A world-class tapestry studio and contemporary arts-and-crafts centre housed in what was once Edinburgh’s oldest public baths, Dovecot has a remarkable history dating back a century. You can watch the weavers at work from a viewing platform above the workshop. The shop and the cafe, which is run by Leo’s Beanery, are excellent, too.

Dovecot Studios
Old Town
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Edinburgh Castle
0.63 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
6.49 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
2.32 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
23.99 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
1.66 MILES
Edinburgh's gallery of modern art is split between two impressive neoclassical buildings surrounded by landscaped grounds some 500m west of Dean Village…
Scottish Parliament Building
0.48 MILES
The Scottish Parliament Building, on the site of a former brewery and designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles (1955–2000), was opened by the Queen in…
Royal Botanic Garden
1.49 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…
Palace of Holyroodhouse
0.57 MILES
This palace is the royal family's official residence in Scotland but is more famous as the 16th-century home of the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots. The…
Nearby Old Town attractions
1. Old College
0.08 MILES
Edinburgh University’s Old College is a neoclassical masterpiece designed by Robert Adam in 1789; today it is home to the university’s law faculty. At the…
2. Surgeons' Hall Museums
0.12 MILES
Housed in a grand Ionic temple designed by William Playfair in 1832, these three fascinating museums were originally established as teaching collections…
3. Talbot Rice Gallery
0.14 MILES
This small art gallery has three exhibition spaces: the neoclassical Georgian Gallery, designed by William Playfair, houses a permanent collection of…
4. Museum of Childhood
0.15 MILES
Halfway down the Royal Mile is 'the noisiest museum in the world'. Often filled with the chatter of excited children, it covers serious issues related to…
5. John Knox House
0.16 MILES
The Royal Mile narrows at the foot of High St beside the jutting facade of John Knox House. This is the oldest surviving tenement in Edinburgh, dating…
6. Tron Kirk
0.17 MILES
Built in 1637 and taking its name from the tron (public weighbridge) that once stood on the site, this church is famous for its magnificent oak hammer…
7. National Museum of Scotland
0.19 MILES
Elegant Chambers St is dominated by the long facade of the National Museum of Scotland. Its extensive collections are spread between two buildings: one…
8. Mercat Cross
0.23 MILES
Outside the eastern end of St Giles Cathedral stands the Mercat Cross, a 19th-century copy of the 1365 original, where merchants and traders met to…