20 Attractions to Explore Near Greyfriars Kirkyard

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Greyfriars Kirk

Greyfriars Kirk

0.06km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirk is one of the most famous churches in Edinburgh where you'll find the famous Greyfriars Bobby buried. It is a Protestant church, built between 1602 and 1620, on the former site of a Franciscan monastery, making it one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh.

Greyfriars Bobby Statue

Greyfriars Bobby Statue

0.1km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The statue of a floppy-eared Skye terrier has been sitting at the top of Candlemaker Row since 1873. Usually a flurry of camera-clicking tourists marks the spot. The dog, of course, is the world-famous Greyfriars Bobby. The statue is mounted on a polished column of granite, 3 feet high and 20 inches in diameter, above a polished granite basin 3 feet in diameter, mounted on a plinth, with an octagonal drinking trough at ground level.

National Museum of Scotland

National Museum of Scotland

0.14km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture, and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum. It incorporates the collections of the former National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. As well as the national collections of Scottish archaeological finds and medieval objects, the museum contains artifacts from around the world, encompassing geology, archaeol

National Library of Scotland

National Library of Scotland

0.16km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The National Library of Scotland is Scotland's largest library, with over 30 million physical items in our world-class collections. Since 1925, our responsibility has been to record, preserve, and share the memories of Scotland's people and their significant, lasting contributions to the world. To do this, we collect and care for Scotland's knowledge, history, and culture — everything from rare historical documents to leaflets and shopping catalogues.

Victoria Street

Victoria Street

0.18km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Victoria Street was built between 1829-34 as part of a series of improvements to the Old Town, with the aim of improving access around the city. Built between 1829 and 1834, this street is the brainchild of architect Thomas Hamilton, the one who masterminded Edinburgh’s network of neo-classical wonders. It was now gently curved and adorned with colourful shopfronts, is indeed a much loved spot for tourist photos, postcards and TV adverts.

Grassmarket

Grassmarket

0.21km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The Grassmarket is one of the oldest parts of the city, and although the architecture has changed the layout of its open space retains its historic character. It was used as a market from the 14th century, with cattle fairs, horse fairs and corn being bought and sold in its wide open space. But this also made it suitable for public executions, with the last hanging taking place here in 1784.

Gladstone's Land

Gladstone's Land

0.26km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Gladstone's Land is a surviving 17th-century high-tenement house situated in the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular tourist attraction. it is now a house-museum that explores in detail how the city’s residents lived in the Old Town over 400 years ago. Currently, six of its rooms are open to the public and all include original items from the 1600s, antiques and period decoration.

The Scotch Whisky Experience

The Scotch Whisky Experience

0.26km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

0.27km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is a tourist attraction located in Outlook Tower on the Castlehill section of the Royal Mile close to Edinburgh Castle. The original attraction was founded by entrepreneur Maria Theresa Short in 1835 and was exhibited on Calton Hill. Outlook Tower has been a museum since the late 1890s and is currently home to many interactive exhibits, including the original Camera Obscura.

The Writers' Museum

The Writers' Museum

0.28km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The Writers’ Museum, housed in Lady Stair's House at the Lawnmarket, on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, presents the lives of three of the foremost Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Run by the City of Edinburgh Council, the collection includes portraits, works and personal objects. Beside the museum lies the Makars' Court, the country's emerging national literary monument.

St Giles' Cathedral

St Giles' Cathedral

0.28km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

St Giles’ Cathedral, built on an ancient sanctuary built during the ninth century. The temple is dedicated to St Giles, patron saint of the lepers. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the addition of the Thistle Chapel. St Giles' is closely associated with many events and figures in Scottish history, including John Knox, who served as the church's minister a

Cowgate

Cowgate

0.29km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The Cowgate is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about 550 yards southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, which lies below the elevated streets of South Bridge and George IV Bridge. Consequently, the Cowgate can be quite gloomy and dark in sections. It meets the Grassmarket at its west end and Holyrood Road to the east.

Talbot Rice Gallery

Talbot Rice Gallery

0.31km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Talbot Rice Gallery is dedicated to exploring how the University of Edinburgh can contribute to contemporary art production today and into the future. The exhibitions exemplify creativity and ambition, seen through a distinctive programme of Scottish and international artists, with informed interpretation and lively educational events.

Museum on the Mound

Museum on the Mound

0.34km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The Museum on the Mound focuses on the history of the Bank of Scotland as well as the history of numismatics, which is the study of physical money. The permanent collection includes artefacts tracing the history of the Bank of Scotland since its foundation in 1695, paintings and architectural models of the Head Office building on the Mound, and the history of banking and building societies in Britain. It has more than 50,000 visitors per year.

The Real Mary King's Close

The Real Mary King's Close

0.34km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

One of Edinburgh's top attractions and only preserved 17th-century street. The close was partially demolished and buried due to the building of the Royal Exchange in the 18th century, and later closed to the public for many years. The area became shrouded in myths and urban legends; tales of hauntings and murders abounded.

City Chambers

City Chambers

0.38km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Located in the heart of Edinburgh's historic Old Town - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - The City Chambers has enviable views of the city's skyline, providing an enchanting backdrop your event. The current building was originally built as the Royal Exchange, which was funded by subscription and commissioned in 1753.[2] It was designed by John Adam with detail alterations by John Fergus.

Edinburgh Vaults

Edinburgh Vaults

0.4km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The Edinburgh Vaults are a series of chambers formed by the 19 arches of South Bridge. Today, the vaults are one of the most haunted places in Edinburgh. For around 30 years, the vaults were used to house taverns, workshops for cobblers and other tradesmen, as well as storage space for said merchants. In later years, the vaults were a hotspot for the homeless and for criminal activity such as illegal gambling taverns, illegal whisky distillery and, according to rumour, bodysnatchers stored corps

Cockburn Street

Cockburn Street

0.43km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Lord Cockburn Street was built as an access to the Waverley Bridge Road at Waverley Rail Station from the High Street near to the Tron Kirk. The Plans for Cockburn Street were submitted over a lengthy period circa 1850 and was finally completed in 1859. Lord Cockburn's head is carved over the entrance to 1 Cockburn Street and The street contains a series of small specialist shops.

Scottish National Gallery

Scottish National Gallery

0.45km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

The Scottish National Gallery is one of Scotland’s top free visitor attractions. It houses Scotland’s national collection of fine art from the early Renaissance to the end of the nineteenth century. The gallery comprises two main buildings, the National Gallery of Scotland building and the Royal Scottish Academy building, both designed in neoclassical style by William Henry Playfair.

Princes Street Gardens

Princes Street Gardens

0.45km from Greyfriars Kirkyard

Princes Street Gardens is one of the most important urban parks situated in the heart of Edinburgh. It separates the Old Town from the New Town. The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, beginning in the 1760s. The Gardens are the best known parks in Edinburgh, having the highest awareness and visitor figures for both residents and visitors to the city.

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Know more about Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard

26A Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh EH1 2QE, UK

Greyfriars Kirkyard is the historic graveyard surrounding the Greyfriars Kirk church, dating to the 1500s, and is rumoured to be among the most haunted graveyards in the world. The parish and graveyard are named for the defunct Franciscan friary on the site whose friars wore grey habits. The graveyard has seen many historic events take place within its grounds and is the site of not only historic resting places but heart-warming tales and bone-chilling ghost stories.