Ghost Tours Edinburgh ScotlandMercat Tours Edinburgh: Underground Vaults Evening Ghost Tour With Whisky
Mercat Tours Edinburgh runs this 2 hour evening ghost walk through the medieval closes of the Old Town and into the Blair Street Underground Vaults after dark. It costs $41 per person, which is the highest ticket price among the Edinburgh vault tours listed here, and it is the only one that ends with a complimentary drink. The last 45 minutes sit in Megget's Cellar with a Ballantine's Finest whisky, a Skeleton Blues hazy IPA or a Scottish soft drink, while the cloaked Storyteller keeps the tales going. This page breaks down what the $41 covers, who the tour rules out and whether a cheaper listing would suit you better. Compare it with the other ghost tours in Edinburgh.
About This Tour
This is the new for 2026 evening ghost tour from Mercat Tours, a company founded in 1985 and a certified B Corporation. A Master Storyteller in a cloak leads you through the Old Town closes for 30 minutes, down into the Blair Street Underground Vaults for 45 minutes, then into Megget's Cellar for 45 minutes of stories over a drink. Audio devices carry the guide's voice, and the ticket includes the Vaults Museum with the Vaults Revealed film.
The tour is on foot, in English only, with a small group guaranteed. The listing gives no number for the group size, so ask when you book if that matters to you. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before departure, and you can reserve now and pay later.
$41 per person, booked on GetYourGuide
2 hours: 30 minutes in the Old Town closes, 45 minutes in the Blair Street Underground Vaults, 45 minutes in Megget's Cellar
The Mercat Cross, an octagonal stone monument on the Royal Mile opposite the City Chambers, postcode EH1 1RF. The finish is at Mercat Tours.
Small group guaranteed, no number stated. English only.
Exclusive access to the Blair Street Underground Vaults, the Vaults Museum and the Vaults Revealed film, and one drink in Megget's Cellar. No building entries beyond those are promised.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, with reserve now and pay later
Check Dates and Availability
The listing states no fixed start times, so starting times show when you check availability. The operator marks the tour as likely to sell out.
Quick answer Mercat Tours Edinburgh tour in brief
This Mercat Tours Edinburgh evening vaults ghost tour costs $41 per person and lasts 2 hours, ending with a free whisky, IPA or soft drink in Megget's Cellar. It rates 4.7 from 2,837 GetYourGuide reviews.
Key takeaways
- The ticket covers exclusive Blair Street vaults access, the Vaults Museum and film, audio devices and one drink. See what the price covers.
- Children under 5 and wheelchair users cannot join. See who this tour rules out.
- If $41 is too much, the same operator runs a 75 minute daytime vaults tour for $36.34 without the drink.
- Compare it with every other listing on the ghost tours in Edinburgh before you book.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $41 ticket is the highest price in this Edinburgh set, so it is worth knowing exactly what sits inside it before you commit.
What Is Included
The verified included list is short and specific: a complimentary refreshment with alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, a Master Storyteller guide, the walking tour, exclusive access into the Blair Street Underground Vaults, audio devices, access to the inclusive Vaults Museum with the Vaults Revealed film, the exclusive Sounds of Edinburgh tour playlist, and Food.
That last line needs care. The description only names a drink, one of Ballantine's Finest Scotch Whisky, Skeleton Blues hazy IPA or a Scottish-made soft drink. It promises no meal. If the Food line matters to you, ask the operator what it means before you count on eating.
- Complimentary drink: Ballantine's Finest, Skeleton Blues hazy IPA or a Scottish soft drink
- Cloaked Master Storyteller guide and TourTalk audio devices
- Exclusive Blair Street Underground Vaults access
- Vaults Museum and the Vaults Revealed film
- Sounds of Edinburgh tour playlist
What Is Not Included and What You May Pay on the Day
The listing states no hotel pickup, and none should be assumed. It names no other paid entries on the route, so no castle or close admission forms part of the price. Nothing is stated about tips, so treat a gratuity as optional and unpriced.
Bring comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing, because the first 30 minutes are on foot in the closes.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Walking tour with a cloaked Storyteller | Yes | 30 minutes in the closes, 45 in the vaults, 45 in Megget's Cellar |
| Blair Street Underground Vaults entry | Yes | Mercat Tours says it is the only company that can enter these chambers |
| Vaults Museum and Vaults Revealed film | Yes | Included in the ticket |
| One drink in Megget's Cellar | Yes | Whisky, hazy IPA or Scottish-made soft drink |
| Food | Listed, unclear | Ask the operator before counting on a meal |
| Hotel pickup | No | Not offered |
| Tips | not stated | No figure given anywhere |
Sources: Old Town, Edinburgh on Wikipedia, Edinburgh Vaults on Wikipedia
The City Chambers on the High Street sit above the buried Mary King's Close. Photo: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Route, Stop by Stop
The route has three parts, timed by the listing itself: the medieval closes, the vaults, and the cellar. It meets at the Mercat Cross and finishes at Mercat Tours.
Mercat Cross, the Meeting Point
You start at the Mercat Cross, an octagonal stone monument on the Royal Mile opposite the City Chambers, postcode EH1 1RF. The present cross dates from 1885, though an original stood here from 1365, and royal proclamations are still read from it. The listing puts you in the story from the first minute: take your place as a member of the Edinburgh mob, which once surged in riot past this very cross.
Executions and public punishments happened at the cross, including that of the Marquis of Montrose in 1650.
- Meeting point: the Mercat Cross, Royal Mile, EH1 1RF
- Start time: none stated, starting times show when you check availability
The Medieval Closes of the Old Town, 30 Minutes
The first 30 minutes walk the closes and wynds off the Royal Mile, where the listing promises grisly tales of witchcraft, torture and restless spirits. The closes are steep alleys running between tall tenements called lands, built upward from the 16th century because the city walls left no room to spread. The Royal Mile falls from 358 feet at the castle to 138 feet at the palace, and the Old Town and New Town have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.
- Duration: 30 minutes, guided
The Blair Street Underground Vaults, 45 Minutes
You then descend into the Blair Street Underground Vaults, a separate set of chambers from the Niddry Street and South Bridge vaults according to VisitScotland. Mercat Tours says no other company can enter them, a claim worth reading as the company's own. For the wider story, South Bridge's foundation stone was laid in 1785 and it opened to foot traffic in 1786, with 19 arches and about 120 rooms in the South Bridge vaults.
The rooms were meant for taverns, cobblers and storage, worked as intended for only about 30 years, then slid into slum housing and illegal gambling dens with an unlicensed whisky distillery. Records from the slum years barely exist, so most ghost stories from down there are folklore rather than documented history. Excavation in the 1980s and 1990s found thousands of oyster shells, toys, medicine bottles and plates.
- Duration: 45 minutes, guided
- Entry is exclusive to Mercat Tours by the operator's own claim
Megget's Cellar, 45 Minutes
The last 45 minutes gather in Megget's Cellar, a candlelit vault, for one complimentary drink and more stories. Your choice is Ballantine's Finest Scotch Whisky, Skeleton Blues hazy IPA or a Scottish-made soft drink crafted from natural ingredients. The listing trades ghost stories with fellow travellers as the night thickens.
The tour finishes at Mercat Tours after this, so plan your onward evening from Blair Street rather than the Royal Mile.
- Duration: 45 minutes with one drink
- Finish point: Mercat Tours
- Alcohol is served, with a soft drink option for non-drinkers
Guided Tour of the Edinburgh Vaults | 5 Minute Edinburgh History
A Mercat Tours guide in the Blair Street vaults. Third-party video by Mercat Tours. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This is an adults-first evening tour with hard access limits. Some of them are non-negotiable, so check them before you book rather than at the Mercat Cross.
Children and Access
Children under 5 are not allowed, and the listing is explicit that this is for health and safety reasons on any underground tour. Wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments are named as unsuitable. Pets are not allowed, though assistance dogs are.
The tour is in English only with no translation offered.
- Under 5s: refused on health and safety grounds
- Wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments: named unsuitable
- Language: English only
- Pets: not allowed, assistance dogs allowed
Tone and Timing
The tone is storytelling rather than jump scares. The listing promises tales of blood, guts and gore, witchcraft and torture, delivered by a costumed Master Storyteller, and Mercat Tours says elsewhere that its vault visits use no staged effects. It is still an evening tour in dark underground chambers, so frightened younger children are better served elsewhere.
If you have a family, the Afternoon Old Town and Underground Ghost Tour at $21.53 welcomes children from 5 with departures at 1:15, 3:15 and 5:15, and the same operator's Multi-Sensory Haunted Underground Vaults Tour runs in daylight for $36.34. If you want scares instead of stories, the Edinburgh Late-Night Underground Vaults Terror Tour is strictly 18 and over at $34.
- Storytelling tone, no stated jump scares
- Evening finish in a cellar serving alcohol
- Adults who want hard scares should look at the 18+ terror tour instead
Blair Street runs along the east side of the South Bridge arches. Photo: Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Could You Do It Without a Tour?
Parts of this route are free to walk any day. The parts that cost money are the parts the tour is actually selling.
What Is Free
The Royal Mile and its closes cost nothing and are walkable by day on your own. Greyfriars Kirkyard, founded in 1561-1562 on the ground of a Franciscan friary, is free to enter in its open part, with self-guided information boards in several languages, the Greyfriars Bobby grave and two mortsafes against body snatchers. Old Calton Burial Ground and Canongate Kirkyard are likewise free to walk by day.
The Heart of Midlothian mosaic, St Giles' Cathedral and the Mercat Cross all sit on the street.
- Royal Mile and closes: free
- Greyfriars Kirkyard open section: free, gate hours vary by source so check locally
- Old Calton Burial Ground and Canongate Kirkyard: free by day
What You Cannot Do Alone
The Blair Street vaults are entered only on a tour, and Mercat Tours says no other company can enter its chambers. The Covenanter's Prison in Greyfriars Kirkyard has been sealed since around 1990 and opens only on City of the Dead evening tours, by arrangement with the kirk, or on the set special opening days run by the Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard, which need no booking. That locked graveyard is precisely what a City of the Dead tour sells.
- Blair Street Underground Vaults: tour entry only
- Covenanter's Prison: locked, entered with City of the Dead or by arrangement
- Friends of Greyfriars run free tours and open days
Paid Attractions You Can Visit Solo
The Real Mary King's Close at 2 Warriston's Close runs a one hour guided tour, open 9:30am to 10:30pm seven days with departures about every 10 minutes, and photos are banned during the tour. The official pages show no ticket price, so check the official page. Surgeons' Hall Museum on Nicolson Street opens 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4:30pm and costs 10 pounds adult, 6.50 concession and 5.50 for children 5 to 15.
The Edinburgh Dungeon at 31 Market Street is a 70 to 75 minute live-actor show, with standard tickets from 19 pounds.
- The Real Mary King's Close: 1 hour, price not displayed on the official pages
- Surgeons' Hall Museum: 10am to 5pm, 10 pounds adult
- Edinburgh Dungeon: 70 to 75 minutes, from 19 pounds
What the Guide Adds
A tour buys you three things walking alone does not: the stories told well by a cloaked professional, access to a vault you cannot otherwise enter, and here a drink in a candlelit cellar to end on. If you only want the atmosphere of the closes and kirkyards, walking alone by day is genuinely enough, and the guides to the Edinburgh Vaults, Mary King's Close and Greyfriars Kirkyard cover the history for nothing. The full comparison lives on the ghost tours in Edinburgh.
Evening Itinerary
The listing gives phase durations but no clock times, so starting times show when you check availability.
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Meeting point
The Mercat Cross
Meet at the octagonal stone monument on the Royal Mile opposite the City Chambers, postcode EH1 1RF. Look for the cloaked Storyteller and the audio devices being handed out.
-
First stop
The medieval closes
A 30 minute guided walk through the Old Town closes, with tales of witchcraft, torture and restless spirits, and the story of the Edinburgh mob that once surged in riot past the Mercat Cross.
-
Middle of the walk
Descent into the Blair Street Underground Vaults
45 minutes below ground in chambers Mercat Tours says are exclusively its own, with the distant clatter of workmen and whispers of criminals that the listing promises.
-
Middle of the walk
The Vaults Museum
Included in the ticket is the Vaults Museum with the Vaults Revealed film.
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Last stop
Megget's Cellar
The final 45 minutes in a candlelit cellar with one complimentary drink: Ballantine's Finest Scotch Whisky, Skeleton Blues hazy IPA or a Scottish-made soft drink, and more ghost stories from the guide.
-
After the tour
Finish at Mercat Tours
The tour ends at Mercat Tours at 28 Blair Street.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of this listing against the other Edinburgh ghost tours compared here.
What we genuinely like
- The only tour in this set that ends with a complimentary whisky, IPA or soft drink in a candlelit cellar
- Exclusive access to the Blair Street Underground Vaults by the operator's claim, plus the Vaults Museum and film at no extra cost
- Small group guaranteed with audio devices, so the guide can be heard clearly
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and reserve now, pay later
- 4.7 rating from 2,837 verified GetYourGuide bookings
The honest downsides
- At $41 it is the highest price in this Edinburgh set, and cheaper vault tours cover the same underground theme
- The listing gives no number for the small group, so you cannot verify how small before booking
- The Includes list shows Food while the description only names a drink, so ask what food means before counting on a meal
- Children under 5 and wheelchair users cannot join, and the tour is English only
- No start times are printed, and the operator marks the tour as likely to sell out, so book early
Who it's NOT for: Families with under-5s, wheelchair users and anyone wanting a cheap short vault visit should look instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Mercat Tours Edinburgh vaults ghost tour cost?
It costs $41 per person on GetYourGuide, which is the highest ticket price among the Edinburgh ghost tours compared here. The price includes the Blair Street vaults, the Vaults Museum and one drink, and you can check every other ticket on the comparison table.
How long is the tour and where does it meet?
It lasts 2 hours, split as 30 minutes in the Old Town closes, 45 minutes in the Blair Street Underground Vaults and 45 minutes in Megget's Cellar. It meets at the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile, postcode EH1 1RF, and finishes at Mercat Tours. The route section walks through each stop.
Is the drink really included?
Yes, one complimentary drink in Megget's Cellar, with a choice of Ballantine's Finest Scotch Whisky, Skeleton Blues hazy IPA or a Scottish-made soft drink. The Includes list also shows Food, but the description only names a drink, so ask the operator what Food means before counting on a meal. More detail sits in what the price covers.
Can children join this Mercat Tours Edinburgh evening tour?
No child under 5 can join, for health and safety reasons on underground tours. For a family-friendly option see the Afternoon Old Town and Underground Ghost Tour, which runs at $21.53 from age 5.
Is it suitable for wheelchair users?
No. The listing names wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments as unsuitable. If access matters, the Edinburgh Dark History Tour at $24.23 is listed as wheelchair accessible.
How does this compare with the cheaper Mercat Tours Edinburgh daytime option?
The same operator runs a 75 minute daytime vaults tour for $36.34 with groups capped at 18 and the same Blair Street vaults, but no drink listed. This evening tour costs $41 and adds the cellar drink.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Yes, free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later to keep plans flexible. The tour is marked likely to sell out, so book a refundable spot early via the availability check.
What Travelers Said
A great tour with our guide, Kirsty totally invested in her work.
Sophie was fantastic. She was a very gauging storyteller and we very much enjoyed the tour.
A really interesting tour. The vaults were worth it. Max was a very engaging tour guide. The whisky at the end was great!
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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