King's Theatre
WHERE
Edinburgh
What it’s like
A grand old Tollcross theatre with step-free access, bars on every level and a cafe for before the show.
This is a proper theatre, so what your kids actually get out of the visit depends entirely on what's showing that day. What the venue can tell you is how the building itself works for a family outing, and there's enough here to plan around. Step-free access runs from the street to your seat, and the bars on each level are reachable by lift if stairs with a pushchair or a toddler in tow aren't appealing.
There's a cafe on the ground floor doing pastries, cakes, sandwiches, soup and the usual coffee and teas, open 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, though it's shut on Sundays so a Sunday matinee means sorting food elsewhere first. Bars on every level serve drinks and snacks too. Hot food isn't allowed in the auditorium, which is a bit of a faff if you've grabbed something on the way in and need to wolf it down before you find your seats.
Parking is the one that'll actually annoy you. There's nothing on site, and Leven Street itself has no designated Blue Badge bays despite being a busy main road, so you're relying on Pay & Display or single yellow lines on the side streets round Tollcross. No cloakroom either, so coats, bags and anything else you've dragged along come into the auditorium with you. If you're coming by public transport, Haymarket Station is about a 20 minute walk, or there are Lothian bus routes that get you closer.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- No on-site parking. Nearby Pay & Display bays on side streets in Tollcross area
- Food
- New cafe with pastries, cakes, salads, sandwiches, soup, coffee and teas
- Wheelchairs
- Step-free access from street to seat
- Getting there by bus or train
- Haymarket Station approximately 20 minutes walk
- The cafe and box office both close on Sundays, so plan food and tickets around that
- Bars are on every level, useful if you don't fancy the ground floor queue at the interval
- No cloakroom, so coats and bags stay with you in your seat
Plan your visit
Is there parking nearby?
Not on site. Leven Street has no Blue Badge bays, so you're looking at Pay & Display or yellow lines on the side streets in Tollcross.
Can we get food there?
There's a ground floor cafe open 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, plus bars on every level for drinks and snacks. Hot food can't go into the auditorium though.
Is it wheelchair and pushchair friendly?
Step-free access runs from the street to your seat, and there's lift access to the bars on different levels.
Is there a cloakroom for coats and bags?
No, this is one of the venues without a cloakroom, so everything comes in with you.
How do we get there without a car?
Haymarket Station is about a 20 minute walk away, and several Lothian bus routes run nearby.
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