The Cat's Miaou

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.

Tartan Weaving Mill

Diorama and shopping

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Shopping

Enchantment

4.6(9 reviews)

I always say this about shops of this nature, but fairy ornaments etc remind me of the wicca craze…read morethat hit in the mid to late 90s. Perhaps Charmed and Buffy saw that trend flying into my high school, and I distinctly remember my then best friend's room looking not unlike this shop. Shops like Enchantment are becoming fewer and further between, but it's nice that this one still does well. There are little pewter ornaments of delicate garden sprites, elves and fairies lining the shelves of this place, and dangling from the ceiling in abundance. If you're into pixies, healing stones and a touch of magic, then you'll like it. My mum likes ornaments like these and it's a great wee resource not too far from the Royal Mile if you're looking for an impish wee pressie. It's a nice change from seeing green ornaments in the shape of Loch dwelling monsters.

Enchantment is very enchanting indeed and as soon as you walk in you are surrounded by fairy…read morefigurines, crystals and various other magic related items. I can imagine this place would be ideal for people who are into alternative healing therapies with their range of crystals on offer and the whole shop has a very peaceful, tranquil feel to it. It's a little bit different to your average shop and I can't see myself ever needing anything from it but if fairy's float your boat, then why not?

Old Town Context

5.0(4 reviews)

Hello! When did this wee gem spring up?…read more It's not really wee, and it looks new - I'm guessing it's only been on Cockburn Street under a month. Old Town Context is a refreshing, traditional store on Cockburn Street, steering away from the style of the tourist traps on the Royal Mile to offer alternative gift ideas. They have some old English, French and American advert poster art, cards, stationery, gifts, mugs with pin ups on them, clocks made out of recycled glass drinks bottles - a very eclectic and classy selection. Its inspiration is clearly from bygone era's, and I was very impressed with their postcard range. They also have some cracking cards and original prints with cats on them. These cats are wearing kilts and rugby shifrts, quoting Burns and other Scottish poets within the print. It's a very odd idea but entirely up my alley. Overall a very enjoyable shop for the family. It's difficult to walk out of here without buying anything.

I am glad that my 200th review is on this hidden gem... actually it isn't that hidden, but I have a…read morefeeling that lots of people just walk right on by. In a very different and almost vintage way, it is a souvenir shop. I say that because there were lots of prints, cards, coffee mugs of the city and various British 'things', but they are not the types of souvenirs that you would find in the every single store on the Royal Mile... yeah, you know what I mean. I loved the different prints of the city, my favourite was a very art deco-ish print highlighting the castle in a yellowy-orangish hue against a dark background. They had it as a large print, a card, and a coffee mug. I am now kicking myself that I did not buy it. If you love globes or tin signs, they have loads of them! If you are looking for a different kind of souvenir for someone... or just something for yourself, stop in here because they have some really wonderful items.

Old Town CONTEXT Shop Front 42-44 Cockburn Street Edinburgh

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House of Edinburgh

4.0(1 review)

0.6 mi•Royal Mile, Old Town, Newington

I've recently been checking out and reviewing some of Edinburgh's many gift shops. I came across…read morethis one today, situated at the top of the High Street, and popped in. If there was a scale of gift shops, this would be at the upmarket end. There is a wealth of cashmere items along with a great deal of tartan, amongst a small range of other clothes. I would imagine the prices would reflect the high quality of the offered product. Thankfully, this shop is not full of any of the mass-produced tourist rubbish that you find in so many gift shops. This shop is for the more discerning shopper, looking for that high-quality memento of their visit to Edinburgh. If you love cashmere, and let's face it, even the name sounds comfortable, then this place may well be one of your first ports of call. Prime location for prime merchandise. Definitely worth a look.

Real Scot Shop

3.8(12 reviews)

•£

An independent gift shop on the Royal Mile, extremely friendly and very helpful. I was able to ask…read morefor a particular clean tartan that they keep in storage so that they have stock.

The Real Scot Shop is slightly less garish than a lot of the tourist shops in Edinburgh. Selling…read morewhat looks like real tartan kilts as well as sporrans, it seems like it makes an attempt to get the traditional culture of Scotland just right in its stock. As Steph said, they stock some classier gifts that would be fitting for a formal present, or something tasteful for your gran. But they also have a range of slightly tackier souvenirs if that's what you're looking for.

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Tartan Gifts & Souvenirs

5.0(1 review)

0.9 mi•New Town

We liked it because it wasn't like all the souvenir shops - we are flying out tomorrow and wanted…read moresouvenirs that felt more personal. They had unique items including coin purses, jewelry, scarves, some mugs that didn't look like all the rest .. just a lot of great things in a tiny space.

Edinburgh Castle Gift Shop

2.6(11 reviews)

0.9 mi•Old Town

Nice small shop with great customer service. I definitely will come back and recommend itread more

It's just a gift shop, but I bought two great souvenirs here. The first was in 2002--a little…read moretumbler with the city coat of arms on it. To this day, I still drink scotch out of this glass almost exclusively. In 2007 I bought an Edinburgh Castle wooden ruler printed with significant dates in the history of the castle. Only 25 pence! How cool is that. Buy several and pass them out to friends and coworkers when you go home. You don't have to tell them how cheap it was. They also sell stamps here, which is no longer guaranteed at gift shops across Europe (I'm looking at you, Prague and Vienna).

Courtesy of www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk

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Paper Tiger

4.5(30 reviews)

1.2 mi•Old Town

Such a cute gift shop. I got some really nice cards and they had a great selection for Scottish…read morechocolate that made great gifts for my family. The cardamon and bramble chocolate was a favourite!

A great little shop for interesting books, journals, cards and stationary…read more Definitely worth a look!

1.8 mi•Bruntsfield, The Meadows

From Business website.

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Curiouser and Curiouser

4.0(1 review)

•£

Small but perfectly formed, Curiouser is my favourite shop in Brunsfield because it has an awesome…read moreselection of stationery and cards, really trendy home wear, beautiful jewellery and they even have a framing service, (which I am yet to take advantage of!) I pop in quite often (I have a stationery problem) and I rarely leave empty handed. They're really great for getting in new stock and are fantastic at sourcing cool stuff I've never seen before, which makes it ideal for buying gifts (even for one's self...) This is actually their sister shop, the original shop is called Curious & Curiouser is based at the bottom of Broughton Street and it's just as great!

From the owner: We are an independently run gift and framing shop based in Bruntsfield. We stock a wide range of…read moreproducts including gift cards, art prints, stationery, books, jewellery and homewares. We also offer a comprehensive framing service. You can find our sister store at 93 Broughton Street.

Inside Curiouser. A small selection of our gift cards and gift wrap.

A selection frame samples. We offer a friendly and comprehensive framing service.

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We welcome all four-legged furry companions.

Eden

3.8(13 reviews)

Eden seems to be a bizarre mix of wooden furniture and Edward Monkton cards…read more If wooden furniture is your thing then you could pick up some bargains in here as many of the items are very reasonably priced and one off pieces too. This kind of stuff doesn't really float my kind of boat but I did see a really pretty dark wood table at £95 that I quite liked. They stock lots of little accessories such as crystals, jewellery and candles and the staff are really helpful too. The whole shop has a really laid back atmosphere and great for a browse without feeling pressured to buy anything.

Eden is quite deceptive - it looks like it's going to have hordes of hippy dippy gifts, which might…read moreinterest some people but not so much me. Upon entering, there was certainly that free spirited vibe - they were playing the Cocteau Twins and the shop keeper was really relaxed. But that only made for a better browsing experience (and I LOVE the Cocteau Twins so I was happy). Yes, there are loads of carved wooden ornaments and chairs, hanging beads and dream catchers, but there are also some lovely rustic homewares, trendy candles and some truly gorgeous ornate wrapping paper. They have a range of cards and some lovely stuff for the kitchen, including plaid patterned coat hangers and pretty ornaments. So even though it has the 90s hippy vibe, there is more variety than you may think if you care to enter. The shop assistant was absolutely lovely and her laid back approach left me free to browse to my heart's content. I came out with cactus candles which are awesome but too nice to burn!