New Town & Princes Street

Princes Street

Princes Street is Edinburgh's most famous shopping street — but its real highlight isn't in the shop windows, it's on the other side: the view of Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town. The street has shops only on the north side, the south side opens to the Princes Street Gardens and Castle Rock. There is hardly a shopping street in the world with this panorama.

Princes Street Gardens

The Princes Street Gardens lie in the valley between Old Town and New Town — once a stinking lake (Nor' Loch), now a well-kept Victorian park. Two highlights:

• Scott Monument: A 61-meter-high neo-Gothic tower in honor of the writer Sir Walter Scott — the largest monument to a writer in the world. 287 steps lead to the viewing platforms. The climb is narrow and steep, but the view is worth it. Admission: £8.
• Floral Clock: A functioning clock made of living plants — replanted every year since 1903, the oldest floral clock in the world.

In summer: picnic on the lawn with a view of the Castle. In winter: Edinburgh's Christmas with a Christmas market, Ferris wheel, and ice rink. All year round: the perfect place to take a breath and let Edinburgh sink in.

George Street

Parallel to Princes Street runs George Street — Edinburgh's most elegant promenade. While Princes Street offers more mainstream shopping, George Street is the address for boutiques, cocktail bars, and upscale restaurants. The Georgian facades are immaculate, the atmosphere cosmopolitan. In summer, the restaurants spill out onto the sidewalks, and the street feels almost Mediterranean (almost — the wind reminds you that you're in Scotland).

Charlotte Square

At the western end of George Street lies Charlotte Square — the masterpiece of architect Robert Adam (1791) and one of the finest Georgian ensembles in the world. Perfect symmetry, elegant proportions, the epitome of Edinburgh New Town:

• Georgian House (No. 7): An original and restored Georgian townhouse from the 1790s. The National Trust for Scotland has furnished it as it would have looked in the 18th century — a time travel into the life of Edinburgh's upper class. Admission: £9.
• Bute House (No. 6): The official residence of the First Minister of Scotland — Scotland's version of 10 Downing Street.

St Andrew Square

At the eastern end of George Street: St Andrew Square with the Melville Monument (a Roman-style column), the historic Dundas House (now Royal Bank of Scotland), and the Harvey Nichols department store. The square is the commercial heart of the New Town.

Dean Village

Dean Village is Edinburgh's best-kept secret — a fairytale village in the middle of the city, hidden in a gorge of the Water of Leith, just a ten-minute walk from Princes Street. Historic mill buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, a stone arch bridge, lush greenery, and the babbling of the river. You turn a corner, and suddenly you're no longer in a big city but in a picture book.

The Water of Leith Walkway runs right through Dean Village — a footpath along the river stretching from Balerno on the outskirts to Leith at the harbor (19 km). The section through Dean Village to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is a walk you'll never forget.

Stockbridge

Stockbridge is Edinburgh's coziest district — a former village swallowed by the city but retaining its charm. Independent shops, charity shops (Scotland's best second-hand stores!), delis, bakeries, and the Stockbridge Sunday Market (every Sunday, 10 am–5 pm) with street food, art, and crafts. Here you feel like a local.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

Two elegant neoclassical buildings (Modern One and Modern Two) in a sculpture park on the Water of Leith. Scottish and international modern art — Picasso, Matisse, Hockney, Paolozzi. Admission: free.