Edinburgh's underground city

Often celebrated as one of Europe's most beautiful cities, the Scottish capital of Edinburgh boasts a beautiful skyline and wonderful architecture. However, this charismatic city has as much going on underneath its charming cobblestone streets as it does above. Indeed, Edinburgh's underground city has become the stuff of legend, with many tourists and experts in other-worldly affairs reporting ghostly sightings in its vaults and hidden streets. As a result, the underground city has become a popular tourist attraction with the hundreds of thousands of visitors the capital receives every year, and there are many different tours to choose from.



The first stop on any tour of Edinburgh's underground city should be the highly accessible and enjoyable Mary King's Close. This attraction, located on the historic Royal Mile, features tour guides that act as fictional 17th century characters to really get visitors in the mood for an unusual experience. The streets themselves are a fascinating maze of arches, exhibits and sloping pavements. Now underground, the streets were once actually open to the air and home to a thriving community in the 1600s. During the course of the tour, the tale of how they came to be underground is slowly revealed. Mary King's Close offers a great introduction to Edinburgh's underground warrens and, although it is unsuitable for children under five years old, it's a great attraction for older children and young teenagers without being too scary.

However, if you desire a slightly spookier experience, head to the South Bridge Vaults. While Edinburgh's North Bridge is still clearly visible over Waverley Station, almost all the nineteen arches of the South Bridge are now hidden after newly-erected tenement buildings enclosed them in the 1700s. Today, only one arch is still visible, the Cowgate arch, with the rest forming the South Bridge Vaults. Known for their historic association with illicit underground activities and the Burke and Hare murders, many paranormal sightings have been reported in the Vaults. If you're visiting Edinburgh in the summer and hope to see the Vaults however, make sure you book your place several months in advance, as tours can fill up very quickly.



While it's relatively easy to walk around Edinburgh, it's a good idea to think about hiring a car on your holiday. Car hire in Edinburgh is easily available and can be particularly convenient for visitors staying on the outskirts of the city. What's more, while exploring the underground city, your tour guide may be able to suggest other sites of interest in the surrounding area that will shed light on the myths and secrets surrounding Edinburgh's hidden streets.



Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.