Fear with a Twist of Murder

The picturesque skyline of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh does plenty to hide the gruesome underbelly of what goes on beneath the dark streets of the historic city. Watch your step when you stroll along the ancient walkway because you could easily take a slip and fall into Mary King's Close where you will find the—not so secret—underground city waiting for you. The Real Mary King's Close has been welcoming tourists from many a different country for some time now, and the purpose is to show people how life was around the 1600's.

Take the Tour

Many a dark story and tale has been uncovered—albeit by accident—by researchers looking to learn about the history of the city. The murky past of Edinburgh kind of leaves you reeling in shock. You might not expect such gruesome and grotesque stories of murder and plague to come out of a city like Edinburgh, but come they do, and you can see them for real.

For the 2014 Festival Fringe, The Real Mary King's Close opened up to festival fans with The Dark Truth Tour. How about seeing some of the dirty deeds that happened during the 1600's and right up to the early 1900's? Then you have until Sunday 24th August to experience our special performance! The Dark Truth Tour has a special twist this year and, of course; we can't reveal it. However, we can tell you that it is grittier and scarier than ever, and all based in truth, the dark truth.  We have the ‘witch pricker’ and the ‘pillywinks’ test during our show and you will see some gruesome contraptions used as torture devices.

Spooky and Eerie Backdrops

The spooky backdrop of this unearthly story revolve around—among other things—Maggie Dickson, known as Half hang-it Maggie, of whose story you may have heard, but wait….you get the whole story on our tour. Join us for spooky stories and bitter twists to finish your festival experience.  Tickets can be purchased here for just £17.50.