by Anna Hann
posted on 29 November 2024
If you’re spending time in Scotland, there’ll be some must-see destinations you won’t want to miss in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital. There are the obvious attractions, including Edinburgh Castle and the National Museum of Scotland, and you might want to climb the famous Arthur’s Seat. But there’s plenty to discover off the beaten track, where you can explore Edinburgh’s history and culture in unexpected ways.
For starters, did you know Edinburgh has some great beaches? And there are far more castles in and around the city than you might realise. You can delve into some offbeat museums and libraries in Edinburgh’s city centre, whether it’s pathology, finance, or poetry that piques your interest. Perhaps you want to plan some long walks, weather across a causeway at low tide to a secret island, follow the Water of Leith riverside pathway, or stroll around contemporary sculptures at Jupiter Artland.
Finding your favourite hidden gems in Edinburgh isn’t just about exploring hidden art, culture, and history hotspots. It’s as much about soaking up the city’s atmosphere, hanging with the locals, and finding places with the best live music and contemporary cocktails.
Ready to discover Edinburgh’s hidden gems and secret spots? Let’s dive in…
1. Dean Village
Just a short walk from Princes Street in Edinburgh, Dean Village is a historic village that offers a peaceful escape from busy urban life.
Dean Village boasts scenic walking paths that follow the riverbanks, and as you stroll, you’ll come across mill stones and stone plaques decorated with baked bread and pies hidden around the village.
At the heart of the quaint village is Well Court, the most iconic building in the village, built in the 1880s for the local mill workers. Then, if you take the walkway following the Water of Leith, you’ll cross the Dean Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford, a famous Scottish engineer whose work includes the Caledonian Canal.
2. Dr. Neil’s Garden
Dr. Neil’s Garden was created in the 1960s by Dr. Andrew Neil and his wife, Nancy. Known as the Secret Garden of Scotland, Dr Neil’s Garden is a beautifully restorative space across four acres and features a small network of paths, benches, and views of Duddingston Loch. It’s one of the most peaceful spots in Edinburgh for quiet contemplation.
Dr Neil’s Garden is near the famous Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. If you’re walking, you can approach the garden from Holyrood Park. Otherwise, park in Duddingston Kirk’s car park. If you visit between Easter and September, the Church Cafe is a good spot to pick up coffee and cake.
3. Jupiter Artland
Jupiter Artland is a sculpture park featuring contemporary sculptures and installations by renowned artists. One of the most iconic is Cells of Life by Charles Jencks, which is made up of eight landforms and a connecting causeway around four lakes as a reference to the cellular process of mitosis. There are detailed descriptions to read throughout to learn more about the artists’ visions.
Jupiter Artland is around 25 minutes outside of Edinburgh city centre. To drive, follow the brown tourist signs to Jupiter Artland along the A71, then turn off onto the B7015 with the entrance to the sculpture park shortly on the right.
4. Cramond Island
Cramond Beach is around six miles outside of Edinburgh. It’s popular with Edinburgh locals as well as tourists who head here to walk and cycle on the beachside paths with views of the Firth of Forth. It’s a great place to enjoy a hot crêpe or an ice cream while soaking up the traditional seaside charm away from the city.
From Cramond Beach, walking over the causeway to the uninhabited Cramond Island twice daily at low tide takes about 20 minutes. Watch out – getting stranded is possible, so time your visit carefully. It’s not a big island, around a third of a mile long, with visitors mostly coming to this off-the-beaten-path location for a mini adventure across its wild terrain and find the ruins of World War II bunkers.
5. The Library of Mistakes
Back in the centre of Edinburgh, in the New Town area, The Library of Mistakes focuses on the study of financial history. Take a guided audio tour for more info on the rise and fall of the city of money.
It’s free to access, ideal if you’re looking to explore Edinburgh’s hidden gems on a shoestring, but it’s worth knowing it’s closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays.
6. The Scottish Poetry Library
Tucked behind the Scottish Parliament, The Scottish Poetry Library is a haven for those eager to explore Scottish poetry and features unique book sculptures by an unknown artist. Although it focuses on Scottish poetry, you’ll find poems from around the world on the shelves of this fascinating library.
Look out for events that coincide with your visit to hear from visiting poets, or pop in to hear from the knowledgeable staff. You’ll see people quietly working and studying among the poems.
7. The Thistle Chapel in St Giles’ Cathedral
St Giles’ Cathedral in the heart of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile has been a working church for almost 900 years. Within it, the exquisite Thistle Chapel is used exclusively for worship by the Order of the Thistle — membership to the Order of the Thistle is considered one of the country’s highest honours.
The chapel contains a wealth of detail, including angels playing bagpipes. A twice-daily guided tour of St Giles’ Cathedral is the best way to get to know the secrets and stories of the chapel.
8. The National Museum of Scotland
While the National Museum of Scotland isn’t exactly a hidden gem in the city centre, it has a secret spot that not everyone knows about: the rooftop terrace that offers stunning views of the city skyline over the roofs of the Old Town. Few spots in Edinburgh have city views quite like this.
Of course, while you’re here for the view, it would be a shame to miss everything The National Museum of Scotland offers. Adventures through the museum start in the Grand Gallery, a bright atrium that leads to the various galleries, including the Natural World, Science and Technology, and Scottish History and Archaeology.
9. Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle lies three miles southeast of Edinburgh city centre. It’s one of Scotland’s oldest fortresses and was a retreat for Mary Queen of Scots, who used the castle as a safe haven in 1566 before its owner, Sir Simon Preston, jailed her. He also created a P-shaped fishpond in the gardens, which you can still see the remains of.
You can climb the tower house at Craigmillar Castle to admire the views from the tower across Edinburgh and see if you can spot Holyrood Park and Edinburgh Castle.
10. Mansfield Traquair
At the eastern edge of Edinburgh’s New Town and lit by colourful murals, Mansfield Traquair is known as Edinburgh’s Sistine Chapel. Robert Rowand Anderson built this Catholic Apostolic Church in a neo-Romanesque style, but what makes it special is the spectacular mural decoration, painted between 1893 and 1901 by Phoebe Anna Traquair, featuring gold leaf for the angels’ trumpets and halos.
You’ll have to plan ahead to see one of Edinburgh’s best secret spots — Mansfield Traquair only opens to visitors on the second Sunday afternoon of each month.
11. Panda & Sons
Panda & Sons is a speakeasy bar hidden in plain sight in the centre of Edinburgh. It’s been there since 2013, so as far as secret spots go, it isn’t as covert as it once was, but it’s still a destination worth seeking out.
Visit Panda & Sons for a classic, prohibition-style speakeasy and some seriously creative cocktails. You’ll find it on Queen Street — look out for a scarlet facade that looks like an old-style barbershop from the outside.
12. Surgeons’ Hall Museums
Although it might be one for the squeamish to skip, Surgeons’ Hall Museums houses a treasure trove of surgical tools and paintings explaining the evolution of surgery throughout the ages. The perfect hidden gem if you’re keen on all things gory — a dedicated ‘blood and guts’ tour details the city’s medical history.
It’s open every day from 10 am to 5 pm, and you’ll find it in the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh on Nicolson Street.
13. The Writers’ Museum
The Writers’ Museum celebrates the literary legacy of Scotland’s esteemed writers, including Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir Walter Scott. You can see personal objects on display, including Burns’ writing desk, the printing press on which Scott’s Waverley Novels were first produced, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s riding boots.
It’s free to visit The Writer’s Museum, just off the Lawnmarket, the top part of Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile. When you visit, don’t miss the Makars’ Court just outside the museum, which features inscribed flagstones celebrating Scottish writers.
Discover Edinburgh’s secret spots with the freedom to travel at your own pace. Rent a car from a trusted local host in Edinburgh on Turo and choose from spacious SUVs, compact city cars, or electric vehicles to suit your style.
14. Edinburgh Farmers’ Market
If you visit Edinburgh over the weekend, don’t miss the Edinburgh Farmers’ Market. Head to Castle Terrace from 9 am every Saturday, where you’ll find up to 50 stalls offering fresh produce and delicious local food.
15. Lauriston Castle
Located just three miles from Princes Street, not far from the leafy suburb of Cramond, Lauriston Castle features beautiful grounds overlooking the sea and a Japanese Friendship Garden.
Lauriston Castle is a secret spot for a woodland walk, but if you want to experience what life was like in an Edinburgh middle-class home at the beginning of the 20th century, book a castle tour — it’s the only way you’ll get to peek inside this hidden gem.
16. The Water of Leith Walkway
The Water of Leith Walkway is a 13-mile path for walking and cycling alongside Edinburgh’s famous river. It passes Colinton Village, Craiglockhart Dell, the Union Canal, Saughton Gardens, Murrayfield Stadium, the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, Dean Village, Stockbridge, the Royal Botanic Garden and Leith.
Set off from the Visitor Centre – you’ll find it four miles west of Edinburgh city centre on Lanark Road in Slatefort.
17. The Museum on the Mound
The Museum on the Mound explores the history of money in what once was the Bank of Scotland’s head office. It’s free to access, and you can see things like Scotland’s oldest banknote, try to crack open a safe, and see what one million pounds looks like.
The museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays. If you decide to visit, you’ll need to allow around an hour to explore (leaving you plenty of time to visit other secret spots and hidden gems in Edinburgh), and you don’t need to pre-book, so it’s an easy one to slot into an Edinburgh itinerary if you have some time to spare.
18. Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirk, a post-Reformation church in Edinburgh, is in the middle of the Old Town. But it’s the church’s graveyard, Greyfriars Kirkyard, that attracts the most attention. Open 24 hours a day, Greyfriars Kirkyard famously has the graves of Sirius Black and Tom Riddell, thought to have inspired JK Rowling’s Tom Riddle and the infamous Voldemort.
It’s also a notoriously haunted spot, and if spooky secret spots are your bag, you might want to book a spot on one of the City of the Dead Tours, where an enthusiastic tour guide will reveal more about the infamous Mackenzie Poltergeist.
19. Portobello Beach
This sandy beach just outside Edinburgh is a perfect spot on a summer’s day and is popular with the locals.
If you’re not lucky enough to get sunny weather, Portobello Beach is still a great place to visit. Pick up a coffee from one of the cafes along the promenade and walk along the two-mile stretch of beach, looking out across the Firth of Forth towards Inchkeith Island.
20. Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
Although perhaps not one of Edinburgh’s best-hidden gems (Camera Obscura is a popular and central attraction with the city’s tourist crowds), it’s a favourite gem nonetheless. Camera Obscura and World of Illusions is spread over five floors with interactive exhibitions to get hands-on with. It’s at the top of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, and if you head to the top floor of the building, there’s a rooftop terrace with panoramic views across Edinburgh Castle and the Firth of Forth.
21. Advocate’s Close
Along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, towards the castle end, you’ll see the ‘closes’: open doorways that are old, narrow streets hiding bars, restaurants, and museums. Advocate’s Close is one of them, but it’s one of Edinburgh’s hidden gems because it’s high up and has views of the Scott Monument.
If you find yourself exploring the rich history of Edinburgh on Advocate’s Close, plan a stop at The Devil’s Advocate and grab a drink.
22. Gladstone’s Land
Hidden in plain sight, Gladstone’s Land is on the Royal Mile and is one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh. Over 500 years, the building played host to scenes of political and social change, and you can delve into the details of the visitor experience that guides guests through the lives of people who lived and worked in the building and their part in the history of the city.
Take control of your financial future and start building your car sharing business on Turo!
Get started
Browse thousands of cars for every occasion and budget near you, or wherever you’re going.
Browse cars
