Timeline
17:33
Walk through the free gardens to claim your spot. The Japanese garden is the centrepiece and offers a calm start before the crowd arrives. Note that the castle interior tours run 11:00-15:00 on Sa,Su, but the gardens are open daily until 4:30PM.
17:53
Move to East Pilton Park. This is your viewing platform. The sun sets directly behind Lauriston Castle from 09 Mar to 12 Mar and 01 Oct to 04 Oct. Find a clear line of sight to the west. The castle is 3223 m away.
18:03
Watch the sunset. The sun sets toward the SW, aligning perfectly with the castle towers for a few minutes. Enjoy the golden light fading into dusk.
Local tip
The gardens are free and open daily 8AM-4:30PM. If you arrive before opening hours, you cannot enter the gardens. The castle tours end at 15:00, so plan your garden visit around the sunset time, which is around 18:03 local time on 09 Mar.
Check before you go
- Garden opening hours: daily 8AM-4:30PM.
- Castle tour hours: Sa,Su 11:00-15:00.
Worth knowing
- Sun position is calculated. We have not confirmed the view is unobstructed.
Built from places in the Wikivoyage guide to Edinburgh (CC BY-SA 4.0), with open map data from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).