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Square
Grassmarket
Historic market square below the Castle rock, once the site of public executions and now lined with pubs, restaurants and shops.
A mini guide to
Grassmarket & Southside: things to do
Places worth your time in Grassmarket & Southside
Top places
Things to do in Grassmarket & Southside
Landmarks, museums, parks and viewpoints in and around the area.
Street
Victoria Street
Curving, colourful street linking the Grassmarket to George IV Bridge, lined with independent shops and cafés.
Church
Greyfriars Kirk
Church and kirkyard dating from the early 17th century, where the National Covenant was signed in 1638.
Statue
Greyfriars Bobby
Statue of the terrier said to have guarded his owner's grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Museum
National Museum of Scotland
Scotland's national museum, with collections on Scottish history, world cultures, science and the natural world.
Directions Website Report a problem with National Museum of Scotland
Museum
Surgeons' Hall Museums
Museums of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, covering surgery, pathology and the history of medicine.
Directions Website Report a problem with Surgeons' Hall Museums
University building
Old College
The University of Edinburgh's Old College on South Bridge, a neoclassical building designed by Robert Adam and William Playfair.
Hall
McEwan Hall
Graduation hall of the University of Edinburgh on Bristo Square, with a grand domed interior.
Gallery
Talbot Rice Gallery
The University of Edinburgh's public art gallery, in Old College.
Directions Website Report a problem with Talbot Rice Gallery
Gallery
Dovecot Studios
Centre for contemporary art, craft and design built around a tapestry studio, on Infirmary Street.
Park
The Meadows
Large public park south of the Old Town, popular for walks, picnics and sport.
Historic school
George Heriot's School
Renaissance-style school founded in the 17th century, overlooking the Grassmarket from Lauriston Place.
Directions Website Report a problem with George Heriot's School
Town wall
Flodden Wall
Surviving stretch of the 16th-century town wall, visible beside Greyfriars and the Vennel.
Theatre
Festival Theatre
Edinburgh's main venue for opera and dance, and for touring shows, on Nicolson Street.
Park
Bruntsfield Links
Open parkland in Bruntsfield, beside the Meadows.
Arts venue
Summerhall
Former veterinary school turned arts venue, with galleries, performance spaces and a courtyard.
Edinburgh
More areas to explore
11 sights · 22 places to eat
Haymarket & Murrayfield
The theatre district, the canal basin, the rugby stadium and the zoo, all west of the Castle
Open the mini guide →
9 sights · 23 places to eat
Bruntsfield & Morningside
Leafy southern suburbs with local high streets, Blackford Hill and a hillside observatory
Open the mini guide →
9 sights · 14 places to eat
Portobello & the Coast
A sandy beach and Victorian promenade on the Firth of Forth, about 5 km east of the centre
Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Grassmarket & Southside (area photo): rboed*, CC BY 2.0, source
- Grassmarket: Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Victoria Street: Andrew Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Greyfriars Kirk: Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Greyfriars Bobby: Rock drum, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- National Museum of Scotland: No machine-readable author provided. Maccoinnich~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Surgeons' Hall Museums: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Old College: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- McEwan Hall: AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Talbot Rice Gallery: Talbot Rice Gallery, CC BY 4.0, source
- Dovecot Studios: Drnoble, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- The Meadows: Benjamin Brock, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- George Heriot's School: Oliver-Bonjoch, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Flodden Wall: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0, source
- Festival Theatre: Kleinzach, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bruntsfield Links: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Summerhall: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Haymarket & Murrayfield: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bruntsfield & Morningside: Macumba, Public domain, source
- Portobello & the Coast: M J Richardson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Old Town & Royal Mile: Anthony O'Neil, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- New Town: Chris Morgan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Holyrood, Arthur's Seat & Calton Hill: Peulle, CC BY 4.0, source
- Stockbridge & Dean Village: Mike Shaw, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Leith & the Waterfront: Alan Murray-Rust, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
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