Hi Marilyn,
At the time of the plague in the 1600s, some houses were closed up for many years, allegedly with the sufferers left inside to die. In the case of
Mary King's Close, it was demolished to Royal Mile ground level at the beginning of the 20th century and part of the City Chambers built on top of the rest of it. As the close sloped steeply downwards from the Royal Mile, the buildings of the downhill section of it became part of the foundations of the City Chambers. In the later years of the 20th century the close was opened up as a tourist attraction. There are various former houses and shops in the close which are part of the tour. In some rooms you can feel a change in temperature. It is left for you to decide whether this is down to ghostly reasons or the heating pipes of the building above you. Naturally the tour promotes the ghostly ideas. It is an interesting and entertaining visit, but as it involves some stairways and steep slopes, there is no suitable access for wheelchair users or children in push-chairs. This is explained on their website.
For a rainy day, there are many museums. The
National Museum of Scotland is on Chambers Street, within walking distance from the Royal Mile. On the Royal Mile, there is the
Museum of Childhood. Across George IV Bridge from Chambers Street is the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, and Greyfriars Cemetery, all subject of films and stories.
For the tourist pass, and the hotels and B+Bs, hopefully people who have been visitors to the city can advise.
If they fancy a trip out of the city one day, there is
Rosslyn (Roslin) Chapel which featured in The Da Vinci Code.
All the best,
AndrewP
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