This Edinburgh literary tour goes through all the essential sites in Edinburgh for book lovers. From Edinburgh bookshops to literary museums and Scottish landmarks, there’s plenty to explore on this Edinburgh book lovers’ tour!
Edinburgh was the world’s very first UNESCO City of Literature which is no surprise given the plethora of literary references to be found around the Scottish capital.
From the moment you step off the train, you find yourself in Edinburgh City of Literature. The train station itself is named after a book by a famous Scottish author – Waverly by Sir Walter Scott.
The city has connections to historic Edinburgh writers such as Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott as well as modern authors such as Ian Rankin and J.K.Rowling so there’s something for every kind of book lover.
This guide to Edinburgh for book lovers highlights some of the very best cultural things to do in the Scottish capital.
Now let’s begin the book lovers’ tour, Edinburgh’s literary gems are waiting to be discovered!
Writer’s Museum
No literary tour of Edinburgh would be complete without a visit to Edinburgh’s Writer’s Museum. Hidden away in Makars’ Court, this free museum in Edinburgh is a must-visit for book lovers.
The Writer’s Museum is dedicated to three of Scotland’s greatest literary figures: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.
The collection ranges from manuscripts and first editions to portraits and personal items. They have the printing press on which the Waverley Novels by Sir Walter Scott were first produced as well as the rocking chair he used as a child.
Some items you’d expect and others are quite unexpected like a ring given to Robert Louis Stevenson by a Samoan chief, engraved with ‘Tusitala’, which means ‘teller of tales’.
You don’t need to have read these authors’ works to appreciate the museum, indeed a visit to the museum is what inspired me to pick up their works.
Between them, some of their most famous works include Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Waverly and the song Auld Lang Syne.
Of course, in the museum’s small gift shop you can purchase titles by some of the most famous writers from Scotland including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Rankin.
Outside the museum in the courtyard, you’ll see that the flagstones have been engraved with quotes from famous Scottish writers.
New flagstones are added on an ongoing basis and quotes range from 14th-century writer John Barbour to the more recent Muriel Spark.
There are no stars so lovely as Edinburgh street-lamps.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Address: Lady Stair’s Close, Lawnmarket, Lady Stair’s Cl, Edinburgh EH1 2PA
Opening Hours: 10am – 5pm every day
Website: www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/writers-museum
Scott’s Monument
If you’re arriving at Edinburgh’s Waverly station (also related to Scott’s work) then you’ll see these towering monument as you exit and go towards Edinburgh centre.
What lots of people won’t know as they walk past this beautiful structure is that Scott’s Monument actually has a literary backstory.
This Victorian Gothic monument is dedicated to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. After his death in 1832, a competition was held to design a monument to this famous Scotsman.
The competition was won by a self-taught architect George Meikle Kemp and was completed in 1844, just over a decade after the author’s death.
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The architect actually went under the pseudonym “John Morvo”, the architect of Melrose Abbey, and he feared his lack of qualifications would disqualify him from the competition.
However, the talented architect actually ended up creating the second-largest monument to a writer in the world!
Address: E. Princes St Gardens, Edinburgh EH2 2EJ
Golden Hare Books
Golden Hare Books is an award-winning bookshop based in Stockbridge. It’s one of Edinburgh’s most famous bookshops and for good reason.
Golden Hare Books is an incredibly well-curated bookshop, in fact, I’d even go so far as to say this is one of the most well-curated bookshops I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting.
It’s a fairly small shop and their selection of new books is not extensive, to be honest. However, each and every title they offer is worth the real estate it takes up in this shop.
You’ll find yourself moving slowly around this shop, struggling not to pick up and take home every single book you come across.
It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into which books they choose to stock on their shelves and they only have the very best recent releases.
This bookshop in Edinburgh won Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2019, beating all other bookshops in the UK and Ireland, and it’s a very well deserved title.
Address: 68 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AQ
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm every day
Website: goldenharebooks.com
The Elephant House
**Important Note: There was a terrible fire on George IV Bridge in Edinburgh in August 2021 which greatly damaged The Elephant House and forced it to shut. The owner has opened a second Elephant House cafe on Victoria Street in the meantime, but hopes to open the original Elephant House cafe at some point in 2024. At the new branch, you can see the table that J.K. Rowling used to write on and enjoy a Butterscotch (no prizes for guessing which magical drink that is inspired by!).**
Elephant House has become one of Edinburgh’s most popular cafes over the years thanks to one very famous former visitor – J.K. Rowling.
Elephant House calls itself the “birthplace of Harry Potter”, which isn’t strictly true, but that hasn’t stopped droves of tourists from visiting each day.
As a result of this famous connection, the cafe gets very busy early on in the day and by 9:30am you can expect every table to be taken.
The food and drink here are nothing special, to be honest, and the main attraction is very much the Harry Potter connection and Harry Potter themed bathroom.
Every inch of the toilet’s yellow walls are covered in graffiti relating to Harry Potter.
There are quotes, deathly hallows symbols, thank you messages for JK Rowling and more.
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If you’re wondering about the cafe’s name, you only need to put one foot in the door to understand why it’s called “Elephant House”. There are over 600 model elephants of varying sizes inside this cafe!
What’s more, the cafe is known for its charitable donations to third-world countries and every visitor is encouraged to donate.
They fundraise for a number of different humanitarian organisations over the year, with the current one being Children International.
J.K. Rowling is not the only writer to have graced these premises, however. Popular Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin also frequented this small cafe and mentions it a number of times in his works.
Address: 21 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EN
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm (9am weekends)
Website: elephanthouse.biz
Greyfriars Kirkyard
A few minutes away from Elephant House is another historic Edinburgh site with a connection to Harry Potter.
Greyfriars Kirkyard (or churchyard) is a graveyard in which you’ll find some very familiar names on the tombstones.
Do the names William McGonagall, Anne and Robert Potter, Thomas Riddel, Elizabeth Moodie and Louise Scrimgeour sound familiar to you?
You could while away a decent chunk of time in there trying to find all the Potter-related graves yourself, or, you could check out my guide to the Harry Potter Graveyard in Edinburgh to easily locate them.
The graveyard is open 24/7 so you can slot this in whenever is most convenient on your Edinburgh book lovers tour. Visiting at night might be a little spooky though!
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Address: 26A Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh EH1 2QE
Opening Hours: 24/7
Website: greyfriarskirk.com/visit/kirkyard
Armchair Books
Armchair Books is the best place to shop for second hand books in Edinburgh. Not only is it my favourite bookshop in Edinburgh, it may just be one of my favourite second hand bookshop of all time!
Although my first trip to Edinburgh was only for a weekend, I managed to sneak in two visits to this wonderful bookshop during my time there.
Once, first thing in the morning on a solo wander around the town centre. The second when I dragged a friend along to the bookshop so she could see it too.
This Edinburgh bookshop is positively stuffed with books, which line the walls from floor to ceiling.
The shop winds round in a single path that leads you through each section and if you visit when it’s busy, you’ll have to squeeze past other bookworms as you make your way around.
Stepping into the bookshop feels like stepping into the past. Oriental rugs line the floors, old books line the walls and the smell of old books and browned pages surrounds you.
It’s as if someone had slapped the sepia filter on this shop with all the beautiful brown hues.
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On the shelves, you’ll find a mix of popular modern releases from the past few decades as well as all the classics you can think of.
There are multiple editions of the most popular books so it’s a great place to browse for something you’ve had your eye on for a while but not had the chance to buy yet.
As of the time of writing, the shop is closed but delivering to Edinburgh locals by bike and you can find out more about this on their website here. If you’re not based in Edinburgh, you can support them via AbeBooks here.
For even more second-hand books, you can pop into Peter Bell Books next door, or wander further up the round to Edinburgh Books.
Address: 72-74 West Port, EH1 2LE
Opening Hours: 10am – 6:30pm every day
Website: www.armchairbooks.co.uk
A few more places to tack on to your book lovers’ tour of Edinburgh if you have time include the Scottish Storytelling Centre, the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre and the National Library of Scotland.
I didn’t have time to visit these whilst on my weekend trip to Edinburgh so that’s an excuse to go back for another visit!
Scottish Storytelling Centre
The Scottish Storytelling Centre is the world’s first purpose-built modern centre for live storytelling.
It’s a wonderful arts venue that hosts a variety of cultural events to celebrate Scotland’s cultural heritage. From live storytelling to theatre, dance or music, there’s something for everyone here. Make sure to check out their event programme before you visit Edinburgh and see if anything takes your fancy.
As well as a vibrant programme of different cultural activities, you can also visit John Knox House. This dates back to 1470 making it the oldest, surviving original medieval building on the Royal Mile!
Inside you’ll find an exhibition exploring the Scottish Reformation as well as the centre’s bookshop. If interested, you can also arrange a guided tour of the house. History buffs won’t want to miss out on this historical gem in the centre of Edinburgh.
If you’re visiting Edinburgh with kids then this is a wonderful stop to add to your itinerary as kids can play with the interactive Storywall. They can meet Nessie, the Gruffalo or listen to excerpts from Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island.
The Centre is also the hub for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, held each autumn.
Address: 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR
Opening Hours: 10am to 6pm Tuesday – Sunday
Website: www.scottishstorytellingcentre.com
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland is Scotland’s largest library and, in addition to being a working library, it frequently hosts exhibitions. These exhibitions centre around all things cultural and historical and are not exclusive to books.
Some previous exhibitions include ‘Crime Scene Edinburgh: 20 Years of Rankin and Rebus’, ‘The International Style of Muriel Spark’ and ‘Game of Crowns: The 1715 Jacobite rising’.
Check out their website before your trip to Edinburgh to see if there’s anything that piques your interest.
What’s more, if you want to visit the library’s reading rooms for a spot of studying or quiet research then you can apply for a free reader’s card.
Anyone can join the National Library of Scotland so the library is not exclusive to students.
Address: George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EW
Opening Hours: 9:30am-7p:30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday; 10am-5:pm Wednesday; 9:30am-5pm Friday, Saturday
Website: www.nls.uk
Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour
Edinburgh’s award-winning literary pub tour was first launched back in 1996 and since then over 150,000 people have taken part in their literary adventure!
The tour is hosted by professional actors, rather than your usual tour guides, so you can expect it to be highly entertaining and full of dramatics.
This literary pub tour takes you through the wynds (alleys), courtyards and pubs of Edinburgh’s Old and New Town.
You can expect live performances with a beer in hand, discussions about famous Scottish authors and their lives, interesting details about pubs with literary histories and lots more.
Both informative and fun, this tour is wonderful for book lovers in Edinburgh!
Tickets cost £14 online (£12 for concessions).
Check availability and buy tickets to Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour here.
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Edinburgh is best known for Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but there are plenty of other cultural festivals hosted in this city worth visiting.
One of them is the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which is an annual festival at Charlotte Square Gardens that takes places over the last three weeks of August.
It’s an enormous event with usually over 900 author events, discussions and activities for adults and children.
Authors who have previously attended the festival include the likes of Ian Rankin, Arundhati Roy, Hilary Mantel, Mieko Kawakami, Elif Shafak, Sarah Crossan, Matt Haig and more.
The next Edinburgh International Book Festival will take place from 14-30 August 2021 and the programme will be announced in late June.
They pivoted over the past year to offer the festival online and the sessions are still available to playback on their website if you’re looking for a taste of the festival.
They even hosted book signings via Zoom which is testament to the team’s hard work and creativity!
When: August
Where: Charlotte Square Gardens, Edinburgh
Website: www.edbookfest.co.uk
Where to Stay in Edinburgh: Literary Hotels
The Place, Edinburgh
The Place in Edinburgh has a number of beautiful literary suites inspired by some of Scotland’s greatest writers. These are four themed suites available: Robert Louis Stevenson, love and romance (inspired by Edinburgh poets and romance writers), thrill and intrigue (inspired by crime writers such as Rankin and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and enchantment (inspired by the likes of JM Barrie, JK Rowling, Daniel Defoe and Iain M. Banks).
Each literary suite has its own library with books chosen according to the theme of the room. If one takes your fancy you can even purchase the books from the library to take home with you!
Prices start from £115 per night.
Check availability and book a room at The Place here.
Booking.comWant more Edinburgh posts? Check out these:
11 Best Things to Do in Edinburgh
10 Best Bookshops in Edinburgh
17 Day Trips from Edinburgh
A Guide to Harry Potter in Edinburgh
The Harry Potter Graveyard in Edinburgh
If you liked this post, check out my other literary travel guides:
Literary Tour of Oxford
Literary Tour of Bath
Literary Tour of York
Literary Tour of Rye
Literary Tour of Dublin
Literary Tour of Copenhagen
Laura
Founder & Editor of What’s Hot?