16 Places to Visit in Edinburgh’s New Town
Along with Old Town, New Town is one of the most popular parts of Edinburgh to visit. New Town was built between the 1760s and 1830s and was at the time the largest planned city development in the world with Neoclassical and Georgian architecture. Nowadays, with lots of clothing shops, restaurants and bars, and green spaces, there’s something for everyone in New Town!
This blog post accompanies our YouTube video below, in which we take you to explore Edinburgh’s New Town!
Here are 16 places to visit in New Town:
1. Regent Road
As Regent Road sits on top of a hill, you get some great views of Arthur’s Seat, Salisbury Crags, and eventually over to Old Town. You can also pop in to Regent Road Park if you’d like while passing by.
Address: Regent Road, Edinburgh EH7 5BL
2. Jacob's Ladder
Towards the end of Regent Road, closer to Princes Street, is Jacob’s Ladder, a steep staircase carved into the side of Calton Hill that offers great views into the city centre. It is also a shortcut to Calton Road in Old Town.
Address: Jacob’s Ladder, Edinburgh EH8 8DL
3. Calton Hill
One of the best places in Edinburgh’s city centre for gorgeous views is Calton Hill, which boasts many different monuments, including the Nelson and Dugald Stewart Monuments.
There is also an unfinished acropolis, which was supposed to be a replica of the Parthenon in Athens as well as a memorial to those who died in the Napoleonic Wars. Unfortunately, they ran out of money halfway through building so the monument was never completed.
Address: Calton Hill, Edinburgh EH7 5AA
4. Princes Street
Princes Street is one of the main roads in New Town and the main shopping street in Edinburgh. Most of the street is limited to buses, trams, and taxis, but is extremely walkable and there are great views towards Princes Street Gardens and Old Town.
Address: Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AN
5. George Street
Another popular street in New Town is George Street, which connects St Andrew Square in the east with Charlotte Square in the west. Most of the buildings on George Street are now clothing shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars.
Address: George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PF
6. Scott Monument
Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument and is one of the largest monuments in the world dedicated to a writer, with this monument being dedicated to Sir Walter Scott. The tower is 61.11 metres (200 feet 6 inches) tall and construction took place from 1841 to 1844.
In normal times, for a fee, you can climb the narrow staircases to the top for great views of Edinburgh. (Note: Scott Monument is currently closed until further notice.) There is also a stunning view of Scott Monument when viewed from South St David Street.
Address: East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh EH2 2EJ
Hours: Daily from 10.00 - 15.30
Price: Not currently listed
Note: Currently closed until further notice
7. Scottish National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery is Scotland’s national art gallery located close to Princes Street. The building is of a Neoclassical style and first opened in 1859. The art collection begins from the Renaissance period and goes all the way to the beginning of the 20th century.
The Scottish National Gallery is part of the National Galleries of Scotland, a public body that also owns the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
Address: The Mound, Edinburgh EH2 2EL
Hours: Daily from 10.00 - 17.00
Price: Free
8. Scottish National Portrait Gallery
An art museum on Queen Street, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery holds collections of portraits of Scots. The building is of particular prominence with its red sandstone Gothic revival style.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is part of the National Galleries of Scotland, a public body that also owns the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Scottish National Gallery.
Address: 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD
Hours: Daily from 10.00 - 17.00
Price: Free
9. Princes Street Gardens
This is actually two parks that are adjacent to each other, typically referred to as East and West Princes Street Gardens. They were created when the Nor Loch (or North Lake) was drained during the building of New Town in the 1760s. The man-made lake was often polluted with sewage that drained down from the residents in Old Town. Now, it’s a nice green space in Edinburgh’s city centre.
Address: Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh EH2 3AA
10. Gardener's Cottage
Situated in West Princes Street Gardens and designed by Robert Morham in 1886, Gardener’s Cottage was originally the house of the Head Gardener and has since been restored into a distinctive Victorian cottage. It is also known as Great Aunt Lizzie’s house as it was used as a film location for a children’s drama called Teacup Travels and the cottage was home to Great Aunt Lizzie.
The cottage is normally open during the annual Doors Open Days (which usually takes place in September) and is not otherwise open to the public.
Small bonus! There are many additional structures that sit in West Princes Street Gardens, and a few of our favourites include: the Ross Fountain, the Forget-Me-Not Elephant, and Wojtek the Bear.
Address: West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh EH2 2BB
11. Dundas House
A Neoclassical building located at St Andrew Square which is currently the registered office of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Dundas House was originally a private townhouse for Sir Lawrence Dundas and is now a Category A listed building (which are “buildings of special architectural or historic interest which are outstanding examples of a particular period, style or building”).
Inside, you can see some stunning architecture, including the star-shaped gold-rimmed coffer skylights. Even if you are not an RBS customer, you are free to enter the building, and the staff even encourage photos and videos, as long as you don’t capture any other people in them.
Address: 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB
Hours: 09.30 - 16.30 (Monday & Tuesday and Thursday & Friday), 10.00 - 16.30 (Wednesday), 09.30 - 13.00 (Saturday)
12. Multrees Walk
Multrees Walk is a luxurious pedestrian-only shopping area just off of St Andrew Square and includes the likes of Harvey Nichols and Burberry, among many other brands. It is also linked to the newly-opened St James Quarter, a shopping centre and residential development.
Address: Multrees Walk, Edinburgh EH1 3DQ
Hours: 10.00 - 18.00 (Monday - Wednesday and Friday & Saturday), 10.00 - 19.00 (Thursday), 11.00 - 17.00 (Sunday)
13. The Stand Comedy Club
The Stand Comedy Club is a comedy club for stand-up comedians with locations also in Glasgow and Newcastle upon Tyne. They run live stand-up comedy shows every night of the week with Scottish and international comedians.
Address: 5 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EB
Hours: 10.00 - 00.00 (Monday - Friday), 12.00 - 00.00 (Saturday & Sunday)
14. Panda & Sons
Opened in November 2013, Panda & Sons is a barber shop-themed speakeasy that operates as a hidden bar disguised as a vintage barber shop. Enjoy their wide array of cocktails and other drinks on a night out in the city.
Address: 79 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 4NF
Hours: 15.00 - 00.00 (Wednesday & Thursday), 15.00 - 01.00 (Friday), 14.00 - 01.00 (Saturday), 14.00 - 00.00 (Sunday)
15. Charlotte Square
Charlotte Square is a garden square on the west end of George Street and is regarded as an architectural masterpiece, with notable buildings including Bute House and The Georgian House. On the north side, #6 is Bute House, the office of the First Minister of Scotland, and #7 is The Georgian House, an 18th-century townhouse that is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is a tourist attraction.
Do note that the gardens at Charlotte Square are actually private and not publicly accessible except when there are events in the square.
Address: Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ
16. Moray Place
And last but not least on our list of places to visit in New Town is Moray Place. Moray Place is part of the Moray Estate, a single development from the early 19th century catering to the extremely wealthy. A chunk of land from Charlotte Square to near the Water of Leith was the 10th Earl of Moray’s property and used to be all parkland. Each house had five floors and was about 600 square metres or 6,500 square feet. Moray Place is a duodecagon, which is a 12-sided polygon, and is the largest space in the estate.
Address: Moray Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BT
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of everything there is to see in Edinburgh’s New Town, but we hope this gives you some ideas of what to do when exploring Edinburgh! What is your favourite place in New Town? Let us know in the comments!
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