George Square Theatre

If you’ve ever been to the Festival, you’ve no doubt spent hours in George Square gardens, but you may not really remember… home to the Spiegeltent et al during august, it seems a lot quieter the rest of the year.

But in my opinion that’s a pretty good thing, and when the sun comes out, there aren’t many places i’d rather have my lunch.

There’s even a labyrinth, for that time when you feel you really have to get into the spirit of the Borges you’re reading.

George Square is the heart of Edinburgh Uni’s humanities, arts and social sciences campus, and as such is full of students (whether this is a good or a bad thing in a place I’ll leave to your personal preference!) The park in the centre of the square is public, and is a great place to eat lunchtime sandwiches, or just to relax and have a chat. There’s a mini labyrinth for quiet contemplation and squirrels to watch as they scamper around in the trees above. On sunny days the place is totally packed, especially during the Edinburgh Festival, when it becomes the location of Edinburgh’s famous Spiegeltent. In Winter the park is usually pretty empty, but still good if you wrap up warm! A quieter alternative to Princes Street Gardens.