A-Z of Secret Edinburgh: Queen Street Gardens
Edinburgh’s New Town is a World Heritage site and the largest, best-preserved example of Georgian architecture in the UK. At the heart of this stylish, old money neighbourhood are the large communal gardens, including one of the largest and best preserved – Queen Street Gardens.
There are literally dozens of these elegant oases (which are mainly private with access to residents only) and Queen Street Gardens are almost as large as their near-neighbour, Princes Street Gardens, which were once private too. Now, however, there’s a way to get beyond the wrought iron railings to discover their secret beauty.
Landscaped rows of ancient trees and a temple
Green Yonder Tours offers a walking tour around two of the three gardens in Queen Street. East Queen Street contains landscaped rows of ancient trees and a Grecian temple. In Central Queen Street gardens you can sit by the pond where Robert Louis Stevenson played as a boy and (allegedly) imagined Treasure Island.
If you’d prefer to see the gardens for free, then just be patient and wait for Edinburgh Doors Open Days, which are usually held in September each year and include Queen Street Gardens.
Queen Street Gardens, Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2
