15 Dark History Tours in the UK Worth Staying Up For

1.The Deathly Dark Tour of York: Experience of the Year 2024

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,609 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $19Our pick

Follow The Deathly Dark Tours through York’s shadowy lanes for 90 minutes of ghost stories, grim history, and dark comedy. Guides such as Dalton, Daria, Dafydd, and David bring the walk to life with theatrical storytelling. Expect a relaxed pace, family-friendly options, and a few genuinely eerie moments.

“Kids loved it especially our 10 year old son. He was very interested in the story's & enjoyed the walk around York”

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2.Dark Secrets of the Old Town Ghost Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,671 reviews · 2 hours · from $24

Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town with a live English, German, or French guide. Hear about Burke and Hare, witch trials, the Black Death, Scottish faeries, and haunted graveyards including Canongate Kirkyard and Old Calton Cemetery.

“Loved Tommy the guide’s enthusiasm and his story telling Took my grandson he really enjoyed it”

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3.The Dark Side Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,405 reviews · 2 hours · from $35

Follow an English-speaking guide from the Royal Mile through Edinburgh’s dark past, with tales of Burke and Hare, witch trials, grave robbing, murders, and Canongate Kirkyard. Guides such as G, Niamh, Alasdair, and James Stewart are known for lively storytelling, humor, and useful city tips.

“hidden places, nice little tales, ironical coty facts… just great”

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4.Dark History

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 814 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $22

Walk Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with guides such as Robert, Joe, James, Kieran, Lydia, or Chris, hearing true stories of executions, plague, crime, body snatching, and old burial grounds. This is a history-led walk, not a ghost tour, with plenty of atmosphere and some grisly detail.

“A historical walk through Edinburgh's past, learning about how they took law and order to a very dark and disturbing level. James was a very knowledgeable guide to the twisted, torturous past lurking around every corner of the old town.”

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5.Dark History Royal Mile Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 271 reviews · 2 hours · from $20

Walk from St. Giles Cathedral through Edinburgh’s Old Town and Canongate with an English-speaking guide. Expect factual stories of murder, witchcraft, plague, executions, crime, and ghost lore, plus overlooked details at Canongate Graveyard. Guides include James, Robert, Lydia, Joe, and Kieran.

“A very captivating and thorough tour, with cute and gory details abour Edinburgh's history. We walked the Royal Mile with Kieran who is a fantastic person and a great guide - he was equal parts funny and knowledgeable. One of the highlights of our visit for sure!”

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6.Dark History Walking Tour in Warwick

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 196 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $15

Walk through Warwick with an English-speaking storyteller for 90 minutes, stopping at Lord Leycester, Warwick Castle, Castle Hill, Mill Street, St Mary’s Church, and the old courts. Expect theatrical delivery, local legends, dark history, and plenty of standing outdoors.

“Great tour, great guide and stories delivered with artistic flair. Would love to attend any of their tours!”

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7.Interactive Jack the Ripper Night Walk: London’s Murder Mystery

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 171 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $22

Join an English-speaking guide for a 2.5-hour night walk from St Mary’s Whitechapel Church to Mitre Square. Explore Brick Lane, Ten Bells, Goulston Street, and other Ripper sites while examining old reports, police clues, and the lives of the women involved.

“Very interesting and informative tour. Tyson did a great job keeping it interesting. Remembered everyone’s name and information, using it to keep everyone engaged. He really knew the subject and answered everyone’s questions. But who was Jack the Ripper?”

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8.York’s Forbidden Chronicles- Terrors from the dark side.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 130 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $16

Follow a live English-speaking guide from Clifford’s Tower to The Perky Peacock for 70 to 90 minutes of dark York history. Hear stories of debtors, felons, persecution, witchcraft, and local legends while walking narrow streets. Dogs and service animals are welcome, and children should be aged eight or older.

“Well where do I start. From the moment we started the tour to the moment we finished. We were gripped by the way janine told us the stories of what happened long ago in the streets of Stratford upon Avon. She told the tales with such enthusiasm we could have listened to her all night. She was so knowledgable!!! My only complaint is it was over too soon even though it was an hour and half it went so fast. Well done janine you were absolutely amazing 😊😊. Hilary and Chris sherwin”

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9.Jack the Ripper: Night Murder Mystery Walking Tour in London

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $22

Join guides such as Tyson, Kory, Hadi, or Dougal for a 2.5-hour evening walk through Whitechapel. Visit Brick Lane, Gunthorpe Street, Goulston Street, and the Ten Bells, then follow the clues to Mitre Square.

“Korhan our guide was very knowledgeable about this subject and made the experience very real and informative. He added details about London at the time of Jack the Ripper that bought the lives of Jack’s victims to life.”

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10.Warwick: Ghost, Crime & Murder Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 57 reviews · 1h 30m · from $13

Follow Warrane Worthington, Dark Investigator of things strange in Warwick, through 90 minutes of ghost stories, murders and local legends. Visit Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick Castle, the old courts, St Mary’s Church and historic homes before finishing near Market Square.

“The guide was really good - he gave us plenty of weird and spooky tales. We enjoyed the evening and will book again at Christmas hopefully.”

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11.Edinburgh’s Dark History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 55 reviews · 1h 30m · from $21

Join Rob for a 90-minute English walking tour from the National Museum of Scotland through Greyfriars, Grassmarket, Victoria Street, Edinburgh Castle, and the Royal Mile. Hear stories of witches, criminals, plague, executions, and ghosts, with a digital guide in French, Spanish, or Italian.

“Excellent. I had the best time on this tour learning all about the dark side of Edinburgh as well as so many historical and local information. Rob the guide was really fantastic and easy to follow and relatable. I can’t recommend this tour enough. Well worth it, book now!”

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12.Dark Secrets of the Old Town Halloween Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 43 reviews · 2 hours · from $24

Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town with a live guide in English, Spanish, German, or Italian. Hear about witches, faeries, the Black Death, and Burke and Hare while visiting Old Calton Cemetery and Canongate Kirkyard. Guide Serena has been praised for lively, thoughtful storytelling.

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13.The Dark Side of Glasgow

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 41 reviews · 3 hours · from $37

Walk Glasgow’s darker streets with a born-and-raised Glaswegian guide such as Rhona. Hear stories of gangs, murderers, ghosts, slavery, and local legends while visiting the Merchant City, High Court, Glasgow Green, Barras, and Mercat Cross. Expect whisky, snacks, humour, and three hours on foot.

“Our guide was very knowledgeable and well spoken. Local history and information. Highly recommend!”

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14.Jack the Ripper Tour: Murder, Mystery, & the Women of Whitechapel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $27

Spend about two hours walking from Shoreditch High Street through Whitechapel to Mitre Square. Your English-speaking guide covers the five women killed in 1888, major suspects, possible official concealment, original buildings, and the changing streets around Brick Lane. Guide Matt has earned special praise for his detail and storytelling.

“It was a very nice walk in the neighborhood where Jack the Ripper ran rampant. Our guide Matt was excellent and knows his subject. They gave us a host of interesting details he also had pictures and anecdotes about the surroundings. I recommend this tour to anyone who loves history and truecrime.Auto-translated”

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15.Jack the Ripper: Solve the Crime Walking Tour (Kids Free!)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 36 reviews · 2 - 2.5 hours · from $29

Meet Harry or another English-speaking guide at Whitechapel Gallery for a 2 to 2.5-hour evening walk through East London. Follow the murders in sequence, view police images and the infamous letter, and examine the doorway tied to the case. Children join free.

“Very interesting and atmospheric, liked the use of images on the walk.”

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