Edinburgh Vaults: Historic Underground Tour

Explore Edinburgh’s hidden history on a 5-star small group tour of the Blair Street Underground Vaults. Discover secrets beneath the South Bridge.

Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Mercat Cross - Join the master storyteller at the Mercat Cross, who will guide you through the closes and wynds, allowing you to immerse yourself in the essence of Edinburgh’s history.
  • Edinburgh Vaults - Hidden beneath the lively streets of Edinburgh’s Old Town lies a shadowy, damp realm that has remained untouched since the 18th Century….
What's Included
  • Exclusive access to Blair Street Underground Vaults
  • Visit to our Vaults Museum, with interactive 3D models and the Vaults Revealed audio-visual display
  • Exclusive multi-sensory tours; with master Storyteller guides
  • Enhanced with hand-picked sounds of Edinburgh and delivered through TourTalk audio devices
Additional Information

Beneath the lively streets of Edinburgh’s Old Town lies a shadowy, moist world that has remained unchanged since the 18th Century. Embark on a multi-sensory adventure into the Blair Street Underground Vaults, where history is impeccably preserved, and discover how these vaulted chambers became a refuge for the city’s most impoverished residents.
Inhale…

Location
Mercat Cross
High Street
Mercat Cross, High St, Edinburgh EH1 1RF. Look for the 8 sided monument with white Unicorn on top. You will find a member of our visitor services team waiting here to check you in. They will be dressed in black, holding an iPad, wearing an orange lanyard & holding a black & orange umbrella.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(1267 Ratings)
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Erick
Jul 22, 2025
Historic value - I absolutely loved the Historic Value Tour! From start to finish, it was an unforgettable experience. I took the tour with Veni, and she was absolutely fantastic. Her deep knowledge, engaging storytelling, and genuine passion for history brought every location to life in the most captivating way.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Loran
Jul 20, 2025
Great tour - Tour guide Mally was terrific! Great information, engaging and interesting. Loved learning more about this fair city and the vaults
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patricia_s
Jul 17, 2025
Vaults - Excellent Very informative. Lots of history Wouldn’t recommend for small children because of the darkness
Review provided by Viator
Sightsee50449148644
Jul 16, 2025
Would recommend! - Veni was our guide and we really enjoyed it! Very informative and interesting. I previously did another tour with another operator and I didn’t like that one us much as the Mercat Tour one
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Petrasx5504kr
Jul 14, 2025
Vault tour - Last Wednesday we did a Vault tour, our tour guide was Mally. What a great storyteller he is, kind, friendly and he told us about the vaults in a very interesting way. We saw Edinburgh in a new light. Is was absolutely fascinating seeing the underground world we knew nothing about. Thank you Mally for making our visit to the Vaults so memorable. Petra & Anniek, Netherlands.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sharonln2128dz
Jul 14, 2025
Don’t miss this tour - Excellent tour by guide Marina. She really captured and set mood for the underground experience. Definitely worth the visit
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bobsv1334ng
Jul 13, 2025
Will do again! - Marina was amazing! Very good story teller, very easy to understand, and a fantastic tour guide. I live locally, and when I often recommend Mercat tours to friends when they visit. I don't always go along, but I'm glad that I did.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Razzziel
Jul 13, 2025
Pretty cool tour - Pretty cool tour, without all the shenanigans of the ghost tours but with a pinch of tasteful storytelling to help imagine what the spaces would feel like back in the day. Linda was a great guide. The headphones technology was very helpful, although once away from the noisy high street, it's also nice to remove them and enjoy the acoustics in the vaults.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joosth761
Jul 10, 2025
Interesting and also a bit exciting. - The guide was a good storyteller about the history of the city. With the visit to the vault, you could easily put yourself in the shoes of what it would have been like to live there. Very worthwhile
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yosepha585
Jul 16, 2025
Great Guide, but the Experience Didn’t Match the Price - I joined the Mercat Underground tour with Michael, who was genuinely knowledgeable and engaging. He did a great job sharing stories and historical facts - his presentation was the highlight of the experience. That said, I personally found the tour itself underwhelming. The underground portion lasted less than 45 minutes, and while the introduction gave some context about the old city, the spaces we visited were mostly dark, empty rooms with limited visual elements. Much of the experience relied on verbal descriptions of what once took place there. In my opinion, the £28 ticket price didn’t quite match the content or duration of the tour. While some visitors may enjoy the storytelling aspect, I felt it was not as immersive or atmospheric as expected. Overall, it’s worth considering if you’re deeply interested in Edinburgh’s hidden past — but if you’re looking for a visually engaging or interactive experience, it may not be the best value. I’m giving one star purely for Michael’s effort and delivery.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $36
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).