Edinburgh is built on the wreckage of a volcano, and it shows. The Old Town spills down a ridge from the castle in a tangle of closes and wynds; the Georgian New Town lays out crescents and squares below it in near-perfect symmetry; and Arthur's Seat rises 250 metres out of a park in the middle of the city. Both towns together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For three weeks every August the whole place turns into the largest arts festival on Earth.
It is the rare capital you can cross on foot in an afternoon and still not exhaust. Most of the national museums and galleries are free, the castle and the royal palace bookend a single mile of street, and the Highlands start about ninety minutes away by train.
Things to do
- Edinburgh Castle — The Crown Jewels of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny and the One O'Clock Gun, on a crag with the best view in the city. Book a timed ticket.
- The Royal Mile and the closes — Castle to Holyrood in a mile, with the narrow side-alleys — Advocate's Close, Real Mary King's Close underground — doing the real work.
- Arthur's Seat — A 45-minute climb from Holyrood to a 250m summit and a full panorama. Free, and the single best thing to do on a clear day.
- The Palace of Holyroodhouse — The monarch's official Scottish residence, with Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers and the ruined abbey beside it.
- The free national museums — National Museum of Scotland (superb, and a rooftop terrace), Scottish National Gallery, and the Portrait Gallery — all free.
- The Edinburgh Festival Fringe — 3,000-plus shows across August, a great many of them free. The International Festival, Book Festival and Military Tattoo run alongside.
- A whisky tasting — The Scotch Whisky Experience by the castle for a primer; the specialist bars in the Old Town and Leith for the real education.
Where to base yourself
The Edinburgh neighbourhoods worth knowing before you book.
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Coming soon Old Town The castle, the Royal Mile, the closes and the vaults. Atmospheric and central, but the busiest and priciest place to stay — and loud during the Fringe. - Coming soon New Town Georgian crescents, the best shopping on George Street and Princes Street, and a short walk to everything. The safest all-round base.
- Coming soon Stockbridge Village-feel neighbourhood on the Water of Leith with a Sunday market, independent shops and good pubs. Twenty minutes' walk from the centre, downhill.
- Coming soon Leith The old port, now the city's best eating quarter — several Michelin stars among the chip shops. The Royal Yacht Britannia is docked here.
- Coming soon Southside & Bruntsfield Student territory near the university and the Meadows, with cheaper rooms, good cafés and Arthur's Seat on the doorstep.
3 days in Edinburgh
- Day 1 Old Town, top to bottom
Castle first thing on a timed ticket, then walk the Royal Mile downhill, ducking into the closes. Real Mary King's Close underground in the afternoon, Holyroodhouse at the bottom. Dinner in the Grassmarket or Old Town.
- Day 2 Arthur's Seat and the New Town
Climb Arthur's Seat early while the light is good. Down into the New Town for the Scottish National Gallery, then Georgian streets, Stockbridge and the Water of Leith walkway. Evening in Stockbridge or on Broughton Street.
- Day 3 Leith, whisky and the view
Bus or walk down to Leith for the Royal Yacht Britannia and lunch on The Shore. Back up for the National Museum of Scotland and its roof terrace, then a whisky bar. Calton Hill at sunset for the classic skyline shot.
Day trips
Worth the train or the drive from Edinburgh.
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Loch Lomond & The Trossachs The nearest real Highlands — lochs, hills and Balloch about 90 minutes away by road. -
The Scottish Borders Melrose, Abbotsford and the Border abbeys, an hour south on the Borders Railway. -
Isle of Skye Doable only as an overnight or a very long organised day — but it's the trip most people ask about.
Practical
- Best time to go
- May–June and September for long days without August prices. August for the Fringe, the International Festival and the Tattoo — book accommodation months ahead and expect the city to be full. December for Hogmanay; January–February is cheapest, cold and dark by 4pm.
- Getting there
- Edinburgh Airport connects to most of Europe and several North American cities; the tram runs into the centre in about 35 minutes. From London, the train takes 4h20–4h40 to Waverley, which sits directly under the Old Town — usually a better door-to-door option than flying.
- Getting around
- The centre is walkable and best seen that way, though the Old Town is steep and cobbled — bring real shoes. Lothian Buses cover everything else with a flat fare and a day cap; the single tram line runs airport–centre–Newhaven. You do not need a car, and parking is punitive.
- Eat & drink
- Scotland's larder is the pitch: langoustines, scallops, Shetland mussels, beef, game and smoked salmon. Leith holds most of the fine dining, including the city's Michelin stars. In town, look for modern Scottish tasting menus in the New Town, cheap and excellent Indian and Chinese on the Southside, and the traditional stuff — haggis, neeps and tatties, cullen skink, a proper breakfast roll — in the Old Town pubs. Book anything good weeks ahead in August.
