41 Reasons to Visit Edinburgh
Hilly Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, has a medieval Old Town and an elegant Georgian New Town, with gardens and neoclassical buildings. Here are 41 reasons to visit Edinburgh
-
1
Holyrood Palace
Source: investigatecreate.co.ukThe Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.
-
2
HMY Britannia
Source: www.luxuryscotland.co.ukHer Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in service from 1954 to 1997.
-
3
Calton Hill
Source: media-2.web.britannica.comCalton Hill, is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the city.
-
4
Arthur's Seat
Source: www.edinburghspotlight.comArthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh, which form most of Holyrood Park, described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design".
-
5
Edinburgh Castle
Source: upload.wikimedia.orgEdinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, from its position on the Castle Rock.
-
6
Camera Obscura
Source: www.worldfortravel.comCamera Obscura and World of Illusions is a major tourist attraction in the Old Town.
-
7
Princes Street
Source: wikimedia.orgPrinces Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, and its main shopping street. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1 mile from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east.
-
8
Mary King's Close
Source: www.edinburghspotlight.comMary King's Close is an old Edinburgh close under buildings in the Old Town area of Edinburgh. It took its name from one Mary King, daughter of advocate Alexander King, who in the 17th century had owned several properties within the close.
-
9
Scottish National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, in a neoclassical building designed by William Henry Playfair, and first opened to the public in 1859.
-
10
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Source: www.rbge.org.ukThe Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction.
-
11
Princes Street Gardens
Source: www.freefortourists.comPrinces Street Gardens is a public park in the centre of Edinburgh, in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.
-
12
St Giles' Cathedral
Source: adventureswithandrea.comSt Giles' Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh.
-
13
Holyrood Park
Source: photorator.comHolyrood Park is a royal park in central Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle.
-
14
Our Dynamic Earth
Source: www.dynamicearth.co.ukDynamic Earth is a visitor attraction in Edinburgh, and also functions as a conference venue. It is in the Holyrood area, beside the Scottish Parliament building and at the foot of Arthur's Seat.
-
15
Scott Monument
Source: www.codehostel.comThe Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It is the largest monument to a writer in the world.
-
16
The Scotch Whisky Experience
Source: blog.sleeperz.comAttraction telling the tale of Scotland's national drink with high-tech exhibits and a barrel ride.
-
17
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Source: www.castlebrae.org.ukThe Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots.
-
18
National War Museum
Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.ukThe National War Museum is housed in Edinburgh, and forms part of National Museums Scotland. It is located within Edinburgh Castle, and admission is included in the entry charge for the castle.
-
19
Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk, today Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk, is a parish kirk of the Church of Scotland in central Edinburgh. The kirk stands on the site of a pre-Reformation establishment of the Franciscan order, the "Grey Friars".
-
20
Museum of Childhood
Source: upload.wikimedia.orgThe Museum of Childhood is a collection of children's toys and playthings, situated on the Royal Mile. It was the first museum in the world to specialise in the history of childhood.
-
21
Gladstone's Land
Source: catheganley.wordpress.comGladstone's Land is a surviving 17th century high-tenement house situated in the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular tourist attraction.
-
22
Museum of Edinburgh
Source: blog.travefy.comThe Museum of Edinburgh, formerly known as Huntly House Museum, is a museum in Edinburgh, housing a collection relating to the town's origins, history and legends.
-
23
Murrayfield Stadium
Source: jumpingjazza.comMurrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh.
-
24
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Source: www.themetropolist.comThe Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is part of the National Galleries of Scotland, which are based in Edinburgh.
-
25
Craigmillar Castle
Source: www.henniker.org.ukCraigmillar Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated 3 miles south-east of the city centre, on a low hill to the south of the modern suburb of Craigmillar.
-
26
The Georgian House
Source: www.luxuryscottishwedding.co.ukThe Georgian House is an 18th-century townhouse situated at No. 7 Charlotte Square in the heart of the historic New Town of the city of Edinburgh.
-
27
Holyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh. The abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I.
-
28
Royal Scottish Academy Building
Source: www.rampantscotland.comThe Royal Scottish Academy building, the home of the Royal Scottish Academy, is situated on The Mound in the centre of Edinburgh, was built by William Henry Playfair in 1822-6 and extended in 1831-6 for the Board of Manufactures and Fisheries.
-
29
Scottish Parliament Building
Source: www.edinburgharchitecture.co.ukThe Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh.
-
30
John Knox House
Source: www.rampantscotland.comJohn Knox House, popularly known as "John Knox's House", is a historic house in Edinburgh, reputed to have been owned and lived in by Protestant reformer John Knox during the 16th century.
-
31
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Source: www.edinburgharchitecture.co.ukGreyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School.
-
32
National Monument of Scotland
Source: www.edinburgharchitecture.co.ukThe National Monument of Scotland, on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, is Scotland's national memorial to the Scottish soldiers and sailors who died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars.
-
33
Lauriston Castle
Source: www.stravaiging.comLauriston Castle is a 16th-century tower house with 19th-century extensions overlooking the Firth of Forth, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies on Cramond Road South, between Cramond, Davidson's Mains, and Silverknowes.
-
34
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Source: farm9.static.flickr.comThe Edinburgh Festival Theatre is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh, used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, large-scale musical events, and touring groups.
-
35
Fruitmarket Gallery
Source: www.bluffton.eduThe Fruitmarket Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Edinburgh. It is located in the centre of the city on Market Street, beside Edinburgh Waverley train station.
-
36
Edinburgh Playhouse
Source: timeout.comEdinburgh Playhouse is a former cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland which now hosts touring musicals and music concerts. Its capacity is 3,059, making it the UK's largest working non-sporting theatre in terms of audience capacity.
-
37
Scottish Poetry Library
Source: bbci.co.ukThe Scottish Poetry Library was founded in 1984 by poet Tessa Ransford. It originally had two staff members, including Scottish poet, Tom Hubbard, and 300 books, but has since expanded to some 30,000 items of Scottish and international poetry.
-
38
Water of Leith
The Water of Leith is the main river flowing through Edinburgh, to the port of Leith where it flows into the sea via the Firth of Forth. It is 35 km long and rises in the Colzium Springs at Millstone Rig of the Pentland Hills.
-
39
Kirk of the Canongate
Source: tmp4f561b4e.daily-host.co.ukThe Kirk of the Canongate, or Canongate Kirk, serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament.
-
40
Royal Lyceum Theatre
The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving.
-
41
Pentland Hills
Source: c1.staticflickr.comThe Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburgh. The range is around 20 miles in length, and runs south west from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.
-
42
Prestonfield House
Source: www.meetingsbooker.comBuilt in 1687 as a grand baroque home and surrounded by gardens and Prestonfield Golf Club, this small luxury hotel is 1.2 miles from Holyrood Park and 2.6 miles from Edinburgh Castle.
Don't like this list? Edit it and make your own list!
Don't like this list? Edit it and make your own list! We will pubish it on our site! You can share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc