New Town

Laid out from the late eighteenth century as a planned extension to the crowded Old Town, the New Town is a grid of broad streets, crescents and private gardens that still reads exactly as it was designed. Together with the Old Town it forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Step a street back from Princes Street and George Street and it becomes surprisingly residential — quiet stone terraces, communal gardens and neighbours who have lived there for decades.

Most homes are flats within grand Georgian terraces: main-door and garden flats with their own entrances, and upper-floor apartments with tall windows and ornate cornicing. Whole townhouses and converted mews properties come up less often and attract strong interest when they do.

Many streets back onto residents' gardens held by keyholders, which is worth asking about on any viewing.

Waverley station, the tram along Princes Street and York Place, and most of the city's bus routes are within a short walk. Broughton Street and Stockbridge are close by for independent shops, cafés and restaurants.

Buyers who want period architecture and a walkable city life — professionals, downsizers trading a house for a generous flat, and anyone who would rather not need a car.