Beautiful department store on Princes St, with a super unique layout due to the historical building…read moreit's in. If you are from Canada, this store is just like Hudson's Bay. If you are from the USA, it's just like Macy's. Ran out of Clarins cream and stopped here to stock back up. Had AMAZING service by the rep!

I had purchased a cashmere overcoat back in the mid 1980's. Most likely when the store was owned…read more& operated by the original owning family. I'm in the USA. This coat is as good as new almost 40 years later. It was well made. If there was a way to contact the original owning family I would like to thank them for such a well made garment.

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.

A great shop to see if you're a big Harry Potter fan. I've been to lots of HP gift shops and they…read morehad things I've seen before, for similar pricing. Even if you're not buying, it's still a fun shop!

Calling this a museum is quite a stretch... it is a gift shop for all things Harry Potter. It is…read morecool, but quite small and I wouldn't spend more than 10 minutes waiting in line unless you know for a fact there's something you intend to buy. We waited about 10 minutes and line and probably spent about 10 minutes inside. If we weren't in the area, I don't think it would have been worth it.

Ugly. Is the word that will undoubtedly spring to your mind when you first clap eyes on this…read moremonstrosity of a building. And you'd be right, although you shouldn't let that put you off as it houses some useful high street names. The main reason I come here is to go to Sainsbury's, as it's the biggest supermarket anywhere near to the city centre that you can get to by public transport easily. But aside from that, there's also a handful of banks, travel agents, clothes shops like New Look and Peacocks, as well as random one-off shops like GimmeGizmo and Paperbox. You'll never find anything designer or massively upmarket in here, but it's good for all the day-to-day boring things that nobody likes shopping for but everybody needs. There's also free parking, which is another definite bonus.

It's been about 10 years since anyone's posted anything here, so I thought I'd update anyone…read morereading this. The building's still ugly on the outside, but the actual shopping centre has had a massive overhaul post-2016. A new logo and orange branding works really well I think, and the orange neon strips around the sides of the building add some actual style to it, however it's still a total architectural freak. There's now McDonald's and Costa drive-through locations in the car park, and a huge 24 hour gym upstairs. Sainsbury's is as big and strong as ever, although they've closed the cafe recently, apparently Starbucks or some gourmet burger section coming? Aldi is here, very quickly replacing BHS after they went belly-up, and a Poundland, which I actually rate, especially for soft drinks and batteries. Public transport has improved massively, making it kind of a transport hub for the south of the city, with city centre links pretty much every 2 minutes, and east and westbound services a plenty. Borders links are regular as well. There are a lot more local offerings inside, with an excellent local bike shop, and small stands in the main hall with rotating regularly. It's still not upmarket by any means, but with banks, 3 supermarkets, boots, new look, WHSmith (how are they still going as a company?) waterstones, cex, mcdonalds, costa, greggs, subway, the entertainer toy shop, tresspass, penty of carrier stores and a couple of shoe shops, the variety and actual quality of the stores has gone way up. It's also just super handy as they've added stuff like a water bottle refill station with some of the best water you can get in public (i know it's weird but trust me) and some pretty nice toilets (which are open 24 hours), a passport photo booth, postbox and good bicycle parking, they've seriously cleaned up their act in the last 10 years. Also yeah, the whole thing is open 24 hours a day because of the gym, so you can just wander in at 2am and sit in the tables in the hall and eat a sandwich or something. There's some serious plans to add hotels and a cinema to the site, in addition to potential tram links and better walking/cycling access. The future is looking up for cameron toll, and this review is a really strange contrast to the ones from a few years back. This isn't really something you see with shopping malls, but apparently it's doing really well these days, and definitely worth a visit if you're in the south of Edinburgh. Whether for essentials for the house, grabbing lunch, getting your eyes checked at specsavers, buying a new phone or computer, or just nipping in to go to the toilet and steal the ice-cold water from the dispenser, it's a solid spot and improved by an order of magnitude since the start of the decade.

Hoochie Coochie is a little independant fashion boutique in Tollcross, where you can find an array…read moreof affordable lovely dresses, from vintage-style stuff to more gothic-style stuff. It is probably the only shop in town where where you buy clothes from a pirate, aka the lovely man who mans the shop. Apart from lots of lovely dresses, they also have accessories such as bags and shoes. A great place to treat yourself or buy a present!

Why is there only one other review?…read more Such a fun store to shop at. They have the best Christmas jumpers so I don't see why you would go anywhere else to buy one! (Oh right, the price tag...) The store owner is also a PIRATE. Not really. Kind of. He kind of looks like a pirate. He's really nice! So friendly! In short, great clothing and you get to meet a pirate. Kind of.

Although most branches of Sainsbury's are pretty much exactly the same as the next one, this one…read morestands out due to its sheer size. Unless you have a car, then the big Tesco in New Town or the big Asda over by the Corn Exchange are a pain to get to, which means that this is where you'll head when you need a big shop. As well as all the usual food and grocery-related stuff this branch also offers a pharmacy, a household section, clothing, a bakery, a cheese counter as well as a butcher/fishmonger counter. It just so happens to be housed within the world's ugliest shopping centre, Cameron Toll. But don't let that put you off; with free parking and good bus links this is a pretty handy one as far as supermarkets go. Just avoid it at the beginning of all the uni terms, as it's packed to the rafters with students accompanied by their doting mums buying them enough food to last them until the next holidays and then some.

This is an absolutely massive Sainsbury's and is the best thing about the Cameron Toll centre by…read morequite a way. It is in a great location for students as well as it is near the Kings Buildings and therefore many people get flats in the area. Sainsbury's therefore get a good amount of younger customers. The store really does allow you to save a lot of money because if you go to the smaller branches of supermarkets such as Tesco Metro or Sainsbury's local, they tend to concentrate on stocking branded items rather than the cheaper Sainsbury's brands. I mean I really can't tell that much difference between Sainsnury's own baked beans than Heinz beans, and this shop would allow you to get these cheaper options. The shop also has a great range of clothes items and home items and would sure to be of great use at picking up some bargains for the house.

Fountain Park is one of those soulless leisure complexes that is there to use up your hard earned…read morecash. There is a large Cineworld cinema, Pizza Hut, Nandos, a casino, Virgin Active health club, bars, bingo, bowling alley and a kiddies soft play center. I actually quite like Fountain Park because it is right on my doorstep and it has everything I need for an evening on entertainment. There is a large car park so you can drive here and if you use the cinema or other businesses your car park ticket is validated making the parking free. Free parking in Edinburgh is a bonus! You can go for something to eat and know what to expect in the chain restaurants before heading off to the cinema/bowling alley/casino. It's perhaps not as large as some of the out of town complexes you see in the likes of Glasgow, but it does have everything you need and something for everyone.

I have only been to Fountain Park once, for bowling. But I will return this afternoon to visit the…read moreCineworld. Anyway, I feel that this place is largely for the students living around this area as it has a massive Cineworld, a Pizza Hut, a Nando's and a Tenpin bowling alley among its facilities available. The place felt quite empty and depressing the last time I was in and there seemed to be a lot of empty space between the bowling alley and the cinema, with the main concourse functioning as an extended hallway to get between the two. There is an underground car park which is free for the first four hours but if you stay any longer than that, then you will have to pay money for every extra hour you stay there. I did like the bowling alley, and the Pizza Hut was pretty decent when we went to it so I suppose this place serves its purpose with one of the only casual bowling alleys in the Edinburgh area. I hope I will enjoy Cineworld as it seems significantly cheaper than Odeon and Vue.

This business is in the road to Edinburgh Castle that so many tourist trek to. There is nothing…read morewrong with this establishment per se. It's one of the many businesses that cater to tourists with Scottish themed merchandise, not locally made. The locals miss the prior local business. The prices were okay, but not great.

Obviously this shop is made for tourists (like me) and has some of the best real estate in…read moreEdinburgh on the Royal Mile. Even though it is touristy, it has an extensive selection of quality scarves and other wool/cashmere products. I purchased a scarf that cost something like £30 and i absolutely love it. The wool is great quality and warm but breathable and the perfect length. There is a wide range of tartan scarves at various price points. I contemplated visiting Johnstons of Elgin but their scarves are more than I'm willing to pay since I don't get to wear it more than a few times a year in Southern California. My little scarf has gone with me to the beautiful Highlands and goes with me on every trip to Scotland or colder climates now and I'm very happy with it. Service was efficient and polite as it tends to be there.

Awwwwww! That is exactly what I thought when I popped into Bohemia the other day. This children's…read moreboutiques just screams cuteness and many of the toys are too nice to let your terrible tots play with, they'd be better used as ornaments. They had a huge section with wooden and fabric food and I was tempted to buy a cuddly banana but seeing as I'm not under 3 I thought it was best not to as I'd probably end up wondering why I'd bought it in the first place. They also had a wooden cake stand with a wooden cake display on it, it was gorgeous! There was also a good selection of Eric Carle toys and books and as I love the Hungriest Caterpillar this was a huge plus for me. In addition the children's clothing and toys there's also a small ladies fashion section with a rail of pretty tops and dresses. In addition to this there's a little vanity table that has Paul and Joe make-up displayed on it beautifully. I also have to mention the staff who were lovely and really friendly, when I popped in it was two girls working and they couldn't have been nicer, chatting away to all the customers and making everyone feel really welcome indeed, very knowledgeable about the products and seemed to really like working here too. Definitely deserving of five stars.

Bohemia is another one of those shops I try averting my eyes from when I walk by. Because things in…read morethere tend to be just a bit too pretty. And I'm not the only one who thinks this. My friends and I always try very hard not to ogle the shop on our walk from Scotmid to my house and vice-versa. We avert our eyes because things in there are pretty and not cheap at all. Sometimes, though, there are those rare occasions when there's something at a reasonable price. My flatmate and another friend bought me a gorgeous dress for only 15 pounds, while most dresses there are in the 40 pound price range, if not more. They also sell children's clothes. I'm not sure if this is specific to the Marchmont area (there are lots of middle-class parents in this area as well as students). The women who work there have always been really kind to me. The dress my friends bought me had a tiny fault and they sent it off to get repaired at the tailor's for me. I don't know if this was standard, but I'm just glad I didn't have to argue about it at all. I'm not a fan of confrontation, you see. So if you do have some money to spend, this is a great place to get something, as the shop advertises, bohemian and dressy.

I needed a waterproof storm hat. The employees were helpful and had just what I wanted for a good…read moreprice. My husband liked their Barbour water resistant jackets. Nice business.

Coolest peeps helpin me look fresh-dipped in Scottish couture…read more Cute Castillian gals makin sure I look dope in clan gear. Yup, don't come here and bite mah style, brah. You ain't as handsome. Nope.