Edinburgh and the Lothians
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Edinburgh and the Lothians - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Johnnie Walker Princes Street
New TownOpened in late 2021, this state-of-the-art, interactive whisky experience is a dizzying sensory experience. The regular 90-minute Journey of Whisky tour uses impressive animation, immersive light and sound effects, and even live actors to tell the tale of Johnnie Walker whisky, from its humble grocer's shop origins to its current status as the world's best-selling Scotch. Visitors will enjoy a whisky highball—matched to their own flavor preferences after a quick quiz—at the start of the tour, as well as two more drams or cocktails at the end. The three drinks alone are worth the £25 admission. Real whisky connoisseurs can also visit the Whisky Makers' Cellar (£95) to taste drams straight from the cast. Not interested in a tour? Head straight up to the 1820 Rooftop Bar for a drink with a view.
145 Princes St., Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH2 4BL, Scotland0131-376--9494Sight Details
Rate Includes: £25 -
2. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Explore Britain's largest rhododendron and azalea gardens at this beautiful 70-acre botanical garden. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden, it now has a range of natural highlights such as soaring palms in the glass-domed Temperate House and the steamy Tropical Palm House, an extensive Chinese garden, and a pretty rock garden and stream. There's a visitor center with exhibits on biodiversity, a fabulous gift shop selling plants, books, and gifts, and two cafeterias. The handsome 18th-century Inverleith House hosts art exhibitions. It's free to roam the gardens, but it costs extra for greenhouse admission (which is currently closed for renovation) or you can splash out even more for guided garden walks and private tours. It takes 20 minutes to walk to the garden from Princes Street, or you can take a bus.
View Tours and ActivitiesArboretum Pl., Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ, Scotland0131-248--2909Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
3. Scottish National Gallery
Opened to the public in 1859, the Scottish National Gallery presents a wide selection of paintings from the Renaissance to the Postimpressionist period within a grand neoclassical building. Most famous are the Old Master paintings bequeathed by the Duke of Sutherland, including Titian's Three Ages of Man. Works by Velázquez, El Greco, Rembrandt, Goya, Poussin, Turner, Degas, Monet, and van Gogh, among others, complement a fine collection of Scottish art, including Sir Henry Raeburn's Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch and other works by Ramsay, Raeburn, and Wilkie. The gallery also has an information center, a quirky gift shop, and the excellent Scottish Cafe and Restaurant. You can also hop on a shuttle bus (£1 donation requested) from here to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, which has paintings and sculptures by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, and André Derain, among others.
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4. Calton Hill
Robert Louis Stevenson's favorite view of his beloved city was from the top of this hill, and it's easy to see why. Located in the heart of the city, Calton Hill offers stunning vistas of the Old and New Towns and out to the Firth of Forth, making it a popular setting for picnicking and watching festival fireworks. Great views aside, the hill is also home to a number of impressive monuments. The most notable is the so-called National Monument, also known as "Scotland's Disgrace," which was commissioned in 1822 and intended to mimic Athens's Parthenon. But after just 12 columns had been built, the money ran out, leaving the facade as a monument to high aspirations and poor fundraising. Nearby, the 100-foot-high Nelson Monument, completed in 1815 in honor of Britain's greatest naval hero, is topped with a "time ball" that is dropped at 1 pm every day. Other hillside monuments honor notable Scots ranging from mathematician John Playfair to philosopher Dugald Stewart. The hill is also home to the City Observatory, which hosts regular contemporary art exhibitions, as well as upscale restaurant The Lookout by Gardener's Cottage. It also plays host to the Beltane Fire Festival every April 30.
View Tours and ActivitiesBounded by Leith St. to the west and Regent Rd. to the south, Edinburgh, EH7 5AA, ScotlandSight Details
Rate Includes: Free; Nelson Monument £6 -
5. George Street
New TownWith its high-end shops, upmarket bistros, and five-star hotels, all with handsome Georgian frontages, George Street is a more pleasant, less crowded thoroughfare for strolling than Princes Street. It also has a couple of points of interest. First, there's the statue of King George IV, at the intersection of George and Hanover streets, which recalls the visit of George IV to Scotland in 1822; he was the first British monarch to do so since King Charles II in the 17th century. Next, the Assembly Rooms, between Hanover and Frederick streets, are where Sir Walter Scott officially acknowledged having written the Waverley novels (the author had hitherto been a mystery, albeit a badly kept one). It's now a popular venue during the Fringe Festival.
View Tours and ActivitiesBetween Charlotte Sq. and St. Andrew Sq., Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Moray Place
New TownWith its "pendants" of Ainslie Place and Randolph Crescent, Moray Place was laid out in 1822 by the Earl of Moray. From the start the homes were planned to be of particularly high quality, with lovely curving facades, imposing porticos, and a central secluded garden reserved for residents.
Between Charlotte Sq. and Water of Leith, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH3 6BT, Scotland -
7. Princes Street
The south side of this dominant New Town street is occupied by the well-kept Princes Street Gardens, which act as a wide green moat to the castle on its rock. The north side is now one long sequence of chain stores with mostly unappealing modern fronts, with one or two exceptions: most notably the handsome Victorian facade on the corner of South St. David Street.
View Tours and ActivitiesWaterloo Pl. to Lothian Rd., Edinburgh, Scotland -
8. Princes Street Gardens
New TownThese beautifully manicured gardens, directly overlooked by Edinburgh Castle, are just a few steps and yet a whole world away from bustling Princes Street. The 38-acre park, divided into the East and West Gardens, was first laid out in the 1760s, on marshland created by the draining of a (long-since-vanished) loch. It has a host of attractions, including a functioning floral clock on the corner of Princes Street and The Mound, the Ross Fountain, a series of memorials, a children's play park, and a café. The gardens often host free concerts, and have a central role in the city's famed Hogmanay festivities.
Princes St., Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH2 2HG, Scotland -
9. Scott Monument
What appears to be a Gothic cathedral spire that's been chopped off and planted on Princes Street is in fact Scotland's tribute to one of its most famous sons, Sir Walter Scott. Built in 1844 and soaring to 200 feet, it remains the largest monument to a writer anywhere in the world. Climb the 287 steps to the top for a stunning view of the city and the hills and coast beyond.
View Tours and ActivitiesE. Princes St. Gardens, Edinburgh, EH2 2EJ, Scotland0131-529–4068Sight Details
Rate Includes: £8 cash only -
10. Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Set within a magnificent red-sandstone Gothic building from 1889, this gallery is an Edinburgh must-see. Conceived as a gift to the people of Scotland, it divides into five broad themes, from Reformation to Modernity, with special galleries for photography and contemporary art—all centered around the stunning Great Hall. It also plays host to regular temporary exhibitions, including the annual BP Portrait Award.
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