The Edinburgh Tour Guide
They both sit underground in Edinburgh's Old Town, both get sold as "haunted history," and both show up in the same "things to do" lists, but they're not the same tour, not the same building, and not really the same experience. Here's the actual difference, and which one fits what you're after.
Mary King's Close is a real 17th-century street, character-guided, more history than horror. The Vaults (South Bridge) are 18th-century storage chambers that became slum housing in the 1800s, which is where the genuinely darker, ghost-story-driven reputation comes from. Want history, go Close. Want a scare, go Vaults. Have time for both, do Close first, Vaults after dark.
What's actually underground
Mary King's Close was a real street, named after Mary King, a businesswoman who lived there in the 1630s (the name was only attached about 48 years after her death). The tenements lining it stood up to twelve storeys high and stayed open to the sky for nearly two centuries, until 1753, when the upper floors were demolished and the new Royal Exchange was built directly on top, burying the lower storeys under the city. Contrary to the popular myth, it was never sealed off to trap plague victims: the space kept a legal working life underground, as workshops and storage, for decades afterward, right up until the City Chambers took it over as an archive in 1897. It reopened as a guided attraction in 2003 and is now one of Edinburgh's most-visited sights.
The Edinburgh Vaults are a different site entirely, and about 150 years younger. South Bridge was completed in 1788, and the space underneath it was built out into roughly 120 storage chambers across several floors. Merchants used them for about thirty years until damp and poor air made them useless for storage, after which the city's poorest residents moved in, alongside illegal whisky stills, gambling dens, and, per local legend, the body-snatching trade that supplied Edinburgh's medical schools. The Vaults were abandoned and filled with rubble by the mid-1800s, forgotten for over a century, then rediscovered in the 1980s and properly excavated in the 1990s. Today only a fraction is open to visitors: Mercat Tours owns the Blair Street section outright, while other operators, including Auld Reekie Tours, run separate chambers reached from Niddry Street, off the Cowgate.
Book the tour that matches what you want
The Real Mary King's Close: Guided Tour
If "underground Edinburgh" to you means real stories over horror, this is it. It drew a record 257,000+ visitors in 2023, so same-day slots do sell out.
Mercat Tours: Blair Street Underground Vaults
Mercat owns this stretch of the Vaults outright, so the storytelling is built around real history rather than a generic haunted-house script.
Auld Reekie Tours: Niddry Street & Cowgate Vaults
Add Greyfriars Kirkyard for the 90-minute version, or a shorter 60-minute vaults-only tour is also available with this operator.
Side by side
| Mary King's Close | Edinburgh Vaults | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Buried 17th-century street | 120+ storage chambers under South Bridge, built 1788 |
| Tone | Historical, character-led | Ranges from atmospheric to full horror, depends on operator |
| Good for kids | Yes, generally | Daytime tours yes, the 90-minute evening tour no |
| From | Official site pricing, book direct | £24 to £29 depending on operator and length |
Quick answers
Are the Vaults the same as Mary King's Close?
No, different buildings, different centuries, different history. They just both get marketed as "underground Edinburgh."
Which one is more "haunted"?
The Vaults have the stronger paranormal reputation and lean into it more in the marketing. Mary King's Close plays it more historical, less horror.
Can I do both in one day?
Yes, Close in the afternoon and a Vaults tour in the evening works well and gives you the contrast.
Was Mary King's Close really sealed to trap plague victims?
No, that's a persistent myth. The upper storeys were demolished and the site built over in 1753, more than a century after Edinburgh's worst plague outbreaks, and people kept working legally on the lower floors for decades afterward.
About this guide
Written by Diego Fresno, Independent travel writer and researcher. Guides are based on first-hand research in Edinburgh and verified against operator and official sources for the 2026 season. Verified: August 2026. About the author →