Review of The Edinburgh Dungeon, City Centre

Last week I went on a late night tour of The Edinburgh Dungeon.

It’s spooky but also fun. There’s a bit of humour injected into the experience and that helps the whole tour come together.

While The Edinburgh Dungeon is spooky it is far less gory than you might expect. This is not about people covered in fake blood jumping out at you. This is far more about the horrible history of Edinburgh with characters from the era telling you about it.

I was hugely comforted at the start of the tour (perhaps “walk through acting experience” is better) as they make it clear none of the actors (or creatures) in the dungeon will touch you. That’s always a reassurance, especially when it gets scary.

It’s the history that makes The Edinburgh Dungeon work for me. They’ve a whole collection of great stories that are wonderfully brought back to life. The fact that this is a spooky trip through the past is a burden I was willing to carry.

We were in a small group and that meant we had the full attention of the actors. As savvy people, with plenty of experience in meeting tourists and other brave adventurers, The Edinburgh Dungeon actors tailor the nuances of the show to the group. We had no youngsters in the group and were a late night trip so I fully expect they ramped up the fear factor. I suspect a larger group with younger folk would have had a more moderated series of encounters.

There are theme park elements in the tour too. I’m cautious of spoilers here but at least one encounter requires you to sit behind a safety bar and another won’t suite you if you have a bad back. The good news is that people are on hand to make sure you don’t sit on anything you shouldn’t and although I was scared at times I always felt safe.

I recommend The Edinburgh Dungeon. I don’t think I would bring any young kids to it – even if they asked. I’d wait until they were well in the double figures and even then I’d try go during family friendly hours. On the other hand, I think the venue might be the perfect alternative for hen or stag nights – before any drinking, clearly – as it’s a good bonding experience. Most of all, if you are a tourist to the city and want the twin delights of education and entertainment then it seems ideal for you.

You can buy your tickets for the Dungeon, at a discount, online here.

Disclaimer: Our trip around The Edinburgh Dungeon was part of a blogger event to help introduce the new brand and a backstage tour. I’ve blogged about that in transforming the Edinburgh Dungeon.