Edinburgh’s Underground City: What Is Really Beneath the Streets?
Discover how a bridge acquired rooms and a street disappeared beneath the City Chambers.
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Edinburgh · Guides
↓Edinburgh Underground Guides
Find the rooms beneath South Bridge, follow the Old Town’s narrow lanes and read the stories that have gathered around them. These guides bring together the history, walks and practical details for your visit.
Six practical ways to go deeper
Choose a story, a walk or a practical guide
Start with the underground-city guide to understand the places below your feet. Follow the closes for a free walk, read the vault legends for a darker evening, or explore the people behind Edinburgh’s plague, witchcraft trials and anatomy trade.
Mary King’s Close vs Edinburgh Vaults
Compare a character-led visit through former homes with the history and ghost tours inside South Bridge.
Read the guide →The Royal Mile Closes
An eight-stop walk through courtyards, views and a garden, with directions and time to look around.
Read the guide →Are Edinburgh’s Vaults Haunted?
Read the stone-circle legend, meet Mr Boots and find the room said to offer protection from him.
Read the guide →Underground Tour Accessibility
Published stairs, minimum ages and mobility information, plus an alternative to making the descent.
Read the guide →Edinburgh’s Dark History
Follow three episodes through named lives, surviving places and museum objects.
Read the guide →Ready to see the places for yourself?
Choose a guided visit to the preserved close or the bridge vaults, from social history to an evening of ghost stories.
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