – there’s often plenty of detail. Another really essential factor, almost a no brainer, is definitely checking the weather situation ahead of time – the tour is obviously mostly or all outside and you’d need to dress accordingly! It seems, that the ground is probably likely to be uneven, too, meaning comfortable footwear is indeed essential.

Is the ‘Monsters of the Royal Mile’ Tour Worth It?

If, very basically, you want something that offers a somewhat different spin on Edinburgh’s already seriously fascinating history, then almost definitely I’d recommend giving it a shot, if, very reasonably, you’re sure about it. So, it’s potentially an almost fun, very different way of actually seeing the city, really seeing it.

Yet, as already pointed out above, maybe don’t book if your children are still very young, right, or if, reasonably, anyone in your group has some fairly strong objections to hearing seriously dark stories, especially in such vivid detail.