Edinburgh is one of the international tourist attractions of the world but most visitors tend to stay in the centre, especially walking through the Old Town and visiting the magnificent Castle.
There are however many equally fascinating places that should not be overlooked and premier among them is the Royal Botanic Garden in Inverleith Row, on the north side of the city, within a one mile bus ride of perpetually thronged Princes Street. Numbers 8, 17, 23, and 27 buses all stop at the gate as do the buses of City Tours. "The Botanics", as Edinburgh folk call the gardens, cover a spread of 78 acres and are visited by over 660,000 visitors a year who go there to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of a magnificent oasis in the heart of a teeming city.
One of the major advantages for families of a trip to the Botanics is the fact that entry is free, though a charge of £3.50 a head for adults is levied for visitors to the awe inspiring glasshouses where Britain's tallest palm tree grows in the world famous tropical rainforest, as well as banana and rubber trees and a huge range of beautiful orchids. A large collection of rare rhododendrons from New Guinea and Borneo can also be seen in the Tropics House.
A recently opened - and free - Chinese Hillside rising above a beautiful pool is also very popular with visitors. Growing there are unusual specimens which were brought back to Edinburgh from China by plant collectors in the early 20th century. There is also an internationally renowned rock garden with rare Alpine plants, a Scottish heath garden and an arboretum that dazzles the eye during autumn. Altogether the Botanics is home to over 6 per cent of all known plants in the world and is a centre of scholarly research as well as a sojourn of delight for visitors.
The origin of Edinburgh's famous garden goes back to 1670 when two doctors, Andrew Balfour and Robert Sibbald, opened a physic garden beside Holyrood House and five years later established a second garden on the site of what is today Waverley Station. In 1763 the two combined gardens were re-located on Leith Walk where they stayed till 1820 when a horticulturist called Robert Graham moved them to the present site at Inverleith.
The two Palm Houses were built in 1834 and 1858 and have been maintained in their original form since then. Another range of exhibition plant houses was started in 1967 and today they provide a range of environments from tropical forests to arid deserts. There is a well stocked shop at the main gate and also a terrace café. A team of guides take visitors on garden walks at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day. The informative walks last an hour and tickets, costing £3, can be bought at the shop or at the Palm House reception desk. No pre booking is necessary.
The Botanics are open every day of the year except January 1st and December 25th.
In summer, closing time is 7 p.m. From November till February the Garden closes at 4 p.m.
Article courtesy of Ecosse Unique - Holiday Cottages in Scotland
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Breed
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