The Real Mary King Close - Secrets hidden beneath Edinburgh's Royal Mile

Ever wondered what life in the underground warrens of Edinburgh was like?

AD| we were invited along for a tour of Mary Kings Close, in my opinion this is somewhere everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.

Hands down one of the best tours I've done.

Big shout out to Lewis who was our guide and did a fantastic job putting his own spin on telling the tales of life underground in one of the worlds busiest cities.

We arrived 10 minutes early as asked, so we could get checked in, watched a video on health and safety and then our guide Lewis came to take us on the tour.

As you work your way through the warren of tunnels you can hear the stories of the real people that lived and worked in the "underground" streets.

See recreated rooms of the 1600s, plague stories, a full plague Dr costume, which is amazing by the way, a recreation of how life was living with infection, ghost stories, a shrine of gifts left to a little girl ghost. Rooms that were used as a bomb shelter in WW2, the architecture is fascinating and the stories just make the tour so much more. Stories of real people, real lives and a look back into how life would have been.

We really enjoyed our visit and already planning on visiting again. The tour was really informative and to see how people were living back in the day is just fascinating.

Good to know

✨Not suitable for anyone with mobility issues, no lifts, steep and uneven in places and up and down stairs.

✨No dogs

✨It is quite warm on the tour

✨Tours last around 1 hour

✨You must stay with your group and guide, you can not wander off and if you need to leave or go to the toilet you have to let your guide know so they can arrange for someone to come a collect you.

✨Gift shop

✨Please note, photography and filming is not allowed anywhere on this tour. It's a government building and thanks to Guy Fawkes, you are now not allowed to record under a government building.  There is a photo opportunity in Mary Kings Close itself which you can purchase. We went for the £25 deal of 3 photos, key chain and magnet.

*The photos below are press photos that have been sent to me by The Real Mary Kings Close as part of a press pack.