{Edinburgh} Princes Street Gardens Playground
Finally! The long-awaited new playground in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens opened yesterday afternoon. If you follow The Bear & The Fox on Facebook, you may have seen our updated on the progress of the past few months. Of course, we had to get ourselves down there straight away to check it out.
The old playground had a castle theme – very appropriate considering the playground has Edinburgh Castle as a backdrop – and I was really worried we’d lose that and end up with something generic. But the Council have outdone themselves, and the Castle theme is here to stay. The new playground even has not just one, but two castles!
The most striking feature of the new playground, is a large multi-play unit with a very tall tower that resembles a turret – complete with flags on top – and has a long, curved tunnel slide coming off the side. Other parts of the play unit had side panels made to look like ramparts.
Besides the tunnel slide, the play unit also includes another smaller slide, climbing walls and nets, a fireman’s pole, monkey bars, a set of talking tubes, and some puzzles.
Across the other side of the playground is another smaller multi-play unit, also made to resemble a castle with three connecting towers. This unit is aimed at younger children, and includes a small slide, climbing wall and nets, fireman’s pole, and some colour & shape puzzles.
As well as the two multi-play units, there is also further play equipment interspersed around the playground. It’s a bit short on swings, so if swings are your thing then there are better playgrounds in Edinburgh to visit, but there is a basket swing, a toddler swing, and a parent & baby swing.
There are also several musical instruments, including drums and sound tubes, a small trampoline, a spinning pole, see-saws, a ground level roundabout with wheelchair access, a small free standing climbing net, two wobbly animal rockers, a noughts & crosses game, and a ticket office window for role play which I thought was a cute addition, especially considering the relative proximity to Waverley train station.
My 9 year old loves this playground (who doesn’t love a castle!), and can’t wait to give it a good run around. The new playground is much bigger than the old one it replaced, and is now what I would call a ‘destination playground’, i.e. worthwhile taking a trip across town for. And since it’s set in Princes Street Gardens, there are also things you can combine a trip here with, e.g. go for walks, have a picnic, pop in to some shops across the road, and of course take lots of pictures of Edinburgh Castle from one of its best angles.
Across from the playground is the Fountain Cafe, to fulfil your ice cream and coffee cravings (I’m not sure it’s there all year round, as it’s not a permanent structure, but definitely during the summer months). And the public toilets by the Ross Bandstand are only a few minutes walk away.
Playground Stats
Name: West Princes Street Gardens
Location: Princes Street, Edinburgh
Map coordinates: 55.95, -3.20439
Best for: Toddlers, Juniors
Ground cover: Rubber covered in felt
Rating: Double thumbs up
Last visited: 6 August 2024
Play Equipment
- Castle themed multi-play unit with three different height slides
- Climbing wall
- Climbing net
- Balancing beam/ bridge
- Spring rockers
- Hammock
- Mini roundabout/ spinning disc
- Activity boards
Nearby Facilities
- Benches
- Picnic tables
- Fountain Cafe (for ice cream/ coffee)
- Public toilets
How to get there
The playground is located in the western corner of West Princes Street Gardens, at the west end of Princes Street. Being right in the middle of the city centre, there are plenty of buses that will take you there, as well as the nearby tram.
Closest Tram Stop
Princes Street (5 mins walk)
Closest Bus Stops
Around two dozen different buses stop alongside or opposite West Princes Street Gardens, all within a 1 to 5 minute walk of the playground. You can also take a bus to the bottom of Lothian Road and then take a shortcut walking through the churchyard of St Cuthbert’s Parish Church.
Check out our A to Z map of public playgrounds in Edinburgh to plan your next playground visit, and let us know your favourites that you think we should check out in the comments below!
(post updated on 6 August 2024)
