The Real Mary King’s Close
Explore a hidden underground world beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile at this unique five-star Edinburgh attraction. A costumed past resident of Mary King’s Close will guide you through a warren of narrow streets, telling the strange stories of this mysterious underground site.
Mary King’s Close History
Mary King’s Close and its surrounding streets were not always underground. In the 1600s, they were open to the skies and filled with residents and market traders. Mary King was a prominent merchant who traded in fabric and the close was named after her.
However, during the construction of the Royal Exchange in 1760, the close was partly demolished and buried beneath the new building’s foundations. Closed to the world, it became the subject of ghost stories and urban legends.
In 2003, the network of closes re-opened as a visitor attraction called The Real Mary King’s Close. Giving historical tours of underground Edinburgh and an amazing insight into our city’s rich past.
‘My partner and I throughly enjoyed Mary Kings Close. The tour guide was really enthusiastic and the history was so intriguing. Fantastic trip overall. Couldn’t recommend enough.’
– The Real Mary King’s Close Tripadvisor Review
Touring the close
Guided tours run daily, where past residents of the close are brought to life through actors in costume. Your character guide could be a chamber maid, a plague doctor or perhaps a romantic poet. They will show you around the network of streets and explain what life was like for those who lived there.
‘I have been four times, I love the trip through the history of Edinburgh the living conditions of locals, social history and the ghost stories all from excellent friendly tour guides with a passion and flare for taking you on the tour’
– The Real Mary King’s Close Tripadvisor Review
Ghost stories
The Real Mary King’s Close tour focuses on historical facts, so this is not a ghost walk. But there are more than a few spooky stories surrounding the close! During the tour, you’ll be taken to Annie’s Room, where the spirit of a little girl named Annie was first felt in the 1990s by Aiko Gibo, a psychic who was making a film about haunted places. The girl had lost her doll and so Gibo bought her one and left it in the room for her. From then on, visitors to the close have brought dolls and toys for Annie, which are regularly donated to the local children’s hospital.
