This is another one of Angela B.'s and I's stops when we visit Edinburgh. Angela introduced me to…read morethis wee jem the last time we were venturing in the Burgh. Located in Princes Mall, next to Edinburgh Waverley Train Station, it stocks loads of cool bags. When I came through previously I was carrying my Asda bag for life plastic carrier. I was not looking cool at all and to be honest I hate carrying things in my hands as I'm always worried I will put down somewhere then leave it by accident. Here was like an "Ahhhhhh!" moment for me and they had great wee backpacks. They had ones ideal for what I needed. I was introduced to cool Prosport cartoon bags. I loved them all!!! I picked with one with a pirate lady theme. I loved it! The girl was lovely and helped me picked one where you could see my pirate lady clearly. Now my Asda plastic carrier bag now lives in my awesome sexy pirate lady mini backpack. It's affordable and they have a really good selection. They also stock travel sized bags and cases. In our case (excuse the pun) though we just head straight to our favourite Prosport bags.

Betty Bags is an independant shop in Princes Mall, which stocks...well, you guessed it! Bags…read more As well as bags, none of which are really to my taste to be honest, Betty also sells accessories and wee Japanese figurines. A strange mixture, but interesting to have a browse around, and to be honest, the mall doesn't offer much else to browse. I don't really go in for bright colours, diamanté and big chunky buckle type bags, or anything with cartoon characters on, but if you did, I'm pretty sure you could find something here. They stock quite a lot of Betty Boop (inspiration for the name, perhaps?) and Spongebob Squarepants figurines and memorabilia, which is reasonably priced for that sort of thing.

This is such a cute store! I visited it twice while I was in Edinburgh. They have lots of eclectic…read moreitems: stickers, cards, gifts, clothing, glasses and jewelry. I bought a couple of very unique pieces and have already received so many compliments on them! Will come back next time I am in town.

It was such an adorable little place, with lots of super adorable badges and stickers. Everything…read moreis such good quality and for really good prices. There is something for everyone there, I visited it when I was in Edinburgh and I got presents for all of my friends. The service was so quick, the line was super long and yet the person at the desk managed to get through everyone so quickly and she was so nice!

Cath Kidston has a sort of Stepford Wives/1950's housewife feel to it. Everything is prim, proper…read moreand pretty. It has become quite trendy and girls everywhere are wandering around with Cath Kidston bags. I do quite like this store. I wander around picking out all the things I want to buy, then look at the price tag and think "Nah, it's not worth it". Everything is very twee with very girly, flowery prints and nice pinks or blues on pretty much everything. It would be nice to kit out ones summer house down by the beach in Cath Kidston, but one doesn't quite have the budget or need for such things. Cath Kidston=Susie Homemaker. Still a lovely shop though.

Cath Kidston is bringing back the kitschy 50s kitchen, and I couldn't be more thrilled!…read more Selling all things frilly, floral lined and inspired by the retro housewife, Cath Kidston brings the best of the country kitchen into the 21st century. The pastel pinks and cute stripes on the mugs, linen and aprons is adorable. Their kitchenware is fantastic, with new ranges to suit outdoor garden parties (how fitting of this shop!) There is a definite English tea party theme running through the designs on the mugs, but it's equally as good if you're looking for a girly jewellery gift, or a new bag. My cousin has declared that she wants her entire kitchen to be from Cath Kidston in her new flat. She is obviously hinting that she wants us to buy her presents for her new home, but shopping for someone in here is a treat rather than a chore so it's ok. What's more, a lot of the stock isn't as expensive as you'd think from a designer with such a good reputation. Absolutely delightful!

I googled Fair Isle sweaters, Edinburgh & ended up buying two here. The staff couldn't have been…read morenicer & the sweaters are gorgeous. I don't wear the other boho items stocked & didn't do more than glance, but the uniquely beautiful sweaters were the prettiest I've seen - and I've been looking!

I love this place so much. I was in Edinburgh on business and when I had a day off I went around…read morethe town to explore a bit and stumbled upon this place. Not being super into wool and hand made items at the time, I bought one wool headband and brought it home (living in Seattle, you get COLD all the time). I grew to love this headband so much, that I now order headbands all the time from this place and have them shipped to Seattle. I cannot find yarn like the yarn at Ragamuffin ANYWHERE! It is so unique and thick, I would buy hundreds of headbands from this place if I could. Truly, they are so unique, I cannot do them justice in an explanation. I always tell people who are going to EDI for business to check this place out, and I will definitely continue ordering from this place as long as they let me. :)

It's 5 stars all the way! It's just a great spot that connects you to many different parts of Old…read moreTown. The views of the castle from here are also incredible. Especially if you want to see the volcanic plug under the castle. The best views of it are from here. It's also where you can make your way up the Vennel Steps to see the old defensive walls of the city. There are even two or three different ways that you can get to the castle from here. The Granny Green Steps are located on the west side of the square. It will take you up to Johnston Terrace where you can take another set of stairs called Castle Wynd North up to the castle. The second option is to take the Castle Wynd South path in the middle of the square which will lead into the Patrick Geddes Steps and directly to the North Steps. Another way is to walk up West Bow from the square to Victoria Street (also in Grassmarket). Take the stairway up to Victoria Terrace and then make your way up to the steps at Castle Wynd North or to the Royal Mile. You'll get a different perspective of the Grassmarket area and the castle from all angles. We visited it daily. We even passed through it on our way to Greyfriars Kirkyard via Candlemaker Row. The National Museum of Scotland is also easily accessible from here. The square in Grassmarket is the perfect meet up location. There's a lot of dark history here as well. It was one of the public execution sites that included the unsuccessful one of "Half-Hangit Maggie Dickson" in 1724. There's a bar at the square named after her. You'll also see a memorial written on the stones of the square for the last person (James Andrews) to be hanged at the gallows there on 4 February 1784. All creepiness aside, it's a very lively and active place that you'll pass through at some point. I mean, how could you not? It's an area full of beauty and history. *Updated on 5/5/2026 to correct a name.

Grassmarket is located in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town, just behind Edinburgh Castle. It's one…read moreof the oldest parts of the city, dating back to the 14th century. it is a popular area of the city today, just as it has been for many years. The Grassmarket is one of the most vibrant and charming neighbourhoods in Edinburgh and it's not a place you want to miss. However, one of the best parts about visiting this area are the views you'll get of the castle! Lined with buzzing bars, restaurants with worldwide flavours, delicious coffee shops and eclectic shops, the area's winding streets are a delight to explore at your leisure. Take a historic walking tour. Free historic walking tour maps are available from the local pubs and shops in the area. You can read or listen to the audio history of the area here. OR Visit the Greyfriars Bobby monument and grave site of a devoted little dog.

Disappointment. I was excited for this store…read more This store has interesting clothing to offer - some vintage some new. The prices were pretty steep. Many clothes were damaged, and the tag did not mention the damaged item. I understand that items are vintage, but it should be disclosed of the condition of the clothing. The v store was very hot and packed with people. I was unable to look at everything because shoppers kept bumping into me or cutting me off unfortunately. The clothes were not very organized either. It was hard to look through them. If they did crowd control and limit the shoppers inside, I may have had a better experience. This has been the most disappointing shop during my Scotland holiday so far.

One of my favorite vintage shops in the world! I look forward to coming here every time I am in…read moreEdinburgh. I have found some really unique pieces for great prices.

If you're into coloured glass, turquoise, delicate silver shaping, and pearls, then Palenque will…read moresuit you very well. I'm definitely not a fan of the crystal and coloured glass beads pendant look, or a fan of coloured glass teamed with any kind of jewellery really, although on the rare occasion I do spot a jewellery scenario where it works, but not often. So really, it's not Palenque that's doing anything wrong, it's just my unexplained dubiousness about coloured glass that's at fault here. Palenque do have a great range of coloured stones, pearl and shell, crystal, and enamel and glass items of jewellery. They clearly do what they do well, and being an eternal fan of pearls, I do like Palenque's pearl wares very much. There seems to be a lot of pretty butterfly metal work on sale here too, in the form of brooches, wall decorations and rings. Everything here is clearly attractive and made to high standards, some of it's just a bit too girly girly for me is all. I seem to be going through a phase of wanting all my jewellery to look angry and jaggy and edgy, and there's nothing angry about chilled out looking coloured crystal, which is entirely fair enough.

I'm so surprised to learn from Stephanie that this shop is a chain, you would never guess!…read more It doesn't have the generic, impersonal feel of chain jewellery stores, so credit to this company for making their brand charming! Palenque's jewellery is instead unique, quirky and quite kitschy. A lot of the pieces were reasonably priced and made with a variety of materials, including enamel and crystal. Their pearl and shell detailed necklaces were absolutely gorgeous and genuinely different to most high street jewellery trends at the moment. Their bird pendants and nature inspired necklaces were still in fitting with the indie crowd, however. Bold but still delicate, the colours and designs on Palenque's jewellery would make perfect gifts. Special but also affordable, I wandered in with the hope of finding a present for a friend's birthday, but actually just wanted to treat myself! A shop that couldn't be more perfect for the delightful Rose Street.

I'm not a shoe person at all but I think I'm in love with this store!…read more I'll get it out of the way and say it's one of the more expensive shoe shops on Princes' Street! However, the quality written all over the shoes speaks for itself. You find men's and women's shoes, sandals, boots, pumps, brogues... If you're ever for a loss at what to at around midnight, head over to the store where the shoes at wonderfully lit in all their glory for some late night window shopping. The staff (meaning the one lady I spoke to a few weeks ago) is extremely friendly, and the store is so large and glitzy you might be tempted to buy something you may not really be able to afford!

Russell and Bromley are luxury shoes at their best. Beautiful, classic and timeless, this footwear…read moreis pricey but you can be sure that you are getting fantastic quality and longevity for your money! The handbags are simply beautiful too, with clean lines and sumptuous leather quilting which rivals any Mulberry bag I have ever seen. The bags range from around £100-£300, depending on size, but my favourite is the Quilt Trim Shopper at £145, not too bad at all for a bag which will grow old with you! Well worth saving up your pennies for!

If you are looking for good quality, no nonsense, sensible shoes then take a trip to Ecco. I guess…read moreit's aimed at the older generation and most of the shoes remind me of the shoes my primary school teachers wore. Just by looking at the selection of shoes here, you can tell that they are fabulous quality and you will get years of wear out of them. The current window display has a range of sandals that offer good grip and support too, so perfect if you have problems with your feet. They have an excellent range of shoes for both women and men and in addition to work shoes and sandals, they also have outdoor shoes.

When buying shoes in Edinburgh you'll find that you get a large range of shoe shops offering…read moredifferent qualities and it can be hard to tell which ones are overpriced and which are genuinely of higher quality. At some places it will be easy to tell what you are getting because you'll be paying very little, but you'll very clearly notice the lack of quality in the items. These might seem a bargain at under £10, but in terms of long term value they are more expensive than you might think. These cheap ones often only last a few months, whereas any shoes from here will last many years. In the end it does make sense to buy your shoes from here simply because they last so much longer. The person who advised me to first look into buying shoes from here was almost evangelical about them and it did indeed take a lot of convincing before I accepted that they didn't work in Ecco's marketing department. I do personally get sick of the days when my cheaper shoes start falling apart just as it starts raining heavily and if that's a problem you've been plagued by in the past then this is the shop that has the solution for very reasonable prices.

Amazing hat store. Super friendly owner. Walked away with several $100+ hats, but love them all!read more

I can safely say I don't think I've ever seen so many hats under one roof. Whether you're going to…read morea friend's wedding or to the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, you'll definitely find the headpiece of your dreams here. You also pay a hefty amount for the privilege. They're all hand made, and made to a very high standard, and the service is friendly yet efficient. This is all reflected in the price, and personally I'd rather pay a lot of money for that than for average quality famous quality designer brand stuff, mass produced and sold by the bucketload in department stores. Even if you're not planning to buy, if you find yourself wandering through the grassmarket you should definitely pop in and have a look.