Nature45 minutes to 1 hour
Explorers Garden
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About
A woodland garden on the hill behind the Festival Theatre, built with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in the late 1990s to mark the Scottish plant hunters, according to the theatre. Paths wind through the planting to a pagoda, a pavilion and an amphitheatre. It is open from April to October, and the theatre says tickets are free for the rest of 2026, so October is a cheap last look before it closes on 31 October. Monthly guided tours run on the last Thursday from April to September.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Woodland paths up the hill behind the theatre
- ✓Pagoda, pavilion and amphitheatre
- ✓Free entry for the rest of 2026
Tips
- →The theatre gives hours of 10:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:00, daily except Mondays; its own opening-times widget shows 9:00 to 17:00 daily, so check before a Monday visit.
- →Pair it with a matinee or a pre-theatre meal at Port-na-Craig below.
Best Season
SpringSummerAutumn
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