Here at the Dunstane Houses, we believe that part of running a luxury boutique hotel involves keeping guests up to date with all the exciting events happening around us throughout the year. With Halloween just around the corner, we’ve rounded up our top 5 terror-ific ghost tours in Edinburgh – some with events scarier than bumping into Pennywise.

From ghostly bagpipers walking the Royal Mile to the hidden streets of Mary King’s Close, eerily frozen in time, it’s not hard to see why Edinburgh is considered one of the most haunted cities in the UK.

1.Mercat Tours
“Feeble candlelight. Ghoulish costumes. Unsettling stories” are all promised by Mercat Tours on their All Hallow’s Eve tours. Explore the Blair Street underground vaults at midnight or become part of the ‘Edinburgh Mob’ and follow the true story of the riot. Or join the ‘Doomed, Dead and Buried’ tour, encounter stories of cannibals, body snatchers and deals with the Devil in the Canongate Graveyard…

2.Condemned Halloween Tours
There is a whole other world underneath the Old Town you see today. The once busy streets of Mary King’s Close. The “street of sorrows” was sealed off and forgotten in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town for over 250 years. Mary King’s Close’s Halloween Tour, Condemned, is back. Travel back to the time of witch trials, with suspicion around every corner. A unique insight to Edinburgh’s history with witchcraft and how people were implicated and condemned…

3.Ghost Bus Tours
Say that really fast three times in the mirror and Peter Venkman (or Abby Yates, depending on which incarnation of the Ghostbusters movies you prefer!) will appear behind you…only joking. On a serious note, the Edinburgh Ghost Bus Tour makes a ‘grim parade’ across the city, from Burke and Hare to sixteenth century The Great Scottish Witch Hunts, you can absorb the brutal history of Edinburgh, from the warmth of bus. Being warm doesn’t make it any less creepy though, malevolent energies lurk in the bus and you may find a few among you aren’t there to enjoy the ride…

4.City of The Dead Tours
Join truly macabre underground tours, their website assures you you’ll need “a couple of stiff drinks” if you survive! Tours visit the “most convincing supernatural case ever” the site of the Mackenzie poltergeist. People have claimed to have been scratched by the poltergeist during the tour, so join at your own risk. You can always choose to brave the double dead walking tour taking you to TWO of the most haunted places on the planet. City of The Dead Tours have won awards as “Britain’s Best Ghost Tour” and are the only Scottish attraction to be shortlisted for a prestigious Screamie Award (three times!) and a Luxury Travel Award.

5.The Dunstane Houses
Yes, really! While we’re not a ghost tour, night manager Alan is full of stories. Ghosts he’s seen just sat around fireplaces or where fireplaces used to be. He recalls tales from guests of ghost sightings and spooky goings on all around our Georgian-era home. They all seem friendly enough, so don’t let that put you off booking. Just don’t ask Alan about his ghost dog. Don’t say we haven’t warned you…