You are on Route Overview (Waverley Station to George Square (via Old College and Edinburgh University Students' Association, Potterrow)). Skip to the next section.

Route Overview (Waverley Station to George Square (via Old College and Edinburgh University Students' Association, Potterrow))

• The start point for this guide is Edinburgh Waverley Station.
• The end point for this guide is George Square.
• The average walking time between the start and end points is 20 minutes.
• This guide covers Princes Street, North Bridge, South Bridge, South College Street, Potterrow Port, Bristo Square and Charles Street.
• Points of interest in this area include: The Royal Mile, University of Edinburgh Old College, Edinburgh University Students' Association, Potterrow, McEwan Hall and The University of Edinburgh Visitor Centre.
• Public transport facilities near the start point include: a train station and bus stops.
• The route is approximately 0.8 miles in length, with busy pedestrian traffic from the start point until you reach South College Street, and thereafter from Bristo Square until the finishing point at George Square.

You are on Related Access Guides. Skip to the next section.

Related Access Guides

• View information on Old College North (opens new tab) .
• View information on Edinburgh Students' Union Association (EUSA), Potterrow (opens new tab) .
• View information on McEwan Hall (opens new tab) .
• View information on Teviot Row House (opens new tab) .
• View information on Dugald Stewart Building (opens new tab) .

You are on Starting Point (Edinburgh Waverley Station). Skip to the next section.

Starting Point (Edinburgh Waverley Station)

• Edinburgh Waverley Station is the main railway station in Edinburgh, located in the city centre. It is served by frequent local rail services from stations throughout the Scottish Central Belt, and longer distance rail services from across Great Britain.
• The station houses a number of shops and eateries, along with a drop-off point, standard and Blue Badge parking, waiting room, changing place, toilet with adaptations and standard toilets.
• The station has several exits; the route starts at Exit 1, to which there is step-free level access via lift from the platform level. Exit 1 is clearly signed as "Way Out - 1 - Princes Street" from inside the station.

You are on Station Lifts to Princes Street. Skip to the next section.

Station Lifts to Princes Street

• This section heads north from the station lifts towards Princes Street, and covers a distance of approximately 60 metres.
• Exit the station lifts and go straight ahead until you reach the main road - Princes Street - by a bus stop.
• This section is a level pedestrianised path with an even surface, comprised of concrete paving slabs.
• At the end of the section, just before you reach Princes Street, there are bollards which have a low colour contrast, but do have a visual identification band. The minimum width between the bollards is 120cm.
• Turn right onto Princes Street.

You are on Princes Street to North Bridge. Skip to the next section.

Princes Street to North Bridge

• This section heads east along Princes Street towards North Bridge, covering a distance of approximately 65 metres.
• Go straight ahead, alongside the frontage of The Balmoral Hotel, until you reach the junction with North Bridge.
• There is step-free level access along this section of the route, and the pavement is comprised of even concrete paving slabs.
• There is tactile paving on the pavement as you approach the junction with North Bridge, by the crossing over Princes Street.
• Ignore this and turn right onto North Bridge.
• This section of the route has heavy pedestrian traffic.

You are on North Bridge to The Royal Mile. Skip to the next section.

North Bridge to The Royal Mile

• This section heads south along North Bridge towards The Royal Mile, covering a distance of approximately 350 metres.
• Go straight ahead along North Bridge, until you reach the junction with The Royal Mile.
• There is step-free access along this section of the route; the gradient increases from level at the start of the section to very slight uphill, then slight uphill on the bridge and past the shops, and eventually steeply uphill for a short length just before you reach The Royal Mile. The pavement is mostly comprised of even stone paving slabs, although there are some areas where it is slightly uneven.
• There is some tactile paving on the pavement by a pelican crossing over North Bridge, near the North Bridge Arcade.
• This section of the route has heavy pedestrian traffic, and there are lamp posts and some goods for sale outside shops which could cause obstructions.
• At the time of survey (March 2025), there were roadworks taking place along the whole length of this section, which could cause additional obstructions.

You are on Crossing Point - The Royal Mile. Skip to the next section.

Crossing Point - The Royal Mile

• There is a pelican crossing over The Royal Mile, at its junction with North Bridge and South Bridge.
• The traffic on the road at this crossing is light and approaches from both directions.
• The pelican crossing has a visual indicator for when it is safe to cross, activated by a push button. The crossing also has an audible alarm, but it does not have rotating cones.
• There are flush kerbs with tactile paving on either side of the crossing, and the road has an uneven cobbled surface.

You are on South Bridge to Hunter Square. Skip to the next section.

South Bridge to Hunter Square

• This section heads south along South Bridge towards Hunter Square, covering a distance of approximately 50 metres.
• Go straight ahead, alongside the Tron Kirk, until you reach the crossing point at Hunter Square.
• There is step-free level access along this section of the route, with a very slight downhill slope, and the pavement is comprised of even stone paving slabs.
• There is a short section by the crossing point over South Bridge where the pavement narrows to a minimum width of 106cm.
• This section of the route has heavy pedestrian traffic. There are some cycle racks and benches for seating along this section of the route.

You are on Crossing Point - Hunter Square. Skip to the next section.

Crossing Point - Hunter Square

• There is an unmarked pedestrian crossing over Hunter Square.
• The traffic on the road at this crossing is light and approaches from both directions.
• There are flush kerbs with tactile paving on either side of the crossing, and the road has an uneven cobbled surface.
• Due to the natural topography, there is a very slight slope heading downhill over this crossing.

You are on South Bridge to Chambers Street. Skip to the next section.

South Bridge to Chambers Street

• This section heads south along South Bridge towards Chambers Street, covering a distance of approximately 180 metres.
• Go straight ahead along South Bridge, until you reach the junction with Chambers Street.
• There is step-free access along this section of the route; the gradient goes from very slight downhill at the start of the section to very slight uphill, then slight uphill for a short length just before you reach Chambers Street. The pavement is mostly comprised of even stone paving slabs, although there are some areas where it is slightly uneven.
• There is some tactile paving on the pavement by a pelican crossing over South Bridge.
• This section of the route has heavy pedestrian traffic, and there are lamp posts, litter bins, bus stops, and some goods for sale outside shops which could cause obstructions.
• At the time of survey (March 2025), there were roadworks taking place along part of this section, which could cause additional obstructions.

You are on Crossing Point - Chambers Street. Skip to the next section.

Crossing Point - Chambers Street

• There is a pelican crossing with a straight central refuge over Chambers Street, at its junction with South Bridge.
• The traffic on the road at this crossing is moderate, and approaches from the left before the central refuge, and right after the central refuge.
• The pelican crossing has a visual indicator for when it is safe to cross, activated by a push button. The crossing also has rotating cones, but it does not have an audible alarm.
• There are dropped kerbs with tactile paving on either side of the crossing. The dropped kerb on the near side has a slight gradient, while the dropped kerb on the far side has a steep gradient. The central refuge is flush to the road and has tactile paving.
• The road has a tarmac surface, which is rough and slightly uneven in places.

You are on South Bridge to South College Street. Skip to the next section.

South Bridge to South College Street

• This section heads south along South Bridge towards South College Street, covering a distance of approximately 85 metres.
• Go straight ahead along South Bridge, until you reach the junction with South College Street.
• There is step-free access along this section of the route; the pavement has a slight uphill gradient.
• The pavement is comprised of even stone paving slabs
• There is some tactile paving on the pavement by a pelican crossing over South Bridge.
• This section of the route has heavy pedestrian traffic, and there are lamp posts and litter bins which could cause obstructions.
• There is an access road into Old College approximately halfway along this section of the route. The crossing over this access road has flush kerbs, albeit with small lips. There is no tactile paving at this crossing, and the surface of the access road is concrete.
• Ignore the crossing over South College Street and turn right.

You are on South College Street to West College Street. Skip to the next section.

South College Street to West College Street

• This section heads west along South College Street towards West College Street, covering a distance of approximately 110 metres.
• Go straight ahead along South College Street, until you reach the junction with West College Street.
• There is step-free access along this section of the route; the is a slight uphill gradient along South College Street.
• The pavement is comprised of even stone paving slabs.
• There is some tactile paving on the pavement by the turning into South College Street at the start of the section, by the crossing on South Bridge over South College Street.
• There is a parking meter on the pavement which could cause an obstruction.

You are on Crossing Point - West College Street. Skip to the next section.

Crossing Point - West College Street

• There is an unmarked pedestrian crossing over West College Street.
• The traffic on the road at this crossing is light and approaches from both directions.
• There is a dropped kerb with tactile paving and a slight gradient on the near side of the road, and a flush kerb with no tactile paving on the far side of the road.
• The road itself has an uneven cobbled surface.

You are on Old College Accessible Entrance. Skip to the next section.

Old College Accessible Entrance

• To access the Old College accessible entrance, turn right on reaching West College Street as opposed to crossing the road. There is no pavement along West College Street, so you will have to go along the road itself for approximately 20 metres, which has a slight downhill gradient, a cobbled surface, and a light volume of traffic. The Old College accessible entrance is then on your right.

You are on West College Street to Potterrow Port. Skip to the next section.

West College Street to Potterrow Port

• This section heads east south from West College Street through the Potterrow Port underpass, covering a distance of approximately 50 metres.
• Having crossed West College Street, turn left and go straight ahead into the underpass, clearly signed "Potterrow Port"
• There is step-free access along this section of the route, with level access on the approach to Potterrow Port, and then a slight ramp heading downhill through the Potterrow Port underpass itself.
• This section of the route is entirely pedestrianised, and the surface is comprised of tarmac, block paving, concrete paving stabs and some cobbles. It is uneven in places.
• There are some street trees in the vicinity, but they are well away from the main pathway.
• As you emerge from the underpass, turn right.

You are on Potterrow Port to Bristo Square. Skip to the next section.

Potterrow Port to Bristo Square

• This section heads southwest out of Potterrow Port towards Bristo Square, covering a distance of approximately 70 metres.
• Head up the ramp leading up from the Potterrow Port underpass, which curves to the left and brings you back up to street level. Then go straight ahead, skirting the outside of the Edinburgh University Students' Association, Potterrow building to your left, passing through the bollards into Bristo Square.
• This section of the route is pedestrianised.
• The ramp out of Potterrow Port has a steep gradient, with a central handrail and a minimum width of 110cm. The surface is concrete paving slabs.
• At the top of the ramp, there are bollards with a low colour contrast and a minimum width of 124cm upon entering Bristo Square. The route then begins to slope slightly downhill, and the surface becomes a mixture of tarmac and concrete paving slabs.
• There are street lamps, bollards, bike racks, litter bins and street trees in the area, all of which could pose an obstruction.
• Bench seating is available in Bristo Square, and the area is likely to be crowded with heavy footfall. You are now entering University of Edinburgh land, and wayfinding maps and signage are provided.

You are on Bristo Square to George Square. Skip to the next section.

Bristo Square to George Square

• This section heads south through Bristo Square, along Charles Street and into George Square at the north-eastern corner, covering a distance of approximately 170 metres.
• Go straight ahead through Bristo Square, keeping close to the buildings on your left. Leave the square at its south-eastern corner, heading along Charles Street. Continue straight ahead until Charles Street meets Crichton Street; this intersection is at the north-east corner of George Square, which is the end of the route.
• This section of the route is pedestrianised until around halfway along Charles Street, between Bristo Square and George Square. The surface through Bristo Square consists of tarmac and concrete and stone paving slabs; along Charles Street it is block paving and stone paving slabs. All surfaces are smooth and even throughout.
• There is a slight downhill slope through Bristo Square, which gradually levels out to become very slight along the initial portion of Charles Street, and level by the end of the route as you approach George Square.
• There are street lamps, bollards, bike racks, litter bins and street trees in the area, all of which could pose an obstruction.
• Bench seating is available in Bristo Square, and the area is likely to be crowded with heavy footfall. Wayfinding maps and signage are provided.
• At the time of survey (March 2025), building works were taking place in the area, narrowing the pedestrian walkway along Charles Street.

You are on Finishing Point (George Square). Skip to the next section.

Finishing Point (George Square)

• George Square is at the heart of the University of Edinburgh Central Campus, and is the location of several key university buildings and services, including the Main Library, Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre, Business School, 40 George Square, 50 George Square, Hugh Robson Building and Chrystal Macmillan Building. There is a park and garden in the centre of the square, and on-street standard and Blue Badge parking is available here. There is vehicular access to the north, east and west sides of the square, while the south side is fully pedestrianised.