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New Town, Edinburgh — Area Guide & Where to Stay
The New Town is Edinburgh's Georgian quarter, laid out on a grid north of the Old Town from 1767. Its three parallel streets, Princes Street, George Street and Queen Street, run between two terminal squares, St Andrew Square in the east and Charlotte Square in the west. Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland, stands on Charlotte Square. The grid still governs its streets.
About New Town
Where to stay in New Town
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Staying in the New Town puts you among Georgian terraces within a few minutes' walk of Princes Street, Waverley Station and the Old Town. Hotels cluster around George Street, St Andrew Square and Charlotte Square, from townhouse conversions to modern rooms above the shops. The southern streets suit shopping and sightseeing, while the quieter terraces north of Queen Street, toward Stockbridge, favour a calmer stay.
Rooms here trade the Old Town's medieval closes for wide pavements and open light. Book early for the August festivals.
About New Town
What are the main landmarks in New Town?
On Princes Street the Scott Monument rises over East Princes Street Gardens, a Gothic spire raised to Sir Walter Scott. Queen Street holds the Scottish National Portrait Gallery behind red Gothic sandstone. The two terminal squares carry the district's set pieces: Bute House on Charlotte Square and Dundas House on St Andrew Square.
At the eastern edge, Calton Hill is crowned by the National Monument of Scotland, the Nelson Monument and the Dugald Stewart Monument. Each stands within a short walk.
What is the history of New Town?
By the mid-18th century the Old Town's ridge was severely overcrowded. The city had run out of room. Its council drained the Nor Loch, carried the Mound across the valley, and in 1766 held a competition for a plan of the new suburb.
The young architect James Craig won it, and his grid of three streets between two squares was laid out from 1767. Robert Adam later designed Charlotte Square, and further phases pushed north into the Second New Town.
Where is New Town?
The New Town occupies a ridge north of Princes Street Gardens, which fill the drained valley below the Castle rock. The Old Town rises across it. Princes Street forms the southern edge, George Street runs along the crest, and Queen Street looks north over Queen Street Gardens.
Charlotte Square closes the west toward the West End, while St Andrew Square anchors the east below Calton Hill, and the streets fall north toward Stockbridge and the Water of Leith.
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Updated July 2026