The back story
-
The back story
The Old Town: the ridge from castle to palace
The medieval town on its ridge: the castle, the Royal Mile, St Giles’, the closes, the Grassmarket and Victoria Street.
Area guide · Edinburgh
The Old Town: closes, kirks and the castle
The castle, the Royal Mile, St Giles’, the closes, the Grassmarket, Victoria Street and the Witchery.
What's onThis week in Edinburgh
What to see and do
-
Historic Environment Scotland
Edinburgh Castle
The castle on its volcanic rock, home of the Honours of Scotland, Mons Meg and the One o’Clock Gun.
Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NGExplore View on map
-
The King’s official residence in Scotland
Palace of Holyroodhouse
The King’s official residence in Scotland, at the foot of the Royal Mile, with the ruins of Holyrood Abbey.
Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DXExplore View on map
-
On the Royal Mile
St Giles’ Cathedral
The High Kirk of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile, with its crown spire and the Thistle Chapel.
High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1REExplore View on map
-
A 17th-century street
The Real Mary King’s Close
A guided tour of the 17th-century street preserved beneath the Royal Mile.
Warriston's Close, High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1PGExplore View on map
-
Castlehill
Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
Five floors of illusions and a rooftop view, beside the castle esplanade.
Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NDExplore View on map
-
Castlehill
The Scotch Whisky Experience
Tours and tastings of Scotch whisky at the top of the Royal Mile, with a whisky shop and bar.
Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NEExplore View on map
-
Chambers Street
National Museum of Scotland
Scotland’s national museum on Chambers Street: natural history, world cultures, science and Scotland’s story, under one roof.
Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JFExplore View on map
-
Since 1620
Greyfriars Kirk
The first new church built in Edinburgh after the Reformation, with its kirkyard, by the Grassmarket.
Greyfriars Place, Edinburgh EH1 2QQExplore View on map
-
Culture Edinburgh
Museum of Edinburgh
The city’s own museum on the Canongate, in a group of 16th-century houses.
Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DDExplore View on map
-
Burns, Scott and Stevenson
The Writers’ Museum
Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, in Lady Stair’s House off the Lawnmarket.
Lady Stair's Close, Edinburgh EH1 2PAExplore View on map
-
Planetarium
Dynamic Earth
A science centre and planetarium below Salisbury Crags, telling the story of the planet.
Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8ASExplore View on map
-
Tours of the building
The Scottish Parliament building
Enric Miralles’s building opposite Holyroodhouse, open to visitors.
Horse Wynd, Edinburgh EH99 1SPExplore View on map
-
Contemporary art
The Fruitmarket
A contemporary art gallery on Market Street, beside Waverley.
45 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DFExplore View on map
-
Tapestry studio
Dovecot Studios
A gallery of art, design and textiles built around a working tapestry studio, on Infirmary Street.
Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LTExplore View on map
-
Photography since 1977
Stills
Scotland’s centre for photography, on Cockburn Street.
Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BPExplore View on map
-
Culture Edinburgh
City Art Centre
The city’s collection of Scottish art and touring exhibitions, by Waverley.
Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DEExplore View on map
-
On the Royal Mile
Scottish Storytelling Centre
Storytelling, music and theatre beside John Knox House on the Royal Mile.
43–45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SRExplore View on map
-
Every August
Edinburgh International Festival
Opera, music, theatre and dance from around the world, every August.
The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NEExplore View on map
-
Every August
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The world’s great open-access arts festival, filling the city each August.
180 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QSExplore View on map
-
On the castle esplanade
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Music, dance and the massed pipes and drums on the castle esplanade each August.
-
Self-guided
The Royal Mile: castle to palace
Down the spine of the Old Town, from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, by St Giles’ and the closes.
-
Self-guided
Victoria Street and the Grassmarket
The curving street of coloured shopfronts down to the Grassmarket, under the castle.
Where to eat
-
One MICHELIN Star (2026)
Timberyard
A restaurant on Lady Lawson Street, below the castle.
10 Lady Lawson Street, EH3 9DS, EdinburghExplore View on map
-
In the MICHELIN Guide
Whirlybird
Modern cooking on curving Victoria Street.
36-38 Victoria Street, EH1 2JW, EdinburghExplore View on map
-
Candlelit at the castle gates
The Witchery restaurant
The Witchery’s candlelit, panelled dining rooms at the top of the Royal Mile.
Castlehill, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NFExplore View on map
-
On the Canongate
Wedgwood the Restaurant
A long-running independent restaurant on the Canongate, at the foot of the Royal Mile.
-
On Parliament Square
The Colonnades at the Signet Library
Afternoon tea among the columns of the Signet Library, beside St Giles’ on Parliament Square.
Parliament Square, Edinburgh EH1 1RFExplore View on map
-
Cakes on West Port
Lovecrumbs
Cake and coffee on West Port, a short walk from the Grassmarket; no bookings at weekends.
-
On the Grassmarket
Mary’s Milk Bar
Gelato, made on site, on the Grassmarket below the castle.
Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2HSExplore View on map
Bars
-
West Port
Dragonfly
Cocktails on West Port, by the Grassmarket; in its own words, the city’s oldest cocktail bar.
52 West Port, Edinburgh EH1 2LDExplore View on map
-
Advocate’s Close
The Devil’s Advocate
Rare whisky and seasonal food in one of the Old Town’s closes, off the Royal Mile.
-
Victoria Street
The Bow Bar
A real ale and whisky bar on Victoria Street.
Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2HHExplore View on map
Shopping
-
Ethical and vintage
Godiva Boutique
Sustainable clothing from local and independent designers, with hand-picked vintage, on West Port.
-
Bottlers since 1842
Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop
Single-cask whisky from Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, on the Canongate.
-
Saturdays on Castle Terrace
Edinburgh Farmers’ Market
Edinburgh’s original farmers’ market, on Castle Terrace below the castle.
Where to stay
-
At the castle gates
The Witchery by the Castle
Nine theatrical suites and a famous candlelit dining room at the gates of Edinburgh Castle.
Castlehill, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NFExplore View on map
-
The newspaper’s building
The Scotsman Hotel
The Edwardian home of The Scotsman newspaper on North Bridge, now a hotel with a boutique cinema.
20 North Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1TRExplore View on map
-
By Waverley
Market Street Hotel
A design hotel steps from the Royal Mile and Waverley station.
Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DEExplore View on map
Share your Old Town & the Royal Mile tips
Been to Old Town & the Royal Mile? Tell other readers what you found there.
- Loading the conversation…