Stinking streets, terrible tortures and ghostly goings-on

This tour will take you to some of the city’s most horrible haunts including a visit to our famous Blair Street Underground Vaults, exclusive to Mercat Tours. Be immersed in the sounds, smells and stories of the past. 

You’ll hear all about the creepy characters lurking in the past and the hideous real history of how people lived in 19th century Edinburgh. Listen to the distant clatter of a horse-drawn carriage as you explore a city built on witch trials, body snatching and a gruesome past of torture. Your Master Storyteller will take you to the places where history lives. 

To start, you’ll visit the winding closes of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Learn the meaning of gardyloo and hope you never hear it, grimace at the tales of Scottish witches and find out what treasure could be found buried in a 19th century graveyard (clue: it’s not gold and shiny). You’ll even hear what school children, like you, once packed in their school bags on one eventful day. 

Nowhere to hide

Experience a time when living in overcrowded closes proved as frightful as the ghoulish apparitions

Hear what jobs were available for younger members of society and get a glimpse at what a family ‘home’ might look like. 

You’ll finish your excursion beneath the streets in our exclusive Blair Street Underground Vaults, once frequented by some of Edinburgh’s less-appealing characters. Maybe you’ll even catch their whispers as you explore… 

If you’re aged 5 and over this is the tour for you!