6 Top Edinburgh Escape Rooms: Are They Worth it?
I’ve stayed in Edinburgh multiple times during my jaunts to Scotland, and I recently took some escape-room crazed students to Scotland with me! When we set out to play a game, we realized that there are so many escape room options in the historic city of Edinburgh that it was dizying.
And Yes, they are totally worth it! They’re one of the most awesome things to do in the city! But, too much choice can be paralysing! Especially if you’re traveling with teens. I have been through umpteen escape rooms in Edinburgh and can tell you that they are NOT all the same!
If the best option isn’t a fit for your group because of location or timeslot clashes, I’ll also give you some other excellent options which I also enjoyed like a Harry Potter escape room experience (fellow Potterhead here!), a really difficult room (because you have to come home with bragging rights) or even a dog friendly option!
Read on for more on my favorite escape room in town, as well as the best lineup of runner ups.
Quickly Looking For the BEST Edinburgh Escape Room?
The Best Escape Room in Edinburgh: Escape Reality Edinburgh
Address: One Edinburgh Quay, 1 Fountainbridge, Edinburgh
It is tough to compete with Escape Reality Edinburgh. They’re ranked the number one escape room on Tripadvisor, have won numerous awards, and people write them rave reviews constantly…and for good reason!
These guys have cooked up something special- a truly immersive gaming experience.
With, currently, 6 rooms to try…you’ve got ample options for themes, difficulty, and unique puzzles. This was the perfect choice for us since they take groups up to 36 people! We spent an incredible 2 hours solving puzzles together.
The team were incredibly accommodating of our entire group when we visited. Stephen in particular was so understanding of the difficulties involved in organising an activity for so many people and bent tover backwards trying to make the booking as flexible as possible.
I don’t want to give it away, but we all thought that the game masters were extremely engaging and very interactive which really added to our experience. So much fun!
I would absolutely recommend booking this escape room since their customer service was truly flawless from start to finish! One of our groups didn’t manage to escape in time, but the game master showed them how they could have escaped so they could do better next time!
Can you escape in 60 minutes? Dare to find out at Escape Reality Edinburgh.
Other Great Edinburgh Escape Rooms
If you prefer something in a different part of town, or your timeslot isn’t available, try one of these options instead. I promise, you wont be short changed!
1. Locked in Edinburgh (A Dog-Friendly Escape Room!)
Address: 1 Summerhall Pl, Newington, Edinburgh
Being ranked as the number one escape room in the United Kingdom and winning a certificate of excellence award from Tripadvisor since 2017, there’s no doubt that Locked in Edinburgh is one of the top choices for an escape room in the city.
What makes it stand out so much, you might ask? It’s real. That’s what.
Nope, not even kidding. Get “locked into” the legendary Summerhall building in Edinburgh. What was originally a veterinary school is now the site of Edinburgh’s coolest escape room.
Explore an anatomy theater, a laboratory, or even a dissection room…if you’re brave enough. With multiple different room experiences, the thrills and chills (and pounding hearts!) just keep coming.
⭐ PSA: Locked in Edinburgh is a DOG-FRIENDLY venue. Seriously, could I love them any more? Nope.
2. Best Harry Potter Escape Room in Edinburgh: Department of Magic
Address: 9 Blair St, Edinburgh
I am here for the Harry Potter escape room- vibe. What else could be more Edinburgh?
Just steps away from the Royal Mile, this escape room is easily accessible from wherever you’re staying in Edinburgh.
Coming in at number two, Harry Potter is alive and well in true Edinburgh fashion at The Department of Magic. Test your wits in their two themed escape rooms. In Prophecies Quest, race to find the correct prophecies in The Department of Mysteries and defeat the Dark Lord!
Or, if you’re more into dark magic, try your hand at the puzzles within Dark Lord Resurrection, where you’ll find clues for the exact incantations that will bring back He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
⭐ Tip: For the perfect night out in Edinburgh, The Department of Magic has another Potter-themed activity that is fantastic, too! Book your spot for a Potions Class, where you’ll concoct your own shot! And have Butterbeer too!
3. Best For Varied Booking Options: Escape Hunt Edinburgh
Address: Units 3 & 4, Omni Centre, Edinburgh
Head to Escape Hunt Edinburgh and stay for a while just to experience their thrilling, epically-themed rooms. From Alice in Puzzleland to Samurai and even pirate-themed adventures, no matter which one you choose, a heart-pounding adventure is in store!
Gear up to test your wits in Escape Hunt’s traditional escape rooms, or, if you’re looking for a unique alternative in the city, try their new and unique city hunt!
In a city hunt, forget being locked in a room. Instead, the entire city of Edinburgh will be your game board. Take an Ipad and explore the area on foot for a 90-minute race against the clock. Tourism and gameplay all in one!
⭐ Psst: If you’re looking for something more accessible, the team Escape Hunt has created remote escape rooms, print and play options, and even digital games!
4. Can You Escape? Edinburgh
Address: 5 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh
Just off the Royal Mile, find suspense and cryptic puzzles awaiting you at Can You Escape? Edinburgh.
In one hour, you’ll need to break free of either the Operation Odyssey or the Operation Spellbound rooms. In Operation Odyssey, find yourself in a failing International Space Station after a meteor strike. Do you have the wit and deciphering skills to save the space station in time?
The most popular room, Operation Spellbound, will immerse you in the medieval times of King Arthur. Before you know it, you’ll be tasked with bringing peace to Camelot as you attempt to end the magical battle between Morgana and Merlin.
The team at Can You Escape also has an online escape room option, playable with a team via zoom or another communication platform. Bring the fun of battling to escape to your very own home!
5. Escape Edinburgh
Address:
(Morrison) 26-28 Morrison St, Edinburgh, Lothian
(Haymarket) 54 Dalry Road, Edinburgh, Lothian
Escape Edinburgh is one of the top locations from the popular Escape Game team, who has extreme escape rooms all over the world. So, you know they’re amazing!
Get locked in with your closest friends (or enemies!) and build teamwork as you search for clues, hopefully escaping along the way! Do you have what it takes to get out in 60 minutes?
Try your hand at the Witchcraft and Wizardry room, the Carnival of Curiosities (creepy clowns, anyone?), or 221B Baker Street, themed after Dr. Who.
⭐ Escape Edinburgh has an amazing city escape game option called Alien Invasion! Race around the city to escape this wide-open game in under 2 hours if you dare!
6. Top Choice For REAL Scottish History: Escape the Past Edinburgh
Address: Basement 1, 25 Nicolson Square Edinburgh
Step back into the past…if you dare.
Sixty minutes is all you have to escape this ghoulish, award-winning game. You’ve somehow transported yourself back to the year 1829, when the fringes of what is Old Edinburgh were more aptly named “The Old Surgical District.”
In “The Anatomist,” you’ll find yourself solving puzzles related to a spine-tingling story complete with grave-robbing surgeons who are out to find cadavers. No, seriously…you might just be locked up WITH the surgeon himself. This is a live-action game room with an actor!
Believe it or not, Escape the Past is the only Edinburgh escape room that is actually tying the history of Scotland into their gameplay!
This immersive experience in Edinburgh has made the UK’s list of best escape rooms in 2021 and 2022; expect an enchanting evening full of gross malpractice, gruesome experiments, and even dissection awaits you!
Final Thoughts: Best Edinburgh Escape Rooms
There they are! The top 6 escape rooms in Edinburgh!
Whether it’s a rainy afternoon in the city or you’re just a puzzler, an escape room is the perfect addition to your Edinburgh itinerary. No matter which one you choose, you’re in for a puzzling treat- probably complete with some nail-biting scares!
Grab your thinking caps and some (smart) friends, and hope you get out in time!
In Edinburgh For A While? Check Out These Other Helpful Posts For Scotland:
✔️ Grab my 2 Days in Edinburgh Itinerary so you can plan out the BEST days in the city!
✔️ Need a Hotel? Here are ALL of the best places to Stay in Edinburgh.
✔️ AND All of the best Spa Hotels in Edinburgh!
✔️ Read About Exciting things to do in Edinburgh with Kids!
✔️Is Scotland Even WORTH Visiting? Here’s what you need to know.
✔️ Wondering How To Get Around Edinburgh? (Hint: You can use Uber!)
✔️ If You’re Traveling to Inverness, Make sure to Try the BEST Afternoon Tea Spots
✔️ I Know You’re Dying to Know…Can You Swim in Loch Ness?
✔️And… here’s how you’ll want to get from Inverness to Loch Ness (a can’t miss!)
