The most attractive part of Leith is this cobbled waterfront street alongside the Water of Leith, lined with pubs and restaurants. Before the docks were built in the 19th century this was Leith’s original wharf. An iron plaque in front of No 30 marks the King’s Landing – the spot where George IV (the first reigning British monarch to visit Scotland since Charles II in 1650) stepped ashore in 1822.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Edinburgh Castle
2.32 MILES
Edinburgh Castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence – King Malcolm Canmore (r 1058–93) and Queen Margaret first made…
Rosslyn Chapel
8.42 MILES
Many years may have passed since Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent film came out, but floods of visitors still descend on Scotland's…
Royal Yacht Britannia
0.44 MILES
Built on Clydeside, the former Royal Yacht Britannia was the British Royal Family's floating holiday home during their foreign travels from the time of…
Traquair House
25.85 MILES
One of Scotland's great country houses, Traquair House has a powerful, ethereal beauty, and exploring it is like time travel. Odd, sloping floors and a…
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
2.91 MILES
Edinburgh's gallery of modern art is split between two impressive neoclassical buildings surrounded by landscaped grounds some 500m west of Dean Village…
Royal Botanic Garden
1.75 MILES
Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden is the second-oldest institution of its kind in Britain (after Oxford), and one of the most respected in the world…
Arthur's Seat
2.32 MILES
The rocky peak of Arthur’s Seat (251m), carved by ice sheets from the deeply eroded stump of a long-extinct volcano, is a distinctive feature of Edinburgh…
Dr Neil's Garden
2.62 MILES
Edinburgh’s quintessential secret garden, in the shadow of a 12th-century kirk, is one of the most peaceful green spaces in Scotland. Cultivated in the…
Nearby Leith attractions
1. Trinity House
0.36 MILES
This neoclassical building dating from 1816 was the headquarters of the Incorporation of Masters and Mariners (founded in 1380), the nautical equivalent…
2. Royal Yacht Britannia
0.44 MILES
Built on Clydeside, the former Royal Yacht Britannia was the British Royal Family's floating holiday home during their foreign travels from the time of…
3. Leith Links
0.49 MILES
This public park was originally common grazing land but is more famous as the birthplace of modern golf. Although St Andrews has the oldest golf course in…
4. Biscuit Factory
0.65 MILES
This recent addition to Leith’s hipster scene is a creative arts hub housed in an old biscuit factory, also home to Edinburgh Gin’s second distillery…
5. Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
0.85 MILES
This state-of-the-art building located on an old railway siding is the first purpose-built centre dedicated to sculpture in the UK. There are regular…
6. Out of the Blue Drill Hall
0.89 MILES
A multi-purpose, family-friendly arts hub, Out of the Blue occupies a magnificent old drill hall dating back to 1901 and hosts events, exhibitions,…
7. Newhaven Harbour
1.08 MILES
Newhaven was once a distinctive fishing community whose fishwives tramped the streets of Edinburgh’s New Town selling caller herrin (fresh herring) from…
8. Edinburgh Printmakers’ Workshop & Gallery
1.47 MILES
Founded in 1967, this was the UK’s first ‘open-access’ printmaking studio, providing studio space and equipment for professional artists and beginners…