The Real Mary King's Close

The Real Mary King's Close

A guided walk through 17th-century streets buried under the City Chambers

⚠ Book ahead; no under-5s

Hours

October daily, first tour 9am, last 9pm; November 9:30am–6:30pm; December 9:30am–7:30pm (official, 2026)

Tickets

Signature tour adults £25 (Essential) / £28.50 (Standard); ages 5–15 £18/£21 (official 2026 prices from February)

Address

2 Warriston's Close off the High Street, opposite St Giles'

An hour-long guided walk through 17th-century lanes and houses swallowed up beneath the Royal Mile. A guide in period costume tells you about the plague, emptying chamber pots out of windows and ten people sharing one room, all by dim light. The low ceilings and damp stone smell are genuinely eerie. One small room, famous for a ghost story, is piled high with dolls left by visitors.