Edinburgh’s Master Storytellers, Mercat Tours, are redefining the walking tour, promising to enrich and deepen your connection with Edinburgh’s people and its past far beyond your visit. Take the Story Home: evoke the memories: - Smell the leather and smoke - Touch original artefacts - Listen to the tour playlist A daytime ghost tour for kids full of tales of stinking streets, terrible tortures and ghostly goings-on. Listen to the distant clatter of a horse-drawn carriage as you explore a city built on body snatching and torture. 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. You’ll even hear what school children, like you, once packed in their school bags. You’ll finish your tour in our exclusive Blair Street Underground Vaults, once frequented by some of Edinburgh’s less-appealing characters.
In demand: 59 of the next 60 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 11.
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.
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.
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…
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Kids Multi-Sensory Underground Vaults Tour in Edinburgh lasts about 1h 15min. The itinerary has 3 stops.
Prices start at $28 per person for this Edinburgh experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM.
Children aged 5–15 pay from $28, adults from $28.
It can: 59 of the next 60 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Mercat Cross, High St, Edinburgh EH1 1RF. Look for the 8 sided monument with white Unicorn on top. You will find a member of our visitor services team waiting here to check you in. They will be dressed in black, holding an iPad, wearing an orange lanyard & holding a black & orange umbrella. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 18 participants.
Children over 5yrs only
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Amazing experience. The history is incredible, but what was really special, was our guide, Kirsty (?). She really bought it to life with facts and humour. Personally, i would highly recommend. Will book another tour when back in Edinburgh.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted you enjoyed the incredible history and the stories, facts and humour. We’d be delighted to welcome you back for another tour. Mercat Tours
I love the tours knowledge of the person was phenomenal.
Thank you for your feedback. We’re delighted you enjoyed the tour and the stories of Edinburgh’s vaults. Mercat Tours
A great experience, a great guide, great value for money. Easy to find meeting place
Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re delighted you enjoyed the tour. Mercat Tours
Veni was our guide and she was so warm and engaging for the kids, and very skilled at reading the room to see how scary she should make the tour. It was informative and genuinely interesting. The only problem was spotting the guide amongst the crowds on the Royal Mile, as the meeting point wasn't 100% clear, but I understand that the guide having to hold up a flag or anything would be cumbersome for the rest of the tour. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and will definitely go on more when my daughter's a little older. Thanks again for a great morning!
Thank you for your lovely feedback. We’re delighted you and your daughter thoroughly enjoyed the Kids Multi-Sensory Underground Vaults Tour with Veni. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to her. We also appreciate your feedback about the meeting point and are glad you’re looking forward to more tours as she gets older. Mercat Team
Our ghost tour was led by Veni and it was a fun and engaging way to learn the history of the vaults. Perfect amount of spooky for our 5 and 8 year old!
Thank you for your lovely feedback. We’re delighted your family enjoyed the tour with Veni and that it was the perfect amount of spooky for your 5 and 8 year olds. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to Veni. Mercat Team
The tour was amazing both historically and ghostly 😊 thus making it enjoyable by adults as well as kids. The guide Veni did manage to excite our minds without making the littlest too scared.
Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re delighted the whole family enjoyed the experience, from the history to the ghostly tales, and that it struck the right balance for younger visitors. We hope to welcome you all back to the Blair Street Underground Vaults. Mercat Tours
Veni was fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. The vaults are a must see!
Thank you for your feedback. We're delighted you and your family enjoyed the Kids Multi-Sensory Underground Vaults Tour with Veni. It's wonderful to hear that she helped make the experience so enjoyable and that you discovered the fascinating atmosphere of the vaults. Mercat Team
Wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to book this tour as part of my son's 10th birthday celebration. Glad I did! Linda, our tour guide, was the perfect host. Full of humor and wisdom she was the perfect person to navigate the crew of 15 tourists through an underground vault filled with history and grisly sad tales of those past on. Loved her energy and interaction with all the kids. Upon check in she asked each kids’ name and remembered everyone's name throughout the tour. Just over an hour, the tour, which meets close by the castle starts off above ground introducing landmarks continues underground, accessed by some winding steeps and wraps up in the gift shop. Well worth the hour!
Thank you for your feedback. We're delighted you chose to celebrate your son's birthday with us and that your group enjoyed exploring the Blair Street Underground Vaults with Linda. It's wonderful to hear that her storytelling, humour and interaction with the children helped make the experience so memorable. We appreciate you sharing your kind words with us. Mercat Team
We had a couple of days in Edinburgh and booked this tour because our elder son wanted to see a ghost! I was pleased to find something like this aimed specifically at children, though I was worried that both boys, being under 10, might find it a bit scary. Thankfully, our guide Nicola was brilliant at pitching the gory details just right. She had us on board from the start by getting us to participate in the tour, and was attentive in reminding us about the hazards of bollards and traffic on the Royal Mile as we walked along from location to location. Going down into the vaults was a definite highlight for my children - they loved how spooky it was. I was always looking over my shoulder thanks to Nicola's tales of ghostly happenings. The use of headsets was great - we were able to hear Nicola over the bustle of the tourist crowds on the street. And I'd definitely recommend taking the headphones off when you're underground - it really added to the atmosphere. We didn't see a ghost but we all thought it was a great experience. The elder son wanted to go back into the vaults immediately. Thank you very much, Nicola, for a fantastic time!
Thank you for your feedback. We're delighted your family enjoyed the stories, atmosphere and visit to the Blair Street Underground Vaults with Nicola. It’s wonderful to hear the experience was the right balance of spooky and fun for your children. Mercat Team
Took our Boys Briagde Company for a day trip to Edinburgh, the merkat tourvwas our last thing of the day before heading home, our Guide BO was great and kept the boys engaged the while time. Thanks
We’re delighted you enjoyed exploring the Blair Street Underground Vaults and Edinburgh’s history with our Storyteller, Bo. It’s wonderful to hear the experience was a great way to end your trip and kept the group engaged throughout. All the best, Mercat Team
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids Multi-Sensory Underground Vaults Tour in Edinburgh | 1h 15min | 4.9 (38) | $28 | |
 Multi-Sensory Haunted Underground Vaults Tour in Edinburgh | 1h 15min | 4.7 (1,864) | $36 | View |
 Exclusive Underground Vaults Multi-Sensory History Tour | 1h 15min | 4.7 (1,551) | $38 | View |
 Multi-Sensory Underground Vaults Evening Ghost Tour with Whisky | 2 hours | 4.8 (699) | $43 | View |
 Multi-Sensory Witches Trials & Truth Tour in Edinburgh | 1h 30min | 5.0 (46) | $40 | View |
 Multi-Sensory Small Group Historic Old Town Walking Tour | 1h 30min | 5.0 (22) | $40 | View |
 Underground Vaults Walking Tour in Edinburgh Old Town | 1 hour | 4.7 (9,523) | $32 | View |