The warren of hidden streets lies underneath Edinburgh’s City Chambers (Image: The Real Mary King’s Close)
For one night only, visitors will have the chance to explore a hidden network of underground streets dating back to 17th century , offering a glimpse of what life was like hundreds of years ago.
The crammed warren of historic streets lying underneath ‘s capital city was sealed off around 200 years ago, preserving the homes and businesses where real people lived, worked and died between the 17th and 19th century.
The byways, called Mary King’s Close after a merchant who lived there in the 1600s, were reopened in the late 19th century and turned into an award-winning attraction around two decades ago.
The Real Mary King’s Close company launched regular tours of the insight into Edinburgh’s history in 2003, giving guests the chance to learn about streets’ hidden stories, led by a character tour guide playing a character from its past.
But a one-time-only event on March 13 will give locals and tourists unprecedented access to the underground network, letting them roam around at their leisure for up to two hours.
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The underground alleyways have been preserved beneath Scotland’s capital city (Image: Getty)
A host of character guides will be on-hand throughout the evening to shed light on what life was like during the plague and to pass on the myths and legends swapped by residents in years gone by.
The tour has been named the UK’s best tourist attraction and was ranked 11th best in Europe in TripAdvisor’s 2024 Travellers’ Choice Awards.
The upcoming event will offer visitors the chance to immerse themselves in the city’s history more than ever before however – with period figures dotted around the alleyways including Mary Queen of Scots, the poet Robert Fergusson and the plague doctor John Paulitious.
“During the one-off experience, guests will meet and interact with up to 13 historic residents, and step inside preserved homes and businesses, exactly as they stood centuries ago,” general manager Paul Nixon told The Herald.
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Mary Queen of Scots will be among the characters on-hand to share stories about Edinburgh’s past (Image: Getty)
“We wanted to give an idea of what the streets would have been like back in the 17th century when the Close [was] bustling with life,” he added.
The immersive experience will take place between 6pm and 9pm on March 13, and is priced at £40 per person, with tickets on sale now.
The Real Mary King’s Close welcomed a record number of visitors in 2024, with over 282,000 people delving beneath the city’s streets to explore its “hidden” past, according to the attraction,
Recent visitors described it as an “amazing” insight into Edinburgh’s history and “worth every penny” on TripAdvisor.
“You feel and see the history down there,” one person said. “It’s like stepping back in time.”
“A really brilliantly preserved [piece] of history,” another added. “Well worth a visit!”