The Real Mary King's Close

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The Real Mary King's Close Making Edinburgh's hidden history unmissable. BOOK ONLINE FOR YOUR TOUR!
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Imagine a warren of streets frozen in time beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile where behind every twist and turn secrets lie waiting to be told...

The Real Mary King’s Close is a five star visitor attraction located in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

22/10/2026

What does it take to bring a secret society back to life?

We went behind the scenes of The Cape Controversy to meet the directors bringing this extraordinary night to life beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

Food and storytelling intertwine. Secrets pass between guests. Historical figures draw you deeper into their world. And you won’t simply be watching from the sidelines.

Who you meet, what you discover and the choices you make will shape your night.

The Cape Controversy
📅 Saturday 28 November
🍽️ A 4-hour immersive theatrical dining experience

The question is no longer what will happen.

It’s what will you do when you’re part of it?

Book now https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/whats-on/the-cape-controversy/

21/10/2026

A little piece of Mary King’s Close history has come home.

A few weeks ago, we put out a call to help us find a saw made by Andrew Chesney, whose family lived and worked on Mary King’s Close.

We haven’t found the saw… yet. But we have found the next best thing!

We’re over the moon to now have a hand plane that belonged to Andrew Chesney himself, complete with his name stamped into the tool.

Manufactured by D. Malloch & Sons of Perth, the plane would once have been used by Chesney in his work. Now, after all these years, it has returned to the Close where his story began.

There’s something rather special about welcoming an object like this back into the spaces connected to the person who once used it.

And the hunt continues! If you have an Andrew Chesney tool, particularly one of his saws, we’d love to hear from you.

There’s nothing we love more than sharing Edinburgh’s hidden history with you... although Halloween treats from Mimi’s B...
19/10/2026

There’s nothing we love more than sharing Edinburgh’s hidden history with you... although Halloween treats from Mimi’s Bakehouse come dangerously close. 🎃🧁

So, in the spirit of spooky season, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Mimi’s Bakehouse for a giveaway bringing together two Edinburgh favourites.

One lucky winner will receive:

🎟️ 2 tickets to The Real Mary King’s Close
🧁 1 Halloween Cupcake Box
🍬 1 Trick or Treat Mini Sharing Box

The perfect combination of hidden history and Halloween treats.

To enter:
👀 Follow The Real Mary King’s Close and Mimi’s Bakehouse
💬 Leave a comment telling us who you’d bring along for a tour

📍 Please note: The winner must be able to collect their Mimi’s Bakehouse prize from one of their Edinburgh locations, or live within EH1–EH24, EH28–EH33 or EH52 for delivery.

Entries close 26 October. The winner’s tickets to The Real Mary King’s Close will be valid for 1 full year to redeem.

Good luck!

17/10/2026

You: “I’m fine.”

The plague doctor: “Are you sure?”

You: “I’M FINE.”

When you’re desperately trying to convince the plague doctor you don’t need to spend the next 6 weeks in quarantine… 😅

Meet Edinburgh’s former residents and discover the realities of life, illness and medicine in the city’s past at The Real Mary King’s Close.

And remember: act natural. Definitely don’t cough.

On a day like today in 1774, the poet Robert Fergusson died in Edinburgh, aged just 24.His life may have been short, but...
16/10/2026

On a day like today in 1774, the poet Robert Fergusson died in Edinburgh, aged just 24.

His life may have been short, but his influence was anything but. Fergusson became one of Scotland’s great poetic voices and an important inspiration to Robert Burns, who openly acknowledged the influence of the Edinburgh poet on his own work.

More than 250 years later, Fergusson is about to play a part in another Edinburgh story.

This November, he is a key figure in The Cape Controversy, our new immersive dining experience inspired by the real Cape Club and the characters and ideas of 18th-century Edinburgh.

We won’t tell you quite how Fergusson fits into the controversy just yet…

Some secrets are better kept a little longer.

This isn’t dinner and a tour.It’s four hours inside a story.For one extraordinary weekend, The Real Mary King’s Close wi...
15/10/2026

This isn’t dinner and a tour.

It’s four hours inside a story.

For one extraordinary weekend, The Real Mary King’s Close will become the setting for The Cape Controversy, an immersive dining experience inspired by Edinburgh’s real Cape Club.

Across the evening, you’ll explore our historic closes as a theatrical world unfolds around you. You’ll meet its characters, witness immersive performances, become part of secret conversations and enjoy a feast woven into the experience itself.

And you won’t be watching it all from a theatre seat.

You’ll be right in the middle of it.

With a limited audience and the uniquely preserved streets beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile as its setting, this is The Real Mary King’s Close as you’ve never experienced it before.

The Cape Controversy
Saturday 28 November 2026
Four-hour immersive dining experience

Your place inside the story awaits here https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/whats-on/the-cape-controversy/

13/10/2026

It’s 1650 in Scotland. You’ve been accused of witchcraft.

You’ve denied it.

But that might only be the beginning.

This October, join our Lantern Led Tour and discover a darker side of Edinburgh’s history, including tales of witchcraft and the chilling figure of the witch pricker.

With only the flickering light of a lantern to guide you through the Close, familiar spaces take on a very different atmosphere after dark.

🏮 Running every evening from 18.00 throughout October.

Book it here https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/whats-on/lantern-led-tour/

11/10/2026

A very nice box indeed. 💀

If you also believe there’s no such thing as too many trinkets, our historic Burgh Courtroom gift shop might be a dangerous place for you.

From curious keepsakes to reminders of Edinburgh’s history, there’s plenty to discover.

The important question: what would you keep in your skull trinket holder?

10/10/2026

Meet Gordon, our Operations Manager!

He might be relatively new to The Real Mary King’s Close, but he’s arrived at a particularly exciting time.

From experiencing the Close by candlelight on our Lantern Led Tours to The Cape Controversy, our new immersive dining experience, there’s plenty happening over the next few months. And that’s before we even get to Christmas... or some of the plans already taking shape for next year.

We caught up with Gordon to find out what he’s most excited about.

We also asked him a very important question about the plague. Naturally.

Have a watch 👇

08/10/2026

Mrs Mann knows something is going on.

There have been whispers in her Isle of Mann tavern. Secret conversations, suspicious comings and goings, and meetings that certain gentlemen would rather keep behind closed doors.

Perhaps she’ll tell you more herself…

Take a closer look at The Cape Controversy, our immersive dining experience coming to The Real Mary King’s Close this St Andrew’s weekend.

Across four hours, you’ll meet characters inspired by Edinburgh’s past, explore the closes after hours, dine, drink and find yourself drawn into the story unfolding around you.

This isn’t a story you simply watch from the sidelines.

Saturday 28 November 2026. Limited places available.

https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/whats-on/the-cape-controversy/

Are you ready to be let in?

Address

2 Warriston's Close, High Street
Edinburgh
EH11PG

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Friday 12:15pm - 9pm
Saturday 9am - 9pm
Sunday 9am - 7:30pm

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