Old Town and New Town - Edinburgh
Bute House on Charlotte Square in the New Town
the view over the Old Town
Edinburgh Castle and the New Town
looking over Old and New Town © Kenny Lam
Explore Edinburgh’s beautifully preserved Old and New Town and discover an incredible array of historical and cultural attractions.
Edinburgh’s stunning cityscape is one of dramatic contrasts. From the refined elegance of the Georgian New Town to the Old Town’s tangled web of medieval streets, these two complementary parts of the city offer visitors an ever-changing perspective alongside countless fascinating historical and cultural attractions.
Old Town, Edinburgh
Discover Edinburgh’s amazingly preserved medieval Old Town as you wander its labyrinthine network of narrow alleyways and cobbled streets. Admire its Reformation-era tenement buildings as you walk down the Royal Mile from the top of Castle Rock where Edinburgh Castle sits, to the grand Palace of Holyroodhouse.
See the magnificent vaulted ceiling and ornate tombs of St Giles' Cathedral and view priceless artefacts in the recently refurbished National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street.
You can even delve beneath the town’s surface on an Edinburgh Vaults Tours and discover a secret subterranean world of forgotten chambers that once housed the city’s poor.
While the Old Town is a fascinating destination at any time of year, it is particularly captivating in August when its austere streets come alive with the sights and sounds of the Edinburgh Fringe and Festival.
New Town, Edinburgh
Inspired by the lofty ideals of the Scottish Enlightenment, the neat and ordered grid of the New Town provides an elegant contrast to the jumbled design of the Old Town.
Admire the spectacular neoclassical architecture as you wander down its broad streets, and get a glimpse of how life was lived by the city’s upper classes in the 18th century on a visit to the beautiful Georgian House in Charlotte Square.
You can also view paintings and photographs of Scotland’s most iconic figures, from Mary Queen of Scots to Sean Connery, at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street. Afterwards, browse the sophisticated boutiques on George Street before settling down to a drink or meal in one of its chic bars and restaurants.
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Edinburgh and the Lothians sits on the eastern side of Scotland's central belt, in the heart of the country.
