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Edinburgh

Edinburgh (Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) is the capital of Scotland, located in the Central Belt of the country. With a population of 526,470 in the urban area in 2021, and 901,455 in the metropolitans, Edinburgh fizzes with a cosmopolitan yet uniquely Scottish atmosphere. Old volcanoes ensure a dramatic natural setting, with the imposing castle atop one. The city combines medieval relics, Georgian grandeur and a powerful layer of modern life with contemporary avant-garde. Medieval palaces, Gothic churches and fascinating historical buildings rub shoulders with the best of modern architecture, such as the Scottish Parliament and the National Museum of Scotland. Variously dubbed "Auld Reekie" or "Athe

See
521
Do
278
Eat
1024
Drink
1132
Buy
250

15 places match

  1. SeeHistoric siteNew Town

    Calton Hill

    This is the stubby crag just east of Princes Street: a short stroll up it commands great views. The "National Monument", a memorial to Scots killed in the Napoleonic Wars, was an attempt to out-do the Parthenon in Athens but the money ran out with only the west facade built. Nelson's Tower was built 1807-16 in the shape of an upturned telescope in honour of the naval hero. A Time Ball on the mast drops at 1PM every day just as the One O'Clock Gun is fired from the castle - this gives a time signal to ships in the Firth before the sound rolls out to them, or it would if not obscured by drizzle and the ships in possession of reliable watches. It was operated by the adjacent City Observatory, superseded in 1896 by the Royal Observatory in the south of the city. City Observatory remained active until 2009 then was refurbished as the Collective Gallery exhibition space for modern art.

    103 m high

  2. DoSummit

    Arthur's Seat

    Arthur's Seat is an ancient extinct volcano. It is the main peak of a group of hills in Edinburgh, Scotland, which form most of Holyrood Park. Robert Louis Stevenson described it as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design".

    251 m high

  3. SeeOld Town

    Camera Obscura

    World of Illusions

    Over 150 years old, the Camera Obscura projects light from the top of the tower onto a large dish in a dark room below, displaying a panorama of the city. The effect still works on overcast days or at night but is best in sunlight, when you can use a sheet of paper to "pick up" people seen in the streets and have them scurry in your hand. The tower also houses a gallery of optical illusions that wouldn't be out of place in Blackpool.

    Mon-Thu 9:30AM-7:30PM, Fri-Sun 9AM-9PM · Adult £24.95, conc £21.95, child (5-15 years) £17.95

  4. DoSummit

    Castle Rock

    Castle Rock is a volcanic plug in the middle of Edinburgh upon which Edinburgh Castle sits. The rock is estimated to have formed some 350 million years ago during the early Carboniferous period. It is the remains of a volcanic pipe which cut through the surrounding sedimentary rock, before cooling to form very hard dolerite, a coarser-grained equivalent of basalt.

    130 m high

  5. DoSummit

    Salisbury Crags

    173 m high

  6. DoSummit

    Dunsapie Crag

    Queen’s Drive

    146 m high

  7. DoSummit

    The Nether Hill

    237 m high

  8. DoSummit

    Whinny Hill

    178 m high

  9. SeeViewpoint

    North Viewpoint

  10. DoSummit

    Crow Hill

    238 m high

  11. DoSummit

    Haggis Knowe

  12. SeeViewpoint

    Photo trail

  13. SeeViewpoint

    South Viewpoint