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Stories from Edinburgh, Scotland

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Edinburgh City Guide, in one place.

Areas

Edinburgh by area

From the Royal Mile to the sea, each part of Edinburgh has its own guide: the Old Town on its ridge, the Georgian New Town, Stockbridge and Dean Village, the theatres of the West End, Leith’s quayside, the Southside and the Meadows, Bruntsfield and Morningside, and Portobello’s beach.

The Royal Mile in the Old TownArea guideOld Town & the Royal MileCastle to palaceCharlotte Square in the New Town, with its statue and Georgian terracesArea guideThe New TownGeorgian EdinburghDean Village on the Water of LeithArea guideStockbridge & Dean VillageThe village in the cityThe Usher Hall on Lothian RoadArea guideWest End & HaymarketTheatres and terracesThe Shore at Leith at dusk, reflected in the Water of LeithArea guideLeith & the ShoreThe port

On foot

Edinburgh is a walking city: the Old Town and the New Town are a few minutes apart across the gardens, and the tram runs on down Leith Walk to the sea.

  1. Area guideSouthside & the MeadowsUniversity and green space
  2. Area guideBruntsfield & MorningsideThe Links and the villas
  3. Area guidePortobelloEdinburgh by the sea

Practical

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: the UK ETA and the city’s visitor levy, the tram from the airport, and itineraries from one day in the Old Town to a Platinum weekend.

The Royal Mile in the Old TownBefore you goEdinburgh essentialsEntry, the visitor levy, money and emergenciesEdinburgh Castle on Castle Rock above the rooftops of the cityItineraryThe Old Town in a dayCastle to palaceThe Balmoral hotel and its clock tower at the east end of Princes StreetLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesTables laid with marble tops and fresh flowers in the dining room of Restaurant Martin Wishart in LeithItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Balmoral and LeithEdinburgh Castle on its rock above the trees of West Princes Street GardensItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Witchery and Prestonfield

Our advice

Be at the castle for one o’clock

Book a timed ticket for Edinburgh Castle and be on the walls at one o’clock, when the One o’Clock Gun fires; then walk down the Royal Mile to Holyrood. Edinburgh Castle

Day trips

Beyond Edinburgh

East Lothian’s beaches, Glasgow’s museums, Stirling’s castle, the links of St Andrews, Scott’s Borders and the Highlands, all within reach of Waverley.

The Bass Rock and its lighthouse in the Firth of ForthBeyond EdinburghEast Lothian & North BerwickBeaches and the Bass RockThe central hall of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and MuseumBeyond EdinburghGlasgowThe great Victorian cityStirling Castle on its rockBeyond EdinburghStirling & the TrossachsCastle and lochsThe ruins of St Andrews Cathedral and St Rule's TowerBeyond EdinburghSt Andrews & FifeGolf and fishing villagesSir Walter Scott’s library at AbbotsfordBeyond EdinburghThe Scottish BordersScott’s country
  1. Beyond EdinburghThe HighlandsPerthshire, Glencoe and the Cairngorms

Our advice

Climb Calton Hill at dusk

Ten minutes from Princes Street, Calton Hill shows you the whole city as the lights come on: the castle, the Old Town ridge, the New Town and the Firth of Forth. Calton Hill

In depth

Edinburgh in depth: the stories behind the city

The two towns, the festival city, eating from Leith to Stockbridge, the grand hotels, the trams and trains, and how buying works in Scotland: the stories behind the city.

The big wheel and a lit carousel at Edinburgh's Christmas marketChristmas & HogmanayChristmas in EdinburghThe Big Wheel, the ice and HogmanayThousands of gannets nesting on the Bass Rock and wheeling above itIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild EdinburghGannets, wild lochs and the hillsEdinburgh Castle and the Old Town seen from Calton Hill, with the Pentland Hills beyondFeatureEdinburgh, the classic and the newCastle, closes, crescents and the new waterfront

In season

Come in August for the festivals, or at New Year for Hogmanay: and book early for both, when the city fills.

  1. The back storyThe festival cityAugust and Hogmanay
  2. The back storyEating in EdinburghFrom Leith to Stockbridge
  3. The back storyThe grand hotelsFrom the Balmoral to the Witchery

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