The Royal Botanic Garden – Rock Garden, Redwoods and Lunch
A few hours, from the Mound and back.
The route
The Royal Botanic Garden, the Botanics to everyone in Edinburgh, is over 70 acres of rock garden, ponds, woodland and glasshouses a mile north of the city centre, and it's free to walk in.
The paths are smooth and mostly gentle, and lunch at the Terrace Café comes with a view of the skyline.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
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The day
Edinburgh
A slow, gentle morning among the trees and flowers, with a short bus ride at either end. Wander as far as you like, sit by the ponds, and finish with lunch looking back over the city.
About four hours
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
An attraction
Take the 23 or 27 bus from the Mound, on the West Princes Street Gardens side, to the Royal Botanic Garden stop at the East Gate on Inverleith Row: check the times. The garden is free and opens every day from 10am. From the East Gate, wander through the rock garden and round its pond, then on to the giant redwoods at your own pace. The paths are tarmac almost everywhere, with a few steep slopes, and you can borrow a wheelchair or mobility scooter for free if you book it ahead on 0131 248 2909. If it turns cold, the two restored Palm Houses are open by a timed ticket, booked online, at £5.50 for an adult at the time of writing.
8 min on foot
The Terrace Café
Lunch
The Terrace Café is 8 minutes' walk from the East Gate, above the lawn of Inverleith House. Find a table, order at the counter, and they bring it to you; there are no bookings. It's open from 10am, with last orders at 4.15pm, and the paths to it are tarmac. If it's full, the Gateway Café in the John Hope Gateway by the West Gate is the indoor second choice. The bus back to the Mound goes from the stop across Inverleith Row from the East Gate.
If it rains
On a wet morning, book a timed slot for the Palm Houses and have lunch indoors at the Terrace Café or the Gateway Café in the John Hope Gateway by the West Gate.
