You don’t have to wait until you’ve visited the dozens of attractions in Scotland’s capital city to fall in love with it .
As soon as you enter the city, you’re overwhelmed by towering structures such as castles and towers and by the breath-taking natural beauty. Within moments of entering the city, you’ll find that it’s love at first sight.
Attractions / Places to See
There are so many historical attractions to see in Edinburgh that there’s actually a Historic Scotland Membership you can buy, which is good for a year. And first on many visitors’ lists on the historic tour is Edinburgh Castle.
This magnificent royal fortress is situated on one of Edinburgh’s highest points and has been continuously used for more than 1000 years. Ten centuries after it was built, it remains in excellent condition.
The Abbey and the Palace of Holyrood House are also popular historic destinations. The Palace is home to the Queen’s Gallery, which features art from the Royal Collection. Then there’s St. Giles’ Cathedral and Mary King’s close which gives visitors a glimpse at Edinburgh’s medieval history. This has been well-preserved since it was closed during the 18th century.
You might hear people talking about the Edinburgh Royal Mile and indeed, it’s worth visiting. Looking over it you’ll find Gladstone’s Land, a 17th century tenement decorated with 17th century furniture and an amazing painted ceiling.
Greyfriars Kirkyard, an old graveyard made famous by Disney Greyfriars Bobby; is home to Camera Obscura, a 150 year old structure which focuses light from the tower’s top onto a dish in the room below; and the Scottish Parliament, a building designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles.
Many visitors also seek to make time for the Royal Botanic Garden, an impressive collection of gardens with interesting plants. It’s a great place for a picnic during warm weather.
If you like attending special events and festivals, Edinburgh has plenty of those. Some you’ll be interested in include the Edinburgh International Festival (considered a high-brow event), The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and The Edge Festival (a music festival taking place along with the Fringe Festival).
Museums and Galleries
With so much history and so much culture, it’s all the city’s many museums and galleries can do to keep up. But they do an admirable job, for instance, the Museum of Scotland and Royal Museum, located together at Chambers Street, mix modern architecture with the best from Scotland’s past.
Meanwhile, at the royal Museum, you’ll find an airy Victorian atrium with the Millennium Clock setting off everything else. Notable exhibits within the Museum of Scotland include Roman-era weapons, Scottish pottery, and more.
A short distance away is the National Gallery of Scotland, found at the Mound. It holds a large collection of Scotland’s fine art, along with exhibits that change with the seasons. Similarly named is the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Located on Bedford Road, this gallery features a distinct selection of Scottish modern art as well as modern art from other countries.
One of the more unique galleries is the Fruit market Gallery found on Market St. And as the name suggests, it really does utilize a market approach to bringing artists and their audiences together.
Shopping
Edinburgh is conscious of its position in Europe as a tourist destination, and has numerous shops designed to cater to them, as long as the normal stores you would expect to find in a major capital city.
Princes Street is the city’s main shopping street, running through the city’s center; it features chain stores such as Topshop, H&M and Hmv for music. There are also several department stores and tourist shops. Meanwhile, over on George Street you’ll find shops that are a bit more up-market. Cockburn Street has several alternative shops specializing in music, underground clothing, novelty toys, spiritual items, body piercing, and more.
The Royal Mile has several tourist shops, which sell Scottish souvenirs and postcards. On Multrees Walk you can find high-end labels like Armani, Vidal Sasoon, Harvey Nichols and Calvin Klein.
Dining
For Edinburgh’s best food, try the centre of town as well as the West End and Leith areas. Within these areas are restaurants offering everything from fish and chips, deep fried pizza, deep fried black pudding (a kind of blood sausage), deep fried hamburgers, and deep fried Mars candy bars.
Sample as much of Edinburgh as you can, the food, the shopping, and certainly the historic sites. You might find it’s more than just love at first sight, but a love that will keep drawing you back over and over again.