Why go
George Street links St Andrew Square and Charlotte Square, giving the area an easily understood spine. Princes Street adds the open prospect towards the Castle, while Queen Street retains another face of its residential origins. The reward is seeing streets, buildings and gardens designed as a connected urban composition.
What to look for
- George Street links the two formal squares of the First New Town.
- Princes Street faces the Castle across the former Nor Loch valley.
- Queen Street retains substantial Georgian residential architecture.
The full story
The New Town developed in stages from the eighteenth century into the middle of the nineteenth. Its planned streets and neoclassical architecture offered a deliberate contrast to the dense medieval town on the ridge south of the Nor Loch. The Old and New Towns together became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995; their relationship matters as much as the buildings within either area. The new district was first imagined as a residential suburb. Townhouses and tenements lined the main streets, with accommodation for people serving the new households nearby. Commercial opportunities soon altered that plan. Shops appeared on Princes Street, and many houses there gave way to larger business premises in the nineteenth century. George Street, Queen Street and parts of the cross streets retain much of the earlier architecture. Walking between the formal squares and comparing these streets with Princes Street reveals both the original composition and the ways Edinburgh adapted it for commerce.
Useful to know
- Use George Street and its two squares for a focused introduction to the planned layout.
- Add Princes Street for the Old Town view and the galleries on the Mound.
Your next visit
Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.
Outdoor visit · 45–120 min
World planning estimate; admission, opening, visit duration and access need checking.