Greyfriars Kirkyard

Certainly one of the most famous graveyards in the world, mostly due to its celebrated, loyal, four-legged inhabitant the Skye Terrier Bobby, Greyfriars Kirkyard has become a must-see attraction for visitors to Edinburgh over the last twenty years.

The site was once home to a Franciscan friary and was granted to the city in 1562 by royal sanction following the Reformation. From then until the mid-Victorian era it was a burial place for Edinburgh’s citizenry, with many of the local great and good laid to rest within its walls.

If you are visiting in person on the 25th and 26th of September 2021 the volunteer Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard group will be offering guided tours and the Kirk itself will be open. More details here.

Alternatively, if you wish to visit from the comfort of your armchair instead, Edinburgh’s Parks and Greenspaces team and reality capture specialists Captured Realities have created below a wonderful immersive virtual tour that allows you to have a wander among the many magnificent and unique tombs to be found in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Of particular interest to many will be the visual access this 360° tour affords to the normally locked section, the so-called “Covenanter’s Prison.