Botanic Garden East Gate
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Edinburgh
What it’s like
Free wander through Edinburgh's botanic garden, with paths, glasshouses and a café to fall back on if the weather turns.
Entry is free, which makes this an easy one to slot into a day without committing to anything. You wander the paths, poke around the glasshouses (the Palm Houses are back open after restoration, though access is limited to just the Palm Houses for now rather than the wider glasshouse route), and there's a café for when everyone needs a sit down.
Opening hours shift with the seasons: 10am to 5pm from February to October, dropping to 4pm in November and January, and a shorter 10am to 3.30pm day in December. It's shut on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, so don't turn up expecting a quiet festive stroll.
There's parking on Arboretum Place near the West Gate, metered rather than free, with Blue Badge spaces there too. The site's wheelchair accessible throughout, and well-behaved assistance dogs are welcome even if pets generally aren't mentioned as free-roaming here. If you fancy something bigger, they do weddings and private events across several indoor and outdoor spaces, though that's clearly a different kind of visit to a Tuesday afternoon wander with the kids.
Restoration work means a few areas are off limits at the moment, and in genuinely extreme weather the garden can close altogether, so it's not entirely weatherproof despite being mostly outdoors.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Metered on-street parking near West Gate (John Hope Gateway) on Arboretum Place
- Wheelchairs
- All venue spaces wheelchair accessible
- Dogs
- Assistance animals that are highly trained are welcome
- Parties
- Weddings and private event packages available at multiple indoor/outdoor venues
- Entry's free but the café and gift shop are the obvious extra spend
- Some areas are closed off due to ongoing restoration work
- In extreme weather the garden may shut, so it's not fully rain-or-shine
- Closed 25 December and 1 January
Plan your visit
Is it free to get in?
Yes, entry to the garden itself is free.
What are the opening hours?
10am to 5pm from February to October, 10am to 4pm in November and January, and 10am to 3.30pm in December. It's closed on 25 December and 1 January.
Is there parking?
Metered on-street parking near the West Gate on Arboretum Place, with Blue Badge spaces there too.
Can we visit the Palm Houses?
They reopened in October 2024, but during the restoration works access is limited to the Palm Houses only rather than the full glasshouse route.
Is it accessible for wheelchairs?
All the venue spaces are wheelchair accessible.
Are dogs allowed?
Only highly trained assistance animals, not pets generally.
Can you book a party or event here?
There are indoor and outdoor spaces for hire, from small rooms up to the Arboretum for 100 guests, mostly geared towards weddings and corporate events rather than kids' birthday parties.
Featured in 2 Huddlepin lists
See all Gardens & Arboretums in Edinburgh · Things to do in Edinburgh
MAKE A DAY OF IT
