Edinburgh instantly evokes associations with castles on granite rocks, wrought iron bars, antique mirrors in heavy frames. This is partly true – castles are found in abundance in the Old Town, as, indeed, are various art galleries and museums. However, this city is truly alive. The day can be spent on the sights of Edinburgh, but the evening is better spent in a pub for a cheerful conversation or in a restaurant overlooking the harbour. After all, Edinburgh is multifaceted. Do not miss any of his guises.

Royal Mile

The Royal Mile includes four streets, forming a vast and rather confusing quarter. It consists of intricacies of smaller streets that wrap around the Mile. It is believed that the beginning of the Mile is located at Edinburgh Castle. Here, around the twelfth century, a market appeared, around which wooden houses quickly appeared, just as quickly burned by the British. Gradually, the purely commercial vector of the Royal Mile began to change its direction: it seemed that it had become a kind of New Babylon with a hundred or two professions, concessions and languages.

The Inquisition met here, its bonfires burned merrily, the doors of taverns and brothels were hospitably thrown open, the central court and the place of execution of death sentences were nearby. Life on the Royal Mile was seething, as it is seething today. Parliament Square, Holyrood Bridge, Camera Obscura, St. Giles Cathedral – attractions for every taste.

Holyrood Palace

Almost at the very end of the Royal Mile is the current royal residence, where members of the royal family stay. As a rule, this happens in the summer – at this time the palace is closed to tourists. The history of the castle began in the twelfth century with an unsuccessful Sunday hunt by King David, who almost became a hunting trophy himself. The miraculous salvation of the monarch was the reason for the construction of the first abbey, and then Holyrood Castle.

Tourists can visit the royal dining room, the throne room, where ceremonies of consecration to the Knights of the Thistle are still held, the chambers of Mary Stuart with authentic furnishings, as well as the royal gallery, which contains portraits of royal persons who have sat on the throne of Scotland for almost all of its history.. You can also walk through the palace garden and climb the “Throne of Arthur”. In winter, the palace is open to the public from 09:30 to 16:30, in summer – until 18:00. The price of an adult ticket is 11.3 pounds.

Holyrood Abbey

Adjacent to Holyrood Palace is Holyrood Abbey. The once flourishing church is now a deplorable—but no less majestic—spectacle. The gloomy ruins of once opulent halls are now covered in moss. There is no need for electric lighting here – in some places there are not enough large areas in the roof. But in the Middle Ages, meetings of nobles were often held here and the most important political decisions were made!

Over the past three hundred years, many local and foreign architects have proposed projects for the reconstruction of this cultural heritage, but none of them has been implemented. You can enter the territory of the abbey with a ticket to visit the Holyrood Palace. Their visiting hours also coincide.

Edinburgh castle

If you look at the castle from the city, it seems that it is floating in the air. Initially, it was created as a fortress and for many centuries was used for fortification purposes by various forces and political groups. From the twelfth century, it became the official royal residence, and then the arena of the main actions in the confrontation between England and Scotland. The main royal relic, the Stone of Destiny, is also kept here.

Monarchs at all times laid their hands on him to solemnly pronounce an oath before a high assembly. A tour of the castle will allow you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of robberies, sieges, betrayals, political and love flirtations, prison everyday life and even magic – it was here that some elements of the Harry Potter saga were filmed. The price of the entrance ticket is 16.5 pounds. In winter, the castle can be visited from 09:30 to 17:00, in summer the visiting time is extended by an hour.

Scott Monument

One of the most crowded and noisy stations in Edinburgh – Edinburgh Waverley – is located on Princes Street. It is not surprising that such a significant place received an equally significant name. The station was named after one of the characters of Walter Scott, and not far from the giant building is a magnificent monument. Its height exceeds sixty meters.

If you do not know that this monument was erected in honor of the great Scottish writer, you can consider that this is an unusual neo-Gothic church of the Victorian era – the composition of this monument is so large-scale and architecturally intricate. It offers perhaps the best views of central Edinburgh, however, for the sake of admiring, you will have to climb one of the spiral staircases, that is, overcome almost three hundred steps. The real architectural culmination of the monument is the sculpture of Walter Scott himself, sitting in an armchair and stroking his dog.

Puffin Mary King

Just four hundred years ago, the Mary King quarter, who was the daughter of a highly successful lawyer, was perhaps the busiest in the capital. The King family owned most of the local buildings, and everything was going great until a plague broke out in the city. Plague-infected people began to be driven into the Mary King quarter, then to make them prisoners of these streets, simply by walling up the dying people. The most famous of these sufferers was Little Annie, a girl who was put in the “cellar of the dead” and who is still looking for her parents. Oddly enough, but under such a heartbreaking story there is still no powerful justification. What is known for sure is that it was a quarantine zone.

Nothing can be said with complete certainty about the “bricking up”. One way or another, but gradually they began to build a New City over the dead end, and soon it turned into a kind of catacombs, of which, ultimately, they made a tourist attraction. It's better not to go down here without a guide and a powerful lantern – you can get lost in no time. For an entrance ticket to the “city of the dead” will have to pay 12.5 pounds. The opening hours should be checked on the official website, as it is constantly being adjusted.

Cathedral of Saint Egidio

This cathedral is better known as St. Giles Cathedral. It is officially considered the main Presbyterian temple in the country. Its construction began in the fourteenth century. Once upon a time, an ancient church stood on the site of the cathedral. Some pillars of the former building still support the vaults of the modern cathedral. To many, the Cathedral of St. Egidius seems a little gloomy with its Victorian stained glass windows and intricate stone carvings. As a rule, the most interesting is the Thistle Chapel, in which even today knights are consecrated.

The walls of this old chapel are painted with numerous coats of arms of aristocrats, members of eminent families and crowned persons who at different times were honored to become knights of the Thistle. The cathedral also houses the crypts of many famous Scottish personalities. In summer, the cathedral can be visited from 09:00 to 19:00, a special schedule is valid on weekends. In winter, it is open until 17:00. Admission is £3, and multiple shots are £2.

Craigmillar Castle

Once upon a time, a whole village grew around Craigmillar Castle, but now there are only numerous buildings around the central part of Edinburgh. The specificity of the castle is that it is perhaps the only Scottish castle that has retained its authentic appearance. The first mention of it dates back to the beginning of the thirteenth century.

The most ancient components of the castle appeared a hundred years later. Among the most famous dead who ever lived in Craigmillar, Mary Stuart stands out in particular. The castle is open to the public all year round. An adult ticket will cost 6 pounds.

Greyfriars Kirk Church

Once on the site of the modern church was the abbey of the Franciscan order – “The Abbey of the Gray Brothers”. It is considered one of the oldest buildings outside the Old Town of Edinburgh. Its age is estimated at four centuries. For a long time it consisted of two buildings, the earlier of which dates back to the Reformation period. This church has long been a true stronghold of Presbyterianism.

Greyfriars Kirk was the first Presbyterian church to have a stained glass window and even an organ. No less famous than the church itself is the local cemetery. Among the local ghosts there is their Jack the Ripper and their Hachiko, about whom several novels have been written.

National Portrait Gallery

The Scots took seriously the creation of a national collection of portraiture and photography. The very idea of opening such a gallery caused a wide resonance in society, but the government was in no hurry to invest in this project. The first sketches of the modern gallery appeared through the efforts of the then-famous philanthropist John Findley, who two centuries ago provided funds for the creation of a special building to house the collections.

The neo-Gothic red sandstone building with stucco and numerous sculptural compositions on the east and north facades still makes many passers-by look at it. You can visit the gallery from 10:00 to 17:00 on all days except Thursday. On Thursdays it closes two hours late. Admission to the National Treasury of Portraiture is free.

Scottish Whiskey Heritage Center

Scotch whiskey has been a brand for more than one century. This is not just a brand of alcohol, but the history of the country and its character. The Whiskey Heritage Center now houses more than 3,000 collectible bottles of the drink. This project is always relevant, as the government is happy to invest in the development of the center and attract partners.

The center itself occupies a vast building on the Royal Mile. The tour usually includes theoretical and practical parts. Moreover, the practical one is striking in its variability – usually the guest is offered to taste more than a hundred varieties of whiskey, which are made in different regions of the country. The center is open from 10:00 to 18:30. The entrance ticket will cost at least 14.5 pounds.

Museum “Our Dynamic Earth”

The museum amazes even before getting acquainted with its expositions. The roof of this building is made in the form of a giant membrane, which is stretched on metal cables. In such an unusual way, it was decided to meet the new millennium. The museum maintains an ideal balance of scientific authenticity and entertainment presentation of the material.

Thus, museum guests will be able to get a holistic view of the processes by which the Earth was formed, as well as the various stages in the development of the animal and plant world. Another important milestone is scientific forecasting. Questions of alternative evolution are raised. The full price of the ticket is 12.5 pounds, the children‘s ticket will cost 7.95 pounds. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:30.

National Museum of Scotland

The modern National Museum is the result of a merger between the Museum of Antiquities and the Royal Museum. It is noteworthy that we are talking not only about moving collections and compiling new excursion programs, but also about combining two buildings – a modern constructivist and an old Victorian one. The expositions relate to various fields of knowledge: history, geology, natural history, cultural studies.

Sometimes it seems that all this flow of information has no system: next to the stuffed doll of the cloned sheep Dolly, there is a hall of Elton John's creativity, which passes into a hall with artifacts from Ancient Egypt. The most vivid impressions usually remain from the Great Hall – the largest room of the museum, richly decorated with bird sculptures and filled with light. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:00. Entrance to the museum is free.

National Gallery of Modern Art

The gallery opened only at the end of the twentieth century. A huge neo-Gothic building with a luxurious garden was chosen to house it, which today has been turned into a large-scale sculpture dedicated to Charles Jenkins. According to the creators, the idea is based on chaos theory. The gallery's funds are so huge that temporary exhibitions often have to be held. Visitors can get acquainted with the work of Picasso, Matisse, Nicholson, Braque completely free of charge from 10:00 to 17:00.

Fort Bridge

This bridge has an extremely important function. In fact, it connects the southeast and northeast of the country. It began to be built at the end of the nineteenth century. More than sixty people died during the three years of construction. The scale of the project is amazing: ten times more metal was spent on it than on the construction of the Eiffel Tower.

The visual effect created by this bridge was so strong that many modern directors, artists and photographers chose it as a backdrop for their work. Some art historians also say that the Forth Bridge is not only an expression of modern art, but also its spiritual inspiration. The duality of nature is fascinating.

Royal Yacht Britannia

Once this yacht belonged to Elizabeth II herself. Before being moored in the port of Leith, she received the status of a ship that was in direct operation longer than any other. She rocked on the waves for almost forty-four years, having made more than a thousand voyages and traveled more than a million nautical miles. Most of the rooms have retained their original furnishings. Some cabins and dining area are used for events. The entrance ticket costs 12 pounds. Most of the year the visit is possible from 10:00 to 15:30.

Princess Street Gardens

A huge area of fifteen hectares between New and Old Edinburgh was given over to gardens, which residents and guests of the city still cannot get enough of. Back in the Middle Ages, Nor-Loch Lake was created on the territory of modern gardens for fortification purposes, which, closer to the onset of the New Age, was decided to be drained to create a park area. Which was done with brilliance. Soon, the two parts of Edinburgh were united by the railway, and a huge number of statues and even fountains appeared in the park itself, which are still working.

Tourists come here not only for relaxation, but also to see the famous flower clock and rise above the city on a Ferris wheel. Of course, it is not the highest in the world, but even so it is worth pampering yourself and plunging into the world of bright lights of fairground fun from a bird's eye view. In the summer months, a large-scale fireworks festival is held here, and in the winter, an ice rink is flooded here. Entrance to the park is free.

Royal Botanic Garden

This botanical garden has more than a long history. For almost five centuries of existence, it has changed its location more than once. It is noteworthy that initially it was created for educational purposes, so that young doctors and biologists could study the properties of various medicinal plants. Gradually, the profile changed from teaching to research. Now it is more of a place of educational recreation. The park is divided into independent thematic zones, some of which are located directly under the open sky, while others are located in greenhouses. If the entrance to the territory of the garden itself is free, then for the entrance to some greenhouses you will have to pay 4.5 pounds.

The workers themselves often call rockeries the main pearl of the garden: a mountain river, waterfalls and lakes form a complex system. The Chinese Garden is constantly growing and takes guests to the Asian landscape. The palm greenhouse with creepers, bamboo and almost all types of palm trees enjoys special love of visitors. The heather greenhouse and the plots dedicated to the local flora have an incomparable charm. Entire sections of the garden are devoted to environmental issues. It is best to visit the botanical garden in spring or summer, when all the plants are filled with strength. In the warm season, the garden is open from 10:00 to 19:00, in the autumn-winter period it closes at 18:00.

Throne of Arthur

The highest of the seven hills of Edinburgh is Arthur's Seat, which is located in the park adjacent to Holyrood Castle. Once upon a time, this majestic hill was nothing more than a volcano, but today many people call it the “lion's head”, which is not far from the truth. At a certain angle, the shape of the hill really begins to resemble a formidable predator, ready to jump. As for the official name of the hill, according to one version, the legendary Camelot Castle was once located here.

The only thing that can be said with complete certainty is that large-scale military battles really took place on the territory of the hill. True, it is not known whether King Arthur himself was somehow connected with them. Today, tourists enjoy climbing the hill to capture the colorful panoramas of Edinburgh.

Calton Hill

This hill is located to the east of the New Town and is another excellent observation deck, however, the reputation of this place is not really clean, rather the opposite. It was here that the city prison was located, and death sentences were regularly carried out. Today, there is a modern observatory on the top, and three wide avenues diverge in different directions from the hill. A number of monuments grace Calton Hill. The most unusual of them is the unfinished copy of the Parthenon, which attracts precisely by its incompleteness.