Princes Street Gardens: Edinburgh Travel Guide (4.7★)

A valley where a loch used to be

Stand on the Princes Street pavement and look south. The ground drops away into lawns and flowerbeds, then rises up the black volcanic cliff of Castle Rock to Edinburgh Castle. This hollow was once the Nor Loch, a polluted body of water that was drained during the building of the New Town in the 18th century.

The Mound splits the gardens in two. It is the earth bank carrying the Scottish National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy.

• East Gardens: next to Waverley Station, overlooked by the Gothic spire of the Scott Monument.
• West Gardens: larger, with the long lawns, the Ross Bandstand and the Ross Fountain sitting right below the castle.

What to find on the paths

Most of the monuments stand along the main paths, so a loop takes in nearly all of them.

• Scott Monument: the soot-darkened Victorian spire built in honour of Sir Walter Scott. Its narrow internal stairs, 287 steps, climb to viewing galleries. Tickets are sold at the base.
• Floral Clock: at the Mound entrance to the West Gardens. It’s planted fresh each year and has kept time since 1903.
• Ross Fountain: an ornate cast-iron fountain, restored in recent years, with the castle wall behind it.
• Wojtek the Soldier Bear: a bronze of the bear who served with the Polish army in the Second World War.
• Scottish American War Memorial: a bronze seated figure and frieze along the south side of the West Gardens.

St Cuthbert’s Church and its graveyard sit at the far west end. Allow 1–2 hours for an unhurried loop, and more if you climb the monument.

Timing the lawns

This is one of the most visited green spaces in Scotland, so when you go makes a difference. The calmest window is 7am–10am every day of the week. On weekdays it goes quiet again from 8pm–9pm.

Avoid weekends from 12pm–8pm. That’s the busiest stretch, when benches are taken and the lawns below the castle are packed with picnickers.

At the moment the gates open 7am–9:35pm, but park hours change through the seasons. Check the City of Edinburgh Council site for this month’s times. In winter the East Gardens host the Christmas market. At Hogmanay the West Gardens become a ticketed concert site, so some areas close.

Using the gardens like Edinburgh does

Most people treat the gardens as a shortcut, not a destination. Office workers cut through between Princes Street and the Old Town. When the sun comes out, people sit on the grass with lunch from the shops across the road.

• Read the benches. Many carry small memorial plaques with dedications. They’re worth a slow look, and they’re one reason people sit quietly here.
• Use the side stairs. Steps from the Mound and Princes Street drop straight in, so you can skip the crowded main entrances.
• Get the castle shot from the West Gardens path. The Ross Fountain in the foreground looks best in morning light, before the 10am crowds.
• Keep off planted beds and roped-off turf. Gardeners rest the lawns after events.
• Pair it with the galleries. The Scottish National Gallery on the Mound connects to the gardens, which makes it an easy place to go if it rains.

The tram runs along Princes Street, and Waverley Station opens straight onto the East Gardens. You won’t need a car. Parking in this part of the city is scarce anyway.