Royal Botanic Garden
Inverleith Row (East Gate) / Arboretum Place (West Gate).
0131 552 7171
Free entry to the gardens, entry to glasshouses £3.50 adults, £3 concessions, £1 children
Open daily from 10AM (except 25 Dec and 1 Jan) Closing: 4PM Nov-Feb, 6PM Mar, 7PM Apr-Sep, 6PM Oct. Glasshouses close: 3:30PM Nov-Feb, 5PM Mar-Oct
signposted from all around the area
Very impressive gardens with a collection of interesting plants. Great place to wander around on a sunny day, or to sit and have a picnic. Highlights include the Rock Garden; the 165m long herbaceous border, backed by a huge, century old beech hedge a hedge may not sound too exciting but this one has to be seen to be believed!; and the Victorian Temperate Palm House, which is the tallest of its kind in the UK. The stunning new John Hope Gateway building at the west gate opened in October 2009 and contains the new restaurant and shop, as well as permanent and temporary exhibitions.
