Festive Experience at The Real Mary King’s Close

Christmas is around the corner, and what better way to kick-start your Christmas celebration than on an unforgettable tour of The Real Mary King’s Close. Make this Christmas memorable in the best way possible by taking part in one of our Christmas tours and learning what life used to be like. Christmas in the forgotten underworld of Old Edinburgh was a world away from the celebrations familiar to most of us today as it was in fact a normal working day! Book your bespoke festive tour with us and step back into an alternative Christmas with the denizens of the Real Mary King’s Close.

Types of Tours

We have a range of bespoke tours to choose from to guarantee you and your group have a wonderful time. As well as our Christmas tour, you can enjoy a murder mystery evening, discover the dark truth on a late night tour or even book out the close for your own private party. We have so many options, so browse the types of tours on our website to learn more about them.

Have a Drink With Us

To make the tour of The Real Mary King’s Close even more exciting and eventful, you can choose to pre-order a delicious festive drinks reception with pastries and drinks of your choice. You and your tour party can take part in this offer before the tour and even after if you wish. This reception will add a little something extra to your overall Christmas tour experience.

Character Tour Guide

Need a tour guide with a difference? You are in luck! You don’t have to wait until you arrive to start your foray into Edinburgh’s murky past. You and your party can pick your own historical character tour guide to meet you at your chosen location. We can collect you at your hotel, a restaurant, workplace or elsewhere, and walk with you to Real Mary King’s Close.

More Information

The Christmas tours at Real Mary King’s Close are a popular winter attraction as we aren't ever affected by weather conditions. Each tour can accept a maximum of 20 people or 12 people for drinks and canapés. Give us a call on 0845 070 6244 for more details and to find out about group bookings.

Celebrating the Darker Side of Scottish History

Those interested in history should head to Edinburgh this November to experience a programme of thoroughly fascinating events with Scotland’s History Festival. Running between 13th and 30th November, the festival brings new ways of appreciating and understanding history to people of all ages. The underpinning ethos of the festival is that ‘every table should have a spare seat devoted to history’. Join us as we celebrate and relive the darker side of Scotland’s history at The Real Mary King’s Close.

The Dark Truth

We are honoured to be included in the festival, as we aim to give our guests only the facts during their historical tour of our underground warren. Due to roaring success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, we have chosen to put on some special performances of our Dark Truth Tour on Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Sunday’s during the November’s festival. The first show kicks off at 6.30pm on Sunday 16th November and you can pre-order your tickets from our website for only £14 per person.

Our Dark Truth Tour is full of dark and deathly deeds, as your tour guide recalls just how cruel the Old Town could be. You will meet various characters, such as the Witch Pricker and the Craig Family. Be careful though, as they are infected with the plague! However, you should feel safe in the hands of the good Doctor George Rae and his assistant Foul Clenger, who fully intend to protect you from the vile disease. Oh, and they are also on hand to make sure you don’t run into Burke and Hare, the notorious grave robbers and murderers who sell their cadavers to the hospitals.

Gather your friends

Each tour has a limited amount of space, with a maximum of 20 people allowed on each tour. Your unique experience begins around 6.30pm, when you are transported back to the 16th century to journey through the stories and histories of Edinburgh’s dirty and dangerous past. Come and join us for a spooky trip down memory lane.

A Chillingly Good Time This Christmas

While the rest of the city is singing ‘Deck the Halls’ and looking out for flying reindeer, we invite you to delve deep underground this festive season at The Real Mary King’s Close. We are one of the only attractions open throughout the winter season, allowing your family to enjoy the perfect day out whatever the weather. We even stay open until 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights.

Scary Solstice 

Many people head to The Real Mary King’s Close to enjoy all the fun of our unique Halloween events, but we also put on a chillingly good do at Christmas. Forget the turkey and paper hats, we can help you organise a Christmas party experience with a difference. Whether you want a private tour or a chance to chat with other high spirited groups, we can ensure your festive party plans run smoothly. To book your private tour, get in touch with our Sales Executive Lucy on 0131 225 0675 or by email.

Underground Party

If you choose to book a private tour , your party will be treated to some tasty festive delicacies before we guide you on a historic trip through time to Christmas past. The party food is available on request and can include festive treats such as mince pies, canapes, and some liquid courage, to ease you into your pending adventure. You will find out how the residents of the Real Mary King’s Close lived and died in extreme poverty, as your very own costumed character guides you through your journey.

The tour takes in some of the darker sides of the history of Edinburgh’s old town, as seen through the eyes of some of its strange and colourful past inhabitants. Feel history come alive with the sights, smells and sounds of a bygone era, as you hear stories of Edinburgh's past residents.

Festive tours always fill up fast, so do book soon and join us to celebrate Christmas on the Close.

Murder Mystery Office Parties

Entertaining business guests can sometimes leave you flummoxed, especially if they are not strangers to your offices or your city. It is possible that you may have already taken them to most or all of the main local attractions, and it can leave you wondering how you can continue to impress them. Well, look no further. Our team have been busy planning ways to help local businesses impress their clients and we think we’ve come up with a unique way to put a smile on their faces.

Murder Mysteries a la Agatha Christie

We don’t actually bring Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot to solve a murder, but that is where your guests come in. We can offer you a private evening of murder mystery that transports you back to 1943.  You and your guests will experience the previously unexplored era of The Real Mary King’s Close, when the underground streets of Edinburgh were used as air raid shelters during World War II.

The scene is set when guests are invited to a party held by the Lord Provost to honour the war heroes. As the air raid siren sounds, sharply and abruptly, you find yourself ushered into the shelter along with the rest of the party, where it is soon discovered that most heinous crime of murder has been committed.

You and your guests are then split into four groups to search for clues, answer questions and piece together exactly what happened. You will hear character testimonies and accounts of their whereabouts while you work together to solve the mystery.

Team Building and Exploration

Thanks to the perfect mix of exploration and theatre, you will find that this is a great exercise in team building and a whole lot of fun too. Corporate guests can benefit from getting to know each other better as you work together to solve the murder case. It is also great for teaching people a little about how everybody works at the same time as having lots of fun.  Booking is simple and we can accommodate various size groups, so just get in touch for further details!

Welcome to the 2014 Close Fest

Here at The Real Mary King’s Close, we like to give our visitors a genuinely fun and interesting experience. We constantly try to think of ways to enhance your experience and this year’s Close Fest should keep your whole group happy.  Last year was our first ever Close Fest and it was such a massive hit that we have decided to do it again this year!

The 2014 Programme

Our 2014 programme of events launches on the most appropriate day of the year, Halloween. This marks a week long spectacular filled with entertainment, history and spooky fun for most of the family. Children under five probably shouldn’t come with you because of the nature of our attraction, but those over 5 are more than welcome.

So, if you think you know exactly what is hidden underneath the streets of Edinburgh, think again. You aren’t likely to experience anything as close to the immersive experience you will have at one of our Close Fest events. No venue comes close to offering this level of unique fun!

Oct 31st The Dark Truth Tour - prepare to be terrified on a journey into the underground history of the most ancient city in Scotland.

Nov 2nd Hamish James Hawk and Special Guests - Hamish is a singer who blends many contemporary Scottish themes in his repertoire of songs. He’s definitely one to watch for the future!

Nov 3rd Everyman - this one-man play is a must see and charts the achievements of the main character’s life.

Nov 4th The Essence of Flamenco - the flamenco takes on a new twist, so join us and learn this passionate dance.

Nov 6th Charles Edward Stuart - a Close Encounter - Arran Johnston brings to life the man behind the ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ myth. Come and meet the man who would be king.

Nov 7th Beneath the Surface - Think you know about Scottish history? Think again. This late night tour takes you beyond the normal tourist stories to discover a darker past.

Nov 8th Murder Mystery Evening - the Lord Provost has invited you back to 1943 to help solve the mystery of who committed this hideous crime.

Come for some Spooky Fun

Close fest certainly puts an interesting twist on a night out! Why not round up some friends and join us for this week long series of events? Tickets are now available to purchase online or at our box office, so book yours not to avoid disappointment!

The Spookiest Places to Visit in Edinburgh in the Fall

The Fall is a magical time to pay a trip to Edinburgh. The tree-lined hills surrounding the city are russet red, warm pubs with inviting fireplaces beckon from the old streets and there are atmospheric adventures and activities for the whole family to enjoy.

 “Grassmarket by night” by Geograph, licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0

The haunted city

Ghosties, ghoulies and things that go bump in the night are always a strong attraction for those visiting Edinburgh at this time of year.  The dark and mysterious history of the city reaches from deep below its underbelly to the high streets of the aristocracy. Edinburgh is and always will be a city of historical mystery, where grave robbers, ghosts and spirits roamed in the night.

Edinburgh Castle

When you visit Edinburgh during the day, the Castle will tell you many historical tales. The history of the castle alone is fascinating, but the stories of its residents are much more interesting.  The building itself is a marvel, with trails, dungeons and cold stone towers to keep you wandering for hours.  The beautiful castle is well worth seeing during your day visit.

Edinburgh by Night

Well, Edinburgh in the evening truly is a spectacle that will create a trip to remember. If you visit our great city during the autumn or winter months, nights will begin to draw in around 4pm and the city will become the perfect setting for a night out with a difference.

Real Mary King’s Close

You can start your night with a visit to The Real Mary King’s Close where you can learn the truth about how people really lived in Edinburgh’s underground streets. We are one of the only attractions that stay open during the winter season and our last tour starts at 5pm meaning it’s a great way to start a night of exploring the darker side of Edinburgh’s past.

Ghostly tours

If exploring our underground streets gives you a taste of the weird and wonderful, then why not book onto the ‘City of the Dead’ tour. This explores the legendary ‘Underground City’ where entire communities lived in squalor. It was dirty and grimy and reported to be ‘as black as Satan’s jammies’.

If being spooked by that isn’t enough, head off on the ‘Auld Reekie’ tour where you can see the vaults and graveyards, including the South Bridge Vaults to experience a bone chilling trip through the murkiest part of Edinburgh.

Check out our guides for visiting Edinburgh for more help with planning your trip.

Enjoy a Family Day Out in the Edinburgh Underworld

The October holidays can be tricky for parents across the country. The weather is normally beginning to turn wintery so outdoors activities are often ruled out. The kids however are still full of energy and will be looking for ways to stay entertained! Why not give them something different with a trip deep underground in Edinburgh.

This October, we have a fantastic deal to share. It’s a limited offer, so get in quickly to ensure you don’t miss out. For the October half term break only, we are offering 15% off the price of a family ticket. 

More details

So, you are probably wondering just how this all works. Well, it’s simple; from 1st October until 2nd November, you just bring the whole family along, with two adults and two children aged from 5 to 15 and the four of you can get a discount.  The kids must be older than five because of the nature of the Mary King’s Close attraction can be unsettling for younger children. Family tickets cost just £35.70 helping you save money.

Is it really spooky?

You will find plenty of real-life tales of spooky goings-on and dastardly misdeeds beneath the sleepy streets of Old Edinburgh. You can learn the stories of how people used to live in these narrow streets, how the plague attacked the community and how people learned to survive from day to day in the slums.  We like to make sure that kids can learn a little about Scottish history while they enjoy themselves. It is much easier to teach a child history when that information is disguised in something much more interesting than a lecture. We aim to bring fun to the historic stories and tell them with gusto and personality.

So, come and join us during half term and give your kids the ultimate family day out in Edinburgh at the Real Mary King’s Close. Tickets can be purchased in advance here or on the door on the day.