Charlotte Square


At the western end of George St is Charlotte Sq, the architectural jewel of the New Town, which was designed by Robert Adam shortly before his death in 1791. The northern side of the square is Adam's masterpiece and one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture anywhere. Bute House, in the centre at No 6, is the official residence of Scotland's first minister.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Georgian House

0.05 MILES

The National Trust for Scotland's Georgian House has been beautifully restored and furnished to show how Edinburgh's wealthy elite lived at the end of the…

2. Bute House

0.05 MILES

The centrepiece of the grand Georgian facade on the north side of Charlotte Sq, No 6 is the official residence of the first minister of Scotland.

3. St John's Church

0.13 MILES

The western end of Princes St is dominated by the tower of St John's Church; the church is worth visiting for its fine Gothic Revival interior.

4. St Cuthbert's Parish Church

0.18 MILES

St Cuthbert's Parish Church was built in the 1890s on a site of great antiquity – there has been a church here since at least the 12th century, and…

5. Princes Street Gardens

0.22 MILES

These beautiful gardens lie in a valley that was once occupied by the Nor’ Loch (North Loch), a boggy depression that was drained in the early 19th…

6. Dean Bridge

0.27 MILES

Designed by Thomas Telford and built between 1829 and 1832 to allow the New Town to expand to the northwest, the Dean Bridge vaults gracefully over the…

7. St Bernard's Well

0.29 MILES

St Bernard's Well is a circular temple with a statue of Hygeia, the goddess of health, built in 1789. The sulphurous spring within was discovered by…

8. National War Museum of Scotland

0.29 MILES

At the western end of Edinburgh Castle, to the left of the castle tearooms, a road leads down to the National War Museum of Scotland, which brings…