Edinburgh

Coffee, Cakes and Closes – A Walking Tour Ending with Ice Cream and Edinburgh’s Best View

A day on foot, from Riddle’s Court to Vennel Steps.

Written by Jack Cairney

There’s more than one way to walk the Old Town. Most people stick to the Royal Mile, heading straight from castle to palace without straying far from the crowds. But step into the narrow closes and stone courtyards to either side, and you’ll find a different kind of city: quieter, older, and far more interesting underfoot.

This self-guided route moves through seventeen stops, each chosen for its detail, history, or stillness. It starts in a quiet courtyard once home to David Hume and ends with ice cream in the Grassmarket, followed by a climb to the best view of Edinburgh Castle. Along the way, you’ll visit preserved 17th-century closes, slip into hidden gardens, pick up coffee and cake from independent cafés, and, if booked in advance, descend beneath the High Street into Mary King’s Close for one of the city’s most atmospheric tours.

The full trail takes time. Even moving efficiently, you’ll need at least four hours to complete it. For a more relaxed pace, with space to sit, eat, take photos and follow your curiosity, set aside five or six. The route is compact, mostly downhill, and easy to follow on foot.

This isn’t a highlights reel or a checklist. It’s a slow walk through the back lanes of Edinburgh’s Old Town, where the past is layered into the stone, and good coffee is never far away.

How: A day on foot
Distance: About 3 miles
Starts: Riddle’s Court
Ends: Vennel Steps
Good for: Food and drink, Walks, Gardens

The day

Riddle’s Court
An attraction
Riddle’s Close sits just off the Lawnmarket, hidden behind an unassuming archway. Many pass by without noticing it. Those who step through find a quiet courtyard surrounded by some of the best-preserved 17th-century buildings in the Old Town. It’s here that David Hume once lived, when the close was a desirable address for Edinburgh’s professional class. Today, the site is home to a heritage education centre, but the layout remains intact: forestair staircases, high chimneys, and a well-worn entrance arch built from thick, uneven stone. The courtyard’s scale is surprisingly generous. It opens wide, holding back the dense press of surrounding tenements. It’s worth pausing here before the rest of the walk begins: there’s space to stand and notice how Edinburgh grew upwards rather than outwards. If the centre is open, you might spot decorative plasterwork inside or timber panelling dating to the early 1600s. Even if the doors are closed, the atmosphere is strong enough on its own. Riddle’s Close feels like a pocket of the city that managed to step sideways in time. You can see why people stayed. It’s a quiet start, but a fitting one. The rest of the walk will head downhill, but here, right at the top, you get a sense of where the Old Town begins.
More about Riddle’s Court
The rest of this day is for members.
16 more stops, what to do at each, and the drive between them. Members read every one of our days, and the magazine.
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The Heart of Midlothian
An attraction
The Real Mary King's Close
An attraction
Advocate's Close
An attraction
The Milkman
A café
Stillsautomat
An attraction
Fleshmarket Close
An attraction
Trunk’s Close
Lunch at Edinburgh Larder
Food and drink
Bakehouse Close
An attraction
White Horse Close
An attraction
Pick Up Coffee and Cake at Santu
A café
Dunbar's Close Garden
An attraction
Chessel’s Court
An attraction
Victoria Street
Mary's Milk Bar
A café
Vennel Steps
An attraction