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]]>As well as these natural and cultural sites, there are plenty of fantastic cafes and restaurants across the city, offering a wide range of cuisines. If you haven’t visited Edinburgh before, make sure it goes on your ‘to-visit’ list.
Climb Arthur’s Seat
How many other cities can boast an extinct volcano in their center? Arthur’s Seat may not rival the mountains in the Scottish Highlands in terms of height, but this mound does take a while to climb. The views from the top make it all worth it. Gaze out across the city, or look out to the Firth of Forth and the hills beyond.
Visit Edinburgh Castle
This huge building dominates the center of Edinburgh. Once home to kings and queens, nowadays it’s open to visitors who can explore its stunning interiors whilst learning about it’s important history. It has a great vantage point over the city, so is another great spot to catch some amazing views from.
National Museum of Scotland
This incredible museum holds artifacts from all over Scotland, some dating back to pre-history. There is also contemporary art on display, and if the rains are threatening, seek shelter in the charming museum cafe. Don’t miss the characterful Lewis chess men, ivory carved chess pieces dating to the medieval period.
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]]>Breakfast At The Old Spence Cafe
Located centrally within the city, this cafe serves up highly rated cakes, coffees and brunch specials. In a city teeming with amazing places to eat, make a beeline for one of the more traditional establishments and enjoy fuelling up for a day of exploring the city.
Walk The Royal Mile
Take in a central section of the city by exploring the Royal Mile, the stretch leading out from Edinburgh castle. It can get crowded, and expect to see the odd bagpiper or two, but this walk is worth doing to experience the beauty of Edinburgh’s architecture and history.
Explore The Underground Vaults
On its surface, Edinburgh is beautiful and grand, but exploring beneath the streets can be even more spectacular. Taking a tour around the underground vaults will allow you to learn lots about the city’s fascinating (and sometimes dark) history, and to understand more about how the city was built.
Edinburgh is well worth a prolonged stay, but if you’ve only got a day, check out these highlights to experience the best of the city.
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]]>Visit the Scottish National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery houses masterpieces by some of the greatest artists who ever lived, including Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Velázquez, Rembrandt and more. It’s also a fantastic place to learn about the rich history of art in Scotland.
Stroll through Dean Village
One for the instagrammers out there, Dean Village is a picturesque residential area perched on the banks of the Water of Leith. Take a stroll through this quiet spot and feel like you’ve stepped back in time!
Walk the Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is like an outdoor museum in itself. This pedestrianized thoroughfare stretches from Edinburgh castle at the top of the hill, all the way to Holyrood Palace at the foot of Arthur’s Seat.
Climb Arthur’s Seat
One of the best things about the Scottish capital is the easy access to stunning scenery. In fact, you can hike up an extinct volcano right in the city. Climb to the top of Arthur’s seat and be rewarded with amazing views of the city.
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]]>St Giles Cathedral
St Giles Cathedral is one of the most impressive sights you will be able to experience in Edinburgh. And that is saying much considering the city’s impressive architecture. The cathedral, originating from the 12th century, is astonishing with its Gothic exterior, intricate interior decorations, and rich history.
Writers’ Museum
Edinburgh has plenty of free museums, but the one you definitely don’t want to miss is the Writers’ Museum. The main focus of the museum is the lives and works of great Scottish writers Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Walter Scott. The exhibits contain their personal items, original manuscripts and books, and portraits.
Scottish National Gallery
When it comes to the best free tourist attractions in Edinburgh, it is hard to compete with Scottish National Gallery. The place has an impressive collection of art from renowned Scottish and international artists that you can spend hours exploring without getting bored. Some of the notable pieces in its collection include Claude Monet’s “Haystacks,” Paul Gauguin’s “Vision apres le Sermon,” and Titian’s “Diana and Callisto.”
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]]>Dunrobin Castle
Dating back to the 1300s, this castle is one of the oldest continually operated houses in the UK, though most of the current building and grounds were added much later in the 1830s. It’s known for its resemblance to a French chateau and is surrounded by 1300 acres of gardens.
Edinburgh Castle
How many capital cities can claim to have a castle at their center? Edinburgh castle is a popular tourist destination that people flock to for everything from guided tours to weddings. We recommend stopping by to enjoy afternoon tea at The Tea Rooms located at the top of the castle.
Dalhousie Castle & Spa
If you’ve ever wanted to stay in a castle, consider booking a few nights at Dalhousie, a 13th century castle-turned-hotel. The hotel has its own spa and even a dining room set in the castle’s dungeon.
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]]>Edinburgh Christmas Markets
The Scottish capital is famous for its Christmas festivities, a central part of which is the local Christmas markets. The Scots start early, with Christmas celebrations starting in November and continuing all the way to the beginning of January. There are a few major markets in different locations across the city, featuring numerous stands and different attractions for all ages like bars for the grownups, carousels and a Ferris wheel for the kids, and even an ice rink.
Amsterdam Christmas Markets
Another great place to soak in some of that holiday magic is Amsterdam. A popular tourist attraction all year long, this European capital turns even more enchanting come Christmas time. Much like Edinburgh, Amsterdam also has quite a few different Christmas markets spread out across the city. From food trucks and live music to skating rinks, amusement park rides and gift stands, the Amsterdam market really gives you the full winter wonderland experience.
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]]>McNaughtan’s Bookshop & Gallery
This is the oldest second-hand bookshop in Scotland, operating from 1957. It has a large collection of art books and travel books and is probably the best place to look for rare old books.
Address: 3A, 4a Haddington Pl, Edinburgh
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 1pm to 5pm
Armchair Books
An iconic Scottish bookshop packed from floor to ceiling with a collection of English classical books, both fiction and non-fiction. The atmosphere here is very unique and sometimes makes one feel he is not only in a bookshop but in a museum.
Address: 72-74 West Port, Edinburgh
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 12:30pm to 5:30pm; Friday and Saturday from 10am to 6:30pm
Elvis Shakespeare
As you could have guessed from the name, this place is a mixture of a book and a record store. You can find a large collection of books, with an emphasis on those related to music, as well as a big collection of old vinyl records—some of them very rare. There are also live music evenings every now and then.
Address: 347 Leith Walk, Edinburgh
Opening hours: Every day from 10am to 6pm
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]]>Húsavík, Iceland
One of Eurovision’s best songs really does justice to this charming fishing town in Iceland. In addition to being home to the movie’s main characters, Húsavík is one of the most popular whale-watching spots in Europe.
Edinburgh, Scotland
In the fictional world of this film, the Eurovision Song Contest takes a place in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. It doesn’t make a lot of sense if you’re familiar with the history of this music competition, but it’s a beautiful city—so we’re not complaining.
Knebworth House, England
The unforgettable party scene wasn’t actually filmed in Edinburgh but at the Knebworth House. This lavish country house in Hertfordshire was previously featured in many hit movies and TV shows, including the Oscar-winning historical drama The King’s Speech.
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]]>Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Edinburgh every year in August. It is a very diverse festival, celebrating all types of arts, including theater, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, musicals, opera, music, and spoken word, followed up by various exhibitions and events. To this day, it has hosted over 30,000 performances and more than 2,000 shows.
The thing that sets this festival apart is the fact that this is an open access festival, which means anyone is allowed to participate with whatever performance they choose. There is no jury or selection committee that decides on the nature of the performances. For this reason, each year is full of surprises and unexpected shows.
The festival is also famous for its use of unconventional venues. Apart from the established venues — such as the Assembly, Gilded Balloon, The Pleasance and Underbelly, known as the “Big Four,” as well as Traverse Theatre, Cabaret Voltaire and The Stand comedy club — The Fringe takes place all over the city.
The outdoors portion mainly focuses on the pedestrian area of High Street around St Giles’ Cathedral, but other venues include numerous improvised spaces such as rooms above pubs, public parks and even moving vehicles. At this time, the streets are brimming with countless street performers and thousands of buskers.
#musicaltheatre (@newinmt)There are a few coinciding sub-festivals that also fall under the Fringe umbrella, such as The Edge, which promotes up-and-coming bands, The Edinburgh Comedy Festival, and The Edinburgh International Book Festival, which takes place in Charlotte Square Garden and George Street, hosting events such as writing workshops, panel discussions, and performances by international poets and writers.
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]]>Here are four sights that you must see while you’re in Edinburgh.
Arthur’s Seat
This extinct volcano is one of the most recognizable and attention-grabbing spots in all of Edinburgh. The largest and most distinctive of all of the hills that surround Edinburgh, a short hike to the top provides you with unbeatable views of the city and the North Sea.
Edinburgh Castle
This castle/fort combination dominates the skyline of the Edinburgh Old Town. It’s been occupied by humans for over two millennia, and now hosts the Edinburgh Royal Castle. It’s touristy and a little expensive, but it’s beautiful and worth the journey.
Royal Mile
The gorgeous main drag of Edinburgh’s Old Town is the Royal Mile, which is full of beautiful old architecture and historical sights, such as the Tron Kirk. You can also shop for traditional products such as Scottish whiskey here!
National Museum of Scotland
The fascinating (and free!) National Museum of Scotland is a must-visit in Edinburgh. Here, you can see interesting and varied artifacts, such as the stuffed carcass of Dolly the Sheep and a dinosaur skeleton. It’s great for families and kids, too!
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