Exploring Edinburgh’s Old Town Closes & Underground Vaults

Edinburgh‘s Old Town is a medieval ridge of stone tenements, narrow alleys called closes, and a hidden layer of vaults and buried streets beneath the modern pavement. This guide covers which closes are worth ducking into, how to choose between the underground tours, where to eat and drink nearby, how to get around, and which day trips make good use of an extra day.

A City Built Up Because It Couldn’t Spread Out

Edinburgh is the most dramatic city in the United Kingdom to walk through, and the Old Town is the reason. It sits on a long tail of volcanic rock running down from the castle to Holyrood Palace. Cliffs drop away on both sides, so the medieval town had nowhere to grow except upwards. After the disastrous defeat at Flodden in 1513, the burgh built a defensive wall and stayed inside it for another two centuries. Tenements climbed ten, twelve, even fourteen storeys, called “lands,” and thousands of people shared stairwells that were often steep and dark.

The closes are what’s left of that squeeze. Each is a narrow passage running off the Royal Mile like a rib off a spine, usually named for a family, a trade, or a long-vanished landmark. Some are steep staircases that tumble toward Cockburn Street or the Cowgate, some end in quiet courtyards, and a few still have the original stone paving. The “underground” of the title comes from the same pressure. When the city later built bridges across its valleys, as it did with South Bridge in the 1780s, it left chambers and streets sealed beneath them. People lived and worked in those spaces for a time before they were abandoned and forgotten.

The Old Town isn’t a theme park, though in places it can feel like one. It has the Scottish Parliament at one end and a working cathedral in the middle. It also has university buildings, flats, pubs, and a small number of residents who step around tour groups every morning. The Old and New Towns together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you’ll understand why within a few minutes of leaving Waverley station. It’s worth keeping a light touch: look up, take the odd detour, and treat the main street as a way to reach the side streets.

Walking the Royal Mile Through Its Closes

The Royal Mile is really four streets in a row: Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, and the Canongate. Walk it downhill from the castle if your knees prefer, but expect to stop every thirty metres. The closes worth your time are these:

• Lady Stair’s Close sits just off the Lawnmarket and leads to a small courtyard and the Writers’ Museum. It’s an easy, low-stakes introduction to what a close feels like.
• Brodie’s Close, also on the Lawnmarket, is named for the family of Deacon William Brodie. He was a respectable cabinet-maker and city councillor by day and a burglar by night, until he was hanged in 1788. His double life is widely cited as an inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. A pub nearby carries his name, and the story is better in the alley than on the sign.
• Advocate’s Close is the one in all the photographs. It’s a steep, stepped passage framing the Scott Monument and the New Town beyond, and it’s best around late afternoon when the light turns the stone gold. The steps get busy in summer, so go early or late.



• Anchor Close is easy to miss. In the 18th century it was home to a printing house associated with the first Encyclopaedia Britannica, and it has a rough, workaday atmosphere that’s rare on the busier closes.
• Fleshmarket Close runs steeply downhill toward Market Street. It’s named for the butchers who once worked here, and crime novel fans know it from Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus books. The long staircase at the bottom is a good place to appreciate how steep the ridge is.
• White Horse Close, down the Canongate, is a restored 17th-century courtyard of whitewashed buildings that feels like a different century. It’s one of the prettiest spots on the whole street and often empty.

A useful trick is to pick a close, walk through it, and see where it spits you out. Cockburn Street, the curving lane that links the Royal Mile to Waverley, is lined with small independent shops and cafés. The Scotsman Steps, a marble staircase renovated with a colour-graded art installation, link Market Street to North Bridge. Both give you the sense that the Old Town is stacked in layers, not laid out in a grid.

Inside the Tenements: Gladstone’s Land and Hidden Gardens

Closes show you the outside of the old city. To see how people lived, step inside one of the surviving “lands.”

Gladstone’s Land on the Lawnmarket is a tall, narrow 17th-century merchant’s house run by the National Trust for Scotland. Its floors are furnished to match the era, with painted ceilings, small rooms, and the arcaded ground floor where a merchant would have sold goods. It’s compact and rewards a slow visit. Guides in the rooms tell you what daily life involved: no running water, shared stairs, and waste thrown from windows with a shouted warning that gave Edinburgh its old nickname “Auld Reekie” for the smoke and smell. The house is small enough that timed entry sometimes applies in busy periods, so check ahead.

The Writers’ Museum in Lady Stair’s House is free and dedicated to Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. It’s a tidy half-hour with manuscripts, personal objects, and a cosy courtyard outside. For a different kind of history, the Museum of Edinburgh on the Canongate, also free, sits in a 16th-century building and holds objects from the city’s past, including the original copy of the National Covenant.

Lower on the Canongate, Dunbar’s Close Garden is a small walled garden laid out in the style of a 17th-century town garden, with clipped hedges, herbs, and benches. It’s tucked behind an unremarkable entrance and is one of the quietest places on the Royal Mile. If the crowds are wearing you down, this is where you take a ten-minute breather.

Also worth a stop is St Giles’ Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh. Look for the Thistle Chapel, an ornate small chapel built in the early 20th century for the Order of the Thistle, with carved angels playing bagpipes among the roof bosses. It’s a good reminder that the Old Town’s story is also about religion, politics, and who got to speak in the city.

The Real Mary King’s Close: What the Sealed Street Actually Is

Beneath the City Chambers on the High Street lies a group of closes that were built over in the 18th century when the Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers) was constructed on top of them. The upper floors of the old tenements were demolished and the lower floors became foundations. What remained was a warren of streets, rooms, and stairs sealed in time. The best-known is Mary King’s Close, named after a 17th-century merchant’s widow who lived there.

The Real Mary King’s Close runs guided tours with costumed characters who portray residents from different eras. It’s a well-run, tightly scripted experience, and the physical spaces are real: low ceilings, worn stone steps, reconstructed rooms showing how a plague-time household, a wealthy family, and a poor family might have lived. It runs all year and is one of the most popular attractions in the city, so book a timed slot in advance, especially in summer and during the Festival. Tickets are roughly $28 to $32 for adults, and prices change, so check the official site.

A note on the legends: the popular story that plague victims were walled up in the close and left to die is mostly folklore, and the tour itself is careful about what is documented and what is story. If you’re the sort of traveller who prefers evidence to ghost stories, this tour is the better-balanced option. It focuses on social history, trade, class, and the engineering reality of how the city was built on top of itself. Allow about an hour and expect some stairs and uneven floors, though the venue makes accessibility arrangements if you contact them ahead.

The South Bridge Vaults: Choosing a Tour Underground

The Vaults are a separate beast. South Bridge opened in 1788 as a way to cross the Cowgate valley and link the Old Town to the south side of the city. Nineteen arches support it, though only one is visible as a proper bridge over the Cowgate street below; the others are hidden by buildings on both sides. The arches were enclosed to create chambers, which were let to tradesmen like cobblers and cask-makers. The rooms were damp and poorly ventilated, and within a few decades the businesses moved out and the spaces were occupied by the poorest residents of the city. They were eventually abandoned and filled with rubble. Archaeologists later reopened parts of them.

Today several companies run walking tours into the Vaults, and they’re not interchangeable. The main distinctions are tone and format:

• History-focused tours spend most of the time on the construction of the bridge, the social conditions of the people who lived there, and the archaeology. They’re quieter, a little drier, and good for adults and older children who like facts.
• Storytelling and ghost tours lean into theatrics. Guides tell tales of poltergeists, murder, and unexplained sightings, often with the lights turned low. If you enjoy a shiver, these are great fun; if you want your history straight, they’re less satisfying.
• Combined tours try for both, with a historical frame and a dose of spooky storytelling. They’re usually the safest choice if you’re travelling in a group with mixed tastes.

Expect to pay roughly $19 to $26 per person, depending on the operator and time of day. Evening tours are more atmospheric but sell out first. Wear shoes with grip, as the floors are uneven and damp, and bring a light layer because the chambers stay cool year-round. They’re also dark, enclosed, and low-ceilinged in places, so anyone who gets claustrophobic should consider that before booking. Some tours also have age guidelines for younger children, so read the listing carefully.

The surrounding streets, Blair Street and Niddry Street, hold pubs and venues that sit within or alongside the old arches. Having a drink in a space that was once a cobbler’s workshop is a fair way to end the evening, though the nightlife in this area is lively and loud on weekends.

Greyfriars, the Grassmarket, and a Grim Medical History

The Old Town’s darker stories don’t stay underground. Greyfriars Kirkyard is a graveyard in the middle of the city, ringed by tenements, with monuments, mausoleums, and views across to the castle. It’s best known for the legend of Greyfriars Bobby, a loyal terrier said to have guarded his master’s grave. There’s a small statue of him on the corner of Candlemaker Row, and visitors often rub his nose, a habit that has worn it dark. The graveyard also holds a section known as the Covenanters’ Prison, where Presbyterian prisoners were held in the 1670s. That part is now only accessible on guided tours, partly because of the area’s reputation for paranormal reports.

For the human side of the story, take a short walk to the Surgeons’ Hall Museums on Nicolson Street. They sit in a Greek Revival building and cover the history of surgery and anatomy, including the case of Burke and Hare. In 1828, the pair murdered at least sixteen people in Edinburgh and sold the bodies to an anatomist, Dr Robert Knox, for dissection. The scandal helped lead to the Anatomy Act of 1832, which changed how bodies could be legally obtained for medical study. The museum handles the topic seriously, with pathology collections that are not for the squeamish.

The Grassmarket, a broad cobbled square below the castle, was once a marketplace and also a site of public executions. Today it’s lined with pubs, restaurants, and independent shops, and it’s a pleasant place to sit with a drink. A short climb up Victoria Street, a curved, colourful terrace of shops that is said to have inspired the look of Diagon Alley, brings you back to the Royal Mile. Several shops here sell good tweed, knitwear, cheese, and whisky, and the street is wonderfully photogenic.

Eating and Drinking: Pubs, Haggis, and Where Locals Go

Eating on the Royal Mile itself can be hit and miss, as the busiest stretches are full of places pitched at passing trade. The food gets better a few steps away, down a close or in the streets around Grassmarket, Cockburn Street, and the Southside.

Scottish staples are worth trying at least once. Haggis, neeps, and tatties is a plate of savoury minced offal and oats with mashed swede and potato, often served with a whisky cream sauce. It’s better than the description suggests, and vegetarian versions are usually available. Cullen skink is a creamy smoked haddock and potato soup, ideal on a wet afternoon. Look for cranachan for dessert, a mix of whipped cream, toasted oats, raspberries, and whisky. For something quick, there are takeaway stalls and shops on Victoria Street and around the Royal Mile selling haggis in a bun or hog roast sandwiches.

The pubs are where Edinburgh’s character comes out. Traditional spots near the Old Town include The Last Drop on the Grassmarket, Sandy Bell’s on Forrest Road, which is known for informal folk sessions, and The Royal Oak on Infirmary Street, another live folk venue. Many have a good selection of Scottish whiskies and local ales. If you want to learn what you’re drinking, the Scotch Whisky Experience near the castle offers guided tastings and a primer on regional styles, though a decent bartender will also happily steer you if you ask.

Locals tend to eat a little farther out. Stockbridge, a village-like neighbourhood north of the New Town, has a Sunday market and a good run of bakeries, cafés, and neighbourhood restaurants. Leith, the old port, has some of the city’s best seafood and several Michelin-recognised restaurants, plus an easy waterfront walk. The Southside around Newington and Marchmont is student-heavy and good for affordable meals. A short tram or bus ride gets you there, and the shift away from the tourist centre is noticeable.

Afternoon tea is a popular treat, with several tearooms around the Old Town offering scones and sandwiches in historic buildings. Booking ahead is wise for weekends. If you’re after something lighter, bakeries on Cockburn Street and around the Grassmarket do good pies, sausage rolls, and tablet, a crumbly Scottish sweet that is much sweeter than fudge.

Getting Around and Getting In

The Old Town is compact, and walking is the best way to see it. The catch is hills and cobbles: the Royal Mile climbs steadily toward the castle, and the closes can be steep and stepped. Wear comfortable shoes with grip, and expect a workout.

From Edinburgh Airport, the tram is the easiest option. It runs into the city centre, with stops at Princes Street and St Andrew Square, in about 30 to 35 minutes, and a single fare costs roughly $9 to $10. The Airlink 100 bus is a good alternative, running to Waverley Bridge, which is a short walk from the Royal Mile. Taxis and ride-hailing are quicker outside rush hour but cost noticeably more.

Within the city, Lothian Buses cover most of the area, and a day ticket costs a few dollars (check current fares). The tram line also now extends to Newhaven, which is convenient for visiting Leith. Edinburgh Waverley station sits right between the Old and New Towns, which makes it a natural hub for arriving by train from London, Glasgow, and beyond. A direct train from London King’s Cross takes around four and a half hours.

For the Old Town specifically, a taxi is rarely worth it. Traffic is slow and many streets are restricted. If you’ve got limited mobility, note that the main Royal Mile is walkable but sloped, and the closes are often stepped. Consider routes that use lifts and ramps, and look for venues that publish accessibility details.

Where to Stay

Staying in the Old Town puts you in the middle of the atmosphere, with the castle at one end and Holyrood at the other. It’s wonderful in the early morning and late evening, when the tour groups thin out. The trade-offs are noise, especially on Friday and Saturday nights and during the Festival, and steep, cobbled streets with luggage. Hotels near the Royal Mile and Grassmarket suit first-time visitors and short stays.

The New Town, just across the valley, is calmer, with Georgian terraces, wide streets, and good shopping along George Street. It’s a short walk to the Old Town and tends to feel more polished. Stockbridge has a village feel and strong restaurants, and it’s a good choice for repeat visitors who want a local atmosphere. Leith is increasingly popular with travellers who prefer a waterfront setting and good food, with a tram connection into the centre. The Southside, around Newington and the university, has more affordable guesthouses and easy bus links.

If you’re visiting in August for the Festival, book months ahead and expect prices to jump. Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) is the other peak period. Outside those windows, spring and autumn offer the best balance of manageable crowds and decent weather.

Day Trips Worth Taking

Edinburgh sits well for short excursions, and most are easy by train or bus.

• Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin is about 7 miles south of the city, reachable by bus, and famous for its intricate carvings and its role in The Da Vinci Code. It’s a small, atmospheric 15th-century chapel and a pleasant half-day trip.
• Stirling is about 50 minutes by train and has a castle perched on a volcanic crag, plus the National Wallace Monument nearby. It’s a good choice for history lovers.
• Linlithgow is a short train ride away and is home to the ruins of Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots, set beside a loch.
• North Berwick, a seaside town about 30 minutes by train, has beaches, a harbour, and views of Bass Rock, home to a huge gannet colony. It’s a relaxed contrast to the Old Town.
• South Queensferry sits beneath the Forth Bridges, three side-by-side crossings from different centuries, and has a pleasant waterfront and boat trips.
• St Andrews takes a bit longer, with a train to Leuchars and a connecting bus, but it’s worth it for the golf heritage, ruined cathedral, and old university town atmosphere.

If you want a bigger city contrast, Glasgow is about 50 minutes by train. Its Victorian architecture, music scene, and museums make it a separate adventure, not a quick add-on.

Practical Tips: Timing, Comfort, and What to Skip

The Old Town gets busiest between mid-morning and late afternoon, especially in summer. Start early, ideally before 9am, and you’ll have the closes largely to yourself. Evening is the second-best time for atmosphere, when streetlamps come on and the stone turns darker.

Dress in layers. Edinburgh’s weather changes quickly, and a showery afternoon often follows a sunny morning. A light waterproof is more useful than an umbrella on a windy ridge.

Skip the tartan-and-trinket shops that cluster near the castle if you’re after something with real quality. Look instead on Victoria Street, in the Grassmarket, and in independent shops on the Southside for woollens, whisky, and locally made goods. Be sceptical of restaurants with tout-style signs on the busiest stretches, and walk a block or two for better value.

The city is generally safe, but the Cowgate and Grassmarket can get rowdy on weekend nights. Keep an eye on your belongings in crowded areas, and stick to well-lit routes late at night, especially if you’ve been out drinking. If you are on a ghost tour in the evening, keep in mind that the walk back through the closes may be dark and steep.

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📷 Featured image by Kate Bielinski on Unsplash.