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

Mercat Tours

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Mercat Tours

'History is a damn good story, what it needs is a damn good telling' - and Mercat does! Local, indep
(1469)

'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.

28/07/2025

The Edinburgh Vaults Museum is the perfect place to end your tour!

In it, you’ll find:
📺Vaults Revealed: an interactive audio-visual display
🏺Artefact Touch Table: a place to handle real artefacts
🪧Informational displays: to learn more about the vaults
🪑Seating: to take a break after your walking tour ..and so much more!

Come join us on tour and discover a whole world you never knew existed.

27/07/2025

2 truths and a lie:
🏰 Holyrood Palace is the official royal residence in Scotland
👶 King James VI & I was born at Holyrood Palace
⚔️ Mary, Queen of Scots’s secretary was murdered at Holyrood Palace by her second husband

Do you know which is the lie?

Visit the Palace that was once home to Mary, Queen of Scots and uncover the secrets of Canongate on our August Feature Tour.

As part of Mercat Tours’ 40th birthday celebration programme, EH residents can use code Celebrate40Aug to book a free Treasures of the Old Town tour ticket!
👉Limited tickets left. Learn more here. https://ow.ly/4ste50Wsx9Z

25/07/2025

Why are there oyster shells in the Edinburgh vaults?!

There are a few answers:
🙍‍♂️ They’re used as building materials
The use of oyster shells in building was an early form of recycling.

🍻 The vaults used to house underground pubs
The Tavern Room in the Blair Street Underground Vaults was full of not only claret bottles when it was discovered, but also piles and piles of oyster shells, which was a popular and cheap food item in day.

🧙‍♀️ They kept witches away
It was believed that witches couldn’t cross running water. The oyster shells, taken from moving water, were like talismans to keep them away.

Escape the crowds and the weather. Join us in Edinburgh's underground vaults where history, archaeology and ghost stories collide.
Learn more through our bio.

[Video description: a 100-second video explaining why there are oyster shells in, and the history of, Edinburgh’s underground vaults, using video footage from the Blair Street Underground Vaults and animated illustrations. End description]

23/07/2025

How much has Edinburgh changed over the centuries?

Sometimes, it’s like it hasn’t changed at all. Visit Edinburgh Castle and take in centuries of sieges, conquests and royals.

✨ Stand amongst history and hear it play out around you.

Carefully curated sounds and songs, chosen by your Master Mercat Storyteller, immerse you in the atmosphere of the past: from centuries of sieges to the whispers of the dead. Join us for a new multi-sensory experience.

🕯️Return to your Edinburgh memories again and again with a special Mercat Tours playlist, sent right to your inbox after your tour. Relive the stories, hear the music and return to the closes and cobbles of Edinburgh.

[ID: A video comparing a 19th-century photograph and modern-day photo of the inside of St Giles’ Cathedral, featuring vaulted ceilings and a stained-glass window. End ID]

22/07/2025

Escape the crowds and discover the lesser-known history of the Canongate. 👑

From quaint Dunbar’s Close Garden to Outlander filming locations to a palace built for royals, explore the quieter parts of Edinburgh on a Treasures of the Old Town tour.

As part of Mercat Tours’ 40th birthday celebration programme, EH residents can use code Celebrate40Aug to book a free Treasures of the Old Town tour ticket!
👉Learn more here. https://ow.ly/wRqJ50Wsxsv

19/07/2025

Can you name any of these historical Edinburgh figures?

Here are some hints:
1. 👑🏰⚔️
2. ⛪📖🪦
3. 🪑⛪🤜
4. 🩺🌍👩‍🍼
5. 🕵️✒️🟥

15/07/2025

The sounds of St Giles in history versus today.

✨ Stand amongst history and hear it play out around you.

Carefully curated sounds and songs, chosen by your Master Mercat Storyteller, immerse you in the atmosphere of the past. Join us for a new multi-sensory experience.

🕯️Return to your Edinburgh memories again and again with a special Mercat Tours playlist, sent right to your inbox after your tour. Relive the stories, hear the music and return to the closes and cobbles of Edinburgh.

[ID: A video comparing a 19th-century photograph and modern-day photo of the inside of St Giles' Cathedral, featuring vaulted ceilings and a stained-glass window. End ID]

12/07/2025

Have you ever ventured beneath Edinburgh's streets?

Take some time to cool off during this scorching weekend! ☀️ Join us in Edinburgh's underground vaults where history, archaeology and ghost stories collide.

️Whether you’re visiting for the first time or the fourth, there’s always something new to discover.

Join us here. https://ow.ly/V0o150Wnxbl

08/07/2025

🏰 Treasures of the Old Town 🏰
03 August 2025 @ 1:30pm

Escape the crowds and let a master Storyteller unlock the history of this ancient seat of power.

Hear tales of Mary Queen of Scots, Jacobites, poets and tradesmen alike. You’ll explore the picturesque closes, courtyards and hidden gardens of the Canongate, once a thriving town in its own right.

Join us for August’s Feature Tour to explore a lesser known but equally captivating side of Edinburgh Old Town’s vibrant history, then enjoy free entry to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

As part of Mercat Tours’ 40th birthday celebration programme, EH residents can use code Celebrate40Aug to book a free Treasures of the Old Town tour ticket!
👉Learn more here: https://ow.ly/cZlZ50WlAkR

07/07/2025

Celebrating world chocolate day with some delicious COCO Chocolatier 🍊🍫

Come visit us at 28 Blair Street, EH1 1QR to snag some for yourself!

06/07/2025

🎉40 YEARS of Mercat!

We marked our special milestone the best way we know how: with a walk through history.

On 1st July, Kat & Des (founder & MD, father & daughter) led our friends on a once-in-40-year Brogan tour of the Mile and Mercat. It was a blast!
(But don't just take our word for it, swipe to the end to see the Brogans' excitement. 🤭)

Thank you to each person who has supported us over the last 40 years, whether it’s been as a visitor, Storyteller, Support Team member, friend or champion.

Here’s to 40 more years!

04/07/2025

In honour of this week’s new graduates, these are the first women to graduate from Edinburgh Uni. 🎉

Women first enrolled in a British university in 1869, but the university did not award women degrees until 1893!! 😤

We’ve made many videos on the Edinburgh Seven before but have never talked about the first group of women to officially graduate from the University of Edinburgh. This group included:
Flora Philip
Amelia Hutchison Stirling
Maude Elizabeth Newbigin
Lilias Maitland
Mary Douie
Margaret Nairn
Frances Simson
Grace Fairley

The Edinburgh Seven paved the way for women’s right to higher education, and these 8 women pushed that bar even further and are the perfect topic for both Women’s History Month and British Science Week.

[ID: a 53-second video on the first female graduate of the University of Edinburgh, including information on what they studied and what they went on to do. The video is illustrated by photos, artwork, newspaper clippings, and snippets from books. End ID]

Address

Edinburgh

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/

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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.