Blair Street Vaults: Edinburgh's Hidden History

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
(1220 Ratings)
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D189qwkathrynr
May 8, 2025
Hau'd Yer Haund! - Linda was a fantastic tour guide with some incredible insights into the history of Edinburgh (and beyond!). The vaults were amazing to see and aren't something you see often. Had previously done this tour but there is now an interactive museum section at the end of the tour which just added further to all of Linda's commentary. Would highly recommend ☺️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michaelav965
May 8, 2025
Perfect - Perfect tour with Roger. It was very instructive a funny,too. You change the view on the city and be surprised about history. I recommend it to everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andy-no-social-media
May 5, 2025
Going Underground - Very interesting walking tour of old Edinburgh and the tombs underneath. Our guide was very engaging and brought the history to life.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tim_b
May 5, 2025
Great way to catch a... - Great way to catch a glimpse of the city’s history and dark underbelly. Michael was a fantastic storyteller.
Review provided by Viator
Tgoslo1
May 3, 2025
Recommened tour - We took the Historic tour. Veni was great! Informative, amusing and it was easy to understand her. We got the information about the vaults and Edinburgh past in the most interesting way. Easy to find the meeting point.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sineaddublinireland7
May 2, 2025
Highly entertaining and informative tour - Excellent, highly entertaining and informative tour. Nicola was our guide and she was EXCELLENT. I would definitely recommend doing on a visit to Edinburgh.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
691janisj
Apr 30, 2025
Great stories hidden underground - The tour was very interesting and informative. Didn't expect to learn so much of Edinburgh's history and was pleasantly surprised. Our guide, Charles - a true well of knowledge and a great storyteller with a wonderful Scottish sense of humor - made the tour unforgettable. We definitely recommend this tour as a must-see event!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R5095fkrichardv
Apr 29, 2025
Thanks so much, Charles! - The tour was phenomenal, the amount of history, interesting information and an unusual and compelling topic all roll together to make for a great experience. Charles is an entertaining story teller, knowledgeable and very able to keep your attention. I appreciated his obvious empathy for the unfortunate from Edinburgh's past.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Galbraithab
Apr 28, 2025
Well told tales of old Edinburgh in the unique underground vaults of the South Bridge - Our tour with Mercat went very well! I booked the morning of for our group of six, and while availability was limited we were still thankfully able to get a time that worked. Our tour guide Steph did a great job guiding us through the vaults and storytelling about their history. The underground vault spaces were really unique and gave new perspective about the history of life in Edinburgh. Would recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
222charlenep
May 6, 2025
Too bad for the French who don't speak English - Very good role playing with Shannon guide. But think of multilingual audio guides! I didn’t understand it’s a shame! Too bad.
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).