The Real Mary King's Close
Tickets for the Mary King's Close tour of underground Edinburgh
Discover the secrets and mysterious past of Edinburgh's underground streets with a tour of the Real Mary King's Close. Tickets, tours and opening times.
Tickets & Tours The Real Mary King's Close |
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Address | Warriston's Close, 2, High St, Edinburgh EH1 1PG. The Real Mary King's Close meeting point is opposite St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile |
Tours | Attention: Due to limited capacity, it is highly recommended to prebook Mary King's Close tours online
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Hours | Opening times are 7 days a week with the first tour at 9:30am and the last tour at 6:00pm. |
Discover Edinburgh's hidden history
Probably you heard of the famous network of streets that make up Edinburgh's Royal Mile. However, there is also an underground network below the main street of Old Town, which you can explore with a guided tour. Visit The Real Mary King's Close and walk through the underground streets, where time stood still since the seventeenth century.
What to see in The Real Mary King’s Close?
The Real Mary King's Close has been named Scotland's 'Best Heritage Tourism Experience', highlighting more than 400 years of history through impressive stories from its past inhabitants. Learn about the deadly plague epidemic, the visit of a famous monarch and the evolution of the Close from a bustling trading center to a hidden underground network.
History comes to life
The tour guides dress up as one of the former residents of the Close, making the history more vivid for the visitor. The guides will tell you the story of the Close through stories of plague epidemics, murder and intrigue and bring the history of The Real Mary King's Close to life in an original way.
Hello, Annie
In the 1990s, a Japanese medium, Aiko Gibo, visited the Close, but was unable to enter the seventeenth-century room at Allan's Close. According to her, there was so much pain and unhappiness that she didn't dare go inside. The medium sensed the strong presence of a child, so eager to return to her family that she haunted the room. The medium communicated with the child and learned that her name was Annie and that she had lost her doll. Aiko Gibo bought a new doll from the souvenir shop and placed it in space, giving Annie peace. Since then, it has been a tradition for many tourists to leave a doll in the room when visiting. However, Gibo's original Annie doll has disappeared without a trace since 2019.
Important: Would you like to take the tour of Real Mary King's Close? Always book your tour in advance, as it is usually fully booked some time in advance. You can book your tickets via this website.