Shopping in The Grassmarket

A wander through these cobbled streets should be included on any trip to Edinburgh. Whether you’re looking for retro clothing, beautiful hand-made hats, antique books or magical merchandise, discover a wealth of gems in the Grassmarket’s ancient streets.

Food & Drink

While there’s not a large number of food & drink shops in the neighbourhood, there are some true gems that should not be missed.

They have several shops throughout the city, including one on the Grassmarket’s Victoria Street, and if you love all kinds of cheese, a trip to I J Mellis should be included on your shopping trip. Victoria Street is also where you’ll find The Whisky Shop and its range of 400+ whiskies, which include rare and limited editions bottles.

If sweet treats are more up your street, be sure to leave a space in your day to visit Mary’s Milk Bar. This retro ice cream parlour serves up the most delicious range of gelato, made fresh every day. And while you can still get the classic flavours, if you fancy being a bit more adventurous they also serve exciting flavours such as Peanut Chilli & Coconut and Rosemary & Orange. Located in a former Police box, Over Langshaw Farmhouse Ice Cream may be small, but their fruity seasonal sorbets are pretty mighty. If you need a coffee hit, they also serve  Affogatos - your choice of ice cream with a shot of espresso. Remember the sweets you loved as a child - Lucky tatties, Sour Plooms, Cola Cubes, Cherry lips? Step through the doors of Bains Retro Sweets for a sweet trip down memory lane and take home a bag of your favourite childhood sweets.

Boutique Fashion

Tailored suits or vintage fashion – brighten up your threads with some unique buys.

With one menswear and one ladieswear shop, Walker Slater stock an extensive range of smartly tailored tweed suits, coats and accessories. If you need something equally cosy but a little less formal, Bill Baber Knitwear and Hawico both have a range of locally made designer knitwear.

While for modern fashions and cool accessories for women, men and children, head to Swish. If vintage fashions are more your style, W. Armstrong & Son is filled to the brim with all kinds of cool retro clothing and accessories.

Godiva Boutique also carry a selection of vintage clothes, along with pieces from Scottish designers, jewellery and homeware, and if it’s colourful 80's and 90's clothing you’re looking for, Little Blue Door have a great selection.

To accessorise your new outfits, Fabhatrix have some of the most fantastic millinery in the city, or pop into Clarksons of Edinburgh for a unique range of contemporary and Celtic jewellery. Purple Glamour have an exciting range of quirky and costume jewellery if you're looking for something more unusual.

Crafts & Gifts

Magical gifts, antique books and swords – find them all here.

Armchair Books is perhaps one of Edinburgh's most photogenic second hand book shops. This tiny shop on West Port is filled to the brim with novels, poetry and non-fiction in all genres, and is a great place to stop for a browse. Nearby, Edinburgh Books is another long-time local favourite, with loads of stock and a basement full of sheet music.

John Kay's Shop on Victoria Street specialises more in antique books and other collectors' items, as well as a range of literary themed gifts, while at Transreal Fiction it’s all about science fiction and fantasy titles.

With its winding cobbles and brightly coloured shops, its easy to see why many people think the Grassmarket’s Victoria Street could have been the inspiration for Diagon Alley, the magical shopping thoroughfare in the Harry Potter books.

It’s here that you’ll find Museum Context (with another shop on Cockburn Street), a spellbinding shop with a large variety of Harry Potter-themed memorabilia, including officially licensed Gryffindor Quidditch jumpers and replica Mauraders Maps. More magical merchandise is available at The Enchanted Galaxy, an exciting store selling all-things Harry Potter, as well as Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, Game of Thrones and much more.

The Grassmarket is also home to Scotland’s leading licensed sword seller – cross over the threshold of The Knight's Vault and you’ll find handmade swords, armour and helmets. They are also the only shop in the UK licensed to reproduce swords form the popular TV series, Outlander. If you’re looking to take home something that is not only a bit unusual, but also has an astonishing history, Mr Wood’s Fossils have an unrivalled selection of fossils, minerals, meteorites and jewellery.

Since 1840 Greyfriars Art Shop has been supplying Edinburgh’s artists and craftspeople with all the tricks of the trade – stop by here for an extensive selection of artists' oil colours, watercolours, gouache, canvases, brushes and more.

Homewares

Add some colour & serenity to your home.

The Red Door Gallery is a lovely shop to browse. An independent art gallery who have been on Victoria Street for 18+ years, they have limited edition prints, art cards, and all kinds of gifts and homewares. Scots pine, bluebell, machair flowers – bring these gorgeous scents into your home with a candle from Isle of Skye Candles. All their candles are handmade in Scotland and once you've sniffed every candle in the shop, you can order your favourite replacements online forever more.

From lively bars to family-friendly restaurants, high-end hotels to budget-saving hostels, discover more about this historic neighbourhood in our Guide to the Grassmarket >