Old Town (Edinburgh) Travel Guide - Free

Explore Old Town in Edinburgh with Evendo's free guide. Find the best shops, historic streets, restaurants, and gems on web or mobile.

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Old Town Edinburgh pairs the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, medieval closes, museums, historic pubs and dramatic views with Scotland’s living heritage.

A Ridge of Medieval Streets

Old Town runs along the high spine of Edinburgh’s historic city centre, from Edinburgh Castle and Castlehill down the Royal Mile towards the Canongate and Holyrood. Its tightly packed buildings, steep lanes and stone closes preserve the shape of a medieval burgh, although the area is also a working part of the capital rather than an open-air museum. The Royal Mile links major landmarks, while narrow passages lead to courtyards, churches, writers’ houses, museums and viewpoints that are easy to miss from the main route.

Landmarks and Atmosphere

The district’s character changes from west to east. Castlehill and Lawnmarket are dominated by the castle and visitor attractions; the High Street gathers civic, religious and cultural landmarks around St Giles’ Cathedral; and the Canongate becomes more residential in feel as it approaches Holyrood. Victoria Street curves below the ridge towards the Grassmarket, where colourful façades face the former market square. Greyfriars Kirkyard, the National Museum of Scotland and the viewpoints around Calton Hill lie within or immediately beside the historic core, offering different perspectives on the city’s architecture and history.

Everyday Culture

Alongside museums and heritage sites, Old Town contains cafés, traditional pubs, restaurants, bookshops, small galleries and performance venues. It is especially busy around the Royal Mile and Grassmarket, while quieter closes and the Canongate reveal residents’ stairways, university buildings and local institutions. The area becomes particularly crowded during the Edinburgh Festival season, when theatres, temporary venues and street performers add another layer to its long association with civic ceremony, storytelling and public life.

Explore Old Town on the map

A handpicked selection of must-see spots in Old Town, mapped for you.

Old Town essentials

Getting There

Old Town is served most conveniently by Edinburgh Waverley station, which lies below the Royal Mile and has access towards Market Street, Waverley Bridge and the High Street. Edinburgh bus services run along major approaches including North Bridge, South Bridge, George IV Bridge and Chambers Street, although routes and stopping points can change. From Princes Street, the Old Town can be reached on foot via Waverley Bridge, North Bridge or the Mound; these approaches involve slopes or steps. Edinburgh Airport is connected to the city centre by tram and bus services, from which visitors can continue on foot or by city bus.

Getting Around

Much of Old Town is best explored on foot, but the terrain is demanding in places. The Royal Mile follows the ridge, while steep streets such as Victoria Street, West Bow and the approaches to the Grassmarket descend sharply. Closes often contain steps, and historic surfaces can be uneven or slippery in wet weather. Waverley station and city bus corridors provide useful connections around the edges, but vehicles do not reach every historic lane. Visitors using wheelchairs or mobility aids should check individual routes and venues in advance, since accessibility varies considerably between old buildings.

Safety

Old Town is generally busy and well used, but crowded streets, festival queues and pub areas require ordinary urban precautions. Keep phones and wallets secure in dense groups, particularly around the Royal Mile, Waverley Bridge and major attractions. Take care near traffic when crossing busy junctions and on steep, wet stone pavements. At night, use well-lit routes and plan how to return to your accommodation, especially after drinking; the district’s slopes, steps and busy late venues can make walking less straightforward than the short distances suggest.

Emergency Situations

In the United Kingdom, call 999 or 112 for an ambulance, fire service or police emergency. Give the operator the precise street, close, building name or nearby landmark because Old Town contains many similarly named lanes and entrances. For urgent medical help, request an ambulance; for less serious health concerns, NHS 111 provides advice by telephone and online. The nearest suitable emergency facilities may be outside Old Town, so follow instructions from emergency services rather than attempting to choose a hospital independently.

Do's and Don'ts

Respect residents when photographing closes, stairways and doorways, and do not enter private courtyards or buildings simply because an entrance appears historic. Keep to the edge of busy pavements when stopping on the Royal Mile, and follow queues at attractions, cafés and festival venues. In churches and kirkyards, dress and behave respectfully, particularly during services or funerals. Avoid touching gravestones, street-performers’ equipment or historic fabric, and keep voices low around residential staircases and late-night streets.

Local Tips

Use the Royal Mile as an orientation line, then explore parallel routes such as Advocates Close, Cockburn Street, Victoria Street and the Canongate to see different layers of the district. The National Museum of Scotland offers useful context for the city and Scotland before a walk through nearby Greyfriars Kirkyard. Allow time for viewpoints at the castle esplanade, the Vennel approach and Calton Hill, while remembering that Calton Hill is outside the Old Town’s historic ridge but close enough to reach on foot.

From Eve

Local phrases worth knowing

You don't need to get them perfect. A few words go a long way, and locals appreciate the effort.

6 phrase groups · English, local and pronunciation

Basics

English	Local	Say it
Hello	Alright	[al-ryt]
Goodbye	Ta-ra	[ta-rah]
Yes	Aye	[aye]
No	Nah	[nah]
Please/You're welcome	Ta	[ta]
Thank you	Cheers	[cheers]
Excuse me/Sorry	Pardon	[par-dn]
How are you?	Alright?	[al-ryt]
Fine. And you?	Not bad. And you?	[not bad. and you?]
Do you speak English?	Can you talk English?	[kan yu talk ing-glish]
I don't understand	I ain't got a scooby	[i aint got a scooby]

Eating & Drinking

English	Local	Say it
I'd like to see the menu, please	Can I have a butchers at the menu, please	[kan i hav a butch-ers at the menu, please]
I don't eat meat	I don't touch flesh	[i dont tuch flesh]
Cheers!	Cheers!	[cheers!]
I would like to pay, please	I'll settle up, please	[il set-l up, please]

Emergencies

English	Local	Say it
Help!	Help!	[help!]
Go away!	Sod off!	[sod off]
Call the Police!	Ring the Bill	[ring the bill]
Call a doctor!	Ring for a quack	[ring for a kwak]
I'm lost	I'm all over the place	[im all over the place]
I'm ill	I'm feeling poorly	[im feeling poorly]

Shopping

English	Local	Say it
I'd like to buy...	I'm after...	[im aft-er]
I'm just looking	I'm just having a gander	[im just hav-ing a gan-der]
How much is it?	How much is that?	[how much is that]
That's too expensive	That's a bit dear	[that's a bit dear]
Can you lower the price?	Can you do it for a bit less?	[kan yu do it for a bit less]

Time & Numbers

English	Local	Say it
What time is it?	What's the time?	[whats the time]
It's one o'clock	It's one	[its one]
Half past (10)	Half ten	[half ten]
Morning	Mornin	[morn-in]
Afternoon	Afternoon	[after-noon]
Evening	Evening	[even-ing]
Yesterday	Yest'day	[yest-day]
Today	Today	[to-day]
Tomorrow	Tomorrer	[tom-or-er]
1	One	[one]
2	Two	[two]
3	Three	[three]
4	Four	[four]
5	Five	[five]
6	Six	[six]
7	Seven	[seven]
8	Eight	[eight]
9	Nine	[nine]
10	Ten	[ten]

Transport & Directions

English	Local	Say it
Where's a/the...?	Where's the...?	[wheres the]
What's the address?	What's the addy?	[whats the addy]
Can you show me (on the map)?	Can you point me right?	[kan yu point me ryt]
When's the next (bus)?	When's the next 'un?	[whens the next un]
A ticket (to ....)	A ticket (to ....)	[a ticket (to)]

History of Old Town

The Medieval Burgh Takes Shape

Old Town developed along the defensible ridge between Edinburgh Castle and the lower ground leading towards Holyrood. The castle’s presence encouraged settlement, trade and administration, while the Royal Mile became the principal east–west route through the burgh. Narrow closes and wynds grew between densely occupied tenements, creating the characteristic pattern still visible today. The area’s name reflects this historic status: Edinburgh’s older urban core was distinguished from the planned New Town that expanded north of the valley in the eighteenth century.

Royal and Religious Connections

The eastern end of the ridge developed around Holyrood Abbey, founded in 1128, and the royal residence that grew beside it. The Canongate had its own burgh identity for centuries before being incorporated into Edinburgh in the nineteenth century. The Reformation transformed the religious landscape in the sixteenth century, while St Giles’ remained a central ecclesiastical and civic building on the High Street. Royal ceremony, parliamentary business and religious change all left enduring marks on the streets between the castle and Holyrood.

Crowding and the New Town

By the eighteenth century, Old Town was extremely crowded, with tall tenements, limited open space and difficult sanitation conditions. Edinburgh’s New Town offered a more spacious and formally planned alternative, drawing many affluent residents and businesses away from the medieval ridge. Old Town nevertheless remained important for markets, courts, institutions and working communities. The contrast between the ordered streets north of the valley and the irregular medieval plan became one of the defining features of Edinburgh’s urban character.

Railways, Renewal and Preservation

Nineteenth-century transport and civic improvements reshaped the southern and eastern approaches to Old Town, while Waverley station connected the historic centre to the expanding railway network from 1854. Clearance, rebuilding and changing housing conditions altered parts of the district, but many significant closes, churches and tenements survived. Twentieth-century conservation increasingly treated the Old and New Towns as a paired historic landscape; their outstanding architectural and urban value was recognised through UNESCO World Heritage status in 1995. Today the area combines heritage tourism with university life, cultural events, resident communities and everyday city functions.

Old Town in Photos

Browse through our photo collection highlighting the charm and character of the destination.

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The closest neighbourhoods to Old Town, if you have time for more than one stop.

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