Guided Tours

Edinburgh: Historic Underground Vaults Walking Tour

Duration

1 hr 15 mins

Free cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience

Book now, pay later

Book now without paying anything. Cancel for free if your plans change.

Guided tour

Follow an expert English-speaking guide to the Blair Street Underground Vaults, and uncover its mysterious history, including its destitute inhabitants.

Get exclusive access to Edinburgh’s Blair Street Vaults, the city’s oldest and deepest vaults, on a 75-min guided walking tour.

Follow your expert English-speaking guide through the vaults, hear about its history as taverns and storage spaces, and learn about their poor residents.

Hear about the poor living conditions faced by those living in the damp, dark vaults as you walk through the wynds, closes, and the Blair Street Vaults.

Visit the Discovery Room, where interactive 3D models and 19th-century artifacts provide insight into the vaults' construction and past inhabitants.

75-min guided walking tour of Blair Street Underground Vaults

Entry to the Blair Street Underground Vaults and the Discovery Room

Visit Vaults Museum, featuring interactive 3D models & Vaults Revealed audio-visual display

Interact with authentic artifacts from the vault

Expert English-speaking guide

Small group of max 18 people

Audio devices

Hotel transfers

Food and drinks

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

Go underground on an immersive walking tour through Edinburgh’s oldest vaults, led by award-winning guides with exclusive access to this hidden 18th-century world.

Getting started

Begin your tour near the Royal Mile, where your Mercat Tours guide will greet you, check your ticket, and provide audio devices before leading you to the South Bridge vaults.

What to expect

You’ll descend into the Blair Street Underground Vaults—Edinburgh’s deepest and oldest network of 18th-century chambers. Unchanged for centuries, these damp, echoing spaces hold real stories of poverty, survival, and the city’s forgotten lives.

Features

Exclusive vault access: Explore vaults built beneath South Bridge in the 1700s, accessible only through Mercat Tours.

Multi-sensory experience: Feel the chill, hear the silence, and smell the city’s past in these time-locked stone chambers.

Georgian-era history: Learn why the vaults were constructed and how they became a refuge for the destitute.

Award-winning storytelling: Let your guide bring these historic spaces to life with vivid, unforgettable narratives.

Vaults Museum visit: Wrap up in the Discovery Room with real artifacts and interactive exhibits that reveal even more of the vaults’ past.

Perfect for history lovers and curious minds, this atmospheric tour offers rare insight into Edinburgh’s underground story.

Additional information

Children between the ages of 5 and 15 years and seniors above the age of 65 enjoy reduced pricing upon presentation of a valid ID.

Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly.

Please arrive at the meeting point 15 mins before the scheduled time of your tour to avoid any delays.

Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Meet your guide at Mercat Cross.

Address: High St, Edinburgh EH1 1RF, United Kingdom.

Get directions to the meeting point