Edinburgh’s Old Town is built in layers. When the South Bridge was thrown across the Cowgate valley in the 1780s, its nineteen arches were walled in and divided into more than a hundred vaults, used as workshops, wine cellars and taverns. Damp soon drove the tradesmen out, and the city’s poorest moved in; the vaults were finally sealed and forgotten until the 1980s.
A few hundred metres away, Mary King’s Close and its neighbours were partly demolished and built over in the 1750s to make a level platform for the Royal Exchange. The lower storeys survive beneath what is now the City Chambers, complete with rooms, stairs and street surfaces.
Above ground, Greyfriars Kirkyard supplies the ghosts and the loyal dog Bobby, and the curve of Victoria Street supplies the Harry Potter connection — J. K. Rowling wrote much of the series in Edinburgh’s cafés, and names on Greyfriars’ gravestones will be familiar to readers. Together they fuel a thriving trade in guided walks, most of them very good.
Top things to do at Old Town Vaults, Ghosts & Harry Potter
Go down into the South Bridge vaults
The vaults can only be visited on a guided tour. Daytime tours concentrate on history; evening tours lean into the ghost stories. Both use the same atmospheric, candle-lit chambers.
Visit The Real Mary King’s Close
A one-hour guided visit beneath the Royal Mile, led by a costumed character. It is the most complete underground street and the best choice for history rather than horror. Book a timed slot.
Take a Harry Potter walk
Tours visit Victoria Street, Greyfriars Kirkyard, George Heriot’s School and the cafés associated with the books. They are light-hearted and work well with children.
Finish with a whisky
The Scotch Whisky Experience at the top of the Royal Mile, and the Holyrood Distillery beside the park, both offer tours and tastings — see tours & tickets.
How to get to Old Town Vaults, Ghosts & Harry Potter
- Meeting points: most tours start on the High Street section of the Royal Mile, near the Tron Kirk or the Mercat Cross beside St Giles’.
- From Holyrood Park: 15–20 minutes’ walk up the Canongate.
- From Waverley station: five to ten minutes on foot.
Insider tips
- Evening ghost tours are a natural end to a day that began on the hill — but book ahead in summer and around Halloween.
- The vaults are cold, damp and uneven. Wear sensible shoes, and note that most underground tours are not suitable for very young children or wheelchair users.
- Greyfriars Kirkyard is a working churchyard and free to enter; be respectful around the graves.
Best tours & tickets for Old Town Vaults, Ghosts & Harry Potter
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to Old Town Vaults, Ghosts & Harry Potter:
Ghost tour from €31 Edinburgh: Haunted Underground Vaults and Graveyard Tour
The classic Edinburgh evening: down into the 18th-century vaults beneath the South Bridge, then on to a graveyard by night, with tales of body-snatchers, plague and witch trials along the way. More than 7,000 reviews. Not for small children or the claustrophobic.
- The vaults beneath the South Bridge
- A historic Old Town graveyard after dark
- Dark history told by a costumed guide
History tour from €28 Edinburgh: Underground Vaults Tour
A one-hour, history-led visit to the vaults built into the arches of the South Bridge in the 1780s: workshops and taverns first, then slums and illicit stills. With more than 12,000 reviews, it is the most-booked way to see underground Edinburgh, and gentler than the night-time ghost tours.
- The hidden chambers under the South Bridge
- History rather than horror
- One hour — easy to fit in
Guided attraction from €34 Edinburgh: The Real Mary King’s Close Guided Tour
Beneath the City Chambers lies a warren of streets and houses buried when the Royal Exchange was built over them in the 18th century. A character guide leads you through homes that last saw daylight centuries ago, with the story of the 1645 plague told without gimmicks.
- A 17th-century street sealed beneath the Royal Mile
- Costumed character guides
- Timed entry — book ahead in summer
Walking tour from €21 Edinburgh: Harry Potter Magical Guided Walking Tour
Edinburgh is where much of Harry Potter was written, and this hugely popular tour visits the places said to have inspired it: the curve of Victoria Street, the gravestones of Greyfriars Kirkyard and the cafés where the early chapters took shape. Light-hearted, family-friendly and very well reviewed.
- Victoria Street and Greyfriars Kirkyard
- The cafés and schools linked to the books
- Fun for families — more than 13,000 reviews
