Edinburgh, the cultural and intellectual hub capital of Scotland, has so much life, history, and entertainment, it’d take months to enjoy everything it has to offer. Traipsing around the moody, 14th century Old Town is an activity to turn the head of any enthusiastic traveler - but today, we’re all about Edinburgh’s New Town.
Edinburgh is divided between Old Town and New Town - two boroughs cutting through the center of the city. Edinburgh’s New Town dates back to the late 16th century, an impressive work of Georgian architecture, encompassing historical streets, modern bars and stores, landmarks, monuments, museums, and more. Here’s a handy guide of what to enjoy in Edinburgh’s New Town.
The New Town
In the 17th century Edinburgh, the “Athens of the North”, was entering the Age of Enlightenment. For the growing intellectual middle class, the smoky air, unlevelled, and ever more overcrowding streets of the Old Town were beginning to get, pardon the pun, old.
To avoid more affluent citizens from leaving Edinburgh to London, the city decided to take the idea of the Duke of Albany and York, later King James VII, and make it a reality. By the 1800s the rich citizens of Edinburgh moved away from the cramped closes of Old Town and into the large, neoclassical grand residences of the Georgian New Town.
Visiting New Town
There’s a lot to explore in Edinburgh’s New Town, and a good place to start is the New Town calling card, the Princes Street Gardens, created when Edinburgh's largest loch, North Loch, was drained in the construction of the New Town. Take a relaxing stroll through this haven amid the city, visitors can see The Mound, the Princes' flower clock, and Ross Fountain, the gardens’ centerpiece cast-iron fountain directly from the Great Exhibition of 1862.
From the gardens, there can also be a beautiful view of Edinburgh Castle, tall above Castle Rock and above the garden's grassy fields.
Through the Princes Street Gardens, anyone can access the Scott Monument, a Gothic tower built-in 1846 as a monument in honor of writer Sir Walter Scott. At 61 meters in height, the Scott Monument is the largest monument in the world dedicated to a writer. The tower has all the exquisite details typical of the Gothic style, built-in striking blackened wood.
Visitors can climb the tower for free but beware: the climb is steep, long, and can get quite tight and narrow, but the absolutely amazing views that the tower provides of the whole of Edinburgh make it worthwhile.
Just off Princes Street, on The Mound, is the Scottish National Gallery, a national art gallery featuring many classical artworks, both from local and international artists. Most of the works in the National Gallery cover the Renaissance through to Post-Impressionism.
If one National Gallery didn’t quench the thirst for art, fear not! New Town in Edinburgh is also home to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which features a vast collection of paintings and portraits of the most important and prominent figures in Scottish history.
Dean Village is, well, exactly that! A village within the city of Edinburgh, walking through Dean Village is like entering a picturesque postcard. Quiet and calm despite being only a short away from the bustling Edinburgh city center, Dean Village is the perfect place to sightsee without rush, listening to the river running under Dean Bridge and admiring the swiss reminiscent architecture.
For those looking for some shopping tourism, shopping at Princes Street is practically a rite of passage, and make sure to spend some time at Jenners Department Store. At night, bar hopping on George Street waits for the ones seeking some boozy thrills.
Travelers that enjoyed the Old Town Whiskey Tour are likely to enjoy the Edinburgh Gin Distillery, on Rutland Place. See how authentic Edinburgh gin is made in one of the many tours, and of course, have a little taste of it too! Booking in advance is highly encouraged.
At the bottom of Princes Street is Calton Hill, Edinburgh's own Agora, as expected from the Athens of the North. On the hilltop of Calton Hill sit the National Monument, a Parthenon-inspired monument honoring the soldiers who perished during the Napoleonic Wars. Though it was never finished, it remains one of the most impressive monuments in Scotland.
In Calton Hill are also the City Observatory, an astronomy tower first used to house Thomas Short’s telescope, one of the most important telescope makers in the world. Maria Theresa Short, the builder of Camera Obscura in Old Town, was his daughter.
The Nelson Hill is another 1800s tower, built to honor the eponymous Vice-Admiral Nelson after his role in the battle of Trafalgar.
This is just a little taste of the New Town and Edinburgh as a whole have to offer to get you started on exploring this fabulous city.