Mary King's Close · Edinburgh
In 1753 Edinburgh began its Royal Exchange over this steep close, and the houses' lower floors stayed below.
From €49 per adult
See tour timesYour tour time is booked on the close's own calendar, at a price fixed before you pay.
Two fares, one tour
Both fares cover the same hour below the Royal Mile with a costumed guide. A group goes down about every ten minutes.
Most chosen
Visitors aged 16 and over
€49per person
Children aged 5 to 15, with an adult
€36per person
What we look after
Four centuries, one street
The close was never buried by accident. It was built over, floor by floor, by a town that needed somewhere to trade.
1500s
Narrow closes fall away from the High Street on either side. Merchants and their households live packed along them; one of today's guides plays Agnes Chambers, a maid on Craig's Close in 1535.
1645
Mary King, the cloth merchant who gave the close its name, died late in 1644. The next year plague sweeps the crowded homes in the worst outbreak in Edinburgh's history, and foul clengers in St Andrew's crosses go house to house.
1753
The town commissions a Royal Exchange to a design by John Adam. Upper storeys come down; the lower floors stay as its foundations and are sealed off below. In 1811 the building becomes the City Chambers.
Today
Andrew Chesney, saw maker and last resident, left in 1897. Now guides in his clothes, and those of his neighbours, take visitors back down the close every ten minutes.
Below the Royal Mile
Stops and stories shift a little from guide to guide, but every tour takes in these.
The way in from the Royal Mile.
Below ground on Mary King's Close.
Advocate's Close, a neighbour that still runs open to the sky.Check in at least 10 minutes early, opposite St Giles'. Your guide arrives in the clothes of someone who really lived here.
Handrails all the way. The light drops, and the City Chambers are suddenly above your head.
The steep lane that gave the tour its name, on the side of the ridge that once ran down to the Nor Loch.
How the disease moved through houses of many families, and the doctors and clengers who risked their lives to treat the sick and clean their homes.
A 17th-century room off Allan's Close, and the pile of dolls visitors have left there since the 1990s. A story, told where it started.
Your group is photographed at the close before the climb back to daylight. Photos of your own aren't allowed below.
Your visit
The entrance sits beside the arches of the City Chambers, opposite St Giles' Cathedral and the Mercat Cross.
The entrance2 Warriston's Close, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1PG
| Late October | 09:30–21:00 |
|---|---|
| Nov–Dec, most weekdays | 10:30–17:00 |
| Nov–Dec, Fridays | 10:00–18:00 |
| Nov–Dec, weekends | 10:00–19:30 |
First and last tour times. Closed 25 December; last tour 15:00 on 24 December and 18:00 on 31 December. Later months follow when the attraction publishes them.
Every practical detail, in the visitor guide →Read before you go
Asked before booking
A one-hour guided tour of the close beneath the Royal Mile, on the date and tour time you book, led by a costumed guide playing a former resident. The free audio-guide app and the courtyard lockers are included too. Your e-ticket comes by email.
About one hour. You meet your guide at the Admissions Office on the Royal Mile, go down into the closes, and come back up at the end. Allow ten minutes before your tour time to check in, and longer if you need a locker.
A few days at least, and weeks ahead for weekends and school holidays. The attraction says it frequently sells out and releases tours according to demand.
About every ten minutes, from the first tour of the day to the last. You choose the exact time when you book, and that time is printed on your e-ticket.
Yes, from age 5. Children aged 5 to 15 have their own fare and must be with an adult. Under-5s can't go below for safety reasons, though they're welcome in the gift shop and café upstairs.
No. The attraction sells two categories for this tour, adult and child aged 5 to 15, and our fares mirror them. Adults pay the adult fare at any age.
A carer goes free with each visitor who needs assistance. Tell us when you book and we add a carer place at no charge. The carer brings proof on the day, such as a Blue Badge or a letter for DLA, PIP or Carer's Allowance.
No. The close is a listed site, too steep and narrow for wheelchairs. Visitors who can walk with support are welcome: there are 58 steps down and 38 up, with handrails, and support chairs can be arranged in advance.
No. Photography and filming aren't allowed on the tour, on phones, cameras, GoPros or smart glasses. Near the end a souvenir photo is taken of your group at the close, which you can buy afterwards.
Guides speak English. A free web app carries the tour in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Hungarian, Mandarin and Cantonese, plus British and International Sign Language. Bring your own headphones to use it.
It's atmospheric rather than a fright show. The tour is storytelling rooted in history: plague, poverty and the people who lived here. Some rooms are dim and enclosed, and the story of Annie's room is part of the hour.
Tell your guide. Guides carry radios and can have a member of the team take you back upstairs at any point. Some areas are dim, enclosed and dusty, so bring an inhaler if you use one.
Yes, as far as the courtyard. More than 20 lockers in different sizes take suitcases and large bags, opened with a QR code. Arrive a little early so a phone or signal problem doesn't eat into your tour time.
The attraction may refuse entry once your tour has gone down, and late arrivals usually lose the ticket. Plan to be at Admissions at least 10 minutes before your time.
Tickets are non-refundable. A change of date or time may be possible if you ask us at least a day ahead; the attraction stops all changes 4 hours before the tour and may charge a rebooking fee, which we pass on.
At the Admissions Office at 2 Warriston's Close on the Royal Mile, opposite St Giles' Cathedral and beside the arches of the City Chambers. It's about 10 minutes' walk from Waverley station.
No. The vaults are the spaces under South Bridge and the Cowgate. Mary King's Close is a separate site: a 17th-century street and its houses under the City Chambers on the Royal Mile.
Yes. There are accessible toilets on the ground floor. Use them before you go down: the tour lasts about an hour.
Not a restaurant. Mary Ogle's coffee cart in the courtyard sells drinks and snacks, named after the woman who ran the Royal Exchange Coffee House above the close in 1740. The Royal Mile has plenty of places to eat nearby.
The site is fully cashless and doesn't take American Express. With a booking through us there's nothing to pay at the door.
Only an assistance dog, arranged in advance. Other dogs can't go on the tour.
Sources: The Real Mary King's Close: the signature guided tour · The Real Mary King's Close: opening times · The Real Mary King's Close: how to find us · The Real Mary King's Close: accessibility · The Real Mary King's Close: tour FAQs · The Real Mary King's Close: booking terms · The Real Mary King's Close: meet the residents · The Real Mary King's Close: the story of Annie's doll · The Real Mary King's Close: audio guides · Wikipedia: City Chambers, Edinburgh
Down the 58 steps
Choose a date, then a tour time. We book it on the close's own calendar and email you the e-ticket.
From €49 per adult
See tour timesThe Old Town ridge from across the Mound, tenements stacked up the slope.