Experience1 hour
The Real Mary King's Close
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About
A guided hour underneath the Royal Mile, through a warren of genuine seventeenth-century streets sealed beneath the City Chambers when the Royal Exchange was built over them in the 1750s. Costumed guides walk you through the closes where traders, plague victims and tenement families actually lived, and the history is played straighter than the city's ghost-tour industry: this is preserved urban archaeology first, atmosphere second. It is a popular, often sold-out attraction, so book ahead; the Signature tour runs around £24.95 to £28.50 for adults, with long daily hours in summer.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Genuine sealed closes beneath the City Chambers
- ✓The preserved home of the 1640s plague years
- ✓Costumed guides grounded in documented residents' stories
Tips
- →Book in advance: tours regularly sell out, especially in August
- →Not suitable for buggies; the underground surfaces are steep and uneven
- →Photography is not permitted on the tour itself
- →Entrance at 2 Warriston's Close, opposite St Giles' on the High Street
Best Season
SpringSummerAutumnWinter