Calton Hill

Calton Hill

Ten minutes up, and the castle and Old Town fit in one frame

Hours

Hill always open; Nelson Monument daily 10am–3:30pm (official; occasional maintenance closures)

Tickets

Hill free; small charge for the Nelson Monument (check on site)

Address

Up the steps from Waterloo Place at the east end of Princes Street

A low hill a few flights of steps from the station, and the source of half of Edinburgh's postcards: the round colonnade of the Dugald Stewart Monument with the castle, Old Town roofs and Scott Monument stacked behind it. Up top stands the National Monument, a Parthenon copy that ran out of money after twelve columns, and the Nelson Monument, shaped like an upturned telescope. At sunset people sit on the grass and watch the sky change.