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Pedestrians walk a cobbled Royal Mile street toward Edinburgh Castle's ramparts.
Edinburgh

The Royal Mile

The long cobbled spine of the Old Town, running downhill from the castle to Holyroodhouse, once two separate burghs divided by a city gate.

Welcome

Start at the top, with the castle behind you, and let the street carry you downhill.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

The Royal Mile runs along the spine of the ridge between tall stone tenements, their shopfronts at street level and their chimneys crowding the sky, past the spire of the Hub, the crown of St Giles' and the clock tower of the Tron Kirk.

The street itself is only half of it. On either side, narrow closes and wynds drop away steeply through stone archways, some no wider than a doorway, lit by old lamps and opening now and then on a view over the rooftops. Old Fishmarket Close is hung with iron fish; Bakehouse Close leads into a cobbled courtyard. Take your time, duck into as many as you can, and keep going down to the palace at the foot.

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Before you go

The Royal Mile is a public street, open at every hour.

It is downhill all the way from the castle to Holyroodhouse, so most people walk it from the top.

The stretches
Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street and, below the old city gate, the Canongate.

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Did you know

A weathervane and clock tower rise above sandstone tenements on the Royal Mile.
Did you know

Two towns, one street.

In the Middle Ages the Royal Mile ran through two separate burghs, Edinburgh and the Canongate. Each needed its own church, tolbooth and market cross.

Pedestrians walk a cobbled Royal Mile street toward Edinburgh Castle's ramparts.
Did you know

The gate halfway down.

The Netherbow Port, halfway down the street, was the main way into the old city. It is recorded as early as 1369, and was rebuilt in 1606 with a spired clock tower.

Lampposts line a narrow cobbled close descending between stone tenement walls on the Royal Mile.
Did you know

Small on purpose.

The gateway for carts, horses and people was very small, not for defence but so that every taxed load had to come through it.

A gull flies past a spired clock tower on the Royal Mile, tenement buildings lining the street below.
Did you know

Cheap beer below the gate.

Taxes were lower in the Canongate, so Edinburgh folk went down through the gate for cheaper beer.

A red postal van is parked on the cobbled Royal Mile beneath the Tron Kirk's clock tower and spire.
Did you know

Knocked down for the traffic.

The magistrates had the Netherbow Port pulled down in 1764. After Culloden it was no longer needed for defence, and it was blocking the traffic.

A decorative arch reading 'Old Fishmarket Close' is hung with fish-shaped ornaments.
Did you know

Look down for the gate.

Brass setts in the road outside the World's End pub trace the outline of the old gate, and more further up, by the Heart of Midlothian, mark where the Tolbooth stood.

Pedestrians walk a misty Royal Mile beneath flags, the Hub's spire fading into fog ahead.
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Where it is

Through the Old Town, from Edinburgh Castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Close byThe places along the middle of the Royal Mile.
  1. World’s End CloseWorld’s End CloseA close once, quite literally, the end of the world for the city's poorest.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The Scottish Storytelling CentreThe Scottish Storytelling CentreAn Old Town arts venue for the Scottish art of telling a tale.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The Heart of MidlothianThe Heart of MidlothianA heart set into the cobbles where the Tolbooth stood.Under a mile 3 min by road
  4. Advocate's CloseAdvocate's CloseA steep close off the High Street, restored round its 16th-century houses.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. St Giles’ CathedralSt Giles’ CathedralThe High Kirk of Edinburgh, founded in 1124 under its crown spire.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh CastleThe royal castle at the top of the Mile, home of the oldest Crown jewels in Britain.1 mile 5 min by road
Directions
Café interior with yellow chairs, wooden tables and a chalkboard menu on the wallCafeEdinburgh LarderA step away
Two bowls of ramen at Ikigai on South Bridge: a creamy tonkotsu with pork belly and a soft egg, and a dark mushroom broth, by glasses of water with lemon.RestaurantsIkigaiA step away
Man in black cap kneads fudge on marble slab in shopAttractionsFudge KitchenA step away
John Knox House on the Royal Mile with pedestrians below its timbered gablesAttractionsJohn Knox HouseA step away
Arched windows outlined in fairy lights above wooden tables in a purple-walled pubRestaurantsThe Banshee LabyrinthA step away
A wooden market chalet hung with greenery and lights at Edinburgh's Christmas Markets, with people walking past.AttractionsIt’s Time to Admire Edinburgh’s Christmas DecorationsA step away
Tenement corner building on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, The World's End pub belowRestaurantsThe World’s EndA step away
Red telephone box on a corner beneath a sandstone tenement terraceAttractionsGilbert the Phone BoxA step away
Candelabra lighting a stone passageway in a dark underground vaultAttractionsThe Blair Street VaultsA step away

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the Royal Mile, and when each is next free.

A hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the Royal Mile
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the Royal Mile
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from the Royal Mile
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from the Royal Mile
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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