Is The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Worth Seeing in the Summer?

Find out if the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden is worth visiting for a daytime walk. Explore the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on a trip to Scotland.

Is the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh worth visiting if you're in Scotland for EdFringe? 

We set out to find a daytime diversion during our summer visit to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival in August of 2017. 

Is the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Free?

The Royal Botanic Garden is an ideal summer activity in Edinburgh because it's a mostly free attraction. 

You can walk around the grounds to your heart's content without paying a pound. However, admission to the Victorian glasshouses costs £6.50. 

The Gnarled Trees of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

It was a sunny summer day when we visited the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh so we decided to simply walk around for free. You could tell that the garden had been around for a long time based on the girth and degree of gnarl in the trees.

Modern Art in a Victorian Setting at Inverleith House Gallery

We strolled through the gardens and arrived at Inverleith House Gallery. We popped inside the three story stone mansion and discovered a modern art installation inside featuring Turkish evil eyes laying in various orientations on the floor.

Victorian-era and Modern Greenhouses

Moving on, we walked past various Victorian-era and modern greenhouses but decided that they were prettier from the outside in the sunshine rather than paying the admission fee. 

The glasshouses at Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden added great atmosphere to the park. It was almost like taking a step back in time.

Edinburgh's Walled Flower Gardens

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh featured a walled-garden. What made this garden unique was that the wall was made out of a giant hedge trimmed to a uniform height. Riotous colored flowers formed a border outside the wall. 

Peeking through, I could see one of the glasshouses framed from the hedge. So pretty.

I enjoyed getting up close to the plantings surrounding the great wall. The gardeners at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh really do a fantastic job landscaping the place.

Curious Scottish Squirrels

Some things are the same everywhere. If there is a park, there is a curious squirrel to go with it (remember the squirrel that we met in Łazienki Park in Warsaw?). 

As we wandered around the quiet green paths, this little fellow seemed to be begging us for a nut. Alas, they had to go foraging on their own since I was out of snacks.

Is the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh Worth Visiting?

Yes. The Royal Botanic Garden is easily accessible by public transportation. If you find yourself idle on a summer day with the sun shining, spend the afternoon taking a mindful walk around the park. The Royal Botanic Garden is a great daytime diversion from the Fringe.

For other ideas of things to do during the day if you're in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival see:

• A Walk on the Water of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland

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