Mercat Tours: Edinburgh told through its streets and underground vaults

In Edinburgh, a short walk can take visitors from the bustle of the Royal Mile to a narrow close, an old burial ground or a chamber hidden beneath street level. Mercat Tours has built its programme around that shift in scale: guided walks led by storytellers who connect specific places with the Scottish capital’s past. The experience is more than a list of monuments. The company combines urban history, individual lives, darker episodes and popular lore to show how different layers of the Old Town’s history sit alongside one another.

A company founded by history teachers

Mercat began in 1985, when Des Brogan and three fellow history teachers organised regular walking tours. The company says two of those original routes, Secrets of the Royal Mile and Ghosts and Ghouls, remain in its programme. It later grew into an independent family business; Kat Brogan took over leadership after her father retired in 2015. That continuity helps explain the identity the company presents today: a structured visitor experience built around interpreting local stories, rather than simply moving groups between landmarks. Its own account of the business’s beginnings is available on Mercat Tours’ history page.

From the Royal Mile to Blair Street’s vaults

The catalogue brings together historical walks, evening tours and themed experiences. Secrets of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile introduces visitors to the Old Town’s best-known thoroughfare; some departures offer an option to enter the castle. Historic Vaults descends into the Blair Street chambers, while Haunted Underground uses that setting to explore stories of crime, conflict and reported hauntings that the company presents as true accounts. Other tours focus on witch trials, offer family-oriented storytelling or connect Edinburgh with whisky and Outlander. Themes and conditions differ by departure: age guidance, finishing point and duration should be checked on the page for the specific tour.

Haunted Underground, for example, lasts about 75 minutes and includes a descent into the vaults. Mercat limits its standard groups to 18 people and uses TourTalk audio devices on selected experiences so guests can hear the storyteller. These are practical distinctions for an underground visit: the historic chambers have no lifts, and a route may involve steps and uneven surfaces. Mercat publishes accessibility information and advises visitors to check the physical requirements of each route before booking. Scheduled departures are in English; the current calendar and individual tour pages provide the latest times and conditions.

Storytelling sits at the centre

Public reviews often focus on guides’ storytelling, the atmosphere in the vaults and the balance between anecdotes and historical context. Comments also point to the importance of choosing a tour that fits the group’s age and interests: a ghost walk can be theatrical entertainment as well as local history, while a daytime history walk has a different tone. On 23 October 2026, Mercat’s exact Tripadvisor listing showed 4.7 out of 5 from 12,249 reviews; that figure belongs to Tripadvisor and may change. Recurring themes in public feedback include the narration, the underground chambers, the storytellers’ manner with visitors and the atmosphere of an evening tour.

Who may find it a good fit

Mercat is a strong match for travellers who want a guided introduction to the Old Town, an evening activity or an organised way to visit the Blair Street underground chambers. Its range makes it possible to return for a different perspective: start with a broad city walk, choose a focused history route and, if desired, book a later ghost tour. Advance booking can help because the company caps group sizes and departures run to a timetable. Before choosing, compare the age guidance, mobility demands and endpoint, which vary by route. Travellers looking for a tour in another language should check availability, as regular scheduled tours are in English. Current schedules and descriptions are on the official Mercat Tours website; the external rating refers to Mercat Tours’ Tripadvisor listing.