It’s funny how, when you grow up somewhere, you some how become immune to its most impressive and inspiring sites. Growing up in Edinburgh, I would regularly get frustrated having to dodge tourists stopping in front of me to snap photos of the Castle from Princes St. It’s just the castle! I would think.
But the reality is, Edinburgh Castle is incredible. It perches high above the city on a rocky volcanic plug known as Castle Rock. She is foreboding and often shrouded in bleak grey cloud adding to her mystery. Home to fortifications for almost two thousand years, she now welcomes around 2 million visitors a year.
Whilst most people will take their photo from Princes St, these are my best alternative locations for a shot of Edinburgh Castle! And if you’re going to visit you can find an option to book your fast track tickets & guided tour here.
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1. The Vennel
Just before you reach George Heriots school on Lauriston Place (approaching from Edinburgh College of Art), take a left turn along Heriots Place. As you turn into The Vennel you’ll pass The Flodden Wall (built to keep out an English (of course!) invasion after defeat at the battle of Flodden) and then reach the top of The Vennel stairs.
The stairs have recently been renamed the Miss Jean Brodie stairs to celebrate 100 years since the birth of her creator, Muriel Spark. The view of the Castle down these stairs is beautiful and one I have only seen in the last couple of months despite living in Edinburgh for 18 years!
Top Tip: Head down the stairs into the midst of the Grassmarket and turn to your right to enjoy delicious freshly made ice cream at Mary’s Milk Bar.
2. St Cuthbert’s Churchyard
At the West End of Princes Street, opposite The Caledonian Hotel, stands St Cuthbert’s Church. The burial grounds it is surrounded by are an unusual place to head for a photo but the view to Edinburgh Castle is quite atmospheric. This photo was taken around midday but visit at dusk when the lamps turn on for added ambience.
The churchyard is the resting place of a number of Edinburgh significants including the artist Henry Raeburn and mathematician John Napier.
Top Tip – Booking Activities & Tours
My favourite app for booking tours, adventures and plenty of fun is Get Your Guide. There are so many epic memories that you can choose to make from food tours to entry tickets, laidback wine tasting to adrenaline filled adventures. Make sure you use my discount code CATTHOMSON5 for 5% off your first booking when you download the app as a new user 👇
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3. Ross Fountain – Princes St Gardens
The Princes Street Gardens didn’t always used to be gardens. Around 250 years ago draining of the Nor Loch began to create the gardens. The Nor Loch was part of Edinburgh Castle’s defence and probably smelled terrible with all of the sewage the flowed into it!
In Princes Street Gardens West you will find the Ross Fountain. Originally added in 1872, it was restored last year. The gold, rich brown and incredible aquamarine stand out against the Castle’s steely grey complexion.
4. Castle Esplanade
So this may not be the most secret place and there are bound to be a lot of other people here (unless you visit early in the morning – the photo above was taken at 8am on a Sunday morning! ) but the Castle Esplanade is still a wonderful place to capture a photo of Edinburgh Castle! The views that you get across the rest of the city as you snap are quite amazing and the perspective of the castle is very different from any of the others on this list. Every Summer, during the Edinburgh Fringe, this space is filled with hundreds of spectators for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. From the Castle Esplanade, head inside the Castle to learn about Scottish history. Book your ‘skip-the-line’ & guided tour ticket here!
5. Roof Terrace at National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland is a great place to visit on a rainy day in Edinburgh (and let’s be honest, the probability is high you’ll have some rain on a trip to Edinburgh!). It’s full of Scottish history and unusual treasures to search out including Dolly the Sheep.
But the museum also has a secret roof terrace on the top of the building. Search it out to get epic views across Edinburgh and back to the castle. You could also enjoy dinner with a view at The Tower Restuarant which is located at the top of the museum – I took my Dad for brunch a few years ago and it was definitely worth it!
6. Salisbury Crags
This view of the Castle requires a longer stretch of the legs as you escape into one of Edinburgh’s peaceful city centre parks. You can find Salisbury Crags located in Holyrood Park where their jagged form juts out beneath Arthur’s Seat. The hike up is not as high or as far to climb as Arthur’s Seat but it can be dangerous. Be careful of the steep, sharp drops.
Top Tip – Data Roaming
If you’re visiting Edinburgh from overseas then getting online with an eSIM from Holafly is such a game changer. No swapping SIMs. No complicated data roaming. Lots of choice. If your phone is compatible, just download the eSIM and get going!
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7. The Grassmarket
Head down The Vennel steps (mentioned in 1) and you’ll reach the Grassmarket. This is a historic part of Edinburgh with some great pubs to try as well as some yummy restaurants as well. There’s actually only one spot you’ll get a really good view of the Castle in the Grassmarket and that’s the view above with Cold Town House in the foreground. I love the layers of buildings you get in this spot.
8. Calton Hill
This view of Edinburgh Castle is in the other direction to most of the other angles on this list. Calton Hill is just a short walk from Princes Street, making it an ideal (and easy) walk in the city where you’re rewarded to epic views. It’s also a lot more accessible than Arthur’s Seat, especially if you’re short on time. Calton Hill itself is a pretty interesting place with a scattering of unusual buildings and structures. This is a popular spot to watch the sunset across the city.
Top Tip – Booking Activities & Tours
My favourite app for booking tours, adventures and plenty of fun is Get Your Guide. There are so many epic memories that you can choose to make from food tours to entry tickets, laidback wine tasting to adrenaline filled adventures. Make sure you use my discount code CATTHOMSON5 for 5% off your first booking when you download the app as a new user 👇
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Cat x
This is very informative! I do not do Instagram, Facebook, whatever the third symbol is (Pinterest?), or X (formerly Twitter). Have you considered posting to Bluesky or Mastodon?