The Old Town – A Hidden Street, a Cathedral and the Witchery
A day.
The route
Beneath the Royal Mile lies a street of the 1600s, and a guide takes you down into it.
Back up in the daylight come St Giles' Cathedral and lunch at the Witchery, by the castle gates at the top of the Old Town.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book the Real Mary King's Close tour
Book a tour of The Real Mary King's Close on its website.
Book St Giles’ Cathedral ticket
Book a St Giles' Cathedral ticket online for quicker entry.
Book a table for the set lunch on the Witchery's website, well ahead for a weekend, for a party of up to six, and mention any diet when you book.
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The day
The Royal Mile
The day starts underground, comes up into the cathedral and ends with lunch up the hill.
The Real Mary King's Close
An attraction
The Real Mary King's Close is on the Royal Mile, across from St Giles'. When the Royal Exchange, now the City Chambers, was built over it from 1753, the close was partly knocked down, and its lanes and rooms survive beneath. A costumed guide, playing a past resident, leads the tour through them with stories of plague and hardship. The close is named after Mary King, a widow and mother of four who dealt in cloth in the 1630s. The ground is uneven and dimly lit, so wear sturdy shoes.
St Giles’ Cathedral
An attraction
St Giles' Cathedral was founded in about 1124 and is the High Kirk of Edinburgh, and it was John Knox's parish church at the Reformation. Banners hang beneath the stained glass. The Thistle Chapel, designed by Robert Lorimer and finished in 1911, has stalls for the 16 Knights of the Thistle under carved canopies, and angels playing bagpipes among its detail. Your ticket includes a 25-minute audio tour on your phone.
About 4 min on foot
The Witchery
Lunch
The Witchery is up the Royal Mile on Castlehill, beside the castle gates. Its kitchen cooks with Scottish produce, and the set lunch has fish, meat and vegetarian dishes. You eat by candlelight in the 16th-century oak-panelled Original Dining Room or in the Secret Garden, its ceiling painted with tarot scenes and more angels playing bagpipes.
If it rains
All of it is under a roof but for the short walks along the Royal Mile between.
EdinburghThe WitcheryA restaurant
EdinburghWhirlybirdA restaurant
EdinburghOinkA restaurant
EdinburghJolly JudgeA restaurant
EdinburghSignet LibraryAfternoon tea in a library
EdinburghAngels with BagpipesRoyal Mile family restaurant
EdinburghMaxiesA café
EdinburghThe MilkmanTiny coffee shop
EdinburghHula Juice BarA café
EdinburghArcade BarHaggis and whisky bar
EdinburghGordon Street CoffeeA café
EdinburghMimi's BakehouseA caféMake it a weekend
