Not only is it spooky, but also super interesting.
Scotland Now’s Alexander Smail previously visited the spooky attraction(Image: Alexander Smail)
It should come as no surprise that Edinburgh is home to many of Scotland’s most interesting and unique visitor attractions. However, two destinations in the Scottish capital were just crowned among the very best in the world by travel experts as part of the annual Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.
As reported by the Daily Record, the winners of the 2026 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards were revealed on Tuesday, April 28. The Royal Yacht Britannia topped the global top 10 list, while The Real Mary King’s Close on the Royal Mile came in at number six on the worldwide roundup.
Mary King’s Close is a historic landmark situated beneath the Edinburgh City Chambers building where people in the city lived hundreds of years ago, and is named after one of its former residents. Today, it is operated as a tourist attraction where costumed characters take visitors on guided tours and tell fascinating stories about its history.
Scotland Now’s Alexander Smail previously visited The Real Mary King’s Close, venturing out on a tour and learning all about Edinburgh’s dark history. Read on for Alexander’s verdict on The Real Mary King’s Close, and let us know your own thoughts on the one-of-a-kind attraction in the comments below.
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On a chilly Sunday evening, I made my way to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh with little idea of what was awaiting me at The Real Mary King’s Close. At around 8pm, I and the others in my group met our guide—Mary King’s daughter Jonet—who shared the history of the Royal Exchange atop Mary King’s Close.
Following a short introduction, we were given lanterns and headed down into the creepy darkness of the close. There was not much light at all other than the lanterns, as photography was not permitted on the tour, but this only added to the creepy atmosphere and authenticity of the experience.
The first destination was Laigh House, which is where 12 people lived centuries ago in very poor conditions according to our guide. We were then taken to the comparatively lavish home of Lord Provest Simon Preston, where Mary Queen of Scots would spend her final night in Edinburgh in 1567.
There are a number of different guides who can take you around the Close(Image: The Real Mary King’s Close)
As our guide told us about the former Queen of Scotland’s last days, me and the rest of the tour group were given an awful fright by the unexpected appearance of the second character guide the night. After the mysterious figure took us to another dark room, they revealed themselves to be Christian Caddell: the only female witch-pricker in Scotland who worked in disguise.
Caddell informed us about the dark history of witch-prickers in Edinburgh, whose job was to ‘prick’ women who faced accusations of being a witch with a huge needles in an effort to get them to confess. She then illustrated this point by accusing various members of the group of being witches—even myself—and proceeded to demonstrate a few of the cruel methods that were used.
After this, me and the rest of the group were greeted by the Craig family in their home—and it was one of the most unsettling rooms of the entire tour. The ‘bodies’ of John Craig, who died of pneumonic plague, and his wife and baby looked absolutely terrifying under the dim light of our lanterns.
It’s fascinating learning the stories of those who used to live in Mary King’s Close(Image: Luigi Di Pasquale / The Real Mary King’s Close)
We were then told all about respected physician George Rae, who was instrumental in eradicating the plague in Edinburgh all those years ago. His outfit, which featured an unsettling raven beak, was actually meant to fend off miasmas—nasty-smelling poisons that were thought to cause the disease.
Moving on, we were greeted by a Foul Clenger—who shared the brutal reality of cleaning up Edinburgh in the wake of the plague with us. The scariest part was the body bag in the middle of room that I couldn’t take my eye off the whole time as I was convinced it was going to move.
After this, we were all informed by our guide that we were next visiting the darkest room of the whole experience—and I definitely wasn’t the only one who began to sweat. She led us to a living room, and shared the creepy tale of when a Japanese psychic visited The Real Mary King’s Close in the 1990s.
The story of the little girl’s doll at Mary King’s Close would be enough to send chills down anyone’s spine(Image: The Real Mary King’s Close)
The psychic, who was filming a video at the attraction, was unable to enter the bedroom of the home as a result of the overwhelming pain and sadness she could feel. When she finally walked inside, she claimed to have spoken to the ghost of a small child who informed her she was abandoned by her parents.
The spirit of the girl shared with the psychic that her favourite dolly was stolen, and so the woman went and bought one from a nearby store and gave it to her. The sense of pain and sadness was said to immediately subside after this, and ever since the experience visitors have left dolls and other toys for the child.
The tour concluded with a chance to snap a photo on the actual Mary King’s Close to keep as a souvenir. The overall experience was definitely creepier than I expected, as well as more fascinating, and I would definitely go back now that it has been named one of the world’s best attractions.