How I'd spend a day in Edinburgh's New Town: the UNESCO Georgian grid that's the Old Town's opposite in every way, why George Street beats Princes Street, the galleries on Dundas Street, and where I'd actually eat and drink among the Georgian bank buildings.
If the Old Town is medieval Edinburgh piled up a hillside, the New Town is the deliberate opposite: a flat, rational Georgian grid laid out from 1767, all wide streets, garden squares and unified stone facades. James Craig was 26 when he won the January 1766 competition to design it, and his plan of three parallel streets, Queen Street, George Street and Princes Street, connected by St Andrew Square and Charlotte Square, is still exactly the city you walk through today. It's been a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Old Town since 1995.
The one thing worth knowing before you arrive: Princes Street and George Street are not the same experience, whatever the map suggests. Princes Street gets the postcard view of the Castle across the gardens, but the street itself is mostly chain stores and fast food these days. George Street, one block north and originally planned as the grander of the two, is where the converted Georgian bank buildings now house the bars, restaurants and independent shops I'd actually recommend. I'd walk Princes Street for the view and spend the rest of my time on George Street and around St Andrew Square.
The honest shape of a New Town day is a loop rather than a straight line: start at Princes Street Gardens for the orientation, the Scott Monument and the National Gallery, work up through George Street and its side streets (Rose Street, Thistle Street) for shopping and lunch, detour to the galleries on Dundas Street, then loop back through Queen Street, the West End and St Andrew Square for the shopping, the Portrait Gallery, and the evening's bars and dinner. Here are the stops I'd build it around, grouped by patch of the grid rather than as a flat list, roughly in the order I'd walk them.
Princes Street Gardens is where I'd start, because it's the hinge between the two Edinburghs. Stand in the sunken gardens and the Old Town rises up one side, the Castle on its rock, while the New Town's flat Georgian grid runs off the other. It's free, open every day, and the classic postcard view of the Castle comes from right here rather than from Princes Street itself.
The one thing to plan around is the calendar: East Princes Street Gardens gets partly fenced off for the Christmas Market from November to January, and a summer market takes over the bandstand for weeks at a time. Go early in the day if you want the lawns to yourself before the tour groups and buskers arrive.
Free, every day, year-round. Go early to see it before the tour groups and buskers arrive, and check what's on: East Gardens gets partly fenced off for the Christmas Market (Nov-Jan) and a summer market at the bandstand.
Visitors consistently highlight the views of Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town skyline from the sunken lawns, and describe it as a genuinely peaceful, well-kept green space right in the centre of the city.
The Scott Monument sits right there in the gardens, a soot-blackened Gothic spire built for Sir Walter Scott that you can actually climb. £9 gets you 287 steps up a narrow spiral staircase to four viewing platforms, with the ticket sold on the day at the base kiosk only, card payments only, no online booking.
It's genuinely claustrophobic in places and not for anyone with mobility concerns, since the museum room on the first floor isn't wheelchair accessible either. Worth doing once for the view over the gardens to the Castle, but budget 30 to 45 minutes and don't feel obliged if stairs aren't your thing.
The climb is steep, narrow and genuinely claustrophobic in places, so skip it if that's a problem for you. It's worth doing once for the view across the gardens to the Castle, but it's a 30-45 minute detour, not a quick photo stop.
Reviewers reliably praise the view from the top and the Gothic detail of the tower to Sir Walter Scott, with the recurring caveat that the narrow spiral stair is a genuine physical effort for the £9 admission.
The Scottish National Gallery is the one addition to this walk I'd call essential: Scotland's premier collection of Old Masters and Scottish painting, one flight above the gardens, and free. It's an easy pairing with the Scott Monument since they share the same green space, and it's where I'd send you if you only have time for one indoor stop on this side of town.
Don't rush past Henry Raeburn's The Skating Minister, the single most reproduced image in Scottish art, or the Impressionist rooms. Step-free access comes via the Princes Street Gardens entrance, with lifts between floors and wheelchairs to borrow, and a fast visitor can do the highlights in under an hour.
This is the one I'd never skip: Scotland's premier fine art collection, one flight up from the gardens, and free. Don't leave without finding Henry Raeburn's The Skating Minister, the single most reproduced image in Scottish art.
Visitors consistently highlight the Scottish and international masterpieces, from Raeburn to Van Gogh and Monet, and the free admission, describing a calm, uncrowded space with helpful staff.
Urban Angel is where I'd break for breakfast or brunch, a fair trade, organic, locally-sourced cafe on Hanover Street, the street that runs from the Mound up to George Street. It's been doing this since 2004, well before Edinburgh's brunch scene got competitive, and the vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free range is genuinely strong.
It's a small room, so book ahead if you're coming at the weekend, and the kitchen closes mid-afternoon rather than running all day. Come here on the way up from the gardens, before the George Street cluster, not as a dinner stop.
A fair trade, organic, locally-sourced brunch room on Hanover Street, the street that links the Mound to George Street, since 2004. Good vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free range. It's small, so book ahead at weekends.
Reviewers praise the brunch dishes, especially the eggs benedict and French toast, and the cosy room, with weekend booking recommended since tables are limited.
The Dome is the George Street building I'd send anyone to first, because it makes the whole street's story visible in one room. It was the head office of the Commercial Bank of Scotland, built in 1847, and it's now a bar and restaurant under a genuinely enormous glass dome and marble columns. This is what I mean when I say George Street beats Princes Street: converted Georgian banking halls, not chain shopfronts.
It's a scene as much as a meal, so book ahead for the Grill or the Club Room, and treat the Georgian Tea Room's afternoon tea as a separate reason to come back. It isn't cheap, and you're partly paying for the room, but that's the point.
This is the George Street building to see: the former Commercial Bank of Scotland head office, built in 1847, now a bar and restaurant under a huge glass dome and marble columns. Book ahead for the Grill or Club Room; the Georgian Tea Room does a formal afternoon tea.
Reviewers consistently call out the room itself as the reason to come, with the domed atrium and Corinthian columns drawing comparisons to a cathedral; the food gets solid but secondary billing to the setting.
Contini George Street is the second Georgian banking hall on this walk worth seeing for the room alone, a 19th-century hall with 26ft ceilings and Corinthian columns just along from The Dome. The Italian-Scottish menu is properly good, not just a backdrop, and the old bank vault now does private dining for up to sixteen.
It's priced for an occasion rather than a quick lunch, and it gets busy in the evening, so book ahead if dinner's the plan. Breakfast and a mid-afternoon lull are the easier times to walk straight in.
A second George Street banking hall turned restaurant, this one 19th-century with 26ft ceilings and Corinthian columns, and private dining in the old bank vault. Italian-Scottish menu; book for dinner, it's popular.
Diners love the elegant room and the Italian-Scottish menu, especially the arancini, gnocchi and tiramisu, with the occasional note that it's priced for the occasion rather than a quick lunch.
Scottish Design Exchange is my answer to the tartan-and-shortbread problem: a social enterprise retail space a few doors from Contini, showing work from over 300 Scottish artists and makers, with every penny going back to the person who made it. Jewellery, ceramics, prints, textiles, the kind of gift that doesn't look like it came from a Royal Mile souvenir rack.
It's a browse rather than a destination, ten minutes at most unless something catches your eye, but it's a genuinely better use of George Street shopping time than another high-street chain.
A social enterprise retail space for over 300 Scottish artists and makers: jewellery, ceramics, prints, textiles. My pick for a gift that isn't mass-produced tartan, a few doors from Contini.
Shoppers call out the genuinely local, handmade range and the friendly staff as a refreshing change from the Royal Mile's generic souvenir shops.
The Abbotsford is the Rose Street pub I'd send you to, one of Edinburgh's best-preserved Edwardian interiors: an island bar carved from Spanish mahogany under an elegant Jacobean ceiling, a five-minute walk from St Andrew Square. Order the haggis, neeps and tatties, and settle in with a cask ale or a whisky.
The ground-floor bar is step-free, though there's no accessible toilet and the upstairs restaurant is stairs-only. It's a proper pub rather than a quiet one, busiest early evening, so a late-afternoon visit is the easier one.
One of Edinburgh's best-preserved Edwardian pubs, an island bar carved from Spanish mahogany under an elegant Jacobean ceiling, just off St Andrew Square. Order the haggis, neeps and tatties.
Diners praise the haggis and steak and ale pie, plus the wide range of cask ales and whiskies, with the historic Edwardian interior doing a lot of the work.
Paz Taqueria sits on the site of the much-missed El Cartel, which closed during the pandemic, and it's the upgrade: tacos and margaritas from chef Stuart McCluskey in a tiny, buzzy room on Thistle Street, one street over from Rose Street. It's become the Mexican spot Edinburgh talks about.
The room is small and it fills up fast, especially at weekends, so book ahead rather than turning up and hoping. Go for the spicy margarita and whatever tacos are on that day.
Opened on the site of the much-missed El Cartel (which closed during the pandemic), now under chef Stuart McCluskey. Tiny room, so book: go for the tacos and a spicy margarita.
Diners rave about the tacos and margarita selection and the buzzy, cosy room, with the recurring note that it's small and worth booking ahead.
The Scottish Gallery is my reason to detour up to Dundas Street, the sloping street at the New Town's northern edge that's quietly become Edinburgh's art and antiques row. Founded in 1842 and on Dundas Street since 1992, it's the oldest commercial gallery in the city, showing contemporary Scottish painting, sculpture, ceramics and jewellery, free to browse.
The honest catch with Dundas Street generally is opening hours: most of the galleries and antique shops here, this one included, close Sunday and Monday and keep short weekday hours. A walk-by outside those windows can look like everything's shut even when it isn't, so check before you make the trip.
Edinburgh's oldest commercial gallery, founded in 1842 and on Dundas Street since 1992, showing contemporary Scottish painting, sculpture, ceramics and jewellery. Free to browse. Most of the street's galleries and antique shops keep short, Sunday-and-Monday-closed hours, so a walk-by can look shut even when they're not - check before you make the detour.
Visitors describe a well-run, welcoming gallery with a genuinely strong contemporary Scottish programme, worth the short walk off George Street even if you're not buying.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street is free, and it's my pick over the bigger National Museum if you only have an hour to spare and want something quieter. The entrance hall's frieze of significant Scots through the ages is the one thing not to miss, and the building itself, all red sandstone and Gothic revival, is worth the visit alone.
It's smaller than the National Museum on Chambers Street, which I mean as a compliment: without a special exhibition running, a brisk visitor can be through the permanent collection in under an hour. Step-free access is good, with a glass lift to every floor and free wheelchair loan on request.
Smaller and quieter than the National Museum on Chambers Street, which is honest praise, not a knock. Without a special exhibition on, a fast visitor is through the permanent collection in under an hour. Don't miss the frieze of Scots through the ages in the entrance hall.
Reviewers single out the entrance hall's atrium and frieze and the on-site cafe, describing an easy, uncrowded couple of hours that rewards a slow look rather than a rush.
Panda & Sons is where I'd start the evening, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar hidden behind a genuinely convincing fake barbershop front on Queen Street. Opened in 2013 by award-winning bartender Iain McPherson, the drinks (around £15 each) are as considered as the theatrics suggest.
It's a basement bar down a narrow staircase with no step-free access, and it books out fast on Friday and Saturday nights, so reserve ahead if you want a table rather than the bar.
Opened in 2013 by award-winning bartender Iain McPherson, the whole bar hides behind a fake barbershop front on Queen Street. Book ahead, especially Friday and Saturday, and don't expect step-free access down to the basement.
Reviewers describe genuinely inventive, well-made cocktails and a considered, unhurried atmosphere, with the small basement space and weekend demand as the trade-off.
Bramble Bar is the other Queen Street basement worth finding, and I mean finding literally: the entrance sits under a dry cleaner's shopfront with only a small plaque to mark it. Order the namesake Bramble, gin, lemon and blackberry, £9, and you'll see why it's kept its reputation for years.
No reservations, walk-ins only, and again no step-free access down the roughly dozen steps to the basement. Go earlier in the evening if you want to avoid a queue at the door.
Walk-ins only, no reservations, and genuinely easy to miss: the entrance is under a dry cleaner's shopfront with just a small plaque. Worth the hunt for the namesake Bramble at £9.
Reviewers consistently call the cocktails inventive and well made and the service knowledgeable, with the unmarked entrance and stairs-only access as the honest catch.
Le Di-Vin is the detour I'd make if wine matters more to you than whisky: an award-winning bar in a converted church out past Charlotte Square, with an international list and French charcuterie and cheese boards to match. It's made the Sunday Times' top 25 UK wine bars, which tells you the level.
Be realistic about the walk: it's a good ten minutes further west than anything else in this guide, past Charlotte Square towards Randolph Crescent, and it's closed on Sundays. Worth it on an evening when the West End is already on your route, not as a special trip.
Housed in a converted church out past Charlotte Square, a Sunday Times top-25-UK-wine-bar pick with a serious international list and French charcuterie and cheese boards. It's a good ten-minute walk further west than anything else here, so treat it as a detour, not a core stop, and it's closed Sundays.
Reviewers highlight the wide wine selection and the charcuterie and cheese boards, with a few noting it runs livelier and louder than a typical wine bar.
St Andrew Square Garden is the green space I'd use to break up the shopping, a private garden dating to 1770 that was only opened to the public in 2008. The 42-metre Melville Monument is the centrepiece, there's a small coffee kiosk on site, and it's free.
It closes in the evening, roughly 7am to 8pm, so it's a daytime stop rather than an after-dark one. Ten minutes here between Multrees Walk and Dishoom is about right.
A privately-owned garden, dating to 1770 as part of James Craig's original plan, only opened to the public in 2008. The centrepiece is the 42-metre Melville Monument; there's a small coffee kiosk on site if you want to sit for a minute before the shops.
Visitors describe a relaxing green space with the Melville Monument as the centrepiece, popular for a coffee break between the surrounding shops.
Multrees Walk is Edinburgh's answer to a luxury shopping street, one pedestrianised block next to St Andrew Square anchored by Scotland's only Harvey Nichols, with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and a handful of other flagships alongside it. It's genuinely upmarket, and worth a look if that's your thing.
Be realistic about the scale, though: it's one short street, not a district, and I'd budget ten minutes rather than a half-day here. Most of the units close by 6 or 7pm too, so there's little reason to swing back through after dark.
Scotland's only Harvey Nichols anchors this one short pedestrianised block, alongside Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and a handful of other flagships, confirmed live on their own retailer list today. It's one street, not a district: a 10-minute look rather than a half-day, and most units shut by 6-7pm.
Shoppers describe it as a genuinely upmarket, if small, luxury strip, good for a coffee and a browse but not a destination in its own right for most visitors.
Dishoom is my pick for lunch on this walk, a Bombay-café-style all-day restaurant on St Andrew Square with strong vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus. Order the bacon naan roll, £11.70 and worth every penny, and settle in.
The one thing to know: there's no booking for groups under six after 6pm, so an evening visit usually means a 30 to 60 minute walk-in queue, complimentary chai included while you wait. Come at lunch or early evening if queuing isn't for you.
My pick for lunch on this walk. Strong vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus, and the bacon naan roll at £11.70 is the thing to order. The catch: no booking for groups under six after 6pm, so evenings mean a 30-60 minute walk-in queue, with chai while you wait.
Reviewers consistently praise the food, especially the breakfast dishes and the naan rolls, while flagging the evening queues for small groups as the one recurring frustration.
The Ivy on the Square is the more relaxed alternative on the same square, an all-day British brasserie with a terrace looking over St Andrew Square. Its seasonal set menus (such as a Taste of Scotland two-course from around £34.95) rotate through the year, so check what's live before you book.
I'd be honest that this is more about the room and the terrace than the cooking, a reliable brasserie rather than a destination kitchen. Fine for a relaxed lunch or a pre-theatre dinner when Dishoom's queue doesn't appeal.
This is more about the room and the terrace overlooking St Andrew Square than standout food - a reliable all-day brasserie rather than a destination kitchen. Fine for a relaxed lunch or a pre-theatre dinner; check the current set menu since it changes seasonally.
Diners like the fish and chips, shepherd's pie and steak tartare and the terrace setting; the recurring note is that it's a solid brasserie experience rather than a memorable one.
Cafe Royal is the Victorian room I'd point you to for oysters, a tiled, stained-glass institution on West Register Street heading towards its 200th anniversary. It's genuinely one of the most beautiful pub interiors in the city, and the seafood backs it up.
It isn't cheap, and there's no accessible toilet, but it's an easy pairing with the Guildford Arms next door if you want two very different pubs in one stop. Book ahead for dinner; it gets busy.
A tiled Victorian oyster bar heading for its 200th anniversary, all stained glass and ornate ceilings. Order oysters and a glass of something cold; it's not cheap, and it's popular enough that a booking is worth making for dinner.
Reviewers praise the seafood and Scottish dishes alongside the beautiful historic Victorian interior, with prices sitting on the higher side.
The Guildford Arms is next door to Cafe Royal and the better choice if real ale matters more to you than oysters: family-owned by the Stewarts since 1896, with a rococo plaster ceiling and an upstairs gallery restaurant. Order the steak and ale pie.
There's no step-free access, the entrance is a single step through a revolving door, and no accessible toilet either. It's an easy stop to pair with Cafe Royal since they share a corner.
Family-owned by the Stewarts since 1896, right next door to Cafe Royal, with a rococo plaster ceiling and an upstairs gallery restaurant. This is the real-ale stop on the walk, not the oyster one.
Visitors love the ornate Victorian interior and the real ale range, calling out the haggis and the steak and ale pie.
Hawksmoor Edinburgh is my pick for the best proper dinner on this walk, set in the former National Bank of Scotland's Grade A-listed banking hall on West Register Street. A 350g ribeye is £42, a 275g fillet £45, and the quality justifies the steepest prices on this list.
It's honestly expensive, £28 to £56 or more for a steak before sides, and it's part of a UK-wide chain rather than an Edinburgh original. Book one to three weeks out for a weekend table, or try your luck at the bar for a walk-in.
My pick for the best proper dinner on this walk, set in the former National Bank of Scotland's Grade A-listed banking hall. It's genuinely expensive, £28-56 or more for a steak before sides, and it's a UK-wide chain rather than an Edinburgh original, but the room and the sourcing are the real thing. Book one to three weeks ahead for a weekend table.
Reviewers praise the quality of the steaks and the warmth of the staff, with the price and occasional busy-night portion inconsistency as the two recurring caveats.
Valvona & Crolla is the detour I'd make if you're heading on towards Leith afterwards. Scotland's oldest delicatessen and Italian wine merchant, trading on Elm Row since 1934, with a proper deli counter and an attached cafe for a coffee and a plate of something good.
I'll be honest about the geography: Google itself files this under Leith Links, not New Town, and it's a good ten to twelve minutes past the end of the Georgian grid. Treat it as a worthwhile last stop on the way out, not a core part of the New Town walk, and expect cafe seating to be tight at busy times.
Scotland's oldest delicatessen and Italian wine merchant, trading since 1934. Google itself files this address under Leith Links rather than New Town, and honestly that's fair: it's a 10-12 minute walk past the end of the grid, at the point where the New Town gives way to Leith Walk. Worth the detour, not a core stop, and cafe seating is limited.
Regulars describe an unrivalled range of Italian deli produce and wine, with the attached cafe praised for simple, well-made food, though seating is tight at busy times.
If you take one piece of advice from this guide, make it this: don't spend your New Town time on Princes Street beyond the walk for the view. It's mostly chain retail and fast food now, useful for the Castle photo and not much else. George Street, planned as the grander of the two streets in James Craig's original 1767 layout, is where the converted Georgian bank buildings, the independent boutiques, and the genuinely good restaurants and bars actually are.
The same logic applies a block further north on Queen Street, home to Panda & Sons and Bramble Bar, and around St Andrew Square, where Dishoom, The Ivy on the Square and Multrees Walk cluster together. Spend your photo time on Princes Street and your money one street over.
It carries through to the side streets too: Rose Street and Thistle Street, the two narrow lanes sandwiched between George Street and Queen Street, hold The Abbotsford and Paz Taqueria, while West Register Street, tucked behind St Andrew Square, packs in Cafe Royal, The Guildford Arms and Hawksmoor within a few doors of each other.
The plan in one line: loop rather than march. Start at Princes Street Gardens for orientation, the Scott Monument and the Scottish National Gallery, break for brunch at Urban Angel on Hanover Street, then cut north to George Street for The Dome, Contini or a browse at Scottish Design Exchange, with The Abbotsford on Rose Street and Paz Taqueria on Thistle Street for a more informal lunch. Detour up to Dundas Street if you like galleries and antiques, then work back down through Queen Street for the Portrait Gallery, past Panda & Sons, Bramble Bar and, further west, Le Di-Vin, to St Andrew Square Garden, the shopping at Multrees Walk, and dinner. It's flat throughout, so the walking is easy compared with the Old Town's hills. If you're deciding which district to base yourself in, our where to stay in Edinburgh guide weighs the New Town against the Old Town and Leith.
With a full day, add an evening at Panda & Sons or Bramble Bar before dinner at Hawksmoor, or keep it lighter with Dishoom and an early finish. Cafe Royal and The Guildford Arms sit next door to each other on West Register Street if oysters or real ale suit the mood better than cocktails. If you're heading on to Leith afterwards, Valvona & Crolla on Elm Row makes an honest last stop before the walk down Leith Walk (see our Leith guide for what's waiting there). For the view that finishes the day properly, Calton Hill sits just beyond the New Town's eastern edge; our best views in Edinburgh guide covers it in full.
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