The Ghost Bus Tours - Edinburgh

Edinburgh Ghost Bus Tour: A Journey into the City’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Ghost Bus Tour offers a theatrical sightseeing experience exploring the darker and more mysterious side of Scotland’s capital. Travelling aboard a classic 1960s Routemaster bus, guests are guided by a creepy conductor through Edinburgh’s shadowy history. Combining comedy, horror and sightseeing, the tour reveals chilling stories of witches, grave robbers, plague and restless spirits said to haunt the city.

Along the journey, the bus passes many of Edinburgh’s famous landmarks, including Edinburgh Castle, the New Town, Grassmarket, Greyfriar’s Kirk, the Old Town, Holyrood Palace and the Royal Mile. The conductor brings the city’s gruesome past to life with stories of murders, torture and executions, while revealing locations where some restless spirits are believed to remain. Tales of Burke and Hare and witch trials add further intrigue.

The experience takes an especially eerie turn when visitors discover the unusual history of the bus itself. The vehicle was once part of a private funeral service, transporting the deceased, pallbearers and mourners to their final resting places. Painted midnight black and decorated with traditional lamps and window curtains, the surviving Necropolis Routemaster retains the atmosphere of its mysterious past.

The Necropolis Bus Company dates back to the 19th century, when its distinctive buses served Edinburgh’s funeral industry. In 1967, the entire fleet was destroyed in a mysterious fire, leaving just one bus to survive. Today, that remarkable survivor provides the setting for an entertaining journey through Edinburgh’s darkest stories, blending historical sightseeing with spooky surprises and theatrical storytelling.