Edinburgh - Scotland's Capital City

The City of Edinburgh, where the frenzied activity of Scotland's capital city sits in perfect contrast to the tranquility of the surrounding area. Edinburgh has one of the most famous cityscapes in the world, making it a perfect base to explore the city and the surrounding countryside. With Scotland's most famous castle dominating the city skyline, there is plenty to see and do with the ideal balance between all things contemporary and traditional. The variety of Edinburgh hotels is quite amazing with a wide choice of everything from budget accommodation to the famed Balmoral Hotel with Michelin starred restaurant, spa and room prices starting at nearly £200 per night.

Even if you have visited Edinburgh before, a tour of the city on an open-topped bus is a great way to orientate yourself and have a first look at what might interest you. Tours follow a circuit through the 18th century Georgian New Town and the medieval Old Town so you can always get back to where you started. The top of the Royal Mile is a great starting place to explore on foot.

The Castle is Scotland's premier tourist attraction and obviously worth a visit. As well as the obvious items of interest such as the Stone of Destiny and the Crown Jewels of Scotland, it's worth looking out for possibly the most touching aspect of Edinburgh Castle, the soldiers' dog cemetery. The cemetery is a small garden used as a burial place for officer's pet dogs and regimental mascots. Arguably the greatest view of Edinburgh is from the castle ramparts as nothing in the city is allowed to be built higher. The 15th century cannon at the castle called Mon's Meg is fired each day at 1pm.

The next most visited attraction is that of Holyroodhouse Palace. Built beside an Augustinian Abbey dating back to 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is The Queen's official residence in Scotland. Found at the end of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is closely associated with Scotland's unruly past, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who made her home here between 1561 and 1567. Successive members of the Royal Family have made the Palace of Holyroodhouse the premier Scottish royal residence. Today, the Palace is used for official entertaining and ceremonies of state

The ancient tales of grave robbing and murder buzz constantly around your head as you tour the city by foot or aboard an Edinburgh open-topped bus. There are also several nightly ghost tours available if you have the stomach to cope with the grisly facts surrounding Edinburgh after dark.

After visiting Scotland’s most famous department store Jenners (open for business since 1838 and now owned by House of Fraser) on Princes Street, why not head over to the huge and beautiful Princes Street Gardens. Built from a former loch, the gardens are the perfect place to enjoy a picnic whilst taking in the views of the Old Town, the castle and the park’s oft photographed floral clock. A great place to watch the hectic world of Edinburgh fly by.

Every year during the month of August the city welcomes thousands of visitors to its world famous festival. The Festival is in fact made up of a variety of festivals, exhibitions and events including Book Festival, Military Tattoo, the International Festival, Jazz & Blues Festival, Film Festival, The Fringe and Edinburgh Mela. The immensely popular Edinburgh Fringe Festival offers a mixed batch of light entertainment from comedy to Shakespeare. To give you an idea of the sheer size of the Fringe, 2006's Festival saw hundreds of groups putting on 1,867 widely varying shows with a total of 28,014 performances in 261 venues. In addition, many thousands of people head to Edinburgh for its month long Christmas Festival which culminates in the world famous Hogmanay celebrations.

Although driving is not necessary inside the city itself due to restrictions of parking spaces and the convenience of an efficient public transport system, it's recommended that you hire a car in Edinburgh if you want to take in the scenic treasures that surround the city. A fifteen minute drive takes you into the coastal, scenic town of Musselburgh. Life here is a lot simpler and less cosmopolitan than its neighboring metropolis. Expect to find a race track, possibly the oldest nine hole golf course in Scotland and some excellent opportunities for fine dining along your route.

Just south of Edinburgh is the mid-Lothian region which has a well deserved reputation of having a wide diversity of attractions for the visitor. A short car journey presents you with the delights of several castles that are open to visitors, including one that has now been converted into a luxurious castle hotel. You will also find stately homes and old churches, including the Rosslyn Chapel (in the village of Roslin) featured in the Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown.

The University of Southern California does not screen or control the content on this website and thus does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity, or quality of such content. All content on this website is provided by and is the sole responsibility of the person from which such content originated, and such content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the University administration or the Board of Trustees