Underground or vaults tour
The Real Mary King's Close
A one-hour guided tour of 17th-century streets buried beneath Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
- 60 min
- 2 Warriston's Close, Royal Mile, EH1 1PG
Haunted pub in Edinburgh
Whistle Binkies
A late-night live music bar in the South Bridge vaults, said to be haunted by two ghosts known as the Imp and the Watcher.
LegendA traditional story with no first-hand accounts
The ghosts
- The Imp, blamed for moving things, locking doors and changing the clocks
- The Watcher, a figure in 17th-century dress said to watch drinkers before vanishing
History
The bar is in the vaults under the South Bridge near the Tron Kirk, where some of the Old Town's poorest people lived in the 19th century. It has been a music bar for more than 30 years.
Visiting
- Address
- 4-6 South Bridge, EH1 1LL
- Food
- Not confirmed yet: check with the pub
- Children
- Not confirmed yet: check with the pub
- Dogs
- Not confirmed yet: check with the pub
Details last checked 24 October 2026. Check opening times on the pub’s website.
Ghost tours nearby
Tours starting within a short walk of the pub.
An evening ghost walk through the closes and wynds of Edinburgh's Old Town.
- usually Advocates Close, 361 High Street, opposite St Giles' Cathedral (it can vary)
Underground or vaults tour
Edinburgh vaults ghost tour
A one-hour ghost tour into the vaults beneath Edinburgh's South Bridge.
- 60 min
- 300 Lawnmarket, by the tourist information booth and red telephone box, opposite Deacon Brodie's Tavern
Haunted hotels nearby
More haunted pubs in Edinburgh
Reported
The Banshee Labyrinth
A rock bar built into the South Bridge vaults that calls itself Scotland's most haunted pub. It is named after a scream builders heard in the empty vaults while renovating them.
- 29-35 Niddry Street
- Food
Reported
The White Hart Inn
One of Edinburgh's oldest inns, linked by tradition to the murderers Burke and Hare, with a long reputation for a shadowy figure heading for the cellar.
- 32-34 Grassmarket
- Food
Reported
The Last Drop
A Grassmarket pub named after the public hangings held nearby. Staff say it is haunted by a young girl who lived in the tenement that once stood here.
- 74-78 Grassmarket
- Food