What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 10pm Tuesday 9am - 10pm Wednesday 9am - 10pm Thursday 9am - 10pm Friday 9am - 10pm Saturday 9am - 10pm Sunday 9am - 10pm

Mercat Tours

Home
United Kingdom
Edinburgh
Mercat Tours

'History is a damn good story, what it needs is a damn good telling' - and Mercat does! Local, indep
(766)

'𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 '

𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙣! �
Enjoy immersive storytelling experiences as you explore Edinburgh's Old Town.

𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩 �
You'll have a deep connection with the people and places of the past and build remarkable memories of Scotland's ancient and beautiful capital.

𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙔𝙤𝙪, 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 �
Choosing us, a local, independent family

business and Living Wage employer, means you support an ethical 'Good to Go' team rooted in our local community since 1985. We respect and support like-minded people to ensure everyone's experience of Edinburgh is the very best it can be.

30/09/2024

🎃 HALLOWEEN GHOST TOURS 🎃

Step into the shadows. Unveil the spirits of Edinburgh's deepest underground and darkest tales this Halloween.
👉 Running from 25th October – 2nd November

There's nothing quite like taking a ghost tour of Edinburgh's most haunted vaults at the most haunted time of the year: All Hallows’ Eve.

Join us for a traditional Celtic Halloween as we celebrate with spine-tingling tours:

💀 Haunted Halloween
Experience Edinburgh’s Old Town streets and the Blair Street Underground Vaults at their most haunted, if you dare.

🕷 Raising the Dead
Explore Edinburgh’s Old Town before venturing into the haunted Blair Street Underground Vaults, then tread under the cover of darkness to Canongate graveyard, known for its restless residents.

🕯 Halloween Underground
A Halloween underground ghost tour of Edinburgh’s most haunted vaults.

👻 Spirits of Halloween
A Halloween ghost tour of Edinburgh’s shadowy closes and vaults, with a glass of witches’ brew to finish.

Learn more & book your tickets here! https://ow.ly/ye2W50Tx5mt

[Image descriptions: five photos overlaid with the information in this caption: a Mercat Storyteller and two visitors in Borthwick’s Close, a Mercat Storyteller holding a lit candle and reaching towards a tour group in the Blair Street Underground Vaults, a Mercat Storyteller leading a group of visitors through Canongate Kirkyard, a Mercat Storyteller gesturing into a room of the vaults, a Mercat Storyteller sharing a tale with two visitors in a corridor of the vaults. End description]

27/09/2024

No tomfoolery here! 🤭 We’ve only just gone and secured B Corp certification, Living Hours accreditation AND Fair Tax Gold Standard!

On World Tourism Day, we're celebrating our highest global awards yet!

Since Mercat Tours started 39 years ago, our focus has been on connecting people, places and the past through the power of storytelling while also creating the very best working environment for our wonderful team who make everything that we do possible.

🌳 B CORP CERTIFICATION
We are the first exclusive visitor attraction in the UK to secure the accreditation!
This means that Mercat meets B Lab's standards for social & environmental performance impact, accountability & transparency.
Every B Corporation is scored in five impact areas: Workers, Environment, Customers, Community, Governance.

⏰ LIVING HOURS EMPLOYER
The Living Hours standard asks employers to provide fair contracts that give employees security & stability.
We’ve been a Living Wage UK Employer since 2016, and Living Hours is the natural next step progression!

📄 FAIR TAX ACCREDITATION
It might sound slightly dry, but money is important! Tax contributions are a crucial part of the positive social & economic impact made by businesses.
The accreditation scheme from Fair Tax Foundation recognises organisations that pay the right amount of corporation tax at the right time & in the right place.

At our heart is a promise to make meaningful connections that benefit everyone. These awards prove that we do. To learn more about all three of these causes, read the blog here! https://ow.ly/TYhN50Tcqwn

[Image descriptions: slide one: 5 Mercat team members wearing black and orange jump for joy in Borthwick's Close in Edinburgh, image credit: Malcolm Cochrane; slide two: a group of 10 Mercat employees standing in front of the Edinburgh Mercat Cross, smiling a Living Hours Employer graphic is in the bottom left corner; slide three: a Mercat Storyteller begins a tour with a group of 5 people at the Mercat Cross, a white 'Fair Tax accredited' logo in the bottom right corner. End description]
UKinbound Scottish Tourism Alliance Tourism Cares VisitScotland Visit Edinburgh

26/09/2024

We’re thrilled to have been named a finalist in the Living Wage Scotland Awards’ Outstanding Leadership category!

We’ve been a Living Wage Employer since 2016, paying our team above the Real Living Wage. We’re always looking for ways to improve across the whole Mercat experience, and that includes everyone from our team to our visitors.

Congratulations to all finalists! 🌟

[Image descriptions: slide one: a Mercat Storyteller with their back to the camera leads visitors up the Royal Mile on an Edinburgh history tour, orange text reading ‘Mercat Tours’ on the back of her jacket; slide two: a dark blue graphic with the Living Wage Scotland Awards logo at the top, and white text that reads ‘Finalist 2024’ and below, ‘Outstanding Leadership.’ End description]

25/09/2024

What secrets will you uncover?

For over 200 years, the Blair Street Underground Vaults have sat beneath the city of Edinburgh. Once home to shop owners, cobblers and criminals, they hold centuries of memories and centuries of artefacts.

Join us this Saturday, 28 September for an Evening of Archives & Artefacts interactive workshop!

Hold history in your hands. After a tour of the vaults, you’ll head to Megget's Cellar for the unique opportunity to get hands-on with genuine artefacts.

Book your place here. 👉https://ow.ly/iCNY50Tu6mS

[Image descriptions: slide one: an archway in the Blair Street Underground Vaults looking into a candlelit room with tall ceilings; slide two: hands holding a bottle artefact from the Edinburgh vaults. End description]

23/09/2024

Why not take a break and flip through your souvenir guidebook while surrounded by centuries-old artefacts?

Our Discovery Room gives you the chance to learn more about the history of the Blair Street Underground Vaults or sit down for a breather at the end of your tour.

Visit the Discovery Room on a Ghostly Underground or Historic Underground tour—book tickets here! 👉 https://ow.ly/JjlR50TtgVo

[Image description: two visitors sit on benches in the Mercat Discovery Room, surrounded by artefacts from the Edinburgh vaults and reading a souvenir guidebook. End description]

21/09/2024

We’re happy to announce that we’ve joined the Scotland Loves Local campaign!

Scotland Loves Local puts localism at the heart of a stronger, greener, fairer Scotland.

When we love local, we can create better places to live, work and visit. By loving local, you’re choosing to back local businesses and build stronger communities.

To learn more, visit Scotland's Towns. ✨

[Image descriptions: a Mercat Storyteller begins an Edinburgh history tour at the Mercat Cross, the blue Scotland Loves Local logo in the top right corner. End description] Town and City Gift Cards Lovetovisit.com

18/09/2024

Did you catch the filming last week? 👀🎥

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein adaptation, Prodigal Father, was seen all over Edinburgh (as were the background actors dressed in full mid-19th century regalia).

Did you spot Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth or Oscar Isaac?

Something tells us that if you like Guillermo del Toro films, you'll also enjoy a visit to Edinburgh's underground vaults...

Dive into the city’s Gothic history with us—visit us here. 👉https://ow.ly/tJec50Tp3wC

[Image descriptions: slide one: Canongate blocked off to cars and populated by horse-drawn carriages and people in mid-19th century dress, a section of the street covered in dirt; slide two: a group of people breaking a set that includes wooden structures and a green wagon labelled ‘Apothecary’; slide three: a series of candlelit rooms of the Blair Street Underground Vaults. End description]

17/09/2024

Archaeology workshops and book events about haunted Edinburgh—what more could you need?!

We host unique events throughout the year, and now you can keep track of them with our new Featured Tours page!

🏺 Evening of Archives & Artefacts
Saturday, 28 September
A rare opportunity to view and handle objects uncovered during the excavation of the Blair Street Underground Vaults.

👻 Hauntings & Heritage: How literature captures the dark side of Edinburgh history
Saturday, 23 November
Bestselling authors Alex Howard and Lucy Ribchester discuss how both classic and modern novels depict dark times, dark topics and the supernatural in Edinburgh’s past.

Don’t miss a thing! Go ahead and bookmark the page for unforgettable events.

[Image descriptions: one: hands holding a translucent blue bottle artefact from the Blair Street Underground Vaults; two: two books sitting amongst autumnal decor like leaves and candles, Murder Ballad by Lucy Ribchester open to its title page and The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard on top of it; three: the Mercat Tours Featured Tours page, featuring information about the two events mentioned in this caption. End description] Black & White Publishing

14/09/2024

History is all about stories. The problem is that those stories were written by educated people, for other people with the ability to read.

Folklore, of which ghost stories form just one realm, are spoken stories created and passed on by those who couldn’t write to those who couldn’t read.

In the case of Edinburgh’s Blair Street Underground Vaults, these stories often feature people who were overlooked by those who could afford a trip to the shopping street above.

Descend into Edinburgh’s underworld and discover the stories of Edinburgh's underground vaults. Read the blog here. 🕯 https://ow.ly/21Tq50Tl0AC

[Image description: a Mercat Storyteller holding a candle while on a ghost tour of the Edinburgh vaults, the Blair Street Underground Vaults. End description]

12/09/2024

Congratulations to Mercat Tours on their Living Hours accreditation! Read their new case study on our website to find out how they offer secure working hours as a seasonal tourism business - link in comments 👇

11/09/2024

Just arrived in Edinburgh to start uni? Welcome! 🤗

Grab your new friends & flatmates and join us for a tour of the city to uncover the sordid secrets of your new home.

Unearth the real history of the closes currently being used for filming, visit Edinburgh’s underground labyrinth and discover how the city’s universities played a role in the body snatching epidemic of the 19th century.

Go for straight history or delve into Edinburgh’s ghost stories — find the best tours for every mood here! ✨ https://ow.ly/L9yH50Tl0xZ

[Image descriptions: one: a Mercat Storyteller leads an Edinburgh ghost tour in an empty courtyard; two: a series of candlelit stone rooms with vaulted ceilings in the Blair Street Underground Vaults; three: an illustration of a man placing what looks like a body wrapped in a sheet in the Edinburgh underground vaults. End description]

10/09/2024

🔥Royal Flames: a limited-edition tour!🔥

Embark on the path of a 19th-century firefighter’s journey through the ancient cobblestone streets of Old Town Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Hear the tales of daily life and the fiery trials that engulfed the city, including the Great Fire of 1824.

We’ve produced a very special tour with Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage to celebrate the bicentenary of the Scottish Fire Service.

👉 Sat 21st September
2:30pm-3:30pm

Book your tickets here! https://ow.ly/fHoN50TiLeM

[Image descriptions: slide one: a statue of James Braidwood holding a fire helmet, a sandstone building in the background; slide two: a Mercat Tours Storyteller stands at the base of a statue of James Braidwood with two visitors; slide three: a graphic depicting Edinburgh landmarks engulfed in flames with information about the Royal Flames tour—all of which can be found through the link mentioned above. End description] VisitScotland Visit Edinburgh

07/09/2024

5 haunted places to visit in Edinburgh this autumn 👻🍂

🕯 Edinburgh vaults
The Blair Street Underground Vaults were built in the 1700s & are home to ghost story after ghost story. At one point, people lived down here, but darker stories from the area revolve around criminals.

☠ Graveyards
Kirkyards like Canongate are littered with watchtowers, mausoleums, and mortsafes, all measures intended to keep bodies in the ground. The city wasn’t scared of zombies, but it was scared of the Resurrection Men than dug up the recently buried and sold them to the medical school...

⚔ Gallows
On the corner of the Royal Mile and George IV Bridge, you’ll find brass cobblestones to mark the place where public executions once took place.

💀 Parliament Square, the former graveyard
Now a carpark, you might not realise that this area was once a graveyard. It makes you wonder; how many unmarked graves are you walking over as you pass by St Giles now?

👻 Royal Mile closes
It’s no secret why these alleys are rife with ghost stories, like Johnny One Arm or the Cannibal of Canongate. Even now, they’re dark, narrow passageways where sounds echo unpredictably...

Explore these places and more on an Edinburgh ghost tour. Treat yourself to one to kick off autumn! Find the best ones here. 🍂 https://ow.ly/W0SF50Te9S0

[Image descriptions: one: a corridor leading into a candlelit room in the Blair Street Underground Vaults; two: gravestones and a stone wall in Canongate Kirkyard; three: brass cobblestones embedded in pavement; four: a Mercat Storyteller leads a group through Parliament Square, next to St Giles; five: Stevenlaw’s Close at night, the roof made of glowing cut-outs of flying birds. End description]

06/09/2024

5 fun Friday facts to kick off your weekend! 🖐️

Prepare for your trip to Edinburgh by learning a few details about our great historic capital!

1. The Mercat Cross (which makes up our logo!) was once a place to gather news and watch Royal Proclamations, like the declaration of a king or queen's succession.
2. The Blair Street Underground Vaults are one of Edinburgh’s most haunted locations!
3. Mercat Tours has been running history tours in Edinburgh for 39 years! We were started in 1985 by a small group of history teachers.
4. The city once had a problem with body snatching...which is why you'll find iron bars and watchtowers in our graveyards.
5. Mercat Tours is B Corp certified by B Lab! That means we’re part of a global movement with 70 other Scottish businesses dedicated to benefitting all people, communities and the planet. 🌳

Learn more about Edinburgh & how we're striving to make it an even better place to live in, visit and experience here! https://ow.ly/oZvj50Tcq2t

[Image descriptions: slide one: 6 Mercat team members standing in front of the Edinburgh Mercat Cross, holding black letters that spell B Corp, image credit: Malcolm Cochrane; slide two: an arched doorway in the Blair Street Underground Vaults; slide three: a black and white film photo taken c. 1990s/2000 of a Mercat Storyteller leading a group of visitors down the Royal Mile; slide four: the inside of a mausoleum at Canongate Kirkyard, iron bars over the graves; slide five: five Mercat team members laughing as they hold up letters that spell B Corp in Borthwick's Close. End description] UKinbound Scottish Tourism Alliance Tourism Cares VisitScotland Visit Edinburgh

04/09/2024

Did you know the Blair Street Underground Vaults are one of the most haunted places in the UK? 👻

The deepest and most extensive section of the South Bridge Vaults, they were built in the 1780s and have accumulated ghost story after ghost story since then.

Have you ever visited?

Now’s your chance on a Ghostly Underground tour, if you dare. Tickets here. ✨ https://ow.ly/XIHm50Tcs6Q

[Image descriptions: slide one: a candlelit corridor in the Blair Street Underground Vaults; slide two: a Mercat Storyteller leads a visitor on a ghost tour of the Edinburgh vaults. End description]

02/09/2024

The secret is out! 🤭

We've achieved cast iron proof (x3!) that ‘good business does good’ with our highest global awards yet.

🌳 Certified B Corporation™ - FIRST UK visitor attraction
⏰ Living Hours Employer - FIRST Scottish tourism business
📄 Fair Tax Accreditation

⭐ B CORP CERTIFICATION
We have achieved B Corp certification! What does that mean, you ask?

It means that we’ve met, and will continue to meet, the world-renowned high standards of B Lab for social & environmental performance impact, accountability & transparency.

Even more exciting? We're the first exclusive visitor attraction in the UK to secure the accreditation!

Since Mercat Tours started 39 years ago, our focus has been on connecting people, places and the past through the power of storytelling while also creating the very best working environment for our wonderful team who make everything that we do possible.

In addition to receiving our B Corp status, we're also proud to have become the first Living Hours by Living Wage UK accredited tourism business in Scotland and to have received the Gold Standard in Fair Tax Mark, from Fair Tax Foundation.

At our heart is a promise to make meaningful connections that benefit everyone. These awards will help us continually improve & ensure we deliver the highest social and environmental benefits we can while we ‘give history a damn good telling!’ to all our visitors, from near & far.

To learn more about all three of these causes, read our blog here! https://ow.ly/K9f950TaM2k

[Image description: 5 Mercat Tours team members stand in the Blair Street Underground Vaults in Edinburgh, holding light up letters that spell B CORP. End description]
UKinbound Scottish Tourism Alliance Tourism Cares VisitScotland Visit Edinburgh

Image credit: Malcolm Cochrane

01/09/2024

It’s September which means it’s officially spooky season, right?!

Let’s kick off autumn with things you can do year-round, no need to wait until October!

🪦 Visit a haunted graveyard!
Our favourite is Canongate Kirkyard, but Greyfriars Kirkyard is a close second

🏰 Take in the history of the city before searching for ghosts at Edinburgh Castle
Do a Secrets of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile tour and then spend the afternoon walking the ancient castle ground—you never know what you might find

👻 Visit the haunted Blair Street Underground Vaults
These are the most haunted Edinburgh vaults—why not try a ghost tour, if you dare?

🕯️Take a bit of haunted Edinburgh home with you
Visit us at 28 Blair Street to pick up the perfect souvenir: candles made from the remains of candles burned down in Edinburgh’s underground vaults

What are you most looking forward to doing this autumn?

[Image descriptions: slide one: the Canongate Mercat Cross in Canongate Kirkyard, a raven sitting on its pedestal and surrounded by fallen leaves; slide two: Greyfriars Graveyard in autumn, with fallen leaves and orange trees surrounding the graves; slide three: Edinburgh Castle as seen from Princes Street Gardens, surrounded by red autumn trees; slide four: the leather-clad hand of a Mercat Storyteller leading a tour in the Blair Street Underground Vaults; slide five: two candles, a pillar and a skill, lay amongst autumnal decorations like leaves, pine cones and lit candles. End description]

30/08/2024

Ever wanted to be an archaeologist, even for just a day?

Ever wondered what real 18th century artefacts feel like, the details you’d find if you could take a closer look?

If you said yes to any of these, you should join us for an Evening of Archives & Artefacts this September!

We’ve selected items from our collections that illustrate life in the Blair Street Underground Vaults throughout their history, and this is your chance to get up close with them.

⛏ First, descend into Edinburgh's vaults and discover why they were built and who used them.

📖 Then, settle into the underground Megget’s Cellar with Mercat’s resident archaeologist. Delve into city archives and handle real artefacts as you uncover further secrets of Edinburgh.

Evening of Archives & Artefacts
👉 Saturday, 28th September 2024 @ 3pm
Tickets are limited, so book now! ✨ https://ow.ly/eyKJ50TaInf

[Image descriptions: three photos of hands holding different artefacts from the Edinburgh vaults: a shiny orange-brown stoneware bottle broken off at the neck and stamped with ‘P Wilson, Regent Arch’, a broken piece of stoneware that looks like a vessel with a base, a dirty opaque bottle with the letters ‘EX’ stamped into it. End description]

29/08/2024

📚 Join us for an exclusive book talk! 📚
Hauntings & Heritage: How literature captures the dark side of Edinburgh’s history, from the past to the paranormal 👻

Many dark events permeate Edinburgh’s past. Digging deeper, an undercurrent of the supernatural also lives alongside these stories.

How have these tales been used over time to craft our favourite stories? And how does an author decide which pieces to keep and which to rewrite?

Descend into the candlelit Megget's Cellar for a discussion on the ways Edinburgh’s dark history has influenced centuries of literary works.

You’ll have the chance to ask authors Alex Howard (author of Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month) and Scottish Book Trust New Writers’ Award winner Lucy Ribchester your own questions in an exclusive Q&A, followed by a book signing and the opportunity to purchase copies of their books.

The evening is sure to be extraordinary. After all, there's no better place to hear about the hauntings and heritage of Edinburgh than directly above the Blair Street Underground Vaults…

👉 Sat, 23 November 2024, 7pm
Tickets are limited, so book now! https://ow.ly/zIT650T8LmE

[Image descriptions: three slides featuring books Murder Ballad by Lucy Ribchester and The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard, surrounded by autumnal decor like candles, brass decorations and autumn leaves and pinecones. Each slide includes information on the book event, as detailed in this caption. End description] Black & White Publishing

22/08/2024

📚 Join us for an exclusive book talk! 📚
Hauntings & Heritage: How literature captures the dark side of Edinburgh’s history, from the past to the paranormal 👻

Many dark events permeate Edinburgh’s past. Digging deeper, an undercurrent of the supernatural also lives alongside these stories.

How have these tales been used over time to craft our favourite stories? And how does an author decide which pieces to keep and which to rewrite?

Descend into the candlelit Megget's Cellar for a discussion on the ways Edinburgh’s dark history has influenced centuries of literary works.

You’ll have the chance to ask authors Alex Howard (author of Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month) and Scottish Book Trust New Writers’ Award winner Lucy Ribchester your own questions in an exclusive Q&A, followed by a book signing and the opportunity to purchase copies of their books.

The evening is sure to be extraordinary. After all, there's no better place to hear about the hauntings and heritage of Edinburgh than directly above the Blair Street Underground Vaults…

👉 Sat, 23 November 2024, 7pm
Tickets are limited, so book now! ✨https://ow.ly/HcGh50T3P6h

[Image descriptions: three slides featuring hardback copies of Murder Ballad by Lucy Ribchester and The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard, surrounded by autumnal decor like candles, brass decorations and autumn leaves and pinecones. Each slide includes information on the book event, as detailed in this caption. End description]

21/08/2024

Why was Tron Kirk’s spire replaced in 1828?

To understand, you must rewind 4 years to 1824. The Great Fire of Edinburgh is tearing through the Royal Mile.

The church’s original 1670s spire catches alight and cannot be saved—though the world’s first municipal fire service saves much of the rest of the city.

We’ve produced a very special tour with Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage to celebrate the bicentenary of the Scottish Fire Service. Hear the tales of daily life and the fiery trials that engulfed the city, including the Great Fire of 1824.

👉 Sat 7th & Sat 21st September
2:30pm-3:30pm

Book your tickets here! https://ow.ly/St0o50T0WZS

[Image descriptions: slide one: Tron Kirk on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile on a sunny day; slide two: a graphic depicting Edinburgh landmarks engulfed in flames with information about the Royal Flames tour—all of which can be found through the link mentioned above. End description]

VisitScotland Visit Edinburgh

20/08/2024

💥 The sell-out workshop is back! 💥

Our interactive archaeology event is returning this September!

Join us for an Evening of Archives & Artefacts and uncover the secrets of the Blair Street Underground Vaults.

First, descend into Edinburgh's vaults and discover why they were built and who used them.

Then, settle into the underground Megget’s Cellar with Mercat’s resident archaeologist. Delve into city archives and handle real artefacts as you uncover further secrets of Edinburgh.

We’ve selected items from our collections that illustrate life in the vaults throughout their history, and this is your chance to get up close with them!

👉 Saturday, 28th September 2024 @ 3pm

Tickets are limited, so book now! ✨ https://ow.ly/A5wy50T1Ryi

[Image descriptions: four images overlaid with the title of the event, Evening of Archives & Artefacts, and further event information as detailed in this caption. Slide one: broken and whole bottle artefacts on display; slide two: an archway in the candlelit Blair Street Underground Vaults leading into a room with a soaring ceiling; slide three: the Megget’s Cellar at Mercat Tours with wooden tables and chairs; slide four: artefacts in a display cabinet in the Mercat Discovery Room. End description]

17/08/2024

What are your favourite details hidden in plain site in Edinburgh? The Royal Mile is riddled with little secrets!🔍

This building here is known as Bible Land. It’s dated to 1677, restored in the 1950s, and was built for the Incorporation of Cordiners craftsmen. This cartouche above the door includes the Corsinders’ emblem and a quote from Psalm 133.

Join us for a Secrets of Edinburgh's Royal Mile tour to discover the hidden gems secreted away around every corner of the city. 👉 https://ow.ly/5zWA50SZ9Wm

[Image description: a carved stone cartouche above a wooden door on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, as described in the caption above. End description]

14/08/2024

Is there a niche of Scottish history you just love?

Outlander? William Wallace? Mary, Queen of Scots? Witch trials?

Join us for a personalised private tour and learn even more about your favourite topics, from rebels to royals to everyday people!

Enquire about a private tour customised to your wants & needs here. ✨ https://ow.ly/O2JS50SXtq0

[Image description: a Mercat Tours Storyteller standing on the Edinburgh Castle esplanade with a group of visitors. End description]

12/08/2024

Sunny days are a good look for Edinburgh Castle! 🏰 We’ll dream about more weather like this as we sit inside watching thunderstorms today...

When you visit, make sure to say hello to Robert the Bruce and William Wallace! These two statues were added in 1929, though the dry ditch below them was completed in 1742. Lots of history all in one place.

Join us for a Secrets of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile tour and to learn all about Ediburgh history before visiting the castle.

[Image descriptions: slide one: Edinburgh Castle on a sunny day as seen from Princes Street Gardens; slide two: the entrance to Edinburgh Castle at its gatehouse, flanked by statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. End description]

Address

28 Blair Street
Edinburgh
EH11QR

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 10pm
Tuesday	9am - 10pm
Wednesday	9am - 10pm
Thursday	9am - 10pm
Friday	9am - 10pm
Saturday	9am - 10pm
Sunday	9am - 10pm

Telephone

+441312255445

Website

http://www.mercattours.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mercat Tours posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Mercat Tours:

Videos

What is the Edinburgh Mercat Cross and how is it connected to a proclamation? 👇 ‘Mercat’ is the Scots word for market, and the market cross or Mercat Cross was a hub of activity in centuries gone by. Adorned with the national animal of Scotland, the Mercat Cross was an incredibly important proclamation point in the 1500-1700s—an age before modern technology. There was no internet, no phone reminders and no push notifications. So, how was the most important news shared? By shouting it from the balcony of the Mercat Cross, of course! This included word of general elections and successions to the throne. There was a three-day delay between London and Edinburgh proclamations due to the time it took a messenger to travel on horseback. The tradition of the three-day delay is still upheld to date whenever news is announced from the cross. For us, these events are incredibly memorable occasions to witness our beloved Mercat Cross being used for one of its centuries-old purposes! 📍 Edinburgh Mercat Cross, 31 May 2024 [Video description: two short video clips showing a kilted band marching down the Edinburgh Royal Mile and the Lord Lyon giving a speech from the top of the Mercat Cross, overlaid by the marching band music. End description] #History #Edinburgh

An underground tavern right in the heart of Edinburgh? 🍻🦪 Edinburgh’s underground vaults were used for many reasons between the 18th and 19th centuries—not only for business (storage rooms and workshops) but also for pleasure (oyster cellars and taverns). The Blair Street Underground Vaults are a hidden gem situated just off Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. And we’d love to show you around! Join us to discover an underground world and follow in the steps of residents from centuries gone by—your feet, their footsteps. [Video description: Linda, a Scottish woman, leads you through the Tavern Room in the Blair Street Underground Vaults in Edinburgh, pointing out black glass on the ground and the corner where piles of oyster shells were found. End description]

Everyone always talks about the Edinburgh vaults, but what about the rest of the city? The Royal Mile has centuries of stories permeating its cobblestones... For example, we have: ⚰️ Parliament Square, which was once a graveyard 🗡 St Giles & its surroundings, which were once home to a jail and not one, but two forms of execution 🏰 Edinburgh Castle, which might have a labyrinth running beneath it... Want to explore more of Edinburgh’s above-ground ghost stories? Join us on our brand-new Ghostly Tales of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile tour! It’s entirely above ground and accessible to all. 👉 Book your tickets here! bit.ly/3vDTgkh Tours begin 9th April. [Video description: a 56-second video titled ‘3 haunted places in Edinburgh that aren’t underground’ which explores the three locations mentioned in the caption illustrated by animations and historical images. End description]

Don’t miss the sell-out workshop, back for one day only! Now’s your chance to become an archaeologist, if only for an evening. Guided by our in-house expert, you’ll get the chance to handle real artefacts from Edinburgh’s Blair Street Underground Vaults. Some of them haven’t seen the light of day in centuries! Learn more about the city's history and even uncover some of the secrets of Edinburgh’s underground vaults. 👉Thursday, 11th April @ 5:30pm Tickets are limited, so book ASAP! ✨bit.ly/3xuDIQc [Video description: a 40-second video starting with ASMR of artefacts being removed from a display case and moved to a table, followed by a voiceover describing some details of a stoneware bottle, before going over the details for the archaeology event described in the caption. End description] #Edinburgh #Archaeology

Celebrate World Poetry Day with a little Scottish verse. 🍂 Here, Linda shares a section of Sir Walter Scott’s ‘By lone St Mary’s silent lake’. While St Margaret’s Loch wasn’t the subject of Scott’s poem, we can’t help but think that the Edinburgh beauty fits the descriptions well. [Video description: a short video of a body of water with craggy hills rising in the background, with a voiceover of a Scottish woman reciting part of a Walter Scott poem. End description] #Edinburgh 🎵 Long Road Ahead by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Source: incompetech . com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100588 Artist: incompetech . com/

📣 More dates added! 📣 Our kids’ tour is back for Easter weekend! Add some intrigue to the school holidays with a Gory Story tour, full of tales of Edinburgh’s past. Due to high demand, we’ve now added additional dates & times! 👻 Saturday 30th March, 12:00 🏰 Sunday 31st March, 13:00 🕯 Monday 1st April, 11:00 Book online. ✨ [Video description: a short video captioned ‘POV: You & your kids are on a ghostly tour of Edinburgh’ showing a family with young kids on a tour with a Mercat Storyteller. End description]

Another unfortunate end for a man in Mary Queen of Scots’s life...🙁 David Rizzio was a casualty of Mary’s second husband’s jealousy. Darnley, of course, later became a casualty himself... Already learned this on our history tours? Why not join us for a Doomed, Dead & Buried tour and discover the other dark secrets of Canongate Kirk (returners get £2 off each ticket!). #edinburgh [Video description: a short narrated video describing the unfortunate end of Mary Queen of Scots’s private secretary, David Rizzio, and his grave that can be found at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. End description]

We can’t celebrate #InternationalWomensDay without remembering Dr Elsie Inglis! 💪👩🏻‍⚕️ Picture this: World War I has just begun and you offer your medical expertise to the War Office, only for someone to respond with ‘My good lady, go home and sit still’... 💀 Inglis did not go home and sit still: she instead set up the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Service (or SWH) and served during WWI. Elsie’s story encompasses the rich and diverse history of Edinburgh we hope to bring to life on our tours. #IWD2024 #IWD [Video description: a short exploring the life of Elsie Inglis and how she and her nurses served during World War One, with video clips from around Edinburgh and historical photos and documents from WWI. End description]

Little secrets are hidden all along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. 🏰 If you look around, you’ll see interesting measuring units, tiny listed buildings, underground vaults, and So. Many. Windows. (You can also join our Secrets of #Edinburgh’s Royal Mile tour to discover more hidden gems like these, or try an underground tour to explore the Blair Street Underground Vaults!) [Video description: a 40 second video titled ‘4 things you probably didn’t know about Edinburgh’ quickly exploring four interesting things you can find on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, with a quick voiceover explaining each—topics mentioned in the caption. End description]

Become a Storyteller Tour Guide! 'I found myself in a position to tell, shape and even write stories [...] All the overwrought imagination of my youth came flooding back as I began learning historical accounts of Edinburgh’s legendary figures.' -Jared, Mercat Tours Storyteller As a Mercat Storyteller you can expect: ⭐ 5-star visitor attraction 💼 Real Living Wage and Fair Work Employer 📅 Guaranteed hours & permanent contracts 🎫 Independent family business 🕒Flexible working 🍃Green Tourism GOLD Award for sustainability 📈10% annual discretionary bonus 📓 Full training provided ✨ A warm welcome in a friendly and diverse team Closing date for applications: 5pm, Friday 1st March 👉 Apply on our vacancies page: bit.ly/Join-the-MT-Team [Video description: Mercat Storyteller, Naomi, in a black cloak, describing what she likes about being a Storyteller, including its ability to teach people history even on ghost tours, and its flexibility. End description]

Become a Storyteller Tour Guide! 'But the vital component is the energy one can create as a tour guide… an energy that can only work with an audience. Effective storytelling is as much about the listeners and their reactions, without which even the best tale remains a static monologue, entrapped in the pages of a dusty tome or manuscript.' Jared, Mercat Storyteller Share your passion for Scotland’s past story by story, step by step. Join our award-winning team and provide a 5-star experience by giving Edinburgh’s history ‘a damn good telling’. As a Mercat Storyteller you can expect: ⭐ 5-star visitor attraction 💼 Real Living Wage and Fair Work Employer 📅 Guaranteed hours & permanent contracts 🎫 Independent family business 🕒Flexible working 🍃Green Tourism GOLD Award for sustainability 📈10% annual discretionary bonus 📓 Full training provided ✨ A warm welcome in a friendly and diverse team Closing date for applications: 5pm, Friday 1st March 👉 Apply on our vacancies page. bit.ly/JoinMTNow [Video description: a voiceover of Mercat Storyteller Fred talking about what she likes about being a Storyteller, over videos of walking tours through the streets of Edinburgh and the Blair Street Underground Vaults. End description] #VisitScotland #ForeverEdinburgh #TravelWithMe #Vacancies #Hiring #HistoricScotland #ExploreScotland #EdinburghCity

Only bad things happened in February during Mary, Queen of Scots’ life… Mary was born to rule, becoming queen at only 6 days old. Her life, though, was tumultuous. Explore the lives of other Scottish figures, from monarchs to everyday citizens, on our Secrets of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile tour. The tour will even bring you to #Edinburgh Castle, leaving you to roam the halls Mary herself once explored. 🏰 [Video description: a video discussing all the bad things that happened in February during the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, including flees to safety, meeting Lord Darnley, losing Lord Darnley, and her execution. End description]

Happy Birthday to Sophia Jex-Blake, foundational member of the Edinburgh Seven! The Edinburgh Seven were the first women to matriculate in a British university, and they faced many trials during their years here… In fact, they were only awarded posthumous medical degrees in 2019, 150 years after they began their studies. [Video description: a narration of the Surgeons’ Hall Riot in Edinburgh, which tried to prevent the Edinburgh Seven from completing their anatomy exam, accompanied by videos of the location of the riot in Edinburgh, illustrations, and snippets from a book on Sophia Jex-Blake. End description]

A lovesick cow and sinister siblings. Or, some stories from Scotland’s Witch Trials. Head to our blog to read about 3 other people from Edinburgh’s past who were accused of witchcraft: Agnes Finnie, Lilias Adie, and Helen Duncan. ✨bit.ly/Edinburghs-Witches [Video description: video clips of Edinburgh overlaid by historical images and modern drawings with a voiceover describing the lives of John Fian and Major Thomas Weir, both of whom were accused of witchcraft during the Scottish Witch Trials. End description]

‘I’m a mum, so it means that it’s really flexible around the childcare needs that I have.’ –Naomi, Mercat Storyteller 👉Join the team! We’re looking for those who want to give history ‘a damn good telling’ as a Storyteller Tour Guide. Permanent contracts, flexible hours, Real Living Wage, training provided. Open Evening: 6pm Wednesday 10th Jan, 28 Blair Street, EH1 1QR [Video description: Mercat Storyteller, Naomi, in a black cloak, describing what she likes about being a Storyteller, including its ability to teach people history even on ghost tours, and its flexibility. End description]

Shortcuts

A passion for the past

We’re the original, largest, & only 5 star walking tour company in Scotland. For over 32 years, our award-winning history & ghost tours share the tales of the Edinburgh's past. For us - it’s all about telling the fascinating stories of Edinburgh’s people with passion, humour & flair.