Half day: Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town

History, Culture and Shopping in ‘the Athens of the North’

This walking tour is a wonderful introduction to Calton Hill and the New Town of Edinburgh. 

The tour introduces you to:

• the ‘glory of Edinburgh’ with its striking, if rather odd, array of buildings
• the importance of time to travellers
• the first observatory in Edinburgh
• why a new town of Edinburgh had to be built as a matter of urgency
• one of the earliest examples of town planning
• the neo-classical architecture of Robert Adam and William Playfair
• the movers and shakers of Edinburgh’s Enlightenment

Your route will include:

• Calton Hill with panoramic views across the city
• St Andrew’s Square
• George Street
• Queen Street
• Charlotte Square
• Princes Street Gardens

Among the highlights will be the exteriors (unless otherwise stated) of:

• Nelson’s Monument
• The National Monument, known as Edinburgh’s Disgrace
• The Archivist’s Garden
• Register House
• Café Royal
• The Headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland (interior). Not open on Sundays
• Monument to Sir Henry Dundas
• The Scottish National Portrait Gallery (interior)
• The Dome Bar and Grill (interior)
• St Andrew’s Church
• The floral clock (May to September)
• Shops for Scottish textiles and products
• St John’s Episcopal Church
• Assembly Rooms
• Bute House
• The Georgian House
• William Playfair’s National Gallery of Scotland
• Sir Walter Scott Monument