Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. City Guide

For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. Travel Guide has been your connection to Edinburgh's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.

Attractions

Edinburgh sits on the southern edge of the enormous Firth (estuary) of the River Forth. The city is built on a series of dramatic hills that are the remnants of ancient volcanic activity. Most of the city's sights are found in two districts: the sixteenth century Old Town and the more orderly Georgian New Town. In 1995, the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh were both listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

The Royal Mile, spine of the Old Town, runs down from Edinburgh Castle high on Castle Rock, continuously in use for 1000 years and in excellent condition, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a royal residence containing art from the Royal Collection best known as the home of Mary Queen of Scots. South of the Royal Mile is the Grassmarket, the Cowgate and Chambers Street, site of the University of Edinburgh and two of the city's best museums, the Royal Museum of Scotland and the recently opened Museum of Scotland. Today tours are available of the underground vaults of 16th century Mary King’s Close, a recently reconstructed part of the city’s dark past, verifiably spooky to visit and, many claim, literally haunted.

Greyfriar’s Kirkyard off the Southwest corner of George IV Bridge, possibly Edinburgh's most famous churchyard, contains some impressive, ancient grave markers and fantastic views of the surrounding Old Town. Its fame is due in part to Greyfriar’s Bobby, the terrier who sat by his master's grave for 14 years until his own death. Tourists from far and wide take pictures with Bobby's statue, located just outside the Kirkyard.

The wide green Princes Street Gardens divide the New and Old Towns, and are home to the National Gallery of Scotland and Royal Scottish Academy Building. To the north lie Princes St, Edinburgh's chief artery and spectacular shopping street, and the New Town, considered by many to be one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture and planning in the world. In Princes St Gardens East stands one of Edinburgh's most renowned monuments, a Gothic church spire two hundred feet tall built in honor of writer and native son Sir Walter Scott. Inside the spire sit the famous author, his dog Maida, and sixty-four carved representations of characters from his many novels. Take the 287-step climb to the top of the monument to enjoy a spectacular view of the city.

More modern attractions in the city include the Royal Yacht Brittania, originally a royal conveyance that today can be toured, having been preserved faithfully as it was when used by British royalty, and Our Dynamic Earth, an innovative earth science museum with interactive exhibits that offer simulated earthquakes, tropical rainstorms, the ocean floor, ice ages, glaciers and more. Not modern but a recent pop culture reference, "The Da Vinci Code”’s Rosslyn Chapel can be reached by taking bus number 15A.

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