Centred around a bustling railway station, Haymarket is a major transportation hub west of Edinburgh’s Old Town. It’s home to an abundance of laid-back cafes, traditional pubs and globally-inspired restaurants while it’s also a stone’s throw from Dean Village and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
Things to do in Haymarket
Dominating Haymarket’s skyline are the three spires of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, which was constructed in the 1870s in a Victorian Gothic Revival style. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, it stands as one of the tallest buildings in Edinburgh and houses a stained-glass window created by the locally-born artist Eduardo Paolozzi. In the surrounding gardens is a prayer labyrinth edged by wildflowers.
Haymarket makes an ideal base for visiting the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, which comprises two buildings on Belford Road. It exhibits modern and contemporary works dating from around 1900 to the present day, with Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse and Andy Warhol represented in the collection. Surrounding the galleries are extensive parklands where sculptures by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth are exhibited.
Directly north of Haymarket is Dean Village, a picture-perfect neighbourhood on the north bank of the Water of Leith. It is clustered with historic water mills and the 1880s-built Well Court where local workers were once housed. Stroll the cobblestone streets lined with charming cottages and admire the single-arched stone bridge of Bell’s Brae.
Getting around Haymarket
Haymarket is around 10 minutes’ drive from Edinburgh’s Old Town and the same distance from Waverley Railway Station, from where trains connect to London. Edinburgh Airport is 15 minutes away and has flights to destinations across Europe. Both trains and trams stop at Haymarket Station while buses travel through the neighbourhood.