Princes Street

Princes Street

Princes Street is a very special street in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It is the main shopping street and is very busy with people walking and shopping.

The street is part of Edinburgh's New Town and stretches about 1.2 kilometres from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east. On the south side of the street, there are beautiful views of the Princes Street Gardens. From there, you can see the Old Town and Edinburgh Castle.

Most of the street is for trams, buses, and taxis, but the eastern end allows all kinds of traffic. The street was built as part of Edinburgh's New Town, designed by architect James Craig. It was laid out around 1770 and was important, sitting on the edge and looking out over Edinburgh Castle and the old city, Edinburgh Old Town.

Today, well-known shops such as Boots, H&M, and Marks & Spencer are on Princes Street. The street is still very popular, and there is a rule from Parliament that no more buildings can be built on the south side to keep the open view.

The Princes Street Gardens are one of the green spaces in the middle of Edinburgh. The Gardens have the Ross Bandstand, an open-air theatre. There is also a war memorial for soldiers and a floral clock that changes its design each summer. Two big art galleries, the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland, are near The Mound, close to the Princes Street tram stop. Further along is the Scott Monument, a large monument for Sir Walter Scott, the famous writer of the Waverley Novels. Nearby is Waverley station. Next to the station is the Balmoral Hotel, and the North Bridge passes over the station.