Edinburgh New Town
On Gingerguide's self-guided Edinburgh audio tour, Edinburgh New Town is a stop worth about ~90 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Edinburgh Edinburgh guide
About Edinburgh New Town
A UNESCO World Heritage Georgian masterpiece of sweeping boulevards, classical squares and honey-stone terraces, one of the finest planned cities in the world.
Edinburgh's New Town is one of the best-preserved examples of Georgian urban planning anywhere in the world, and, together with the Old Town, forms the UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1995. Built from 1767 onwards on fields north of the medieval city, it was conceived as the antithesis of everything the cramped, dark Old Town represented. A 23-year-old architect named James Craig won the design competition and created a rational, airy grid of three main streets, Princes Street, George Street, and Queen Street, flanked by two grand squares, Charlotte Square and St Andrew Square, and two ornamental gardens. The result is one of the finest ensembles of classical architecture in the world, nicknamed "the Athens of the North."
Did you know? James Craig, the architect who won the New Town design competition in 1766, was just 23 years old and had never built a single building before.
How much time do you need at Edinburgh New Town?
Around ~90 min works well for Edinburgh New Town — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Edinburgh New Town?
Yes — Edinburgh New Town made the cut as one of 26 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Edinburgh. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Edinburgh
Hear the story of Edinburgh New Town
Preview the Edinburgh tour free in the Gingerguide app.