Edinburgh's Princes Street

Built after the Jacobite rebellion, Princes Street is a principle thoroughfare in Edinburgh’s New Town. Like other streets in that area, it was named for the family of King George III, and it quickly grew to become the main commercial road. Today it offers the perfect combination of shopping, history, and picturesque views.

[image credit: versevend]

Scenic Princes Street

Princes Street runs east to west for about a mile and is closed to private motorized vehicles. The southernmost street in the New Town area, Princes Street abuts a scenic area boasting beautiful gardens, grand monuments, and historic buildings. Dominating the view to the south is Edinburgh Castle, a historic gem and Scotland’s second most visited attraction. Located within its walls is St. Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh.

Princes Street to the right, with the gardens and Edinburgh Castle to the left

Also to the south are the Princes Street Gardens, a popular place to take a stroll. These Victorian parks are dotted with fountains and monuments, as well as a floral clock. Tree lined walkways and beds of flowers provide a relaxing atmosphere for visitors, while entertainment is provided by regular concerts held at a bandstand within the gardens.

The view of this area is kept uncluttered thanks to the few buildings on the southern side of the street. Instead, retailers and restaurants are built on the north side, and there is no shortage of them. Department stores, such as Marks & Spencer, are interspersed with confectioners and a well-known maker of kilts. Anyone with more expensive tastes can get their fill of high-end clothing at Jaeger, where a skirt might cost only slightly more than a new refrigerator.
With a little bit of everything, Princes Street offers a full day of entertainment for any visitor. The combination of historic sights, beautiful vistas, and excellent shopping are unbeatable, making Princes Street a must see for anyone visiting Edinburgh.

[Image credit: dkodigital]

Cockburn Street in Edinburgh's Old Town

Situated close to the North Sea on the East Coast of the Central Belt, just south of the Firth OF Forth, Edinburgh is the second largest city in Scotland, but the main tourist attraction for those visiting “the greatest country in the world”. Also, it’s one of the country’s biggest educational hub with an intellectual history that earned its nickname, the Athens of the North.

Thanks to an amazing cityscape that adds dramatic contours to the magnificent architecture with long surviving buildings, Edinburgh is shifting from the historic, yet bustling city centre of the medieval Old Town to the urbanity and the contemporary of the New Town, in the most stunning possible way. That must be the reason why Auld Reekie (Scots for Old Smoky) is now on an exquisite list that includes other World Heritage Sites. And “probably” with some help from the mind-blowing ancient stronghold that dominates the sky-line— the Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle as seen from Princes Street gardens

But Edinburgh is not stuck in the past as some may think. It knows how to entertain, enlighten and intrigue, all at the same time. Although there’s a wide variety of good pubs, restaurants or bars, culture, arts, sports and plenty of “green” to spend some relaxing time, the thing that Edinburgh does best, are festivals. Every summer the city explodes and population even quadruples when the Edinburgh Festival (world’s largest festival, they say) opens its gates. So it’s quite obvious that they don’t call it the Festival City, for nothing.

And did we mention, that Edinburgh gets a lot of votes each year as one of the most desirable places to live, in the world? By now I suppose you know why! It’s one of those special cities that knows how to be both ancient and modern at the same time.

A busy Princes Street

There are many more things we could say about Edinburgh, and we’re making a sacred promise that we will. All you have to do is buckle up and enjoy while we delve in deeeper and deeper into the true heart of Edinburgh.

Image credits: 1, 2, 3