Living in Old Town

The Old Town, situated in the medieval heart of Edinburgh, has retained many of its Reformation era buildings and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Starting from the Edinburgh Castle, it runs down The Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyrood and Holyrood Park. It then stretches south until it hits the eastern half of the beautiful Meadows. 

Houses in the Old Town are mainly traditional Georgian and Victorian properties but recent years have seen the emergence of a number of tasteful modern courtyard developments designed to blend well with the original buildings. Nearby Castle Terrace and Lauriston are also popular City Centre residential locations.

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Education

High School
James Gillespie's High School
St Thomas Of Aquin's High

Primary Schools
Royal Mile Primary School
St Mary's RC Primary School (Edinburgh)

Independent Schools
George Heriot’s School

Higher Education
The main University of Edinburgh Campus lies within Old Town. 

Transport

Residents of Old Town are never more than a 20 minute walk away from Edinburgh Waverley Station where they can take a train to other locations across Edinburgh, Scotland and the UK. Visit the ScotRail website for more information.

There are two Edinburgh Tram stops in Old Town, where residents can take a tram right out to Edinburgh Airport with a generous selection of stops along the way. Visit the Edinburgh Trams website for more details.

Edinburgh Bus Station is also only a few streets away from Waverley Train Station, where Old Town residents can travel to other parts of Scotland the UK via Megabus and CityLink. Visit the Megabus website here and the Citylink website here.

Lothian Buses run 13 bus routes through Old Town. All of these buses head into the City Centre, but when heading outwards they take residents to several different places including the Royal Infirmary, Queen Margaret University and some of Midlothian's biggest towns. Visit the Lothian Buses website for more information and to download timetables.

Green Space

Holyrood Park, home to Arthur's Seat, lies to the east of Old Town, while the popular Meadows lies a short walk to the west.

Food Shopping

There's a Lidl near the Univeristy of Edinburgh on Nicholson Street. This is the only big food store in the area, but you can find several branches of Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express shops.

Other Shopping

The Royal Mile and The Grassmarket provide an array of boutiques and some of Edinburgh's finest restaurants. The narrow, winding Victoria Street, with one of the most distinguishable facades in Edinburgh, offers a fine selection of specialist cheese, coffee, oils and liquor stores.

A short walk down the Mound brings you to the extensive range of upmarket shops on Princes Street and George Street while a stroll in the other direction brings you to the open parkland of the Meadows. The neighbouring areas also provide supermarkets and a local farmers' market every Saturday.

Nightlife

Old town is home to some of Edinburgh's liveliest nightlife. The Royal Mile and Cowgate offer an amazing selection - especially if you're looking for something student friendly! 

Religion

Churches
Old Town is home to a wide selection of churches, covering several denominations. Here is a small example:

Augustine United Church
Chapel of Saint Albert the Great
Church of the Sacred Heart
Edinburgh International Christian Church
Edinburgh Presbyterian Church (Korean)
Free Church of Scotland
Life Church
St Columba's Free Church of Scotland
The Orthodox Community Of St Andrew - Edinburgh
Victory Hill Church

Mosques
Edinburgh Central Mosque can be found on Potterrow, which lies close to the University of Edinburgh. 

Synagogues
The Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation is located on Salisbury Road which lies not far from the southern border of Old Town. 

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