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Edinburgh Vaults: Historic Underground Tour
4.7
1,414 Ratings
Edinburgh
Explore Edinburgh’s hidden history on a 5-star small group tour of the Blair Street Underground Vaults. Discover secrets beneath the South Bridge.
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 a master storyteller at the Mercat Cross, who will guide you through the closes and wynds as you 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. Embark on a…
- Mercat Cross - Join a master storyteller at the Mercat Cross, who will guide you through the closes and wynds as you 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. 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.
- Mercat Tours - Extend your exploration in our Vaults Museum, where genuine historical artifacts and engaging interactive displays offer deeper insights into the vaults’ history.
What's Included
- Visit to our Vaults Museum, with interactive 3D models and the Vaults Revealed audio-visual display
- Exclusive access to Blair Street Underground Vaults
- Touch original artefacts
- Enhanced with hand-picked sounds of Edinburgh and delivered through TourTalk audio devices
- Smell the Leather and Smoke in this Multi-Sensory Tour
- Exclusive Sounds of…
- Visit to our Vaults Museum, with interactive 3D models and the Vaults Revealed audio-visual display
- Exclusive access to Blair Street Underground Vaults
- Touch original artefacts
- Enhanced with hand-picked sounds of Edinburgh and delivered through TourTalk audio devices
- Smell the Leather and Smoke in this Multi-Sensory Tour
- Exclusive Sounds of Edinburgh Tour Playlist
- Exclusive multi-sensory tours; with master Storyteller guides
Additional Information
Edinburgh’s premier storytellers, Mercat Tours, are transforming the walking tour experience, offering a deeper and more meaningful connection with the city’s people and history that lasts beyond your visit.
Take the Story Home: Relive the Memories:
- Experience the scent of leather and smoke
- Feel original artifacts
- Enjoy the tour’s curated…
Edinburgh’s premier storytellers, Mercat Tours, are transforming the walking tour experience, offering a deeper and more meaningful connection with the city’s people and history that lasts beyond your visit.
Take the Story Home: Relive the Memories:
- Experience the scent of leather and smoke
- Feel original artifacts
- Enjoy the tour’s curated playlist
Gain exclusive entry to the Blair Street Underground Vaults. Constructed in the 18th Century beneath South Bridge, Mercat Tours is the sole walking tour company with this privilege.
Beneath the lively streets of Edinburgh’s Old Town, uncover a shadowy, damp world that has remained untouched since the 18th Century. Embark on a multi-sensory exploration of the Blair Street Underground Vaults, where history is perfectly preserved, and discover how these chambers became a refuge for the city’s most impoverished residents.
This is not just a walking tour; it’s an essential immersive experience.
- Children over 5yrs only
- Tours are guaranteed all year round, so please dress for the weather, with comfortable shoes.
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.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(1414 Ratings)
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Kkoffern
Mar 14, 2026
Fun Tour - Michael was a great tour guide of the vaults! He was a great storyteller, and we learned a lot!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K288dcjustinel
Mar 9, 2026
Vault Tour Experience - We have booked the Vault Tour Experience. We were greeted by Veni in a very warm and friendly way. We were very lucky because there were only two of us (together) so we were allowed a private tour! Veni showed us around a few streets on and around the Royal Mile before taking us underground. The tour is friendly and very interesting historically. Veni makes things even more alive with her good humor and imagination. A museum at the exit also shows us some archaeological items. You come out of the tour looking at the streets differently. Go ahead!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
485robbiew
Mar 1, 2026
Vaults tour - Very enjoyable and informative. Mally was a wonderful tour guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elisebp3417hi
Mar 1, 2026
Passioante visit - Veni was an exciting guide! We have learned a lot about the history of Edinburgh and its underground city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z9558xgchristopherb
Feb 28, 2026
Brilliant tour, with great guide. - Linda our guide very informative and explained everything we wanted to know. Recommend to see the vaults an experience you’ll never get. Changing your perception of Edinburgh.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davidfr719vx
Feb 24, 2026
Craig was great - Craig was a fantastic and passionate guide, there only end up being one other couple and my girlfriend and I absolutely loved our tour. Highlight of our trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamielufc1919
Feb 22, 2026
Historic Vaults - We recently visited Edinburgh for the first time and a friend of ours recommended visiting the underground vaults. We decided to book a tour with Mercat Tours and had a really positive experience.
Our tour guide Veni was lovely and really easy to talk to. She was informative and told great stories about the areas of Old Town and the Blair Street Underground Vaults that we visited as part of the tour. She definitely knows her Scottish history!
The use of audio equipment ensures you don’t miss anything and the staff are attentive before the tour begins (and during) should you encounter an issue that could impact your experience.
Would definitely book on another tour when we return to Edinburgh.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dalels3689fw
Feb 21, 2026
Highly recommend - Very professional and well run company. From start to finish we were made to feel very welcomed and comfortable within our group. At the start of our tour, We were given free headphones to listen to our guide crystal clear within the busy city. The vaults were incredible and highly recommend to anyone. Our guide Michael was amazing. His vast knowledge about Edinburgh and the vaults was incredible. His history and facts were simply flawless and he was extremely funny in how he presented his guide. If you were to book this guided tour, I’d definitely ask for Michael. Only downside is we would have loved some free time to explore the vaults and take more pictures for ourselves as we were directed to the exit and gift shop the moment the tour ended with is a shame.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Franziska2012
Feb 21, 2026
No better way to spend time in EH!!! - Such an incredible experience! Michael was full of passion and historical knowledge. We love it and learned soooo much! Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Caroline
Feb 20, 2026
A must do when in Edinburgh! - Informative, great fun, friendly. Lots of jokes while learning about the history of Edinburgh. Would be enjoyed by all ages. Very accommodating and a clearly a great company. We loved our tour guide Linda and the use of headphones was an added bonus. So pleased we did this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
