Edinburgh's Victoria Street

Victoria Street is a curved, cobbled street in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, linking the Grassmarket to George IV Bridge. It was built in the 1830s as part of an improvement scheme and has a distinctive two-level layout, with an upper terrace of shops and a lower roadway beneath. The street is lined with brightly painted shopfronts in blue, red, green and yellow, housing independent shops that sell cheese, whisky, vintage clothing, joke items, books and Scottish gifts. Its colour and winding slope have led to popular claims that it inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books, which J. K. Rowling wrote while living in Edinburgh, although the author has not confirmed it. The street is a short walk from The Elephant House cafe and Greyfriars Kirkyard, both on the Harry Potter trail. Visitors can walk the length of the street in about ten minutes, but allow an hour for browsing. The best photograph is taken from the top of the curve looking down toward the Grassmarket, or from the Grassmarket looking up, with the upper terrace in the frame. The cobbles are uneven and slope steeply. The street is busiest in mid-morning and midday, particularly in summer and during the August festivals, when tour groups pass through. Early morning, before shops open, offers a clear street for photography, and evening gives a quieter atmosphere. Nearby pubs and restaurants in the Grassmarket provide stops for lunch. Context enriches the visit. The street's name honours Queen Victoria, and its design allowed traffic to pass between the Old Town and the lower Grassmarket without the steep climb of the West Bow. The top terrace offers a raised view of the shopfronts, and many of the traders have been in business for decades. The Grassmarket below hosts a market, and several historic pubs mark the site of former public executions.