The castle view
From the grass by the Ross Fountain you get Edinburgh Castle on its rock in the city's most photographed frame, for nothing.
Mike McBey — CC BY 2.0 · Allie_Caulfield — CC BY 2.0 · cisko66 — CC BY 3.0 · Son of Groucho from Scotland — CC BY 2.0
The green valley between Princes Street and the Castle Rock was, two and a half centuries ago, a stagnant loch that took the Old Town's waste. The Nor Loch was drained in stages from the 1760s so the New Town could rise on its northern bank, and from the 1820s its bed was turned into two public gardens. What you get today is the best seat in Edinburgh: sit on the grass and the Old Town's wall of tenements climbs in front of you with Edinburgh Castle on top, and it costs nothing at all. The Mound splits the gardens in two. East Princes Street Gardens are the smaller half (about 3.4 hectares), pressed against Waverley station, with the soot-black Gothic rocket of the Scott Monument, a parade of statues and whatever seasonal fair is in residence. West Princes Street Gardens are far larger (roughly 12 hectares) and calmer: just inside their Mound entrance sits the Floral Clock, replanted every year since 1903 and claimed as the world's first, and beyond it the cast-iron Ross Fountain, made in France and installed in 1872 then restored in 2018 in turquoise and gold, the Ross Bandstand, the war memorials and a small children's playground. The classic castle photograph is taken from the West Gardens beside the fountain. For families: pushchairs manage fine on the paved, gently sloping paths, but many entrances from Princes Street are flights of steps, so use the ramped ways in at The Mound or from the west end near St Cuthbert's church. The Waverley railway line runs along the valley floor, which small children adore. Entry is free and the gates open in the morning and shut at dusk, meaning around 17:00 in December and after 21:00 in June, so in winter this is a short afternoon stop rather than an evening stroll. The seasons change the place completely. In July the lawns fill with summer visitors and in August with the Fringe crowd, cheerful but not peaceful. From mid-November to early January the East Gardens have in recent years become the Edinburgh's Christmas market, with a big wheel, rides and food stalls at plainly tourist prices; good fun with children for one evening, but do not expect a garden then. The sweet spot is May, June and September: long light, relatively empty grass and a castle that changes colour with the sunset.
From the grass by the Ross Fountain you get Edinburgh Castle on its rock in the city's most photographed frame, for nothing.
A cast-iron fountain from the Durenne foundry in France, installed in 1872; the 2018 restoration repainted it in turquoise, brown and gold.
Planted afresh every year since 1903 just inside the Mound entrance to the West Gardens, it actually keeps time from early summer to around October.
Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2HG
Edinburgh CastleThe castle sits on the plug of a volcano that went cold millions of years ago, a3 minutes walk4.5
Scottish National GalleryThe most famous painting in Scotland is not a king or a battle but a thin clergy6 minutes walk4.8
Camera Obscura & World of IllusionsIn a darkened room at the top of a Victorian tower, daylight falls through a len6 minutes walk4.7
Scott MonumentThe second-largest monument to a writer anywhere on earth, and nobody quite beli8 minutes walk4.6
St Giles' CathedralThat stone crown floating over Edinburgh's Old Town is not a tower in the ordina10 minutes walk4.7As a garden, no: the light is gone before 16:00, the gates shut around 17:00 and the grass is muddy. From mid-November to early January the East Gardens become a market and funfair at steep prices, a fun evening with children if you are in Edinburgh anyway, but not a reason to travel.
Yes inside the gardens, where the paths are paved and gently sloped, but many entrances from Princes Street are steps. Enter by the ramp at The Mound or from the west end near St Cuthbert's church, and there is a small playground in the West Gardens.