Underground Unlocked 2025

Underground Unlocked. Step beneath the Royal Mile and experience The Real Mary King’s Close like never before.

When is Underground Unlocked?

Thursday 13th March

What’s included?

A rare opportunity to explore The Real Mary King’s Close at your own pace for up to 2 hours.

Meet and interact with up to 13 former residents of The Close.

Wander freely through preserved homes and businesses, just as they stood centuries ago.

Times

Book one of the following entry times:

18.00-18.10 / 18.10-18.20 / 18.20 – 18.30 / 18.30-18.40 / 18.40-18.50 / 18.50-19.00

The Close will be open from 18.00 until 21.00 for Underground Unlocked.

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Experience Mary King’s Close like never before

For one night only, we’re unlocking the secrets of The Close in a way few have ever seen. Underground Unlocked is a truly unique chance to step into the 17th century and witness history spring to life around you.

Unlike our traditional guided tours, this immersive event will allow you to uncover stories, interact with the past, and see The Close as it might have been—alive with voices, characters, and hidden tales waiting to be discovered.

For the first time since people lived, worked and died on the streets beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, the site of The Real Mary King’s Close bustles with life again. Roam at your leisure through preserved shops and homes, and meet thirteen former residents along the way.

Meet the formidable plague doctor, John Paulitious, and hear his grim diagnosis. Step into the world of Mary King, the determined businesswoman whose name still echoes through The Close. Or exchange words with renowned poet Robert Fergusson before crossing paths with the eerie Foul Clengers, those tasked with cleansing plague-ridden homes, as they reveal their chilling duties in Edinburgh’s past. Or pause to listen to Janet Chesney, mother of the Close’s last resident, as she shares memories of a life once lived in these very streets.

Every corner you turn, every shadow you step into, another piece of history unfolds. But only for one night. Will you seize the chance?

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Due to the exclusive nature of this event, tickets are non-refundable. Secure your place now before they disappear into the past…