Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Over 350 years of plants

The garden began in 1670 as a small physic garden near Holyrood and moved to its present site beside Inverleith Row in the 1820s. Today it is one of four gardens run by the same charity, alongside Benmore, Dawyck and Logan elsewhere in Scotland, and it holds one of the richest plant collections anywhere, backed by a herbarium and research glasshouses.

What to see

Paths wind through themed planting, open lawns and views back towards the Edinburgh skyline. The Victorian Palm Houses have reopened as part of the Edinburgh Biomes project and need a ticket. Inverleith House, an 18th-century building in the middle of the garden, once held the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and now hosts temporary contemporary exhibitions. The John Hope Gateway, opened in 2010, is the main visitor building.

How to use it

Give it at least a couple of hours; a sunny morning is ideal, and the glasshouses make it a fair-weather and wet-weather choice. Seasonal events run through the year, including Christmas at the Botanics. Afterwards, walk south via Stockbridge or the Water of Leith towards Dean Village and Dean Bridge.

Highlights

• Free entry to around 70 acres of gardens
• Reopened Victorian Palm Houses (ticketed)
• Contemporary art at Inverleith House
• Founded in 1670

Good to know

• The gardens are free; the glasshouses charge for entry and Palm House tickets are booked online.
• It sits about a mile from the city centre at Inverleith.
• Check the events calendar for Christmas at the Botanics and exhibitions, which are ticketed separately.

Frequently asked questions