Historic places in Edinburgh

213 historic buildings, sites and memorials in Edinburgh.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first. Showing the top 40 of 213.

Photo: Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)

SeeHistoric siteOld Town
Edinburgh Castle
Iconic fortress perched magnificently on a volcanic rock above the city. The castle has been continuously used for 1100 years and is kept in excellent condition; it's still the ceremonial headquarters of the army in Scotland. Highlights include the Great Hall, the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels), the War Museum and the 12th century St Margaret's Chapel. The One O'Clock Gun is fired each day from Mills Mount battery. Audio guides available. It's mobbed with tourists and in summer often sells out, book online well in advance.
Daily: Apr-Sep 9:30AM-6PM, Oct-Mar 9:30AM-5PM · Adult £19.50, child (7-15) £11.40, conc £15.50, Historic Scotland / English Heritage / Cadw free · Limited wheelchair access
SeeMonumentOld Town
St Giles
It's often called a Cathedral, but the Church of Scotland brooks no such episcopal entity, and Charles I dubbing it "cathedral" in 1633 was one reason his head was chopped off. Safer to call it "High Kirk", though they're nowadays lenient with first time offenders. The present building is from 14th century with much Victorian Gothic, notably its crowned spire. Highlight is the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland's chivalric company of royal knights. Services are M-F at noon and 9:30AM and 11AM on Sunday, with choral music at 6PM.
Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat 9AM-5PM, Sun 1-3PM · Free · Wheelchair accessible
SeeHistoric siteNew Town
Calton Hill
This is the stubby crag just east of Princes Street: a short stroll up it commands great views. The "National Monument", a memorial to Scots killed in the Napoleonic Wars, was an attempt to out-do the Parthenon in Athens but the money ran out with only the west facade built. Nelson's Tower was built 1807-16 in the shape of an upturned telescope in honour of the naval hero. A Time Ball on the mast drops at 1PM every day just as the One O'Clock Gun is fired from the castle - this gives a time signal to ships in the Firth before the sound rolls out to them, or it would if not obscured by drizzle and the ships in possession of reliable watches. It was operated by the adjacent City Observatory, superseded in 1896 by the Royal Observatory in the south of the city. City Observatory remained active until 2009 then was refurbished as the Collective Gallery exhibition space for modern art.
103 m high
SeeMuseumOld Town
National Museum of Scotland
Superb museum of Scotland's heritage. You enter into the lofty Victorian Grand Gallery, where the millennium clock chimes on the hour. Exhibition halls cover Scottish and world history and culture, science, technology, art and design, and natural history. Dolly the sheep, the 12th-century Lewis chess pieces, and dinosaurs are some of the highlights. NMS also run the War Museum in the castle, the Museum of Flight near Gullane, and the Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride.
Daily 10AM-5PM · Free · Wi-Fi · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
SeeMonumentNew Town
Scott Monument
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) re-invented Scotland. In the late Georgian era, he popularised tales of its medieval and Jacobean tumults, and created the clan tartans you buy on Princes St. This grand Gothic memorial, part cathedral part moon rocket, was completed in 1846 to dominate the east end of Princes St. It's 200 ft 6 in / 61.1 m tall, and guided tours take you up 287 steps (no lift) to the top platform, for a closer look at many of the statuettes of characters from Scott's works. The man himself and his dog sit in state at the base. In the 1990s the curators considered cleaning the monument but realised that the Victorian grime was holding it together, so replacement stonework is prominently white.
Daily 10-12:30AM, 2-4PM · Adult £8, child £6 · Built 1844
SeeAttractionNew Town
St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral
This stonking great neo-Gothic church was completed in 1879, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, with the towers added in 1917. It's the senior Episcopal church in Scotland, within the Anglican tradition of bishops (and much else) that the Presbyterians rejected. It has daily choral services: the song school (open occasionally) has stunning murals by Phoebe Anna Traquair.
Mon-Sat 8-8:30AM, Sun 8AM-4PM · Heritage listed · Wheelchair accessible
DoOld Town
The Scotch Whisky Experience
Tour of the history and craft of whisky distilling, with expert guides - the basic or "silver" tour works well for beginners. They have a huge selection; the core of it is the 3384 bottles collected by Brazilian whisky enthusiast Claive Vidiz.
Daily 10AM-5PM · Basic tour £23 adult, £21 conc, £10 child · Wheelchair accessible
SeePlanetariumOld Town
Dynamic Earth
Interactive natural history museum exhibiting the forces and features of our planet: volcanoes, polar ice, rainforests and so on. Opened in 1999, it's a tent-like structure on the former site of a gasworks and brewery.
Wed-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat Sun 10AM-6PM · Adult £19.50 adults, conc £16.70, child £12 · Wi-Fi · Wheelchair accessible
SeeCathedralNew Town
St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral
The Roman Catholic Cathedral was established as a chapel in 1814 and became a cathedral in 1886 for the archdiocese of Edinburgh and St Andrews. It was designed by James Gillespie Graham in neo-perpendicular style and has undergone several alterations and extensions - in the 1970s the tenements that hemmed it in were demolished. There are services twice daily in English and daily in Polish.
Mon-Fri 8:30AM-6:30PM, Sat Sun 8:30AM-7:30PM · Heritage listed
SeeChildrens museumOld Town
Museum of Childhood
Concepts and imagery of childhood are ever-changing. See if you can find your (or your grandparents') old toys in the collection, and your place in history.
Daily 10AM-5PM · Free · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
SeeHistoric siteOld Town
Museum of Edinburgh
Museum of city history in a mustard-hued mansion built in 1570.
Daily 10AM-5PM · Free
EatRestaurantNew Town
The Dome
Bar and grill in a former bank headquarters with grand exterior and impressive interior.
Daily 10AM-midnight · Heritage listed · Wheelchair accessible
SeeHistoric siteOld Town
Gladstone's Land
Thomas Gladstone was a wealthy merchant, and in 1617 he had this house refashioned to accommodate his family and to partly rent out. A "Land" means a tall narrow townhouse from the period when Old Town was cramped and the only space for development was upwards. Typically along the Royal Mile the ground floor was shops and trade, genteel folk lived on the first and second floors, and lower-income residents had to lump up many steps to the upper floors. It's now a museum run by the National Trust for Scotland exhibiting 17th century elite city life, richly furnished and decorated but with no running water. In the 18th century prosperous folk relocated to New Town, where the NTS property at 7 Charlotte Square continues the story.
Daily 10AM-5PM · Adult £10, conc £8.50, child £6, NTS / NT free
SeeAttractionOld Town
Greyfriars Kirk
This church was built in 1620 on the grounds of an abandoned Franciscan Friary, but seriously damaged by later calamities or Acts of God so the present structure is mostly Victorian. It remains active, as other Presbyterian churches have closed and their congregations moved here. The main visitor interest is the ancient graveyard: notable denizens include the architects William and John Adam, the notorious hell-rake Colonel Charteris, Captain Porteous lynched after he fired on rioters, William McGonagall the worst poet in Scotland, and Greyfriars Bobby plus his owner. The mortsafe kept coffins locked until burial, else the body-snatchers would make off with them.
Mon-Sat 11AM-4PM, Sun 11:30AM-2PM · Free · Wheelchair accessible
SeeMuseumOld Town
The Peoples' Story Museum
This is housed in Canongate Tolbooth, the medieval centre for governance and justice (preferably gruesome) as Canongate was a separate jurisdiction until 1856. The museum covers the story of working class life, and of organised labour, from the late 18th century to the present.
Daily 10AM-5PM · Free · Free entry
SeeMuseumLeith
Trinity House
Stately neo-classical building of 1818 which is now a maritime museum, but only open for special events. It's built over its predecessor of 1560, which in turn was built over a medieval monastic site. The organisation dates back to 1380, when Leith mariners gained the right to levy duty on goods landed at the port; the funds supported sick or aged mariners or their families. They went on to fund lighthouses and to develop training for mariners, which became Leith Nautical College. They invested in real estate and the neighbourhood of Trinity was originally theirs. Other medieval ports copied these arrangements, such as Trinity House in London Deptford from 1514 which became the governing body for English lighthouses, but the Leith version was senior and distinct. A separate body for Scottish lighthouses was established in 1786, now called the Northern Lighthouse Board.
Built 1818
SeeMuseumOld Town
St Cecilia's Hall
Scotland's oldest purpose-built concert hall, opened in 1763 and still in regular use. It hosts the University of Edinburgh collection of historic musical instruments, crafted 16th to 20th century, many of which (such as the Trompette Demilune) are no longer played.
Tue-Sat 10AM-6:30PM · Historic instruments free · Heritage listed
DoAmusement parkOld Town
The Edinburgh Dungeon
"Haunted House" experience, where you take a 70 min tour through 11 shows and 2 rides loosely based on Scotland's horrible history: William Wallace, Mary King's Ghost, cannibal Sawney Bean, Burke and Hare and more.
Mon-Thu 11AM-4PM, Fri-S 11AM-5PM · Adult £19, child £15 · Limited wheelchair access
SeeMuseumNew Town
The Georgian House
This townhouse was designed by Robert Adam, completed in 1796 and has been furnished in the style of its first owner John Lamont. Its last private owner the Marquess of Bute also acquired adjacent townhouses and along with the other owners got the entire north facade of the square restored to Adams' imposing original design. Visit by self-guided tour, and in mid-summer you need to book as it sells out.
March Fri-Sun 10AM-4PM, April-Oct daily 10AM-5PM · Adult £12, conc £7, NTS / NT free
SeeHistoric siteOld Town
Dunbar's Close Garden
This close was re-modelled in the 1970s to recreate a 17th-century physic and knot garden, a hidden quiet place in the busy city.
Daily 7AM-dusk · Free
EatComfort food restaurantOld Town
MUMS
Monster Mash Café
Classic British comfort food: haggis, fish & chips, sausage & mash, stews, or shepherd's pie. Lots of veggie choices, no reservations.
Mon-Sat 9AM-10PM, Sun 10AM-10PM · Wheelchair accessible · Vegan options
SeeHistory museumStockbridge and Canonmills
Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage
Volunteer-run museum within McDonald Road fire station. History of Scottish firefighting from the era of rival commercial fire companies, through early wooden fire engines to more recent appliances.
Mar-Nov Tue-Sat 10AM-4PM · Donation · Free entry
SeeHistory museumOld Town
Surgeons' Hall Museums
The permanent exhibitions are the Pathology Museum, the History of Surgery and the Dental Museum. Not suitable for children under 10 as the exhibits include human remains.
Daily 10AM-5PM · Adult £9.50, conc £6 · Wheelchair accessible
EatOld Town
The Elephant House
Consistently good coffee and light bites, cafe is full of university and creative types; JK Rowling wrote much of the first Harry Potter book here. And that alas is the problem: it's become part of the Potter circus, every half hour sees another coachload of tourists all craning for selfies and trying to nick the cutlery and scrawling graffiti in the loo. Prices, service and ambience have suffered accordingly, and Rowling has fled to a castle in the Highlands. In Aug 2021 the cafe suffered a fire and was closed for 5 years.
Mo-Th 08:00-22:00; Fr 08:00-23:00; Sa 09:00-23:00; Su 09:00-22:00 · Wheelchair accessible
EatSeafood restaurantNew Town
Cafe Royal
Beautifully tiled Victorian palace of a pub, designed in 1862 as a showroom for the latest fixtures and fittings, no dogs. The stylish restaurant serves seafood and other classics.
Sun-Thu 11AM-11PM, Fri Sat 11AM-1AM
SeeHistoric siteOld Town
Mary King's Close
Mary King (1590-1644) was a clothes merchant and city burgess. She died the year before plague struck and carried off the rest of her family. In 1753 Royal Exchange, now City Chambers, was built over several closes by demolishing their upper storeys, while the lower storeys were used for storage then later blocked off. This means a warren of medieval alleys and low dwellings has been preserved, re-opened in 2003 and visited by guided tour. Almost as weighty as the Exchange is the mass of ghost stories piled on top of the close, woo-ooh! - but the real history is fascinating enough. Book ahead as it often sells out.
Mon-Fri 9AM-5:30PM, Sat Sun 9AM-7:30PM · Adult £21, child £15
DoParkStockbridge and Canonmills
Inverleith Park
Large park with several sports pitches for rugby, football and cricket, and public tennis courts. The south of the park has a pond divided into a wildlife area popular with swans, and a boating pond which is often used for model boats. The banked area near the pond offers good views over the New Town of the Castle, and there is a small floral area in the Sundial Garden.
EatOld Town
John's Coffee House & Tavern
Located in a historic building. Breakfast, all-day waffles, light lunch options, small plates to share, bar with wide range of Scotch whiskies.
daily 7AM-11PM
DoSummit
Arthur's Seat
Arthur's Seat is an ancient extinct volcano. It is the main peak of a group of hills in Edinburgh, Scotland, which form most of Holyrood Park. Robert Louis Stevenson described it as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design".
251 m high
SeeHistoric siteNew Town
Dean Village
It is an attractive hamlet down in the dene - the steep valley - of the Water of Leith. It was the medieval crossing point on the route from Edinburgh to South Queensferry, and is the main access point for this section of the Water of Leith Walkway (described below). The fast-descending stream drove 11 grain mills here, so it was the powerbase for the Baxters, the bakers' merchant guild. The present bridge across the stream was built in the 18th century, only just wide enough for a horse and cart. The village declined in the 19th century when bigger flour mills were built at Leith, and bypassed in 1833 when Telford's Dean Bridge spanned the valley; the Belford Bridge was added upstream in 1887. Dean village therefore never developed modern roads or industry, so its charming core was preserved.
SeeOld Town
Canongate Kirk
In 1687 James VII (II of England) chucked the Protestants out of Holyrood to convert it to a royal Roman Catholic chapel, the sort of behaviour that got him ousted from the monarchy the following year. The congregation moved to Infirmary St then to this building on its completion in 1691. From 1952 Queen Elizabeth II regularly attended when at Holyrood, and in 2011 her granddaughter Zara Phillips married former England rugby captain Mike Tindall here. Notables in its graveyard include George Drummond (1788-1866) co-founder of the New Town, poet Robert Fergusson (1750–1774), and economist Adam Smith (1723-90). Memorials also commemorate soldiers dying at Edinburgh Castle, for which this was the graveyard, and coachmen of the London-Edinburgh stagecoach, which had its terminus here.
Open Sun afternoon, otherwise erratic; Services Sun 10:30 · Free
SeeSouth
Craigmillar Castle
Extensive ruin of a medieval castle, built from the 14th century and abandoned in the 18th. Here was hatched the plot to murder Lord Darnley, the inconvenient husband of Mary Queen of Scots. He was blown up at Kirk O'Field (now the site of the university Old College) and when that didn't do the job he was smothered.
Apr-Sep: daily 9:30AM-5:30PM; Oct-Mar: daily 10AM-4PM · Adult £7.50, child £4.50, concession £6
SeeOld Town
Holyrood Palace
The Palace is a royal residence, closed when the king is here for a week in July and for similar state occasions. It's been repeatedly smashed up and rebuilt, and the present building is mostly from the 1670s. Highlights are the grand stair, state apartments, throne room, Mary Queen of Scots Chambers (where bloodstains from the murder of Rizzio are still visible), King's Gallery a sample of the royal art collection, the ruin of Holyrood Abbey, and the palace gardens.
Nov-Mar Thu-Mon 9:30AM - 4:30PM, Apr-Oct Thu-Mon (& daily Jul-Sep) 9:30AM - 6PM · Adult £19.50, child or conc £10.50
SeeWest
Lauriston Castle
This 1590s tower house was extended in the 1820s and housed a series of prosperous families. It passed into council ownership in 1926 and the interior has been preserved in its last occupants' plush Edwardian style. Visit by pre-booked guided tour. There is free entry to the gardens (daily 8AM-4:30PM), where the centrepiece is the Japanese garden. The castle is also used as an event space.
Sat Sun 11AM-3PM · Tour adult £8, conc £6
BuyEast
Fort Kinnaird
A massive out-of-town retail complex (supposedly the biggest of its type in the UK), next to the A1 dual carriageway as it heads out of town to the south-east. Lots of mainstream chain shops.
SeeNew Town
Princes Street Gardens
The west portion fills the valley beyond the Mound, spanning the railway tracks to the foot of castle crag. The east portion is the terrace around the Scott Monument. They were laid out in the 1820s as private gardens for residents of the street: occupants of bath chairs required a medical certificate that their condition was not contagious. Their initial opening to the public was solely at Christmas and New Year, in the belief that this would distract people from the pubs and reduce drunkenness. In 1876 they became a public park and were re-landscaped and dotted with statues. By this time the gardens were already bisected by railway tracks, the price that had to be paid to finally link the east and west railway terminuses. The gardens are open 24 hours.
Do Not mapped
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
One of the iconic images of Edinburgh for millions worldwide is the yearly Tattoo, kilted pipers skirling below the battlements of Edinburgh Castle. Although tickets sell out well in advance, persevering individuals are likely to find one or two tickets still for sale due to cancellations. Just be prepared to ask, ask, and ask again! There are usually fireworks at the end of the shows which can also be seen from e.g. the Grassmarket area.
In August
DoOld Town Not mapped
Escape The Past
Immersive escape rooms and outdoor puzzle trails based on Edinburgh's history. Experiences include historically accurate props, live actors and special effects. Housed in the basement of a 19th Century Methodist Church. Highlights include "The Anatomist" a 60 minute escape room based on Edinburgh's grave-robbing-era medical history.
11AM-9PM · From £22 per person
EatOld Town Not mapped
The Witchery by the Castle
By the castle entrance, The Witchery serves top-class food in an elegant candle-lit restaurant. They've now added rooms, flamboyantly camp.
Daily noon-11PM · B&B double £550
DoSummit
Castle Rock
Castle Rock is a volcanic plug in the middle of Edinburgh upon which Edinburgh Castle sits. The rock is estimated to have formed some 350 million years ago during the early Carboniferous period. It is the remains of a volcanic pipe which cut through the surrounding sedimentary rock, before cooling to form very hard dolerite, a coarser-grained equivalent of basalt.
130 m high

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Edinburgh (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps. Some descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).