Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens with Kids

Sun, Oct 17, 2010

I visited the Royal Botanic Gardens (Edinburgh, Scotland) a lot when I was a little girl and recently took my son there for the first time. It was a fantastic family day out and I can see why my parents took us there regularly when we were wee. The gardens are extensive so you can easily lose yourself in there for a good few hours.  There’s loads of room to run around and the huge variety of plants is awesome (and educational!) The entire place is really child friendly, with lift access for buggies in the new visitor centre and high chairs a-plenty in the restaurant and cafe. Best of all, entry is free!


You have to pay to park in the immediate area (except on Sundays) so if you don’t want your time to be limited to the parking meter I’d recommend taking a stroll from the city centre to get there. We walked through nearby Inverleith Park to get some fantastic views over the city.


The Gardens are a great place to visit at any time of the year but are particularly beautiful in autumn.



Euan loved  playing in the leaves!


He also had great fun with Daddy.


After you’ve walked around the extensive gardens and visited the glass houses you may be hungry! You have the choice of  a brand new restaurant, a small coffee house and a lovely cafe. The restaurant serves proper knife and fork food but is still child friendly. Euan’s high chair came complete with a couple of wooden toys to keep him amused. If you’re just looking for casual lunch or a coffee then the cafe is probably the best place to go. They serve hot and cold food and have a vast array of delicious cakes. I’ve never been disappointed. There’s also a play area for children.


This is the first in a series of on-going posts about child friendly activities and destinations. We plan to explore as many free family friendly areas as possible. If you would like to share a review of a family friendly activity or place then please email me, I’d love to hear from you. If you’ve been to the Botanic Gardens I’d love to hear about your experiences, please fill in the comments form below.

Photos: www.arranmoffat.co.uk


For other ideas about the best places to see fall foliage check out the Holiday Travel Blog Carnival at Best Family Travel Advice, it’s a fantastic resource.



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