These 7 escape rooms in Edinburgh will sharpen your detective skills!
Growing up, I was hooked on shows like Law and Order, Crime Scene Investigation, and Inspector Gadget, so when escape rooms started popping up around the city, I was practically buzzing with excitement.
These immersive, themed rooms are like stepping straight into a crime scene, a maze, a secret lab, or even a police station. The mission is simple: work with your friends, solve the clues, crack the puzzles, and make your great escape before time runs out!
The thrill, the fun, and the sheer brain power needed to crack these rooms in under 90 minutes make the top escape rooms in Edinburgh an unforgettable experience. Keep reading for my top picks, and get your detective hat on!
Escape Hunt Edinburgh
– Media from escapehuntuk
Address: Units 3 & 4, Omni Centre
Contact Details: +44 131 225 5522
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Admission Fee:
£22 per person (for groups of 4 to 6 players)
£27 per person (for groups of 2 to 3 players)
Whenever someone says “escape room,” Escape Hunt instantly comes to mind. It was my first escape room experience in the city, and it set the bar high. With four unique themes to dive into, there’s plenty of adventure to choose from!
You can find clues and solve puzzles as you journey to Atlantis, walk through Alice in Puzzleland, find gold at Blackbeard’s Treasure, and test your stealth skills at The Fourth Samurai. You’ll be spoilt for choice here!
Tips:
- Keep an eye on their social media pages. They frequently offer discounts, especially for off-peak times or last-minute bookings. It’s a great way to score an exciting escape experience for less!
- Note that while children are allowed to play in the escape rooms, children who are 8 years and below will need to be accompanied by 2 paying adults.
- They serve alcohol in the establishment. Minors will not be allowed to enter the facilities after 7:00 pm!
Escape Reality
– Media from escaperealityedinburgh
Address: One Edinburgh Quay, 1 Fountainbridge
Contact Details: +44 131 629 3040
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Admission Fee:
£25 per person (for 2 players)
£23 per person (for 3 players)
£22 per person (for 4 players)
£20 per person (for 5 players)
£20 per person (for 6 players)
If you’re a horror buff, Escape Reality is where you’ll want to be. Their themed rooms take inspiration from horror flicks, action thrillers, and sci-fi classics—all with an escape room twist.
My top pick has to be Nosferatu—an escape room inspired by the classic vampire film. It’s easily one of the creepiest options at the centre, with the witchy Ritual close behind and the Asylum trailing in third.
Tips:
- They often offer promotions, especially for bigger groups. Invite as many friends as you can to take advantage of their discounts!
- Booking ahead or opting for weekdays can score you a great deal, so be sure to check out their website or social media before finalising your plans.
- There are leaderboards for the highest scores of the season. You can find your group photo if you beat the current season’s highest score or fastest solvers, so if you want to join the list, make sure to team up well and use up all your wit!
Escape The Past Edinburgh
– Media from escapethepast_edinburgh
Address: Basement 1, 25 Nicolson Square
Contact Details: [email protected]
Operating Hours:
Monday to Friday, 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday, 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Sunday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm
Admission Fee: Starts at £32 per person
Escape The Past will have you squeezing out every last drop of brainpower to solve puzzles and make your escape through The Anatomist. Set in the 19th century, this historical escape room is packed with curious relics you won’t spot in the modern day.
Your mission? Track down clues on a mysterious surgeon’s whereabouts and his late-night experiments.
Armed with Dr. Malcolm’s cryptic journal and all the courage and wit you can muster, it’s up to you to unravel the secrets before time runs out.
Tips:
- The escape room is designed for teenagers and adults. Any minor younger than 18 years old must be accompanied by at least one paying adult, however. I don’t recommend solving this escape room solo, either.
- You can actually request the management to make the escape room experience more disability-friendly. One setback, however, is the entrance to the basement (where the room is located). Wheelchairs must fit through a 72 cm-wide door frame. If you require assistance for other kinds of disabilities, simply email them and inform the staff ahead of your visit!
Locked in Edinburgh
– Media from lockeedinedinbrugh
Address: 1 Summerhall Pl, Floor G, Summerhall
Contact Details: +44 746 849 3561
Operating Hours:
Wednesday to Friday, 1:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 am to 10:00 pm
Admission Fee: Starts at £25 per person
Locked in Edinburgh has four different types of escape rooms that span across different decades and eras. These are The Cutting Room, The Distillery, The Secret Lab, and The Space Academy.
The Cutting Room is set in a 1987 autopsy room, The Distillery is set in the depths of a brewery and distillery, The Secret Lab is set in a 1972 veterinary lab, and The Space Academy is set in a Scottish space station.
All these rooms have varying difficulties, but my suggestion is that if you have the extra time and money, try to solve at least two during your visit!
Tips:
- I highly recommend getting gift vouchers to save on tickets on your next visit to the escape rooms. These vouchers will save you between £2 to £5 for group purchases, so grab them while they’re still available here!
- The escape room is dog-friendly, by the way. Your furry ones are allowed inside the room, but they must be leashed at all times. Also, it would help the staff members if you inform them about your pets tagging along before you visit!
Department of Magic
– Media from department.magic
Address: 150 Cowgate
Contact Details: +44 131 357 0377
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 10:30 am to 10:00 pm
Admission Fee: Starts at £25 per person
The Department of Magic is best known as a cocktail bar in the heart of the city, but hidden inside is also an escape room experience that takes you close to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Although it’s not Hogwarts, you’ll find your way through a room filled with clues, spells, and potion formulas. There are two goals in the game: find the Dark Lord and resurrect him or collect clues and defeat him before he wreaks havoc on the world.
Tips:
- Please note that the escape rooms here have flashing lights, which may be triggering to people with sensitivities. Consider skipping if this applies to you or your company.
- I highly recommend visiting the cocktail bar and afternoon tea room before or after your escape room experience. This will bring your visit to full circle. Just make sure to reserve a table at either of the establishments when you book your tickets. You can learn more here.
Case Closed
– Media from caseclosedescaperoom
Address: 1 Carpet Ln, Leith
Contact Details: [email protected]
Operating Hours:
Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 1:00 pm to 11:30 pm
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10:30 am to 11:30 pm
Admission Fee:
Starts at £38 per person (for groups of 2 to 3 players)
Starts at £25 per person (for groups of 7 to 10 players)
If detective stories are your thing, you’ll love the escape rooms at Case Closed. Nearly every game has a crime twist, so get ready to put your sleuthing skills to the test as you dive into some seriously intriguing mysteries.
The primary escape room, The Murder of Max Sinclair, gives you 90 minutes to crack a classic whodunit. The second room steps up the challenge: you’ll need to catch the killer while staying live on air at a radio station.
Tips:
- After solving your case, you can relax at their board game café, Secret Solitaire Games. It’s the ideal way to wrap up the adventure: good coffee, cosy seats, and a wide choice of board games to dive into with friends.
- Note that the escape rooms here tackle mature themes like murder and suicide. Do not bring along kids to these experiences if they’re younger than 16 years old (if you try, well, the staff will bar you from entering). Don’t forget to bring your valid I.D. for proof of age!
Can You Escape?
– Media from cye_edinburgh
Address: 5 Holyrood Rd
Contact Details: +44 131 629 2907
Operating Hours:
Monday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Admission Fee:
Starts at £38 per person (for groups of 2 to 3 players)
Starts at £25 per person (for groups of 7 to 10 players)
Can You Escape? had me grinning ear-to-ear even as the clock ticked down. I didn’t realise how intense it would get until my team and I were deep in a mediaeval kingdom, strategising how to “save the land,” or in a space station dodging meteors.
All of the sets inside each game room were exceptionally made and, to be completely honest, I actually felt like I was elsewhere but Edinburgh. Solving the clues and puzzles wasn’t easy, but that only made the experience even more memorable!
Tips:
- If you want to support a charity and bring over the beneficiaries for a day out, you can register them with the escape room management and they can receive 20% off their bookings!
- Don’t forget to join their mailing list! It’s the best way to stay in the loop on fresh challenges and special deals—and you’ll even get a 10% discount on your bookings.
- The escape rooms are wheelchair-friendly except for Operation Spellbound where you’ll have to head down a flight of stairs. Other than that room, guests in wheelchairs can access the other experiences comfortably.