Before You Book The Real Mary King's Close: Every Cost, and What's Worth It
By the BeatTheCrowd team · Prices last checked 3 November · 3 min read
The Real Mary King's Close takes you underground into the hidden streets beneath Edinburgh's Royal Mile, on a guided tour with costumed characters. Prices vary by ticket type and time, children under 5 can't go, and there are themed evening tours too. Most of the options sound worth paying for. You don't need the most expensive one to have a great visit. In this guide we walk through what each option costs, what you really get, and how to choose the right one, whether that's a quiet morning tour or a busy Saturday evening.
At a glance
Standard ticket, adult
From £28.50
Standard ticket, child (5-15)
From £21
Essential ticket (where offered)
About £25 adult / £18 child
Under 5
Not allowed
Tour length
About 1 hour, guided
Photos
Generally not allowed on the tour
Quietest
Mornings and early afternoon
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The real total: entry price vs what a typical visit costs
The standard guided tour starts at £28.50 for adults and £21 for children aged 5-15, according to the official site. TicketLens also lists a cheaper Essential ticket at about £25 adult and £18 child. Children under 5 aren't allowed, for safety reasons. The tour lasts about an hour.
Visitor
What they buy
Price
Adult
Standard tour
From £28.50
Child 5-15
Standard tour
From £21
Budget
Essential tour, where offered
About £25
Tickets and entry: what each one gets you
Cost
Price (£)
Type
How to cut it
Standard, adult
From £28.50
≈ US$38
Unavoidable
Book a set time online.
Standard, child 5-15
From £21
≈ US$28
Unavoidable
Under-5s can't enter.
Essential, adult
About £25
≈ US$33
Optional
Check what's different from Standard.
Is it good for children?
The tour includes stories of plague and hardship, told in dark, narrow spaces. Our verdict: great for older children who enjoy history and a little spookiness; under-5s can't go, and some younger children may find it too dark.
What visitors say
Visitors love the costumed guides, the atmosphere of the hidden streets and the stories of plague-era Edinburgh. The most common complaints are the price for an hour and not being allowed to take photos, so the advice is to book ahead and treat it as a storytelling experience.
Prices last checked: 3 November. Prices vary with the season, peak and off-peak dates and promotions, and we recheck them every month. Visitor-reported costs are marked as estimates, and US$ figures are rough conversions.
The crowd tax: what busy hours really cost you
Our crowd data shows Mary King's Close moderate through the morning and early afternoon on most weekdays, and busy from about 5 pm to 8 pm. Saturdays and Sundays are busy from about 1 pm to 9 pm. Tours cap numbers, so the crowd tax is sold-out evening slots.
When
Crowds (our data)
What to do
Weekday mornings
Moderate
Easiest to book
About 5 to 8 pm
Busy
Book ahead
Weekend afternoons and evenings
Busy
Book well ahead
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for The Real Mary King's Close, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Quietest time
Monday, 10 pm-midnight
Busiest time
Skip-the-line and tours: when they're worth it
Every visit is a timed guided tour, so there's nothing to skip. Our verdict: book directly on the official site.
Short on time? What you'd regret missing
The hidden closes under the Royal Mile.
The plague-era stories from your guide.
Getting there
The entrance is on the Royal Mile, opposite St Giles' Cathedral.
Rules that cost money
Photography generally isn't allowed during the tour unless your guide permits it. Under-5s aren't allowed in.
What can go wrong
You bring a child under 5: they can't enter.
Evening slots are sold out: book ahead.
What one adult really spends
Level
What's included
One adult
Budget
Essential, where offered
About £25
Typical
Standard tour
From £28.50
A child 5-15 adds from £21.
FAQs
How much is The Real Mary King's Close?
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From £28.50 for adults and £21 for children 5-15 on the standard tour.
Can children under 5 visit Mary King's Close?
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No. Under-5s aren't allowed for safety reasons.
How long is the Mary King's Close tour?
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About one hour.
Can I take photos at Mary King's Close?
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Generally not, unless your guide gives permission.
When is Mary King's Close least crowded?
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In our data, weekday mornings and early afternoons. See our crowd forecast.
Heading to The Real Mary King's Close?
See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.
How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other. Crowd figures come from our own crowd data. Prices last checked 3 November. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
Saturday, 1-10 pm
When
What to expect
Verdict
Weekdays, 8-11 am
Light crowds, easy to move around and take photos. Most visitors haven't arrived yet.
Best
Weekdays, 11 am-3 pm
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. The middle of the day, without a sharp peak.
OK
Weekdays, 3-6 pm
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. Stays busy into the afternoon.
Worst
Weekdays, 6 pm-midnight
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. Steady into the evening.
OK
Saturday and Sunday
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. Busier than weekdays, as locals join the visitors.
Worst
📍 Live crowd check
See how busy The Real Mary King's Close is right now, plus today’s hourly forecast.
