Cultural And Theme Tours

The late 18th century was a time of great expansion and innovation in Edinburgh. To improve access from the Old Town to the new developments two enormous structures were built, the North and South Bridges. By 1790 there were almost one hundred businesses active on the South Bridge with their workshops in the underground Vaults below.

As well as lack of natural light, the Vaults suffered from water seeping from the South Bridge above, stalactites are evidence of this.

But, there was a darker side too. To the immediate south stands Infirmary Street, where Edinburgh's medical school used to be. It was here that the notorious pair, Burke and Hare, sold the bodies of their murdered victims. Could the vaults have stored a different sort of merchandise?

Paranormal studies have been conducted on the vaults and have indicated a high level of poltergeist activity. Several cases have been reported by tour participants who have experienced punching, bruising, scratching, hair-pulling and ankle-grabbing. If you're lucky you may even feel an icy breath on the back of your neck. An experience to remember!

The tour begins at the Mercat Cross, scene of punishment and public executions in Edinburgh's past. You'll hear the tale of the one survivor of Scotland's terrible defeat by the English at Flodden in 1513. How did he secure his safety?

Next, you'll discover what depraved and satanic acts were perpetrated by the Wizard of the West Bow, and no ghost tour is complete without a visit to the haunted underground vaults beneath the South Bridge. You will shiver as you hear of the strange and sinister happenings that took place in these candlelit rooms, where shadows dance on the damp stone walls. Some of the spirits that haunt these vaults are malevolent and resentful of intrusion. Whatever you do, do not wander off alone!

Your tour focuses on the findings of the Edinburgh Ghost Project that was part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival. So extensive was this study that it made an entry into The Guinness Book of Records. The vaults have been described by the UK's BBC News as "probably the most haunted place in Britain".

The Project confirmed what visitors had known for some time, both visitors and guides have witnessed the spirits of former vault residents, from a little boy to a dreaded malevolent male who stalks groups as they pass through his chambers. Paranormal experiences have taken different forms - touch, sight, sound, smell: all have been provoked. Guests regularly report their experiences, from the eerie to the terrifying, the strange to the inexplicable. Others prefer to forget ...

Begin your tour at the Mercat Cross which marks the historic heart of Edinburgh. Here merchants gathered to trade: 'Mercat' is simply the Scots word for market. The townspeople met to exchange news and gossip and listen to public pronouncements, and visitors to the city came here to find a guide who was both city grapevine and taxi driver!

Pick up your guide at the Mercat Cross and let him entertain you with stories from Edinburgh's past. Since the earliest times, Edinburgh has been at the forefront of religious and legal matters in Scotland. St Giles Cathedral was founded in 854 AD and has been site of some of the most dramatic events in the nation's history. The Protestant Reformers, the brave Covenanters and the fiery Jenny Geddes who threw her chair at the Bishop - hear about them all.

Home to the earliest skyscrapers in Europe, some famous Edinburgh tenements were 14 stories high. After defeat by the English in 1513 the city fathers build the Flodden Wall around Edinburgh to protect against invasion. As the population grew, the city could not expand outwards, so it grew upwards. It is said that people, ten stories up, could reach out and shake hands with their neighbors in the opposite building!

Your tour ventures down the narrow passageways into courtyards where you learn of tragedy and triumph, marvel at the stunning architecture - and recoil at the cry "gardyloo". The Royal Mile was home to the great, the good - and the not so good - of Edinburgh. Deacon Brodie, locksmith by day and thief by night, inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Deacon Brodie and many others populate this enthralling and fascinating tour of the Old Town of Edinburgh.

The in-depth city tour offers you the opportunity to experience some of the highlights of Amsterdam, and help you get to grips with the city layout. With more than 6,800 monumental houses and buildings, Amsterdam has the largest historical city center in Europe. The city is best-known for its three rings of canals lined by elaborately decorated merchants' residences and warehouses built in the 17th century, the Dutch 'Golden Age'. Ninety islands were created when the canals were built, connected by hundreds of charming bridges.

Traveling in a luxury air-conditioned coach, you will see the old and new parts of this beautiful city with its many interesting sights. Highlights include the Royal Palace, National Monument, the Skinny Bridge, canals and Albert Cuyp Market. You will also visit a windmill on the River Amstel and a stop will be made at a diamond factory where you can see how gems are polished using traditional methods.

You also have the option to enjoy a boat trip along a typical Dutch canal (please select the appropriate tour option at time of booking). The one-hour cruise takes you along canals lined with 17th-century merchant houses, churches with bell towers and warehouses from the 16th and 17th centuries. You will also pass through Amsterdam's Old Harbor.

Do you dare to take a lantern-led one mile stroll through the shadowy streets and lonely lanes of Key West's Old Town? In the easy-paced hour and a half walk, you'll discover the dwelling places of ghosts, ghouls and benevolent protectors. And you'll learn the stories behind many of the legends of this haunted island paradise.

As Florida's second oldest city and home to a history of pirates, wreckers, smugglers, and a variety of colorful characters, Key West's official city motto of "one human family" is but another example of the city's well-known reputation as a community where no tale is beyond belief and no eccentricity beyond acceptance.

This nightly tour provides you with the documented facts and first-hand stories of Key West's most infamous haunted locations and tales.

Locations visited include: Hard Rock Cafe, Banyan Resort, Eaton Lodge, Captain Tony's Saloon, Marrero's Guest House, St. Paul's Episcopal Church and more.

Learn about post-WWII developments and the impact of technological and zoning changes. Admire the stainless steel cladding on the Inland Steel Building, the whimsical post-modern designs of the Harold Washington Library and 190 S. LaSalle, and contemporary buildings like One South Dearborn, Blue Cross-Blue Shield and the Art Institute's Modern Wing.

Perhaps Chicago's most identifiable claim to fame resides in its architecture. The prototype of the modern industrial metropolis arose from the charred landscape left by the Great Fire of 1871. Many of Chicago's surviving buildings are the forefathers of the great modern skyscrapers and on this walking tour you will discover the historic beginnings of the Chicago School of Architecture and the earliest skyscrapers, built between the 1870s and the 1930s.

The tour features numerous buildings in Chicago's Loop that were built in this era, including:

• Chicago Board of Trade Building, one of the city's finest examples of Art Deco architecture
• The Auditorium Building, a Louis Sullivan masterpiece
• The Rookery, a National Historic Landmark

Learn about the architects who influenced the city's architecture and view their creations on this guided walking tour, sampling Chicago's rich past. As they say in Chicago, "The City is Our Museum" so come walk with the experts!

Discover the opulent exteriors and interiors of the Roaring '20s Jazz Deco and the classic finishes of Art Moderne buildings in this 2 hour tour. Learn of Chicago's influence on the international Art Deco movement, and trace the history of lively architectural heritage.

During the period between the two World Wars, an eclectic design style developed that later became known as Art Deco, used to refer to a mix of styles from the 1920s and 1930s. Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Art Deco style infused the everyday world with an elegant style of cool sophistication.

What characterizes Art Deco design most is its geometry and simplicity, often combined with vibrant colors and simple shapes that celebrate the rise of commerce and technology. From luxurious objects made from exotic materials to mass produced, streamlined items. Chicago's Jazz Age architecture was simply called Modernistic when it was created in the 1920s, and Moderne as it evolved into the Swing era of the 1930s. Whether starkly cubistic or smoothly streamlined, the new office and apartment buildings that redefined the skyline embodied the new language of building until the 1950s.

On this tour you will discover the opulent exteriors and interiors of the Roaring '20s Jazz Deco buildings and the classic finishes of Art Moderne buildings. Learn of Chicago's influence on the international Art Deco movement, and trace the history of this short-lived but lively architectural heritage. Come and experience the very essence of Art Deco!

Visit the exciting and often dangerous world of Elizabethan London where in 1599, Bankside was the entertainment center of the capital packed with gambling dens, brothels, bear-baiting pits and theaters. Ordinary people flocked to see Shakespeare's plays and they laughed, cried, shouted abuse at the actors, ate and drank during the performances.

As a visitor to the Exhibition you'll discover how shows were produced in the theaters of Shakespeare's time, from writing and rehearsals to music, dance and performance. Learn about the traditional crafts and techniques used during the process of rebuilding the Globe and find out how special effects were produced in Shakespeare's time - from thunder and lightning to flying on stage and realistic blood and gore.

Listen to recordings from some of the most Shakespearean performances ever or join the cast and add your own voice to a scene recorded by Globe actors. Create your own Shakespearean phrases in the word jungle, watch a sword-fighting display and browse the costume collection, where you can find out about the extraordinary methods used in creating clothes 400 years ago.

A visit to the Exhibition includes a guided tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre where storytellers take you on a fascinating half-hour tour of the auditorium. Journey through time to Elizabethan London with their colourful tales of the 1599 theater experience as well as the reconstruction process of the 1990's and how the wooden 'o' works today as an imaginative and experimental theatrical space.

The Irish pub remains the social focus of Irish culture and is one of Ireland's most popular attractions. While most cities around the world boast of at least one offspring of Celtic drinking culture, the original Irish pub remains a rare commodity. On this entertaining musical pub crawl you'll visit authentic establishments in the heart of Dublin.

Temple Bar is a hive of activity where artists, designers and young entrepreneurs have set up small art galleries, cafes, theaters and colorful shops. The pedestrianized streets allow you to walk freely through the narrow cobbled alleys running close to the banks of the River Liffey.

Dublin Traditional Irish Music Pub Crawl includes at least 2 of the following famous Irish bars:

• Oliver St. John Gogarty's
• The Ha'penny Bridge Inn
• Isoldes Tower
• The Chancery
• The Legal Eagle
• The Palace Bar

On this tour that's as educational as it is recreational, you'll embark on an animated and entertaining journey through the sights and sounds that inspired great Irish writers including James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Brendan Behan, Sean O'Casey, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde and W.B. Yeats - not forgetting modern scribes like Seamus Heaney, Eavan Boland, Paula Meehan and Brendan Kennelly.

Kicking off at the Duke Pub on Duke Street, this literary pub crawl will take you to famous pubs and haunts while actors recite verses from the best Irish literature. You can sink a pint while learning about the lives of these great writers and hear some of the hilarious stories that became folklore in Dublin's literary circles.

More than just music, discover the other side of Memphis, the darker side which has nothing to do with Elvis, rock 'n' roll or Soulsville! Hear chilling tales of Memphis' haunted history and supernatural going-ons during a 90 minute walking tour of the city.

Your guide will lead your Memphis Ghosts Walking Tour through the dark mysteries and supernatural experiences of some of Memphis' oldest landmarks, such as the Orpheum Theater, Cotton Row and Handy Park.

Explore the darker side of Memphis - named for the famed Egyptian City of the Dead - and hear chilling tales of the city's haunted heritage as told by friendly, professional storytellers and tour guides.

Put on your walking shoes and join a ghostly adventure in Memphis you will never forget. Approximate distance traveled on this walking tour is 1 mile.

The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia takes you on a walking journey through America's Most Historic Area - the birthplace of America's nation. Step back in time to see where The Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution were created. This 75 minute walking adventure includes more than 20 historic sites in the Independence National Historical Park, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Philadelphia is best seen by foot. See more than 20 historic sites and attractions in 75 minutes on a 1.25-mile outdoor walking journey, including:

• Independence Hall
• The Liberty Bell Center
• Betsy Ross House
• National Constitution Center
• Declaration House
• Signers' Walk
• Carpenters' Hall
• Franklin Court
• B. Free Franklin Post Office
• Christ Church Burial Ground
• The First Bank of the U.S.
• Congress Hall
• Old City Hall
• Library Hall
• Christ Church
• The Signer
• Second Bank of the U.S.
• New Hall Military Museum
• Arch Street Friends Meeting House

This tour is seasonal and operates from April to November only.

Experience a Chinatown Night Walk like no other! Follow the guide as you boldly walk the streets to trace the red light district in Chinatown, from past to present. Learn about the lives of those who were embroiled in such vices. Who knows, you might even catch a glimpse of a meat shop in action.

The lantern beckoned him. The new 'ah ku' was pretty, fresh from Canton. High on opium, he made his way unsteadily towards the gas-lit brothel. In 1887, the brothels in Chinatown were as many and as close together as the teeth of a comb. Combine that with the proliferation of opium and gambling dens, it was sin city. It is no accident that Chinatown was also known as 'Bu Ye Tian' - The Place of Nightless Days. Discover vice and tragedy in the shadows of Chinatown by night.

Join the guides who are experts in Singapore's rich heritage and colorful history. We will venture into the fringes where entertainment, in its rawest form, is still practiced today. Tread with us as we go where many men have gone before! Highlights on this walk include Food Street, Street of the Dead, a barbequed pork shop and venturing through numerous back alleys and through a Red Light District.

Please note: This tour contains adult themes, therefore if you choose to take children under 18 years of age, we recommend parental supervision and guidance.

Finalist of Singapore Tourism Awards for Best Sightseeing/Leisure/Educational Programme 2005