Princes Street
Princes street divides the Old Town and the New Town, a fact emphasised by the fact that on the Old Town side there are no buildings, giving an uninterrupted view across Princes Street Gardens to the Castle, whereas on the New Town side it is a bustling commercial centre.
At almost a mile in length, Princes Street is Edinburgh's main and most famous shopping area and the best place the avid shopper should head for. Especially famous is the Jenners department store, a favourite local shopping destination.
However, don't expect too much from the architecture of Princes Street for it is a notorious mish-mash of clashing architectural styles, not highly regarded by the architecturally minded..
Nevertheless Princes Street is still a delight to wander down, offering some of the most impressive views of the Castle in the whole of Edinburgh, and also has most of the usual High Street shopping outlets.
And apart from the shops, this is also where you can see the impressive Scott Monument, which commemorates Edinburgh born writer Sir Walter Scott and not forgetting the Princes Street Gardens which it stands in - ideal for taking a break.

Department Stores
Aitken and Niven -- 77-79 George Street, - Tel.: 0131 225 1461 -- A small department store where the well-heeled apparentley come to buy upmarket clothing, shoes, and accessories.
Jenners -- 48 Princes Street, - Tel.: 0131 225-2442 -- Specializes in traditional china and glassware and Scottish clothing (upmarket tweeds and tartans) and has the famous Jenners food hall -- offering a range of traditional Scottish food and quality groceries.
Frasers -- West end of Princes Street, - Tel.: 0131 225 2472 -- Part of Britain's largest chain of department stores.
John Lewis -- 69 St. James Centre, Tel.: 0131 556 9121 -- Specializing in furniture and household goods and more.

Rose Street
One street north of Princes Street, Rose Street has many smaller specialty shops - part of the street is a pedestrian zone, so it's a pleasant place to browse, it also has many pubs and a few pavement cafes.
George Street
One street further North the shops on George Street tend to be fairly upscale. 'Big names', such as Laura Ashley and Waterstone's bookstore, though some of the older independent stores continue to ply their trade here. There are now a few "super-pubs" which have taken the occupancy of former Bank buildings, these have good offers on food and drink, and can become quite busy, especially at the end of the working day.
Named after King George III, George Street, along with Princes Street and Queen Street, was part of the original New Town development built by James Craig in 1766.
These three streets run parallel to each other and George Street is the central one which links the two squares at either end, Charlotte Square and St Andrew's Square. George Street is a wonderful example of well preserved Georgian architecture.
Various
The streets crossing George Street -- Hanover, Frederick, and Castle -- are also worth exploring, with a mish-mash of different shops along them. Dundas Street, the northern extension of Hanover Street, beyond Queen Street Gardens, features antiques shops, pubs and restaurants.
Thistle Street, originally George Street's "back lane," or service area, has several boutiques and more antiques shops.
Royal Mile
As may be expected, many shops along the Royal Mile sell tourist-ware -- whiskies, tartans, and tweeds. Careful exploration, however, will unearth some worthwhile shopping gems.
Jeffrey Street
Half way down the Royal Mile is Jeffrey Street where there are a number of small independent shops well worth investigating, such as Livi boutique. Go look.
Victoria Street and the Grassmarket
Close to the castle end of the Royal Mile, just off George IV Bridge, the specialty shops of Victoria Street are contained within a small area. Follow the West Bow to the Grassmarket for more specialty stores, - but mainly pubs and cafes.
Cockburn Street
More offbeat independent shops, also has a good atmosphere when it's busy and it has Fopp, which has an excellent selection of CDs at decent prices, so don't bother with Virgin or HMV, unless you're loaded.
Stockbridge
North of Princes Street, on the way to the Royal Botanic Garden, Stockbridge is a shopping area of some charm, particularly on St. Stephen Street. To get there, walk north down Frederick Street and Howe Street, away from Princes
Street, then turn left onto North West Circus Place.
Leith Walk
A feast of varied shops of all descriptions, all the way from York Place to the foot of Leith Walk.
Stroll down the way and take the bus back up to the Town Centre.

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