Discover Edinburgh’s 200 best Offbeat Adventurer spots for your trip

The Cocktail Geeks

★ 4.8 · 2,343 reviews

Discover The Cocktail Geeks, a funky Edinburgh bar built around immersive pop-culture themes. Step into a fully dressed world and sample inventive cocktails served by costumed staff.

Comedy Horror Ghost Bus Tour

★ 4.5 · 4,736 reviews

Ride a black double-decker through Edinburgh while a theatrical guide mixes comedy with ghost stories. Pass Greyfriars and the Royal Mile and hear tales of plague and body snatching.

alien rock

★ 4.8 · 391 reviews

Climb inside Alien Rock, a converted vaulted church in Newhaven with an unusual atmosphere. Work through top-rope and lead routes on varied walls, with helpful staff on hand if you're new to climbing.

Extreme Paranormal Underground Ghost Tour

★ 4.3 · 893 reviews

Take Edinburgh's scariest late-night tour with a costumed guide. Walk through the Old Town alleys and a graveyard, then step into the underground vaults.

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

★ 4.6 · 16,184 reviews

Climb into Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, a five-storey tower on the Royal Mile packed with playful optical tricks. Work your way up through interactive exhibits, step through the spinning tunnel and mirror room, and see Edinburgh projected live in the camera obscura.

Surgeons' Hall Museum

★ 4.7 · 4,836 reviews

Step into Surgeons' Hall Museum, set in a neoclassical building from 1832. Examine historic anatomy specimens and trace how Edinburgh shaped modern surgery, ideally with the guided Blood and Guts tour.

Evening Underground Ghost Tour

★ 4.4 · 4,252 reviews

Walk Edinburgh's hidden alleys at night and finish in the underground vaults. Listen to tales of witchcraft and murder beneath the Royal Mile.

Underground Vaults Evening Ghost Tour with Whisky

★ 4.7 · 2,832 reviews

Join the Underground Vaults Evening Ghost Tour with Whisky for a night of Edinburgh's darker tales. You'll wander Old Town lanes, enter Blair Street's vaults, then settle into candlelit Megget's Cellar for more stories and a drink.

Late-Night Underground Vaults Terror Tour

★ 4.6 · 4,669 reviews

Brave the dark with the Late-Night Underground Vaults Terror Tour. Follow the guide along the Royal Mile after sunset, then step into the South Bridge vaults to see torture displays and hear chilling local legends.

Haunted Underground Vaults and Graveyard Tour

★ 4.6 · 7,409 reviews

Go from graveyard to underground vaults on the Haunted Underground Vaults and Graveyard Tour. Hear tales of Greyfriars Bobby and Edinburgh's criminals, then descend beneath South Bridge for stories of its reported ghosts.

Underground Vaults Tour

★ 4.5 · 12,594 reviews

Step beneath South Bridge on the Underground Vaults Tour and meet Edinburgh's hidden past. You'll descend into the eighteenth-century chambers and hear a guide's tales of poverty, disease, witch persecution and Burke and Hare.

The Lost Close Underground Scotch Whisky Tasting

★ 4.7 · 592 reviews

Discover the Lost Close Underground Scotch Whisky Tasting, held in an unusual venue beneath the city. Hear the stories behind the industry while comparing whiskies from four distilleries by the glass.

Real Mary King's Close Guided Tour

★ 4.7 · 4,514 reviews

Go below the Royal Mile on the Real Mary King's Close Guided Tour. Walk the preserved streets with a costumed guide who tells the stories of the traders and residents who lived and worked here.

The Anatomical Museum, The University of Edinburgh

★ 4.0 · 64 reviews

Seize a rare chance to visit the Anatomical Museum, the University of Edinburgh's original medical school collection. Study historic anatomical specimens on a booked open day, ideally with a guide explaining them.

Roseleaf Bar Cafe

★ 4.8 · 2,469 reviews

Seek out The Roseleaf, a playful Leith bistro near the waterfront where the cocktails arrive in teapots. Sit among the vintage decor and share halloumi fries with honey or a bowl of Cullen skink.

Colinton Station & Tunnel

★ 4.7 · 1,151 reviews

Walk through Colinton Tunnel, an old railway tunnel transformed into a storybook mural. Follow the illustrated Robert Louis Stevenson poem along the walls and out onto a leafy nature path.

Stramash

★ 4.5 · 5,068 reviews

Discover Stramash, a restored church in Edinburgh turned into a lively two-level live music venue. Settle in with a drink and enjoy folk, rock or covers from the stage until the early hours.

Multi-Sensory Haunted Underground Tour

★ 4.5 · 2,759 reviews

Join the Multi-Sensory Haunted Underground Tour as dusk settles over Edinburgh's Old Town. Follow your cloaked guide through the lanes, then descend into the Blair Street vaults for tales of crime, execution and body snatching.

Vintage Bus Tour with Afternoon Tea or Gin

★ 4.3 · 813 reviews

Climb aboard the Vintage Bus Tour for afternoon tea on wheels in Edinburgh. You'll sip prosecco, work through sandwiches, scones and cakes, and watch the city's landmarks roll past, with the option of a gin cocktail in a teapot.

Cabaret Voltaire

★ 4.0 · 322 reviews

Step into Cabaret Voltaire, a two-storey Edinburgh venue where a laid-back cocktail bar sits above a basement club. Start with drinks and old-fashioned table games, then head downstairs for live music or a late DJ set.

Paradise Palms

★ 4.4 · 2,481 reviews

Discover Paradise Palms, a playful plant-based hangout combining a bar, kitchen and record store under one roof. Order creative cocktails and vegetarian Mexican plates while soaking up the easygoing, music-loving atmosphere.

The Edinburgh Dungeon Entrance Ticket

★ 4.6 · 1,741 reviews

Step into The Edinburgh Dungeon, where the city's darker history comes to life through live actors and theatrical sets. Over about 70 minutes you will meet Agnes Finnie and the Sawney Bean clan before a final drop ride.

Panda & Sons

★ 4.6 · 2,718 reviews

Discover Panda & Sons, a dark, speakeasy-style bar tucked into Edinburgh's drinking scene. Settle in with an inventive cocktail chosen with help from the friendly bartenders, then linger over a few more rounds.

Dark Secrets of the Old Town Ghost Walking Tour

★ 4.6 · 2,591 reviews

Explore Edinburgh's darker side on an evening walk through closes and old graveyards. Hear about witch trials, plague and Burke and Hare as the light fades.

National Monument of Scotland

★ 4.7 · 3,188 reviews

Climb Calton Hill to the National Monument of Scotland, an unfinished Parthenon-style memorial. Stand among the stone pillars and look out across the city and the Forth.

Condita

★ 4.8 · 142 reviews

Reserve a table at Condita for an evening that feels personal from the first course. Work through an adventurous tasting menu with wine pairings while vinyl records play in an intimate dining room.

Edinburgh Old Town

Explore Edinburgh's Old Town, the medieval heart of the city beneath the castle. Walk the Royal Mile, slip down narrow closes, and take in centuries of stacked stone architecture.

Old Town and Underground Ghost Tour

★ 4.4 · 1,884 reviews

Try the Old Town and Underground Ghost Tour for a theatrical take on Edinburgh's darker history. Your costumed guide leads you through the lanes and down into the South Bridge vaults for tales of hauntings and torture.

Harry Potter Tour with Entry to Edinburgh Castle

★ 4.7 · 1,230 reviews

Follow the footsteps of Harry Potter's creator through Edinburgh's Old Town. You will walk from Tron Kirk to Greyfriars and Victoria Street, then use your ticket to explore Edinburgh Castle on your own.

Witches & History Old Town Walking Tour

★ 4.8 · 1,406 reviews

Meet the real women behind Edinburgh's witch trials on the Witches & History Old Town Walking Tour. Follow your character guide along the Royal Mile and through hidden lanes, ending in Grassmarket with Maggie Dickson's remarkable story.