Best Viewpoints in Queensferry: A Local’s Photo-First Guide to the Forth Bridges

Finding the best viewpoints in Queensferry sounds simple, right? You step off a tender boat at the Hawes Pier or park your car at The Binks or Newhalls Road, point at the three bridges – Forth Bridge, Forth Road Bridge, Queensferry Crossing – and you’re done… or so it feels.

That’s the trap: you’ll end up with the same photos that thousands of visitors to South Queensferry go home with. Same angle. Same dead-centre framing. Same grey light washing the steel flat. Then you see someone else’s shots later—the Forth Bridge with a spectacular sunset from Longcraig Pier, a shoreline sweep from Port Edgar, or the Forth Rail Bridge framed in trees from the Back Braes.

That’s when you realise your faceslap mistake – you were ten minutes away from a spectacular shot for your Instagram feed, and you didn’t know it.

This guide breaks down the best viewpoints in Queensferry if you’re on a Scotland cruise day, visiting for longer, or just stopping in the town for something to eat.

Best Viewpoints Near Hawes Pier (Quick Cruise Photo Stops)

The area around Hawes Pier, under the Forth Rail Bridge, offers some of the most iconic shots in Scotland. It’s the natural photo opportunity for anyone arrive on a cruise ship. It’s also a magnet for day trippers, drivers stopping for a bite in Queensferry, or travelers with an hour to spare.

From above, Queensferry looks deliberate — tidy lines, strong angles, a town framed by steel. Up close, it’s messier and more interesting. The stepped streets, late-built harbour, and awkward joins all have reasons behind them. This guide explains why the town ended up looking the way it does, long before viewpoints came into play.

Not only do you get incredible snaps of the Forth Bridges, but you can visit the Hawes Inn – made famous by Robert Louis Stevenson in his novel Kidnapped.

Hawes Pier

Cruise quick win

Hawes Pier

• Best for:
  Iconic Forth Bridge close-up, first-arrival shots
• Time needed:
  10–15 minutes
• What you’ll get:
  Red steel overhead, stone piers, and wide Forth views

Nearby attractions: Hawes Inn is steps away – handy for a quick drink, food, or shelter if the wind’s brutal.

From the end of Hawes Pier you’re right under the Forth Bridge, with the nearest stone piers and red steel filling the frame. Turn along the pier and you get long leading lines over the water. On a clear day you can also catch the other bridges sitting further out across the Forth.

The Hawes Pier also serves as the tender dock for cruise ships visiting Edinburgh, South Queesferry. Learn what to expect when disembarking from a tender boat at the Queensferry cruise pier.

Longcraig Pier

Quieter classic

Longcraig Pier

• Best for:
  Cleaner bridge views, fewer people
• Time needed:
  15–25 minutes return (from Hawes area)
• What you’ll get:
  Wide Forth water, full span of the Forth Bridge

Nearby attractions: ideal to pair with a coffee stop in town before you head for Edinburgh.

Longcraig Pier is where the Forth Bridge starts to look like a complete structure, not just something towering over you. You’ve got open water, long sightlines, and fewer obstructions. It’s also one of the better sunset options when the light behaves and the wind eases.

Insider tip: Very few cruise passengers know about this superb photo opportunity to capture all three bridges in the frame together with the cruise ship.

Newhalls Road

Fast panorama

Newhalls Road

• Best for:
  Quick stop, wide bridge views
• Time needed:
  10–15 minutes
• What you’ll get:
  Big water, big sky, bridges sitting out across the Forth

Nearby attractions: good “passing through” stop – then straight into town for food.

Newhalls Road is the practical choice when you want a wide, uncluttered view of the Forth Rail Bridge without committing to a longer walk. It suits drivers, day trippers, and anyone squeezing Queensferry in around Edinburgh. In soft evening light, the bridge colour comes up well and the water looks calmer.

Newhalls Road vantage point

Higher angle

Newhalls Road vantage point

• Best for:
  Cleaner foreground, wider sense of scale
• Time needed:
  15–20 minutes
• What you’ll get:
  Bridge span with shoreline and open water

Nearby attractions: best paired with a quick town stop if you’re already driving.

This one is the upgrade on Newhalls Road when you’re willing to do a short walk, then up a slope and a few steps. The payoff is a slightly higher viewpoint, less clutter in the foreground, and a more balanced “bridge over the Forth” look that feels calmer.

Best Viewpoints on the High Street & Harbour (Easy Town Shots)

This section is for the people who want Queensferry in the frame, not just steel and water. If you’re here for lunch, a coffee, or a slow hour before heading on, the High Street and harbour give you the town texture – old stone, closes, boats, and the bridges sitting behind it all.

You don’t need a plan or hiking boots. Just pick a couple of stops, keep an eye on the light, and take your time. These are the shots that look like South Queensferry, not a quick tick-box bridge photo.

High Street

Town texture

High Street

• Best for:
  Classic South Queensferry street scenes, old stone, colour, and perspective lines
• Time needed:
  10–25 minutes
• What you’ll get:
  Cobbles, closes, Georgian fronts, and occasional bridge glimpses as the street bends

Nearby attractions: cafés, bakeries, and pubs are all on hand – easy to pair with a meal stop.

High Street gives you “this is Queensferry” photos – cobbles, close-packed buildings, and that slight curve that pulls your eye down the line. It’s not one single viewpoint. It’s a handful of angles you can grab in minutes as you move between shops, food, and the harbour.

Practical note: parked cars and delivery vans come and go, so don’t fight it. If the street looks cluttered, wait a minute, step a few metres, and take the shot you actually came for.

Forth Rail Bridge and a Bench

Town + bridge

Forth Bridge and a Bench

• Best for:
  A “Queensferry” frame with human scale – bench, railings, street furniture
• Time needed:
  5–10 minutes
• What you’ll get:
  Forth Bridge behind the promenade, calm water when the tide behaves

Nearby attractions: you’re minutes from the High Street – easy to grab this shot on the way to food.

This is the simple “I was here” photo that still looks like Queensferry, not a generic bridge snap. The bench and promenade furniture give scale, and the Forth Bridge sits behind it like it owns the place. If the water’s flat, you can get reflections that make it look far more expensive than it was.

Why not combine your photo opportunities with some local history that you can find in my Self-Guided Walking Tour of The Ferry?

Queensferry Harbour

Harbour grit

Queensferry Harbour

• Best for:
  Boats, stonework, working harbour details, and the town rising behind
• Time needed:
  10–20 minutes
• What you’ll get:
  Low-tide texture, moored boats, and proper Queensferry atmosphere

Nearby attractions: you’re at the bottom of the High Street – easy to combine with shops, pubs, or a sit-down meal.

Queensferry Harbour is where the town feels like a harbour town, not a viewpoint. On low tide it’s messy in the best way – mud lines, ropes, hulls, stone walls, and the houses looking down from the slope. It’s a good reset after bridge photos.

The Binks

Easy wide view

The Binks

• Best for:
  Quick town-over-water view with the road bridges lined up
• Time needed:
  5–10 minutes
• What you’ll get:
  Harbour foreground, boats and masts, with the Forth Road Bridge beyond

Nearby attractions: handy if you’ve parked here – you’re seconds from the harbour and minutes from the High Street.

The Binks is the “I’ve got five minutes” viewpoint that still gives you a proper spread: harbour in front, water beyond, and the bigger bridges sitting out across the Forth. It’s also one of the easiest spots for anyone arriving by car, because you’re already there.

The Binks isn’t just a handy car park with a view – it sits on ground that’s always been tied to Queensferry’s working waterfront history, site of the original Queen’s Ferry. Long before cars lined this edge, this was the practical space between the town and the water: a place for unloading, waiting, gathering, and watching the Forth for movement – ferries, boats, and later the first bridge-era traffic.

Big Payoff Viewpoints (Worth the Extra Walk)

These are the spots you hit when you’ve got time to spare – or you’re sick of the standard “standing at Hawes” photo. They take a bit more walking, a detour, or a deliberate choice. The reward is variety: structure, shoreline grit, and big wide views that feel earned.

Please note that each Queensferry viewpoint is a spot itself. This has not been designed as a tour to move from one to the next. It will help you prioritise you shots to capture the three bridges and Queensferry as you want to.

Bridge-structure perspectives (Forth Road Bridge)

Structure close-up

Forth Road Bridge – structure perspectives

• Best for:
  Steel lines, scale, and “under the bridge” drama
• Time needed:
  20–45 minutes
• Access:
  On foot, exposed, can be breezy
• What you’ll get:
  Big spans overhead, water, and layered bridge views

Nearby attractions: good choice if you’re already heading toward Port Edgar.

This is where the bridge stops being “a thing in the distance” and turns into raw structure. You’ll see the Forth Road Bridge up close, big steel sweeping across the sky, and the other bridges peeking through depending on visibility. Expect wind and a lot of open space.

Get up close to the Road Bridge by walking along Shore Road or Hopetoun Road at the end of the High Street.

Panoramic Queensferry viewpoint from the Forth Road Bridge

Town across the water

Queensferry from the Forth Road Bridge

• Best for:
  Queensferry spread out in one frame
• Time needed:
  20–40 minutes
• Access:
  Footpath access, exposed to weather
• What you’ll get:
  Town shoreline, harbour area, and bridges behind

Nearby attractions: pairs well with a meal stop back on the High Street.

From the pathway on the Forth Road Bridge, the town makes sense. You see the shoreline shape, the way Queensferry clings to the slope, and how the bridges sit in the wider Forth landscape. If you want context rather than a single landmark, this is the spot.

Panoramic Forth + Queensferry foreground (Back Braes)

Panoramic sweep

Back Braes

• Best for:
  Wide Forth views with Queensferry in the foreground
• Time needed:
  15–30 minutes
• Access:
  Short climb and steps in places
• What you’ll get:
  Big sky, rooftops, water, and bridges in one scene

Nearby attractions: handy for a quick High Street wander after.

Back Braes is the “Queensferry plus everything” view. You get town in the lower frame, the Forth opening out behind, and the bridges sitting in their proper setting. It’s not delicate – the weather changes fast up there, and that’s half the point.

Shoreline and water-level angles (Port Edgar Marina)

Shoreline level

Port Edgar Marina

• Best for:
  Water-level views and cleaner foregrounds
• Time needed:
  30–60 minutes
• Access:
  Longer walk or drive, flat once you’re there
• What you’ll get:
  Open shoreline, marina mood, and bridge lines across the Forth

Nearby attractions: marina area is good for a pause before heading back into town.

Port Edgar gives you breathing room. More water, more shoreline, fewer town distractions. Depending on the light, it can feel calm or stark, and both work. If you’re chasing a different look from “Hawes crowd plus bridges”, this is the easy reset.

Hero image: Stuart Halliday, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Scott (The Local Guide)

Scott grew up in South Queensferry and knows the town like the back of his hand. He writes practical travel guides based on lived experience — tender days, cruise traffic, shortcuts into Edinburgh, local food spots, and the quirks only residents notice. His articles focus on clear directions, accurate timings, and grounded advice for visitors exploring Queensferry and the east of Scotland.