Some Of The Best Things To See And Do In Edinburgh’s New Town

Last Updated on the 7th of August, 2025

When you stop to observe the streets of Edinburgh’s New Town, you’ll notice how the buildings aligned along both sides of the road parade rows of wrought iron balconies, balustrades and pilasters, fanlights, chimneys and attic windows.

It is one of the most spectacular neighbourhoods in the city. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site and a true marvel of urban planning.

New Town often gets forgotten about in favour of the Old Town, but I love it just as much for its great character and symmetrical arrangement as for its elegance and I always encourage people to explore it.

It is home to the National Gallery of Scotland, a wealth of Georgian architecture lining broad avenues and open squares, abundant shopping opportunities on and around George Street and the spectacular Dome, one of Edinburgh’s most famous landmarks.

Get your cameras out and your walking shoes on, as in this blog post, I am sharing the best things to do in Edinburgh New Town.

Edinburgh’s Georgian Architecture in the New Town

A Short History of Edinburgh New Town

In 1767, a 26-year-old architect, James Craig, won a competition to develop 100 acres of city-owned farmland into a New Town to keep the wealthy from leaving Edinburgh, who were tired of the poor living conditions that were found in the Old Town.

The plan was to have wide streets and sidewalks, grand public buildings, and an organised layout, which would be in stark contrast to the labyrinth of many wynds and closes in Old Town.

Edinburgh’s New Town took more than 80 years to complete, and most of the buildings here were four-storey, with the servants and staff living in the basements.

Many decades later, it still is a world-renowned example of city planning, which received a UNESCO World Heritage site due to “the finest public and commercial monuments of the New-classical revival in Europe”.

The Dome Restaurant on George Street, Edinburgh

#1. Go For a Stroll Along Princes Street

Running from Leith Street to Lothian Road, Princes Street is the most important thoroughfare in Edinburgh that’s filled with sprawling department stores, high-end boutiques and historical monuments.

You’ll see that most of the shops are located on the north side of the street, and the south side looks out over the verdant Princes Street Gardens towards the Old Town and Edinburgh Castle.

At the eastern end of the street, built to accommodate well-heeled railway passengers, you’ll find the elegant 5-star Balmoral Hotel.

Next door, Waverley Station is the capital’s historic main train station, complete with its bustling retail space and a tremendous glistening glass roof.

On the west end of the street is the Johnnie Walker Whisky Experience, with a fantastic roof garden offering tours and glorious views of Edinburgh Castle.

Princes Street was named after two of King George III’s sons: Prince George and Prince Frederick.

#2. Indulge In Fine Art At The Scottish National Gallery

Set within an imposing neoclassical building, the Scottish National Gallery looks after the country’s fine art collection from the early Renaissance to the end of the 19th century.

It is centrally located on the Mound within walking distance of Princes Street and can easily be incorporated into any itinerary.

The National Gallery’s collections are spread across three levels, and some of the masterpieces include works by Jacopo Bassano, Titian, Monet, Rembrandt, and van Gogh, among others.

The Gallery also holds a collection of works by Scottish artists, including several landscapes by Alexander Nasmyth and several works by Sir Henry Raeburn.

Opening times: The gallery is open daily, 10am–5pm, and admission is free

*Our Crossings Tip: Don’t leave without seeing some of the religious-themed paintings on the upper level, including Bologna’s The Adoration of the Magi.

The Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh

#3. Be in Awe of St. John’s Church Interior

Take a few moments away from sightseeing or shopping and pop in for a quiet period of reflection at the wonderful St. John’s Episcopal Church at the end of Princes Street.

Sitting in this tranquil Episcopal church dating to the late 16th century, you wouldn’t believe that you are only a few steps away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Aside from exquisitely detailed stained glass windows and gorgeous chandeliers, an ironwork ceiling and a golden eagle lectern.

Located where Lothian Road and Princess Street meet, the church is hard to miss.

Admission is free, but there is a box for donations

The marvellous stained glass windows at St. John’s Church, Edinburgh

#4. Marvel At The Elegant Furnishings at The Georgian House

Owned by the Scottish National Trust, the Georgian House is a wonderfully restored 18th-century village house which is furnished exactly how it would have been during the eighteenth century.

It is located at Charlotte Square – just a short walk away from Princes Street and well worth a visit if you wish to see how the wealthiest residents of the New Town once lived.

The house has five floors, of which three are open to the public. It is beautifully decorated with period decoration and elegant furnishings, and you can take your time admiring its many paintings, antiques, china dishware, silverware and glassware on display.

The kitchen contained one of the finest collections of copper cooking utensils that I have ever seen, and together with all the other utensils and implements, it made for a fascinating visit.

Location: 7 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4DR

Admission: Adults £ 10.00, families £19.50

Opening Hours: Thursday to Monday from 10 am to 4 pm

Georgian House has an extensive collection of paintings, costumes and furniture.

#5. Discover Scotland’s Historical Figures at the National Portrait Gallery

Queen Street’s east end is home to a magnificent red sandstone neo-gothic building designed by Sir Robert Rowan Anderson that stands out amongst the grey sandstone Georgian homes.

Walk through the doors, and you’ll find yourself at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which opened to the public as the world’s first portrait gallery in 1889.

With over 30,000 fascinating images in its collection, the gallery is a rare window into the lives of the men and women whose outstanding achievements helped shape Scotland and the rest of the world.

Before you rush to discover Scotland’s most significant historical figures through paintings and photographs, linger briefly by the Great Hall, as it is an artwork in itself.

A magnificent frieze adorns the first-floor balustrade, which was designed as a visual encyclopaedia and features a procession of key figures in Scottish history, such as David Livingstone, Adam Smith, Mary Queen of Scots, and Robert Burns.

Location: 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JD

Opening Hours: Open daily, 10am – 5pm

The Magnificent Interior of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

#6. Relax in Princes Street Gardens

Princes Street Gardens is an urban park which forms a green border between Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town and is beautiful to visit throughout the year.

The gardens are nicely landscaped, and there’s plenty of seating if you want to rest your legs.

It’s split into two sections by The Mound, the street on which the Scottish National Gallery is located. To the east is the smaller East Princes Street Gardens, dominated by the Scott Monument and to the west is the more extensive West Princes Street Gardens.

Whichever side you choose to explore, you’ll find quite a few monuments and curiosities to see as you wander through the gardens.

Some of the highlights include:

The cast-iron Ross Fountain with its ornaments of mermaids, walruses and lion heads.

The Floral Clock is an immaculately tended floral display in the shape of a clock that tells the correct time.

The ‘Genius of Architecture’ statue and a small monument of Robert Louis Stevenson

Princes Street Gardens – a great place to relax

#7. Stroll Down Rose Street

Hidden between New Town’s upscale Princes Street and George Street, Rose Street is located only a brisk 10-minute walk down the hill from the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle.

In a bygone era, Rose Street was used as a service entrance to the grand residential homes on Princes Street and George Street.

It’s also where McVitie’s provision shop opened in 1830, establishing the famous firm of biscuit manufacturers and where one of the first fire stations in the country was set up.

But today, it is a lovely pedestrian walkway with many small cafés, unique shops and many dimly lit pubs with a cosy atmosphere—the sort of places where you can sit with a good friend and yarn for hours over a few pints

People strolling along Rose Street in Edinburgh, Scotland

#8. Have a Pint at the Conan Doyle Pub

Located on the corner of York Place, conveniently close to many of the city’s iconic attractions, such as the Edinburgh Playhouse and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, is a public house named after the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

This traditional pub is just a short walk from Conan Doyle’s original residence on Picardy Place, where he was born on 22 May 1859.

Inside the pub, the Conan Doyle celebrates the life of its legendary namesake with an array of portraits and paraphernalia inspired by the esteemed crime writer’s famous works.

Other than that, however, the place is well known for its wide range of traditional Scottish pub food available all day long, as well as a drinks menu focusing on fine real cask ales and scotch whiskies, served up in a relaxing, Victorian-style surrounding.

The cosy interior of Arthur Conan Doyla Pub in Edinburgh, Scotland

#9. Climb To the Top Of the Scott Monument

And keep your camera ready because it doesn’t matter at what angle you take photographs of the city below; it always looks incredible.

Now, before you go, there are 287 steps you have to climb to reach the top of the Scott Monument built for Sir Walter Scot, the famed novelist of ‘Ivanhoe’.

The iconic 200-foot spire, reaching eternally into the sky, is located in the New Town on Princes Street and was crafted using Binny sandstone from quarries in West Lothian.

As you go to the top, keep your eyes open for 68 interesting statues, most of which depict characters from Sir Walter Scott’s stories. In addition to the character statues, you’ll find 16 heads portraying other Scottish poets and writers, a statue of Scott with his dog, and 8 kneeling Druid figures.

Opening Times: Open 7 days a week from 10 am to 3:30 pm

Admission: Adult £8 | Child/Concession £6

Views from the top of the Scott Monument, Edinburgh

#10. Take in The City View From Calton Hill

Home to several Edinburgh landmarks, Calton Hill is one of the seven hills that Edinburgh is built on.

In addition to sweeping city views, the hill boasts a collection of some of the city’s most important monuments.

There are the Dugald Stewart Monument, the Nelson Monument – a tribute to Admiral Nelson, the Robert Burns Monument, the Old Royal High School and the unfinished National Monument of Scotland.

There’s also the City Observatory, set up in 1776 for the study and observation of astronomy, whose tower is the only surviving structure in the city designed and built by the man who inspired New Town’s distinctive grid system of intersecting straight lines 1970 – James Craig.

Although walking to the summit requires a steep climb, it’s a less strenuous alternative to climbing Arthur’s Seat with views just as good.

Enjoying a view from Calton Hill in Edinburgh

What are good things to know about the New Town?

For a quieter, less touristy, shopping experience, West End Village is something of a hidden gem, if you like, tucked away behind Shandwick Place. The village streets have unique gift shops, boutiques, cute cafés, and cocktail bars.

Walking is the best way to explore the New Town. You can easily reach the New Town on all forms of public transport.

Trams run along Princes Street, and the St Andrew bus station and Waverley railway station are here, too.

Much of Princes Street is limited to buses, taxis, and trams – private vehicle traffic is only permitted on the eastern end to reduce congestion

Edinburgh’s New Town spires at dusk, Scotland.

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Now, over to you!

Have you been to Edinburgh? Let us know in the comments!

Let us know if you are plotting a visit to Edinburgh and have travel-related questions!

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Some Of The Best Things To See And Do In Edinburgh’s New Town – OUR CROSSINGS