Edinburgh evening tours
 

Any recomendations for evening walking tours in Edinburgh?

I had book marked 3 likely candidates, but as my trip approaches and I take a closer look at them, they don't look as likely.

The Literary Pub Tour (that title sounded great) is two actors in character having a debate during the tour.

Mercat's evening tours seems to be for people that believe they see ghosts.

The the big thing about the third one (whose name I can't find this moment) is meeting actors dressed up as ghosts.

Keith

Just about all the walking tours I can think of in Edinburgh are "themed" tours like the ones you describe.

I know there are some pub and restaurant/chef's tours but can't give you a link. Probably a google search will locate some for you.

I'd just wait til you were in the city and head to Waverly Bridge TIC and check what tours are running while you are there.

I meant to say " . . . . the NIGHT-TIME walking tours I can think of in Edinburgh are "themed" tours . . . . "

Edinburgh has great open bus tours, hop on off anyplace along the way so you can walk and explore till your ready to move on, they explain as you go (a guide) and then you can climb off again at any spot. The bus runs every 15 minutes all day long and all you do is keep your ticket so you hop on at any pick up point.

We had a great time and spent two days exploring all around the "old city" by taking that same tour 2 days in a row and really taking our time to explore and snoop and enjoy. I couldn't recommend anything more. On Princess near the Mall......you can't miss the buses waiting to fill up.

Go to the website for teh Witchery restaurant. We did their ghost tour and it was awesome

The hop-on-hop-off bus tours ARE very good. Unfortunately they don't run at night. And from what you say I don't think the Witchery tour is what you are looking for. It sounds like you are looking for more straight forward evening walking tours w/o the "hokey" ghosts or actors.

Maybe Caroline_edinburgh will see your thread and have some better info.

Don't write the Mercat Tours ones off - I've done the city vaults one on a cold winter night, and it was brilliant. Very atmospheric and lots of fun, even for the most cynical.

And we did see a ghost - to my great surprise :-)

I have done the literary pub tour and it is great fun. You start at a pub in Grassmarket and end in one in the New Town, with a number of stops along the way. The two actors do indeed debate: one represents the "proper" side of Scottish literature, and the other the earthier side, with recitations from time to time. You'll learn a bit and have fun doing it. You don't have to buy a pint at every pub, but a few are good accompaniment to the evening.

Witchery tour was the third one whose web site I couldn't locate. It seemed the most likely of the three, but yes I would rather have something more straight forward.

Thanks to all who have replied.

Keith

I've been on The Witchery Tour (and ate at the restaurant, amazing), and a Mercat Tour. I much prefered the stories on the Witchery Tour. The Mercat tour was more about what you yourself see and feel (ghosts or what not, which wasn't happening for me).

I'm afraid the only one I've done is the Witchery tour, 3 times I think, the last probably 2 years ago. I enjoyed it the first couple of times but the 3rd time I thought it had become a bit of a parody of itself, with the guide taking the p*ss out of the the guys dressed up as ghosts etc. Having said that, you do learn a few stories of old Edinburgh & go down some atmospheric small alleyways & stairs in the Old Town which you probably wouldn't otherwise see.

(Side note : when I first moved to Edinburgh I lived in the Old Town, & a friend & I were 'chased' home one night by one of the Witchery Tours ghosts, much to the amusement of the crowd of punters following :-) )

Years ago I also toured Mary King's Close which I believe Mercant now runs, but when I did it it was just a tour taken by a city councillor who was interested in local history. I believe it now has props & maybe actors playing ghosts too.

If you know anything about the book & film 'Trainspotting' you may be interested in the 'Trainspotting' themed walk which leaves from the Port O'Leith pub in, er, Leith. Don't know exactly where it goes but knowing the theme, likely to be less salubrious parts of the city. Personally I think the Port O'Leith pub is fantastic but a lot of people might find it scary :-)

laverendrye : interested to hear your account of the Litereary Pub Tour, I've never before heard from anyone who'd been on it but wondered if it was good.

I've done a few at night probably the Mercat tours. One was in the Greyfriars cemetary at night and it was fun and creepy in the wintertime and the other in the vaults under the city. They always dress up and scare you at some point of the tour but its a laugh and some history. My mum freaked out the guide a bit during the vaults tour. The guide said the room was where most people died in a large fire and my mother piped up and said its because it was the church under here for the people who lived and worked here....The guide was wondering how she thought this and she just said I feel like its a church with a priest...well turns out they did think it was some sort of church area and she avoided us for the rest of the tour...my mum is so embarassing sometimes but this took the ticket spooking the guide!

Last August I did an Auld Reekie night tour and the City of the Dead tour. The Auld Reekie tour was 9GBP per person and although the vaults were interesting, it was not worth the money. We too, stood in the chamber where many people burned to death. The story was interesting, but many of the spaces were cramped and were VERY hot.
The City of the Dead tour was better and covered more places in Old Town and went into Greyfriar's cemetary. This was only 5GBP, but it was a group rate since we had 10+ people.
Whatever your liking, I do suggest getting flyers for various tours and deciding what fits for you. FYI...the Mary King's Close tour I've heard is excellent, but fills up quickly and so it is recommended that you make a reservation if you want a particular day & time.
Hope this helps and enjoy your trip!!

Be careful if you're interested in Mary King's Close; there is Mary King's Close Tour and The REAL Mary King's Close Tour. Real one, located in the City Chambers was far better.

That's interesting, Stellarossa : where does the (non real) MKC tour take place, then ? As you obviously know, MKC itself is actually under the City Chambers.

As far as I know, tours of Mary Kings Close used to be run on an informal basis - you were taken round by a member of the City Council.

Then, in the 90s, when ghost tours started to become really popular in Edinburgh, tours of the close were operated by Mercat.

Since then, the Council has realised what a money-spinner Mary Kings Close is, and it now runs a dedicated "attraction" with its own ticket office and gift shop, located just off the High Street. This is what's called the Real Mary King's Close (www.realmarykingsclose.com) and as far as I know, no other companies are authorised to run tours of the close.

We did the tour a year or so ago and it was lots of fun (good rainy day activity!). It does get busy though, and when you purchase a ticket you are allocated a slot on the next available tour, which may not be departing immediately. We bought tickets in the early afternoon and returned for the 5 o'clock tour, I believe.

Ghosts aside, the tour gives a fascinating insight into the social history of Edinburgh and also dispels the myth (apparently put about by certain over-imaginative City Council employees) that the Close was bricked up during the plague, enclosing many victims alive.

You're right, hanl : when I went (c.1994) the tour was run in his spare time by a councillor who was interested in local history.