New Town

The New Town of Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s New Town is one of the finest examples of Georgian city planning in the world and a highlight we often pass through on our private tours. Built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the New Town was created to relieve overcrowding in the Old Town and to showcase a modern, elegant Edinburgh. Its grand crescents, symmetrical streets and refined sandstone townhouses were designed to reflect the ideals of the Scottish Enlightenment — order, beauty and progress.

As we drive through the New Town, you’ll see landmark streets such as George Street, Queen Street and Princes Street, along with charming residential squares and sweeping Georgian terraces. It offers a striking contrast to the medieval Old Town just above, and travelling between the two gives you a real sense of how Edinburgh grew into the city it is today.

With Highland Private Tours, you’ll enjoy this area from the comfort of your private vehicle while hearing the stories behind the architecture, the planners who shaped it, and the vision that transformed Edinburgh into a city admired across the world.