What are the Blair Street vaults?

Short answer: a separate set of chambers under the same South Bridge complex, entered from Blair Street and held by a different operator from the South Bridge tours run off Niddry Street. Both are genuinely “the Edinburgh Vaults”. They are not the same rooms, and a booking for one does not admit you to the other. Blair Street is where the small museum, the short film, the artefact handling and the audio devices are; the operator describes these as the deepest and largest accessible chambers.

Entered fromBlair Street

OperatorDifferent from the South Bridge tours

Meeting pointMercat Cross, Royal Mile

ExtrasMuseum, film, artefacts, audio

Tours going inTwo of the six

Minimum age5+ on both

How they differ from the South Bridge chambers

The confusion is understandable, because both sets sit under the same 1788 structure and both get called the vaults. The practical differences are these. Blair Street tours meet at the Mercat Cross beside St Giles’ Cathedral rather than at 300 Lawnmarket. They guarantee a small group. They hand out audio devices, so you hear the guide rather than the person in front of you. And they come with a museum attached: interactive 3D models, a short film called Vaults Revealed, a Sounds of Edinburgh playlist, and artefacts recovered from the excavation that you are allowed to hold.

The South Bridge tours, entered from the Niddry Street side, are the older and larger ghost-tour operation: live guide, English only, no audio devices, no museum. Neither approach is wrong. Which one is best depends on whether you want a story or a collection.

The two tours that go in

What works

The 75-minute history tour: artefacts you can handle, small group, not a scare tour
The two-hour evening tour: a candlelit cellar stop with a drink included
Both include the museum, the film and audio devices
Both meet at the Mercat Cross, a five-minute walk from the Lawnmarket

Worth knowing

Still a spiral staircase — no step-free route here either
Not suitable under 5, on either listing
Food and transport are not included
One booking, one set of chambers — the South Bridge rooms are separate

Insider tip

If you have already done a South Bridge ghost tour and think you have “done the vaults”, you have not. Different rooms, different operator, different route. The Blair Street history tour is the one that surprises repeat visitors.

Which of the two to book

Take the 75-minute history tour if you want the excavation, the artefacts and a guide who explains rather than performs. Dario from Italy summed it up in a line: if you are interested in history, this is your tour. Take the two-hour evening tour if you want the Old Town walk, the storytelling and a whisky, beer or Scottish soft drink by candlelight in the cellar the operator calls Megget’s Cellar. Yumiko in Mexico wrote that her guide Ash “made the stories come to life”, which is the whole pitch of that one.

Check the Blair Street evening tour

Check availability & book

Frequently asked questions

Are the Blair Street vaults the same as the Edinburgh Vaults?

They are part of the same South Bridge complex, but they are separate chambers held by a different operator and entered from a different street. Both are correctly called the Edinburgh Vaults. See how the whole structure came about.

What is in the Blair Street vaults museum?

Interactive 3D models, a short film called Vaults Revealed, a Sounds of Edinburgh playlist and artefacts recovered from the excavation that you can handle. Both Blair Street tours include it.

Do the Blair Street tours have stairs?

Yes — a spiral staircase, like every vault tour among the six. There is no step-free option underground; see accessibility.