Orientation
EDINBURGH
Edinburgh’s most famous neighborhoods (Old Town, New Town) are easily divisible, as they are separated by a large gully which houses Waverley Station and Princes’s Street Gardens. This ravine is bisected by three bridges: Waverley Bridge, North Bridge, and The Mound. Stockbridge is to the north of New Town (walk as if you were heading to Leith and the sea) and Haymarket and Dalry are in the area west of New Town. The Meadows, Tolcross, and the West End are all over the hill from Old Town, off toward the south end of town.
OLD TOWN
It’s heralded by the giant castle that sits atop the rocky crags that divide Old Town from New Town. It’s winding streets are surrounded by four-and-five-story Georgian buildings that house everything from storytelling centers to party-driven hostels. Old Town is where it’s at. Its where you’ll take the most pictures, it’s where you’ll drink, sleep, shop, and eat. You’ll be hard pressed to find another neighborhood some days—there’s just so much to do. However, everyone else knows this too, so make sure to hit up Old Town when you’re feeling particularly ready for a tourist onslaught.
NEW TOWN
New Town isn’t actually that new. It would have been new when it was designed by James Craig in the 1760s, but by this point it’s down pat. Following a simple, grid-like pattern, it’s bordered by Queen Street to the north and Prince Street to the south. George Street, a central thoroughfare, runs throughthe middle. The various intersecting thoroughfare have branches of their own, usually smaller streets with housing or shops. Rose Street, which houses the majority of the pubs in New Town, is one of these.
STOCKBRIDGE
Put on your best polo, becase we’re heading to the Edinburgh Country Club—Stockbridge. Full of the top tier of upper crust of society, it’s a bit like a separate city, with its own restaurants, drinking, and way of life. Forgot your monocle? No worries: find one among the posh leftovers sold in the Stockbridge charity shops.As we always say, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em; if you can’t join ’em, wear their cast-offs. When you’re not scrounging through the thrift stores, you can meander through the streets, pop into a cafe, stop off at a nice restaurant, or just wander on down through the Water of Leith.
HAYMARKET AND DALRY
Haymarket and Dalry are not that pretty, at least compared to the rest of Edinburgh. This may be why it is home to some of the city’s cheaper housing. A few good food stops are to be found, and those looking for a night out in this area will find cheap drinks. Be warned, there are some Old Guard pubs here that aren’t the friendliest.
TOLLCROSS AND WEST END
Owned and dominated by the huge expanse of green that is the meadows, the West End is nevertheless right in the middle of the city, but you’ll be seeing far fewer tourists out this way, except during festival time, when it’s impossible to open your eyes without seeing a tourist. Lothian Road is home to several great pubs, and continuing up to Home Street will take you to the local cinema, The Cameo. The University of Edinburgh is isolated enough from the city that none of the pubs or bars in the area are student-dominated, but you’ll find several full of a distinctly younger crowd. If you fancy it, take a putter and a chipping iron and head out to the Bruntsfield Links, where you can play on a 30+ chipping course. Get out to Tollcross and the West End. You’ll feel better with less tourists around, and the locals will be more kindly disposed to you for the very same reason.