Edinburgh Book Shop with a Stunning View of the Castle
Summary: I’m sharing my experience visiting a famous Edinburgh book shop: Waterstones on Princes Street. This book shop is famous for its stunning view of Edinburgh Castle
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Waterstones on Princes Street is a famous Edinburgh book shop for good reason! If you’re from the US, Waterstones is akin to our Barnes & Noble. It’s a chain that can be found in many different cities, but this Waterstones is special.
There is a cafe on the second floor with a stunning view of Edinburgh Castle and it’s one of the most common things I get asked about when people are planning their trips to Edinburgh.
Selection of Books at Waterstones
Waterstones is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) Edinburgh book shops, so they have a huge selection of books to choose from in just about every genre you can think of.
They also have a section specific to books about Scotland which might make a nice souvenir if you’re visiting. The first time I came here, I picked up the Bothy Bible which highlights all the bothies around Scotland. I still cherish that book even though I’ve never been to a bothy!
On the last trip we took, I bought a book called GodKiller which is a fantasy novel written by an author living in Edinburgh.
I always love to bring back books that have something to do with the place I’m visiting, whether it’s actually written about that place, or by a local author. My bookshelf is filled with lots of memories!
The Waterstones Cafe With a Castle View
The cafe is up on the second floor of Waterstones and is probably the real reason why most people visit this book shop. There are a handful of seats with one of the best views in all of Edinburgh: the castle!
You’ll find all kinds of pastries and standard caffinated drinks to buy here. One of my favorite things to do in Edinburgh is buy a new book, and read in different cafes throughout the city while I’m sipping on an oat milk latte or a hot chocolate.
Tips for Getting a Window Seat at This Edinburgh Book Shop
As you can imagine, this spot gets very busy, especially during the popular tourist seasons (mainly summer and fall).
On my first visit in November, all of the window seats were taken, so I snapped a quick picture and sat at a regular table. However, I visited again in February (the slowest month for travel) and got lucky with a few spots open. I think it also helped that we were there in the late afternoon/evening, so it wasn’t exactly prime time for a coffee.
Waterstones is somewhat close to the Johnnie Walker location on Princes Street, so we stopped in to buy a book and see the castle view before our Johnnie Walker tour and it turned out to be the perfect time.
Now, I don’t ever advoate to inconvenience yourself too much just to get a nice picture, but if you’re in the area in the evening, I’d encourage you to pop in and see if there’s a spot open.
I have heard that people will stand there and wait, sometimes forming a line, in order to take a picture with the castle in the background and that is something I’ll never be part of. I can’t get behind the idea of being that much of an inconvenience to people in a functioning cafe just to get a picture.
That said, this is a really cool spot, so stop in if you have time and if not, just look up when you’re walking down Princes Street and you’ll get a very similar view.
