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Gardens & Arboretums in Edinburgh

Edinburgh does well for gardens without charging you for the privilege. The Botanic Garden East Gate is a couple of kilometres out and free to wander, with glasshouses and a café for when the weather does its usual thing. Saughton Park, a bit further out, is also free and has a walled garden alongside a play park, a putting green and a teddy bear hunt for younger children to potter through. For something bigger, it is a longer trip out to Peebles for Dawyck Botanic Garden, where tree trails follow old plant hunters' routes and under-16s get in free (adults from £10). If you want an afternoon that costs nothing, the two Edinburgh gardens do the job, and Saughton's play park and putting green suit toddlers better than a formal botanic collection would. Dawyck is the one to save for a day when you fancy a proper walk and don't mind the drive, and its café and parking make it easy enough once you're there. All three are outdoor, so a dry day helps, but East Gate's glasshouses give you somewhere to shelter.

✓ 3 places✦ 2 free to visit