The eastern half of Princes Street Gardens is dominated by the massive Gothic spire of the Scott Monument, built by public subscription in memory of novelist Sir Walter Scott after his death in 1832. The exterior is decorated with 64 carvings of characters from his novels; inside you can see an exhibition on Scott's life, and climb the 287 steps to the top for a superb view of the city.
Scott Monument
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.39 MILES
Edinburgh Castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence – King Malcolm Canmore (r 1058–93) and Queen Margaret first made…
6.82 MILES
Many years may have passed since Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent film came out, but floods of visitors still descend on Scotland's…
2.12 MILES
Built on Clydeside, the former Royal Yacht Britannia was the British Royal Family's floating holiday home during their foreign travels from the time of…
24.33 MILES
One of Scotland's great country houses, Traquair House has a powerful, ethereal beauty, and exploring it is like time travel. Odd, sloping floors and a…
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
1.33 MILES
Edinburgh's gallery of modern art is split between two impressive neoclassical buildings surrounded by landscaped grounds some 500m west of Dean Village…
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0.73 MILES
The Scottish Parliament Building, on the site of a former brewery and designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles (1955–2000), was opened by the Queen in…
1.07 MILES
Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden is the second-oldest institution of its kind in Britain (after Oxford), and one of the most respected in the world…
25.35 MILES
Completed in 2002, the Falkirk Wheel is a modern engineering marvel, a rotating boat lift that raises vessels 115ft from the Forth & Clyde Canal to the…
Nearby attractions
0.12 MILES
Though not as architecturally distinguished as its sister Charlotte Sq, at the opposite end of George St, St Andrew Sq is dominated by the fluted column…
0.13 MILES
St Andrew Sq is dominated by the fluted column of the Melville Monument, commemorating Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742–1811). Dundas was the…
0.13 MILES
This Greek Doric temple, with its northern pediment crowned by a seated figure of Queen Victoria, is the home of the Royal Scottish Academy. Designed by…
0.13 MILES
This manufactured attraction combines gruesome tableaux of torture and degradation with live actors who perform scary little sketches along the way. There…
0.14 MILES
Designed by William Playfair, this imposing classical building with its Ionic porticoes dates from 1850. Its octagonal rooms, lit by skylights, have been…
6. Church of St Andrew & St George
0.14 MILES
The Church of St Andrew & St George, built in 1784 with an unusual oval nave, was the scene of the Disruption of 1843, when 451 dissenting ministers left…
0.15 MILES
Housed in the Bank of Scotland's splendid Georgian headquarters, this museum is a treasure trove of gold coins, bullion chests, safes, banknotes,…
0.16 MILES
The impressive Palladian mansion of Dundas House, built between 1772 and 1774 on the eastern side of St Andrew Sq, was built for Sir Laurence Dundas (1712…