Bristol currently has three ghost-themed walking tours running on a regular schedule: Bristol Ghost Tours (run by the team behind Bath's well-known ghost walk), a costumed tour built around "Phantom Detection Technology", and Haunted and Hidden Bristol, which has been walking these streets since 2003. Expect to pay £15 to £17 for an adult ticket on two of the three, and to be out for around an hour and three quarters, starting after dark from a spot near Bristol Cathedral or the harbourside. Here's what each one actually involves, checked against the operators' own sites and booking pages, so you can pick on facts rather than search results.
The three tours running in Bristol right now
All three are proper walking tours led by a live guide, not audio trails. Two share a meeting point outside Bristol Cathedral; the third meets across town near the Marriott. None of them require booking weeks ahead, but weekend slots do sell out.
Bristol Ghost Tours (Macabre Tours UK)
This is the tour run by "Dr Blood", the same guide behind the long-running Bath Ghost Tours, who brought the format to Bristol in 2023. It runs Wednesday to Sunday nights, from late February through to December, departing at 7.30pm from outside Bristol Cathedral on College Green (BS1 5TJ). The walk takes about 1 hour 45 minutes and covers roughly seventeen stops, including Christmas Steps, King Street, St Nicholas Markets and Bristol Bridge, finishing in Queen Square. It's costumed and theatrical rather than solemn, with guides playing characters such as "Dr Blood" and "Mrs Needles". Tickets are £17 for adults and £12 for children and students, bookable directly through the operator's site or via GetYourGuide and Viator, where it holds a 4.8 out of 5 rating from over 200 reviews. Christmas Steps is unavoidable on the route, so it's not a good fit if you can't manage stairs.
The Bristol Ghost Tour ("Phantom Detection Technology")
This one leans into gadgets rather than history lecture. Self-described "paranormal investigators" carry EMF-style meters, which they call PDT (Phantom Detection Technology), and the tour ends inside a pub billed as Bristol's most haunted. It runs Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, departing at 19:30 and finishing around 21:15, covering about 4.8km (3 miles). Adult tickets are £15. The meeting point given in the tour's own FAQ is outside the Royal Marriott Bristol Hotel, BS1 5TA, though a separate summary elsewhere on the same site names a different assembly point ("John Foster's Almshouse"), so it's worth checking your confirmation email rather than relying on either page alone. It's marketed as suitable for ages 8 to 88, dog friendly, and mostly flat with alternative routes around any steps.
Haunted and Hidden Bristol Walking Tour
This is the longest-running of the three, operating since 2003. It has been featured on Living TV's Most Haunted, Made in Bristol and Points West, and picked up TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice award for three years running, including 2026, ranking among Bristol's top ten rated attractions on the site. It runs once a week, Friday nights at 8pm, meeting outside Bristol Cathedral's main doors on College Green. The style is closer to a local history walk with dark corners than a gimmick tour, mixing ghost stories with film and TV trivia from a Bristol-born guide. The operator's own site doesn't publish a fixed ticket price, and third-party listings quote different figures, so treat any price you see online as unconfirmed until you check at booking. Tours book through the links on the operator's site; private walks are available on other nights by request.
How the three compare
| Tour | Days & start time | Length | Price (adult) | Meeting point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Ghost Tours (Macabre Tours UK) | Wed-Sun, 7.30pm (Feb-Dec) | ~1h45, ends Queen Square | £17 (£12 child/student) | Outside Bristol Cathedral, College Green |
| The Bristol Ghost Tour (PDT) | Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun, 19:30-21:15 | ~1h45, 4.8km | £15 | Outside the Royal Marriott Bristol Hotel, BS1 5TA |
| Haunted and Hidden Bristol | Fridays, 8pm | Not published by operator | Not published; check when booking | Outside Bristol Cathedral, College Green |
Which one should you book
If you want a family night out with theatre and gadgetry, and don't mind a scripted, tongue-in-cheek delivery, the PDT tour is built for that. If you'd rather a costumed but well-reviewed tour through the old city's more atmospheric corners, Bristol Ghost Tours is the better-rated of the two paid options and runs on more nights. If you want the longest track record and the most local knowledge, and you're happy to work around a single Friday slot, Haunted and Hidden is the one people keep coming back to, though you'll need to confirm the price yourself before you go.
None of the three is free, so if budget matters more than theatrics, it's worth reading free vs paid walking tours of Bristol, which to pick before deciding whether a ghost walk is the tour worth paying for. If you'd rather do a self-paced route first and save the guided ghost walk for after dark, the Banksy self-guided trail covers some of the same old-city streets in daylight. All three ghost tours finish within walking distance of somewhere to eat, and central Bristol keeps later hours than you might expect, so check where to eat in Bristol after midnight if your tour ends past 9pm. For more evening and daytime options beyond ghost walks, see our full guide to things to do in Bristol.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best ghost tour in Bristol?
There isn't a single best one; it depends what you want. Bristol Ghost Tours (Macabre Tours UK) is the most consistently reviewed costumed option and runs most nights. Haunted and Hidden has the longest track record and the most awards. The Bristol Ghost Tour leans hardest into gadgets and gimmicks, which some groups love and others find silly.
How much do Bristol ghost tours cost?
Bristol Ghost Tours (Macabre Tours UK) charges £17 for adults and £12 for children and students. The Bristol Ghost Tour charges £15 per person. Haunted and Hidden Bristol doesn't publish a fixed price on its own site, so check the current fee when you book.
Where do Bristol ghost tours start?
Two of the three, Bristol Ghost Tours and Haunted and Hidden, meet outside Bristol Cathedral on College Green. The Bristol Ghost Tour meets outside the Royal Marriott Bristol Hotel on Anchor Road.
How long do the tours last?
Bristol Ghost Tours and The Bristol Ghost Tour both run for about 1 hour 45 minutes. Haunted and Hidden doesn't publish an exact running time; it's a single evening slot on Fridays.
Are Bristol ghost tours suitable for kids?
All three market themselves as family friendly. The Bristol Ghost Tour specifically suggests ages 8 to 88; the other two describe themselves as suitable for all ages, though content includes real historical accounts of executions and murders, so use your own judgement for younger children.
Do I need to book in advance?
It's recommended for all three, particularly on weekends. The Bristol Ghost Tour says walk-ups are welcome if space allows, but none of the operators guarantee space without a booking.