Monument to Dugald Stewart on Calton Hill.

Calton Hill

New Town


Calton Hill (100m), which rises dramatically above the eastern end of Princes St, is Edinburgh's acropolis, its summit scattered with grandiose memorials dating mostly from the first half of the 19th century. It is also one of the best viewpoints in Edinburgh, with a panorama that takes in the castle, Holyrood, Arthur's Seat, the Firth of Forth, the New Town and the full length of Princes St.

On Regent Rd, on the hill's southern side, is the Burns Monument (1830), a Greek-style memorial to poet Robert Burns.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby New Town attractions

1. Collective/City Observatory

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The design of the City Observatory, built in 1818, was based on the Temple of the Winds in Athens. Its original function was to provide a precise,…

2. National Monument

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The largest structure on the summit of Calton Hill, the National Monument was a rather over-ambitious attempt to replicate the Parthenon in Athens, and…

3. Nelson Monument

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Looking a bit like an upturned telescope – the similarity is intentional – and offering superb views over the city and across the Firth of Forth, the…

4. St Andrew's House

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On the southern side of Calton Hill stands the modernist facade of St Andrew's House, built between 1936 and 1939 and housing the civil servants of the…

5. Old Calton Burial Ground

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One of Edinburgh’s many atmospheric old cemeteries, Old Calton is dominated by the tall black obelisk of the Political Martyrs’ Monument, which…

6. Burns Monument

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The neoclassical Burns Monument (1830), a Greek-style memorial to Scotland's national poet Robert Burns, stands on the southern flank of Calton Hill. It…

7. Canongate Kirkyard

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8. Dunbar’s Close Garden

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Tucked away at the end of an Old Town close, this walled garden has been laid out in the style of the 17th century, with gravel paths, neatly trimmed…