Included
- Entrance to the Real Mary King’s Close
- One-hour character-led guided visit
- Access to the preserved underground street and rooms
Royal Mile · Preserved below
↓Mary King's Close Tickets
Mary King sold cloth on a busy Edinburgh street. Today, that street survives beneath the City Chambers, along with rooms where its neighbours lived and worked. Book Mary King's Close tickets for a one-hour visit with a guide in the character of a former resident, and discover the lives behind its doorways.
One exact attraction
Meet the woman behind the name
Mary was a merchant and a mother of four. In 1635, she moved her family here and bought both a home and a stall. She sold clothes and cloth on the close, earning a living on the same street where she raised her children.
Who was Mary King? — attraction historyEdinburgh: Real Mary King's Close Guided TourPowered by GetYourGuide
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The one-hour guided visit
Why visit the Real Mary King’s Close?
You can still stand in the spaces the stories describe. A sloping street, former homes and shops put daily life within reach, while the character guide explains the people who used them and what happened when plague reached the crowded closes in 1645.
Choose this visit for the lives of the close’s residents: their work, homes and experience of disease. For a ghost-led evening in the bridge chambers, compare the vault tours instead.
From £29 per personBook NowHistory at street level, only underground
Look beyond the street above
From the Royal Mile, it is easy to walk past without realising how much survives below. These views show the close’s rooms and lane before you visit, so you can picture the scale of the neighbourhood your guide will introduce.
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What the ticket covers
What your ticket includes
Allow time to arrive and confirm the selected language and start time with the provider.
Photography policy
Photography and filming are not permitted during the tour. The attraction offers a souvenir photograph after the visit.
Food and drinks are not included.
A historic route with modern limits
Can everyone manage the historic route?
The route includes steep and narrow sections, stairs and uneven surfaces. Read these access notes before booking, particularly if anyone has difficulty with steps or enclosed spaces.
96 steps in total
The route includes 58 steps down and 38 steps up, plus uneven surfaces and steep inclines.
No wheelchair access
The attraction states that a lift cannot be added to the preserved listed site.
Minimum age 5
Children under 5 cannot be admitted. Visitors under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
Dim, enclosed spaces
Some visitors may experience disorientation or claustrophobia. Asthma medication should be carried when needed.
Plan your arrival
Meeting Point
The Real Mary King’s Close
2 Warriston’s Close, High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1PGOpen in Google Maps →
Go to the Real Mary King’s Close entrance on the Royal Mile, across from St Giles’ Cathedral and the Mercat Cross. Check the start time on your booking confirmation before you set out.
Make the right underground choice
Plan a little more time in the Old Town
Mary King’s Close vs the vaults
See how the preserved street compares with the rooms inside South Bridge, and whether to visit both.
Read the guide →Walk the Royal Mile closes
Step into courtyards and a garden on a free walk along the Royal Mile.
Read the guide →What is Edinburgh’s underground city?
Discover why Edinburgh has a street beneath one building and vaults inside a bridge.
Read the guide →Traveller experiences
What visitors say about the guides
Visitors regularly single out the character guides and the detail they bring to the rooms. These summaries describe the one-hour Real Mary King’s Close tour.
Editorial summaries of verified GetYourGuide reviews. Reviews for the one-hour Real Mary King's Close guided tour. Read reviews for this exact tour on GetYourGuide →
★★★★★
Sam brought deep knowledge to what Caroline described as an Edinburgh time capsule.
★★★★★
Annabelle shared plenty of interesting detail while the group walked through the underground close.
★★★★★
Annabelle's clear explanations made the close and its stories feel alive.
Before the tour
Mary King’s Close ticket FAQs
How long is the Real Mary King’s Close tour?
The Real Mary King’s Close describes a one-hour character-led guided visit.
Is Mary King’s Close a ghost tour?
It is primarily a social-history visit through former homes and a preserved street. The attraction also tells the story of Annie’s Room, but the standard tour differs from a ghost walk through the South Bridge vaults.
Can children visit?
Children aged 5 and over can visit. Under-16s should be accompanied by an adult.
Is Mary King’s Close wheelchair accessible?
No. The route is steep and narrow, with 58 steps down and 38 up.
Can I take photographs?
No photography is permitted during the tour according to the attraction’s visitor information.
Should I book Mary King’s Close or the vaults?
Choose Mary King’s Close for a preserved street and rooms. Choose the vaults for bridge chambers and a wider choice of history or ghost storytelling.
Spend an hour with the people of the close
Follow the character guide into the rooms and lane beneath the Royal Mile. Choose your date for the one-hour Real Mary King’s Close visit.
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