Edinburgh’s Gardens: The Scottish Capital’s Most Beautiful Natural Spaces
![Walk to the top of Arthur’s Seat on your trip to Edinburgh](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/20x11/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ctphapr19_0020_edinburghs-garden_edinburgh_gaston8.webp)
With an extinct volcano at its heart, verdant hidden gardens and sprawling urban parks, Edinburgh may be a major capital city, but it is also a surprisingly lush and green place where you are never far from nature.
Stroll through Edinburgh’s leafy Meadows, popular with students and joggers; explore the idyllic oasis that is the Royal Botanic Garden; or clamber to the top of Arthur’s Seat amid the extensive Holyrood Park.
![Look out over Edinburgh from Calton Hill](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ctphapr19_0020_edinburghs-garden_edinburgh_gaston18.webp)
From the peak, where it’s hard to believe you are still in the middle of the city, you can enjoy panoramic views over to Fife and East Lothian.
![Enjoy views of the Scottish capital from Arthur’s Seat (left) and the Forth Bridge](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ctphapr19_0020_edinburghs-garden_edinburgh_gaston7.webp)
Calton Hill may be a mere stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of Princes Street, yet offers a grassy spot to sit and take in the city. If you’re a keen walker, stroll along the sun-dappled pathway that runs beside the Water of Leith, passing through Dean Village, the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, Stockbridge and Leith.
![Stroll through Dean Village on a summer’s day](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ctphapr19_0020_edinburghs-garden_edinburgh_gaston13.webp)
Corstorphine Hill, to the west of the capital, provides picturesque woodland walks, while a trip to Cramond Island, only accessible via a causeway at low tide, makes for the ideal coastal escape.
![Take some time out to appreciate the city’s architecture](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ctphapr19_0020_edinburghs-garden_edinburgh_gaston6.webp)
Even one of Edinburgh’s most popular shopping streets in the city centre overlooks a vast expanse of green – Princes Street Gardens. Once the site of the Nor Loch, the gardens are now the perfect place for an impromptu picnic, a spot of people watching or simply to soak up the incomparable views of the castle and the Old Town.
![Calton Hill is a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of Princes Street](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ctphapr19_0020_edinburghs-garden_edinburgh_gaston15.webp)
A less well-known city centre oasis can be found at Dunbar’s Close, tucked away down the Royal Mile. It’s planted with fragrant flowers and herbs, laid out in the manner of a formal 17th-century garden, and is perfect for some quiet contemplation.
![Head to Calton Hill (left) and The Meadows](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ctphjun19_021_edinburghs_coolest_neighbourhoods_edinburgh_scotland_uk_wilson85.webp)