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Edinburgh Information

Venerable, dramatic EDINBURGH , the showcase capital of Scotland, is a historic, cosmopolitan and cultured city. The setting is wonderfully striking; the city is perched on a series of extinct volcanoes and rocky crags which rise from the generally flat landscape of the Lothians, with the sheltered shoreline of the Firth of Forth to the north. "My own Romantic town", Sir Walter Scott called it, although it was another native author, Robert Louis Stevenson, who perhaps best captured the feel of his "precipitous city", declaring that "No situation could be more commanding for the head of a kingdom; none better chosen for noble prospects." The centre has two distinct parts, divided by Princes Street Gardens , which run roughly east-west under the shadow of Castle Rock . To the north, the dignified, Grecian-style New Town was immaculately laid out during the Age of Reason, after the announcement of a plan to improve conditions in the city. The Old Town , on the other hand, with its tortuous alleys and tightly packed closes, is unrelentingly medieval, associated in popular imagination with the underworld lore of schizophrenic Deacon Brodie, inspiration for Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , and the bodysnatchers Burke and Hare. Edinburgh earned its nickname of "Auld Reekie" for the smog and smell generated by the Old Town, which for centuries swam in sewage tipped out of the windows of cramped tenements. Set on the crag which sweeps down from the towering fairytale castle to the royal Palace of Holyroodhouse , the Old Town preserves all the key reminders of its role as a capital, plus a brand new parliament building rising up opposite the palace. A few hundred yards away a tantalizing glimpse of the wild beauty of Scotland's scenery can be had immediately beyond the palace in Holyrood Park , an extensive area of open countryside dominated by Arthur's Seat , the largest and most impressive of the volcanoes. In August and early September, around a million visitors flock to the city for the Edinburgh Festival , in fact a series of separate festivals that make up the largest arts extravaganza in the world. Among the many museums, the exciting new National Museum of Scotland houses ten thousand of Scotland's most precious artefacts, while the National Gallery of Scotland and its offshoot, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art , have two of Britain's finest collections of paintings. On a less elevated theme, the city's distinctive howffs (pubs), allied to its brewing and distilling traditions, make Edinburgh a great drinking city. The presence of three universities , plus several colleges, means that there is a youthful presence for most of the year - a welcome corrective to the stuffiness which is often regarded as Edinburgh's Achilles heel. Beyond the city centre, the most lively area is Leith , the city's medieval port, whose seedy edge is softened by a series of great bars and upmarket seafood restaurants, along with the presence of the former royal yacht Britannia , now open to visitors.

History

It was during the Dark Ages that the name of Edinburgh - at least in its early forms of Dunedin or Din Eidyn ("fort of Eidyn") - first appeared. Castle Rock, a strategic fort atop one of the volcanoes, served as the nation's southernmost border post until 1018, when King Malcolm I established the River Tweed as the permanent frontier. In the reign of Malcolm Canmore, the castle became one of the main seats of the court, and the town, which was given privileged status as a royal burgh , began to grow. In 1128 King David established Holyrood Abbey at the foot of the slope, later allowing its monks to found a separate burgh, known as Canongate. Robert the Bruce granted Edinburgh a new charter in 1329, giving it jurisdiction over the nearby port of Leith, and during the following century the prosperity brought by foreign trade enabled the newly fortified city to establish itself as the permanent capital of Scotland . Under King James IV, the city enjoyed a short but brilliant Renaissance era, which saw not only the construction of a new palace alongside Holyrood Abbey, but also the granting of a royal charter to the College of Surgeons, the earliest in the city's long line of academic and professional bodies. This period came to an abrupt end in 1513 with the calamitous defeat by the English at the Battle of Flodden , which led to several decades of political instability. In the 1540s, King Henry VIII's attempt to force a royal union with Scotland led to the sack of Edinburgh, prompting the Scots to turn to France: French troops arrived to defend the city, while the young queen Mary was dispatched to Paris as the promised bride of the Dauphin. While the French occupiers succeeded in removing the English threat, they themselves antagonized the locals, who had become increasingly sympathetic to the ideals of the Reformation . When the radical preacher John Knox returned from exile in 1555, he quickly won the city over to his Calvinist message. James VI's rule saw the foundation of the University of Edinburgh in 1582, but following the Union of the Crowns in 1603 the city was totally upstaged by London: although James promised to visit every three years, it was not until 1617 that he made his only return trip. In 1633 Charles I visited Edinburgh for his coronation, but soon afterwards precipitated a crisis by introducing episcopacy to the Church of Scotland, in the process making Edinburgh a bishopric for the first time. Fifty years of religious turmoil followed, culminating in the triumph of Presbyterianism . Despite these vicissitudes, Edinburgh expanded throughout the seventeenth century and, constrained by its walls, was forced to build both upwards and inwards. The Union of the Parliaments of 1707 dealt a further blow to Edinburgh's political prestige, though the guaranteed preservation of the national church and the legal and educational systems ensured that it was never relegated to a purely provincial role. On the contrary, it was in the second half of the eighteenth century that Edinburgh achieved the height of its intellectual influence, led by an outstanding group including David Hume and Adam Smith. Around the same time, the city began to expand beyond its medieval boundaries, laying out a New Town , a masterpiece of the Neoclassical style. Industrialization affected Edinburgh less than any other major city in the nation, and it never lost its white-collar character. Nevertheless, it underwent an enormous urban expansion in the course of the nineteenth century. In 1947 Edinburgh was chosen to host the great International Festival which served as a symbol of the new peaceful European order; despite some hiccups, it has flourished ever since, in the process helping to make tourism a mainstay of the local economy. In 1975 the city carried out another territorial expansion, moving its boundaries westwards as far as the old burgh of South Queensferry and the Forth Bridges. Four years later, an inconclusive referendum on Scottish devolution delayed Edinburgh's revival of its role as a governmental capital, and Glasgow, previously the poor relation but always a tenacious rival, began to challenge the city's status as a cultural centre. However, while the 1990s saw Glasgow establish a clear lead in driving Scotland's contemporary arts scene, the decade also marked the return of power and influence to Edinburgh. Following a referendum in 1997, in which Scotland voted resoundingly in favour of re-establishing its own parliament , elections were held in May 1999. On July 1, 1999 the Queen formally opened the parliament, temporarily housed in the twin-towered Church of Scotland Assembly Halls on the Mound. Inevitably, the early years of the parliament have seen petty squabbling mixed with rather dizzying constitutional manoeuvring, but with debates, decisions and demonstrations about crucial aspects of the government of Scotland now taking place in Edinburgh, there has been a notable upturn in the sense of importance of the city. Added to this, recent acquisitions and mergers involving Scotland's two major banks, the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of Scotland, have affirmed Edinburgh's significant place as a financial centre not just in Britain, but also Europe. Meanwhile, construction teams are at work on the parliament building, which will take its place opposite the ancient Palace of Holyroodhouse at the foot of the Royal Mile.

Arrival

Although Edinburgh occupies a large area relative to its population - less than half a million people - most places worth visiting lie within the compact city centre, which is easily explored on foot. This is divided clearly and unequivocally between the maze-like Old Town , which lies on and around the crag linking the castle and the Palace, and the New Town , laid out in a symmetrical pattern on the undulating ground to the north. Edinburgh International Airport (tel 0131/333 1000) is at Turnhouse, seven miles west of the city centre; regular Airlink shuttle buses (£3.30) connect to Waverley Bridge in the town centre; taxis charge around £15 for the same journey. Conveniently situated at the eastern end of Princes Street in the New Town, Waverley Station (timetable and fare enquiries tel 0845/748 4950) is the terminus for all mainline trains. There's a second mainline train stop, Haymarket Station , just under two miles west on the lines from Waverley to Glasgow, Fife and the Highlands, although this is only really of use if you're staying nearby. The bus terminal for local and intercity services is on St Andrew Square, two minutes' walk from Waverley Station, on the opposite side of Princes Street.

City Transport

Edinburgh is well served by buses, although even locals are confused by the consequences of deregulation, with several companies offering competing services along similar routes. Most bus stops have a useful diagram indicating which services pass the stop and which routes they take. Most useful are the maroon buses operated by Lothian Regional Transport (LRT); all buses referred to in the text are run by them unless otherwise stated. Timetables and passes are available from their ticket centres on Waverley Bridge or at 27 Hanover St (enquiry line tel 0131/555 6363), or from the city council-run Traveline, at 2 Cockburn St (tel 0800/232323). Of the various passes available, there's an LRT day pass for £2.20 (£1.50 if you buy it after 9.30am, or £4.20 including the airport bus), or, of course, you can buy individual tickets from the driver, for which you'll need exact change - the most common fare is 80p. Edinburgh is well endowed with taxi ranks, and you can also hail black cabs on the street. We've listed phone numbers for taxi firms. It is emphatically not a good idea to take a car into central Edinburgh: despite the presence of several expensive multistorey car parks, finding somewhere to park involves long and often fruitless searches. In addition, street parking restrictions are famously draconian. Edinburgh is, however, a reasonably cycle-friendly city - although hilly - with several cycle paths . The local cycling action group, Spokes (tel 0131/313 2114, ), publishes an excellent cycle map of the city.

Cafés and Restaurants

The last decade has seen an upsurge in style, sophistication and good taste in Edinburgh's cafés and restaurants. Café culture has hit the centre of the city, with tables spilling onto the pavements in the summer, and this has been matched by the rise of a clutch of original, upmarket and stylish restaurants , many identifying their cuisine as "contemporary" or "modern Scottish" and championing top-quality meat, game and fish. As with most large British cities, the culinary map of Edinburgh is colourful and global, with long-established Chinese, Indian and Mexican places competing with outlets for Thai, Japanese, North African and Spanish cuisine. Generally, small diners and bistros predominate, many adopting a casual French style and offering good-value set menus. Traditional Scottish cooking can still be found at some of the more formal restaurants, and inevitably some tourist-oriented places offer haggis and other classic clichés. Edinburgh excels in vegetarian restaurants, including a couple of classic Indian vegetarian places, and seafood - it's long been a speciality of the Leith waterfront, and you'll now also find a number of great seafood bistros in the centre of town. The Royal Mile and around :: Bistros, Cafés and Diners :: Café Hub Lawnmarket. Colourful, well-run café in the Edinburgh Festival centre, with light modern meals served right through the day and evening. Teas, coffees, snacks and drinks also served. The large terrace is usefully central on sunny days. Inexpensive. Café Odile Stills Gallery, 23 Cockburn St. Not the easiest place to find, but worth seeking out. French home-cooking at its best, with tasty, original savoury tarts, flans, salads and sandwiches, as well as delicious cakes and coffee. Inexpensive. Elephant House 21 George IV Bridge. A popular café with a large selection of coffees, teas, sandwiches, light meals and big cakes. The cavernous back room is great for reading newspapers and having philosophical discussions. Open every day 8am-11pm. Inexpensive. Lower Aisle In the High Kirk of St Giles, High Street. Popular with bewigged advocates from the High Court, this café in the crypt serves good-value light lunches, with excellent home baking. Closed evenings and all day Sat. Inexpensive. Netherbow Café Netherbow Arts Centre, 43 High St. Decent wholefood and vegetarian soups and light meals, with a courtyard for sunny days and kids' corner. Lunchtimes only. Closed Sun. Inexpensive. :: Restaurants :: Bann UK 5 Hunter Square tel 0131/226 1112. Thoroughly modern vegetarian restaurant, with interesting, non-conventional dishes, stylish design and DJs playing ambient music late on. Mon-Thurs & Sun 10am-1am, Fri & Sat 10am-3am. Moderate. Black Bo's 57 Blackfriars St tel 0131/557 6136. Inventive non-meat diner with an earthy atmosphere and friendly service. Open evenings daily and lunch Fri & Sat. Moderate. Creelers 3 Hunter Sq tel 0131/220 4447. The only specialist seafood restaurant in the Old Town, with fresh produce brought in from a sister restaurant/fish shop on Arran. Moderate-expensive. Igg's 15 Jeffrey St tel 0131/557 8184. A Spanish-owned hybrid, offering tapas snacks and Mediterranean dishes alongside traditional Scottish food. Smart but not intimidating. Closed Sun. Expensive. Khushi's Lothian Restaurant 16 Drummond St. One of the first Indian places to open in the capital, Khushi's is still essentially a basic cafeteria with few frills, but it's a characterful and friendly place and the food is reliable and cheap. Bring your own drink. Closed Sun. Inexpensive. Le Sept Old Fishmarket Close tel 0131/225 5428. Long-established French brasserie tucked down a cobbled close off the Royal Mile specializing in fish dishes and filling savoury crepes. Moderate. Mamma's American Pizza Co . 30 Grassmarket. The best pizzas in this part of town, popular with students and larger groups, with outside tables in the summer and reasonably priced wine. Open Sun-Thurs until midnight, Fri & Sat until 1am. Inexpensive-moderate. Ortegas 38 St Mary's St tel 0131/557 5754. Comfortable local bistro with some refreshingly original dishes, including good vegetarian options. Although the name is Spanish, the food isn't easily pigeonholed. Moderate. Suruchi 14a Nicolson St tel 0131/556 6583. Popular establishment serving genuine South Indian dishes - the menu is written in bizarre but entertaining broad Scots. Look out for cross-cultural specials such as tandoori trout. Moderate. The Tower Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street tel 0131/225 3003. Unique setting on Level 5 of the museum; at night you are escorted along the empty corridors to the restaurant, where spectacular views to the floodlit castle are revealed. Excellent Modern Scottish food in a self-consciously chic setting. Expensive. Viva Mexico 10 Anchor Close, off Cockburn Street tel 0131/226 5145. For many years one of Edinburgh's best Mexicans, doing the staples well in a friendly, easygoing atmosphere. Moderate. The Witchery by the Castle 352 Castlehill, Royal Mile tel 0131/225 5613. The restaurant that only Edinburgh could create, with Gothic panelling, tapestries and heavy stonework only a broomstick-hop from the castle. The superb fish and game dishes are pricey, but you can steal a sense of it all with a pre- or post-theatre set menu (£10). Expensive. The New Town and The West End :: Bistros, Cafés and Diners :: Glass & Thompson 2 Dundas St. An unusually airy deli with huge bowls of olives and an extensive cheese counter; scattered tables and chairs mean you can linger over a made-to-order sandwich, an irresistible cake and coffee. Closed evenings. Inexpensive. Hadrian's 2 North Bridge tel 0131/557 5000. Although it's strictly part of the upmarket Balmoral Hotel , this brasserie isn't too overpriced, and the elegance of the design and atmosphere, along with good quality Modern British cooking, make it worth seeking out. Moderate. Howies at Waterloo 29 Waterloo Place tel 0131/556 5766. Flagship of the small local Howies chain, with a pleasant dining area on the fringe of Calton Hill and reliably well priced, comforting modern Scottish food. Moderate. :: Restaurants :: Café Royal Oyster Bar 17a W Register St tel 0131/556 4124. An Edinburgh classic, with its splendidly ornate Victorian interior (featured in Chariots of Fire ), stained-glass windows, marble floor and Doulton tiling. Classic seafood dishes, including freshly caught oysters, served in a civilized, chatty atmosphere. Very expensive. Café St Honoré 34 Thistle St Lane tel 0131/226 2211. A little piece of Paris tucked away in a New Town back lane. Fairly traditional French fare, but top quality. Closed Sun. Expensive. Caffè DOC 49a Thistle St. Modern Italian style and a genuine dedication to good food are evident here, with a dining room rather hidden behind the sleek street-front coffee bar. Moderate-expensive. Cosmo 58a N Castle St tel 0131/226 6743. Straightforward but genuine and delicious Italian cuisine in a long-established, fairly exclusive restaurant. Closed Sun. Expensive. Fishers in the City 58 Thistle Lane tel 0131/225 5109. New Town incarnation of Leith's best-loved seafood bistro. This one has a sleek modern interior, great service and some stunning seafood. Expensive. Henderson's Salad Table 94 Hanover St. A much-loved Edinburgh institution with a self-service basement restaurant offering freshly prepared hot dishes, plus a great choice of salads, soups, sweets and cheeses. The slightly antiquated cafeteria feel can put people off, but the food is rarely short of outstanding. Light jazz every evening. Open Mon-Sat 8am-10.30pm. Inexpensive-moderate. Henderson's Bistro , next door at 25 Thistle St (tel 0131/225 2605) offers moderately priced bistro-style vegetarian meals, and is open during the day and Thurs-Sat evenings. Closed Mon. Kweilin 19-21 Dundas St tel 0131/557 1875. One of the most reliable Chinese restaurants in town, serving Cantonese and Szechuan dishes in a pleasant atmosphere. Slightly more expensive than some. Moderate. La Cuisine d'Odile 13 Randolph Crescent, West End tel 0131/225 5685. Genuine French home cooking in a West End basement under the French Institute. Lunch only (noon-2pm). Closed Sun, Mon & July. Inexpensive. Loon Fung 2 Warriston Place, Canonmills tel 0131/556 1781. Something of a trailblazer for Cantonese cuisine in Scotland, near the eastern entrance to the Botanic Garden. Moderate. Mussel Inn 61-65 Rose St tel 0131/225 5979. After feasting on a kilo of mussels and a basket of chips for under £10 you'll realize why there's a demand to get in here. Owned by two west-coast shellfish farmers, which ensures that the time from sea to stomach is minimal. Closed Sun. Moderate. Songkran 24a Stafford St, West End tel 0131/225 7889. A simple basement restaurant with some nice authentic decor and good-value tasty Thai food, including "banquet" options. Moderate. Tampopo 25a Thistle St tel 0131/220 5254. Tiny budget noodle bar offering filling Japanese meals from around £5, but engaging owner Katsuo Honjigawa will guide you through more interesting choices including sushi and bento boxes. Tues-Sat noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm. Inexpensive-moderate. North and West of The New Town :: Bistros, Cafés and Diners :: Café Mediterraneo 73 Broughton St. A great little place with a deli counter and a small dining space serving Italian food in unpretentious style. Not a red-checked tablecloth to be seen. Moderate. The Gallery Café Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Belford Road, Dean. Far more than a standard refreshment stop for gallery visitors, the cultured setting and strong menu attracts reassuring numbers of locals. Serves salads, filled croissants, light meals, coffee and cakes. Open Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm, Sun noon-4.30pm. Moderate. Lost Sock Diner 11 East London St, Broughton. Fill up on burgers, wraps and blackboard specials, all at surprising low prices, while your dirty clothes take a spin in the adjacent laundrette. Try the parsnip chips. Open Tues & Wed until 9pm, Thurs-Sat until 10pm. Inexpensive. Terrace Café Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith. Superior spot with outside tables offering stunning views of the city skyline, though the food is not that exciting. Their changing menu includes hot dishes, sandwiches and cakes. Inexpensive. Valvona and Crolla 19 Elm Row, Leith Walk tel 0131/556 6066. The café at the back of this exquisite Italian deli serves authentic and delicious breakfasts, lunches and snacks. The best advert for the café is the walk through the shop - which has food stacked from floor to ceiling, with display cabinets full of sublime olives, meats and cheeses. Open Mon-Sat 8am-5pm. Moderate. :: Restaurants :: Blue Parrot Cantina 49 St Stephen's St, Stockbridge tel 0131/225 2941. Cosy Stockbridge basement restaurant, with a small, frequently changing menu which deviates from the Mexican clichés. Moderate. Modern India 20 Union Place tel 0131/556 4547. Edinburgh's best example of the contemporary curry-house, with bright new decor and a menu daring to stray from the conventional. A little bit of Bollywood right across from the Playhouse Theatre. Moderate. South and West of The Old Town :: Bistros, Cafés and Diners :: The Apartment 7-13 Barclay Place, Bruntsfield tel 0131/228 6456. Hugely popular, highly fashionable modern diner, with IKEA furniture, sisal flooring and abstract modern art on the walls. Their "Chunky, Healthy Lines" feature filling kebabs of meat, fish or vegetables. Moderate. blue 10 Cambridge St tel 0131/221 1222. Long-standing super-stylish café/bistro in the same building as the avant-garde Traverse Theatre. Modern minimalist decor, with tasty modern dishes for under £10 per main course. Open Mon-Sat until 11pm. Moderate. Favorit 30-32 Leven St, Bruntsfield. Thoroughly modern café-diner dishing up coffees, fruit shakes, cakes and big sandwiches, as well as drinks, right through to 3am. Ndebele 57 Home St. Colourful African café offering sandwiches with lots of alternative fillings, imaginative salads and biltong for homesick South Africans. Open daily until 10pm. Inexpensive. :: Restaurants :: The Atrium 10 Cambridge St tel 0131/228 8882. Proving resilient in its position among the most impressive restaurants in the city. Quirky arty design with railway-sleeper tables and innovative nouvelle cuisine focusing on high-quality Scottish produce. Closed Sunday. Very expensive. Jasmine 32 Grindlay St tel 0131/229 5757. Modern looking, good-value Cantonese restaurant, with a strong line in fresh fish. Across the street from the Lyceum and the Usher Hall. Moderate. Kalpna 2 St Patrick Square, Newington tel 0131/667 9890. Outstanding vegetarian restaurant serving authentic Gujarati dishes. Four set meals, including a vegan option, stand alongside the main menu. Closed Sun. Moderate. The Marque 19-21 Causewayside, Newington tel 0131/466 6660. One of the best exponents of classy-but-casual dining in Edinburgh, with Modern Scottish recipes and some top-value pre- and post-theatre deals. Closed Mon. Moderate-expensive. Marque Central 30b Grindlay St tel 0131/229 9859. Sister restaurant to the original Southside venture, moving into the theatreland patch with its great value pre- and post-theatre deals. At any time a place for imaginative modern Scottish food. Closed Sun. Moderate-expensive. Point Hotel 34 Bread St tel 0131/221 5555. A classy feel with modern decor, white linen tablecloths and smartly dressed waiters, and well-presented food based on fresh local fish and meat. One of the best-value deals in town: a three-course set menu is just £12.90. Moderate. Susie's Diner 51 W Nicolson St, Newington. Popular café serving inventive soups, savouries and puddings, and a range of vegan food, to crowds of students. Inexpensive. Leith and Newhaven :: Bistros, Cafés and Diners :: Daniel's , 88 Commercial St tel 0131/553 5933. Top-grade bistro in an attractive setting on the ground floor of a converted warehouse in Leith. Food is from the Alsace region of France; the tarte flambée , one of the specialist dishes, is a sort of pizza with a French name and German ingredients. Moderate. Malmaison Café Bar 1 Tower Place tel 0131/468 5001. Successful attempt to create the feel of a French café, serving excellent steak and chips as well as indulgent breakfasts and brunches. Moderate. :: Restaurants :: Britannia Spice 150 Commercial St tel 0131/555 2255. The decor's nautical, the food is prepared by specialist chefs from the sub-continent and the awards for this relatively new but ambitious Indian restaurant have been piling up. Moderate Restaurant Martin Wishart 52 The Shore tel 0131/553 3557. Edinburgh's only Michelin-star holder wows the gourmets with French-influenced Scottish food right by the Water of Leith. The food's incredible but the ambience is rather stark. Closed Sun & Mon. Expensive. Ship on the Shore 24-26 The Shore tel 0131/555 0409. The homeliest and least expensive of the waterfront brasseries, serving good fresh fish and with a changing range of cask ales. Moderate. Skippers Bistro 1a Dock Place tel 0131/554 1018. More relaxed than it looks from the outside, with a vaguely nautical atmosphere and a superb fish-oriented menu that changes according to what's fresh. Worth booking ahead. Expensive. The Shore 3 The Shore tel 0131/553 5080. A bar/restaurant with huge mirrors, wood panelling and aproned waiters who serve up good fish dishes and decent wines. Live jazz, folk and hubbub floats through from the adjoining bar. Moderate. The Vintner's Rooms 87 Giles St tel 0131/554 6767. Splendid restaurant in a seventeenth-century warehouse; the ornate Rococo dining room is a marvel and the food - ranging from seafood to game - isn't bad either. Very expensive. Waterfront Wine Bar 1c Dock Place tel 0131/554 7427. Housed in the former lock-keeper's cottage, you can eat in the wonderfully characterful wine bar (smoking) or non-smoking conservatory attached. Fish dishes dominate. Moderate.

Nightlife and Entertainment

Inevitably, Edinburgh's nightlife is at its best during the Festival, which can make the other 49 weeks of the year seem like an anticlimax. However, at any time the city has plenty to offer, especially in the realm of theatre and music . The club scene is lively, with some excellent venues hosting a changing selection of one-nighters. In the bigger venues, you may find different clubs taking place on each floor. Most of the city-centre clubs stay open until around 3am. You can normally hear live jazz, folk and rock every evening in one or other of the city's pubs. The city has permanent venues large enough to host large touring orchestras and ballet companies; elsewhere you can also uncover a lively comedy club and a couple of excellent art-house cinemas. Edinburgh has a dynamic gay culture, for years centred round the top of Leith Walk and Broughton Street, where the first gay and lesbian centre appeared in the 1970s. Since the start of the 1990s, more and more gay enterprises, especially cafés and nightclubs, have moved into this area, now dubbed the "Pink Triangle". The best way to find out what's on is to pick up a copy of The List , a fortnightly listings magazine covering both Edinburgh and Glasgow (£1.95). Alternatively, get hold of the Edinburgh Evening News , which appears daily except Sunday: its listings column gives details of performances in the city that day, hotels and bars included. Pubs and Bars Many of Edinburgh's pubs , especially in the Old Town, have histories that stretch back centuries, while others, particularly in the New Town, are unaltered Victorian or Edwardian period pieces. Add a plentiful supply of trendy modern bars , and there's a variety of styles and atmospheres to cater for all tastes. Edinburgh has a long history of brewing beer, though only two principal breweries remain: the giant Scottish & Newcastle (who produce McEwan's and Younger's) and the small independent Caledonian Brewery, which uses old techniques and equipment to produce some of the best beers in Britain. Once upon a time Edinburgh's main drinking strip was the near-legendary Rose Street , and the ultimate Edinburgh pub crawl was to drink a half-pint in each of its dozen or so establishments. Things are a bit more sophisticated these days, with George Street taking a lead: various former financial institutions have been converted into bars, with a predictable invasion of suits by day and style by night. While many of the Royal Mile 's pubs aren't ashamed to make the most of local historical connections to draw in the tourists, you don't have to travel far to find some lively places, notably the student-filled pubs in and around the Grassmarket . Leith has a range of bars, from rough spit-and-sawdust places to polished pseudo-Victoriana, while we've also listed a number of characterful places further away from the centre. Clubs The Bongo Club 14 New St tel 0131/556 5204. Great venue above a car park near Waverley Station, attracting some of the most interesting DJs around. Look out for the mighty Messenger Sound System monthly on Saturdays and Club Latino monthly on Fridays. The Cavendish West Tollcross tel 0131/228 3252. Slightly dingy but still a packed venue for roots, ragga and reggae night on Friday; the Mambo Club on Saturday plays African and Latin rhythms. Ego 14 Picardy Place tel 0131/478 7434. A former casino, this big venue hosts Joy , one of the city's longest running nights, which plays house and trance to a gay and mixed crowd monthly on Saturdays. The smaller Cocteau Lounge downstairs is another popular venue. La Belle Angèle 11 Hasties Close tel 0131/225 7536. A rotating selection of Latin, soul, hip-hop and jazz. Look out for the infamous Radio Babylon nights on Fridays, while house rules on Saturdays. Occasionally hosts important touring bands. Gay Clubs and Bars Blue Moon Café 1 Barony St tel 0131/556 2788. Coffee, drinks and light meals available at this long-standing friendly café-bar which attracts a mixed crowd. Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am-10pm. CC Bloom's 23 Greenside Place tel 0131/556 9331. Big dance floor, stonking rhythms and a young, friendly crowd. Nexus Café 60 Broughton St tel 0131/478 7069. Light meals, snacks and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere at the Edinburgh Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Centre. Open 11am-11pm. Hogmanay Hogmanay is the name Scots give to New Year's Eve , a celebration they have made all their own with a unique mix of tradition, hedonism, sentimentality and enthusiasm. The roots of the Hogmanay are in ancient pagan festivities based around the winter solstice, which in most places gradually merged with Christmas. When hardline Scottish Protestant clerics in the sixteenth century abolished Christmas for being a Catholic mass, the Scots, not wanting to miss out on a mid-winter knees-up, instead put their energy into greeting the New Year. Houses were cleaned from top to bottom, debts were paid and quarrels made up, and, after the bells of midnight were rung, great store was laid by welcoming good luck into your house. This still takes the form of the tradition of "first-footing" - visiting your neighbours and bearing gifts. The ideal first-foot is a tall dark-haired male carrying a bottle of whisky; women or redheads, on the other hand, bring bad luck ? though to be honest no one carrying a bottle of whisky tends to be turned away these days, whatever the colour of their hair. All this neighbourly greeting meant that a fair bit of partying went on, of course, and after a while no one was expected to go to work the next day, or, if the party was that good, the day after that either. Even today, January 1 is a public holiday in the rest of the UK, but only in Scotland does the holiday extend to the next day too. In fact, right up to the 1950s Christmas was a normal working day for many people in Scotland, and Hogmanay was widely regarded as by far the more important celebration. Over the years, Hogmanay street parties in the middle of towns and cities became popular, often centred around a prominent clockface which would ring out "the bells" at midnight. These days, the largest New Year's Eve street party in Europe takes place in Edinburgh, with around 100,000 people on the streets of the city enjoying the culmination of a week-long series of events. On the night itself, stages are set up in different parts of the city centre, with big name rock groups and local ceilidh bands playing to the increasingly inebriated masses. The high point of the evening is, of course, midnight, when hundreds of tons of fireworks are let off into the night sky above the castle, and Edinburgh joins the rest of the world singing "Auld Lang Syne" , an old Scottish tune with lyrics by Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet. For more details about Hogmanay in Edinburgh, and how to get hold of tickets for the street party, go to . Live Music Pubs and Venues Henry's Jazz Bar 8 Morrison St, off Lothian Road tel 0131/221 1288. Edinburgh's premier jazz and hip-hop venue, with live music every night and regular top performers. The Liquid Room 9c Victoria St tel 0131/225 2528. Good-sized venue frequented by visiting indie and local R&B bands. Sandy Bell's 25 Forrest Rd tel 0131/225 2751. A friendly bar and a good bet for folk music most nights of the week. Whistlebinkies 4-6 South Bridge tel 0131/557 5114. One of the most reliable places to find live music every night of the week - often it's rock and pop covers, though there are some folk evenings. Daily until 3am. The Venue 15 Calton Rd tel 0131/557 3073. Small, intimate sweaty club hosting up-and-coming indie bands. Theatre and Comedy Festival Theatre Nicolson Street tel 0131/529 6000. The largest stage in Britain, principally used for Scottish Opera's appearances in the capital and other major orchestral performances, but also for everything from the children's show Singing Kettle to Engelbert Humperdinck. King's Theatre 2 Leven St tel 0131/228 5955. Stately Edwardian civic theatre that majors in pantomime, touring West End plays and the occasional major drama or opera performance. Netherbow Arts Centre 43 High St tel 0131/556 9579. Small auditorium used heavily through the Festival but with an adventurous year-round programme concentrating on children's theatre and storytelling events. Playhouse Theatre 18-22 Greenside Place tel 0131/557 2692. The most capacious theatre in Britain, formerly a cinema. Recently refurbished, and used largely for extended runs of popular musicals and occasional rock concerts. Royal Lyceum Theatre 30 Grindlay St tel 0131/248 4848. Fine Victorian civic theatre with a compact auditorium. The leading year-round venue for mainstream drama. The Stand Comedy Club 5 York Place tel 0131/558 7272. The city's top comedy spot, with a different act on every night and some of the UK's top comics headlining at the weekends. The bar is worth a visit in itself. Theatre Workshop 34 Hamilton Place tel 0131/226 5425. Enticing programmes of international innovative theatre and performance art all year round. Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge St tel 0131/228 1404. Unquestionably one of Britain's premier venues for new plays and avant-garde drama from around the world. Going from strength to strength in its new custom-built home beside the Usher Hall, with a great bar downstairs and the popular blue café-bar upstairs. Concert Halls Queen's Hall 89 Clerk St tel 0131/668 2019. Converted Georgian church with a capacity of around eight hundred, though many seats have little or no view of the platform. Home base of both the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Scottish Ensemble, and much favoured by jazz, blues and folk groups. Also hosts established comedians. Usher Hall Corner of Lothian Road and Grindlay Street tel 0131/228 1155. Edinburgh's main civic concert hall, seating over 2500. Excellent for choral and symphony concerts, but less suitable for solo vocalists. The upper circle seats are cheapest and have the best acoustics; avoid the back of the grand tier and the stalls, where the sound is muffled by the overhanging balconies. Cinemas Cameo 38 Home St, Tollcross tel 0131/228 2800; bookings tel 0131/228 4141. A treasure of an arthouse cinema; screens more challenging mainstream releases and cult late-nighters. Tarantino's been here and thinks it's great. Filmhouse 88 Lothian Rd tel 0131/228 2688. Three screens showing an eclectic programme of independent, arthouse and classic films. Their café is a hangout for the city's dedicated film-buffs. Odeon 7 Clerk St tel 0131/667 0971; information and bookings tel 0870/505 0007. Five-screen cinema showing the latest releases. UGC Fountainpark, Dundee St, Fountainbridge tel 0870/902 0417. Big, reasonably central multiplex. Buses #1, #28, #34 & #35. The Edinburgh Festival The world's largest celebration of the arts, the Edinburgh Festival is a massive explosion of cultural and artistic expression, with every available performance space in August - from the grandest concert halls to pub courtyards - helping play host to a packed programme of drama, comedy, performance, music and film. All over the city the streets fill with buskers, craft stalls, tourists, celebrities, performers, media types and festival-goers; posters plaster every vertical space and the centre of town takes on a slightly surreal, vital atmosphere. The Edinburgh Festival is actually an umbrella term which encompasses different festivals taking place at around the same time. The principal events are the International Festival and the much larger Festival Fringe , but there the are also film, book , and jazz and blues festivals, the Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh Mela. August is when most things happen. The jazz and blues festival occupies the first week of August; the Fringe and the Tattoo run for the next three weeks, culminating on the last weekend of the month; the International Festival runs over the last two weeks of August and the first week of September; the film and book festivals occupy the last two weeks of August; and the Mela is held on the first weekend in September. The sheer volume of the Festival's output can be bewildering: it can be a struggle to find accommodation, get hold of the tickets, book a table in a restaurant or simply get from one side of town to another; you can end up seeing something truly dire, or something mind-blowing, and most people inevitably try to do too much. The unpredictable nature of the event is one of its greatest charms, so be prepared for - and enjoy - the unexpected. For year-round up-to-the-minute information, check out. In addition to each festival's own programme, various publications give full information about what's on day by day. Every day the Fringe Office publishes The Guide , giving a chronological listing of virtually every Fringe show scheduled for that day. It's available free from the Office and hundreds of other spots around Edinburgh. Of the local newspapers, the best coverage is in The Scotsman , which issues an excellent daily Festival supplement; their reviews and star-rating system carry a lot of weight. The List , a locally produced arts and entertainment guide, comes out weekly during the Festival and manages to combine comprehensive coverage with a reliably on-the-pulse sense of what's hot and what's not. Edinburgh's Other Festivals Quite apart from August's main Edinburgh Festival, the city is now promoting itself as a year-round festival venue, with number of different events well established. The climax of various Christmas events is Edinburgh's Hogmanay , one of the world's largest New Year street parties, involving torchlight processions, folk and rock concerts and fireworks galore. The Science Festival in April incorporates hands-on children's events as well as numerous lectures on a vast array of subjects. There is a Puppet and Animation Festival in March, and a Children's Festival in late May, with readings, magicians and specialist children's drama. The Caledonian Brewery, 42 Slateford Rd, runs its own German-style beer festival in early June. Check out for links to the official sites of all Edinburgh's main festivals.

Information

Edinburgh's main tourist office is on top of Princes Mall near the northern entrance to the station (July & Aug Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 10am-8pm; May, June & Sept 9am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm; April & Oct Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm; Nov-March Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; tel 0131/473 3800, ). The much smaller airport branch is in the main concourse, directly opposite Gate 5 (daily: April-Oct 6.30am-10.30pm; Nov-March 7.30am-9.30pm). For backpacker-related information head to the Haggis Office at 60 High St (daily 9am-6pm; tel 0131/557 9393, ). Although their main function is to run minibus tours of Scotland, they're a good source of general information about the backpacker scene around Scotland and you can book hostels and intercity coaches from here, as well as change money. For up-to-date maps of the city head for one of the major book stores: Waterstone's, 13-14 Princes St, is the nearest to Waverley Station.

Best Of

Museum of Scotland The ivory Lewis chessmen are part of this superb collection of artefacts. Edinburgh Castle Perched on an imposing volcanic crag, the castle still dominates Scotland's capital. The Old Town The evocative heart of the historic city, with its tenements, courtyards, ghosts and catacombs. Holyrood Park Wild moors, rocky crags and the 800-ft Arthur's Seat all slap in the middle of the city. Café Royal Circle Bar There are few finer pubs in which to sample a pint of local "80 shilling" beer. Edinburgh Festival The world's biggest arts festival - bewildering, inspiring, exhausting and endlessly entertaining. Leith Take your pick from the fine seafood bistros on the cobbled waterfront of Edinburgh's historic port.

Travel Details

Trains Edinburgh Waverley to: Aberdeen (hourly; 2hr 40min); Birmingham (6 daily; 5hr 30min); Dunbar (hourly; 30 min); Dundee (hourly; 1hr 45min); Falkirk (every 30min; 25min); Fort William (change at Glasgow; 3 daily; 4hr 55min); Glasgow (2-4 hourly; 50min); Inverness (4 daily; 3hr 50min); London (20 daily; 4hr 30min); Manchester (direct: 4 daily; 4hr; change at Preston: 7 daily; 4hr); Newcastle-upon-Tyne (27 daily; 1hr 30min); North Berwick (hourly; 30 min); Oban (change at Glasgow; 3 daily; 4hr 10min); Perth (6 daily; 1hr 15min); Stirling (every 30min; 45min); York (24 daily; 2hr 30min). Buses Edinburgh (St Andrew Square) to: Aberdeen (22 daily; express 3hr, standard 3hr 50min); Birmingham (2 daily; 6hr 50min); Dundee (22 daily; express 1hr 25min-2hr); Fort William (4 daily; 4hr); Glasgow (every 30min; 1hr 10min); Inverness (13 daily; 3-4hr); London (6 daily; 7hr 50min); Newcastle-upon-Tyne (3 daily; 3hr 15min); Oban (3 daily; 5hr); Perth (21 daily; 1hr 20min); York (1 daily; 5hr). Flights Edinburgh to: Dublin (Mon-Fri 5 daily, Sat & Sun 4 daily; 1hr); Kirkwall (Mon-Sat 1 daily; 1hr 20min); Lerwick (1 daily; 1hr 30min); London City (Mon-Fri 16 daily, 1 on Sat, 6 on Sun; 1hr 15min); London Gatwick (Mon-Fri 6 daily, Sat & Sun 4 daily; 1hr 15min); London Heathrow (Mon-Fri 20 daily, Sat & Sun 15 daily; 1hr); London Luton (Mon-Fri 6 daily, Sat & Sun 4 daily; 1hr 20min); London Stansted (Mon-Fri 8 daily, Sat & Sun 4-6 daily; 1hr 10min); Stornoway (Mon-Fri 1 daily; 1hr 10min).

Shopping

Despite the relentless advance of the big chains, it's still possible to track down some characterful and unusual shops in central Edinburgh. Princes Street , one of Britain's most famous shopping streets, is all but dominated by standard chain outlets, though no serious shopper should miss out on a visit to Edinburgh's venerable department store, Jenners, at no. 48 opposite the Scott Monument. More fashionable upmarket shops and boutiques are to be found on parallel George Street , while for more original outlets, head for Cockburn Street , a hub for trendy clothes and record shops. On Victoria Street and in and around the Grassmarket you'll find an eclectic range of antique and arts and crafts shops plus some antiquarian booksellers. Books Long-standing Edinburgh bookseller James Thin has large shops at 53-59 South Bridge and 57 George St. Waterstone's is, at present, the only major chain in Edinburgh, with branches at 128 Princes St, 13-14 Princes St and 83 George St. There's a good selection of antiquarian and second-hand bookshops: Peter Bell, 68 West Port; Castle Books, 20 Rankeillor St; West Port Books, 147 West Port; and McNaughtan's Bookshop 3a-4a Haddington Place, Leith Walk. Haggis Charles MacSween & Son, Dryden Road, Bilston Glen, Loanhead (tel 0131/440 2555), has an international reputation, and also makes a tasty vegetarian version; buy it from the factory or various outlets around Edinburgh, such as the Food Hall in Jenners, 48 Princes St, or Peckhams, 155-159 Bruntsfield Place. Music Check out Avalanche, 17 West Nicolson St, 28 Lady Lawson St and 63 Cockburn St for indie music; Coda, 12 Bank St, for contemporary Scottish folk and roots music; and Vinyl Villains, 5 Elm Row, for second-hand records, tapes and ephemera. Tartan Kinloch Anderson, on the corner of Commercial and Dock streets, Leith, has a large showroom; Geoffrey Tailor, 57-59 High St, is one of the largest and most respected retailers on the Royal Mile - they also have a shop in the Edinburgh Old Town Weaving Co by the Castle Esplanade, where "live" weaving takes place. Whisky Royal Mile Whiskies, 379-381 High St; William Cadenhead, 172 Canongate. Woollen goods Bill Baber Knitwear, 66 Grassmarket, has garments designed and made on the premises; Ragamuffin, 2a St Mary's St, features Skye knitwear.

Listings

Banks Bank of Scotland, The Mound (head office), 38 St Andrew Sq; Barclays, 1 St Andrew Sq; Clydesdale, 20 Hanover St; HSBC, 76 Hanover St; Lloyds TSB, 120 George St; NatWest, 80 George St; Royal Bank of Scotland, 42 St Andrew Sq. Bike rental Biketrax, 11 Lochrin Place tel 0131/228 6633; Edinburgh Cycle Hire, 29 Blackfriars St tel 0131/556 5560. Car rental Arnold Clark, Lochrin Place tel 0131/229 8911; Avis, 100 Dalry Rd tel 0131/337 6363; Budget, 394 Ferry Rd tel 0800/181181; Easy Rent-a-Car tel 0906/586 0586; Europcar, 24 E London St tel 0131/557 3456; Hertz, Waverley Station tel 0131/557 5272; Mitchells, 32 Torphichen St tel 0131/229 5384; Thrifty Car Rental, 42 Haymarket Terrace tel 0131/337 1319. Consulates Australia, 69 George St tel 0131/624 3333; Canada, 30 Lothian Rd tel 0131/220 4333; Germany, 16 Eglington Crescent tel 0131/337 2323; Netherlands, 53 George St tel 0131/220 3226; USA, 3 Regent Terrace tel 0131/556 8315. Dentist The National Health Service Line (tel 0800/224488) will tell you where the nearest surgery is. For emergencies go to Edinburgh Dental Institute, Lauriston Place (tel 0131/536 4920). Exchange Post offices will exchange currency commission-free. There are currency exchange bureaus in the main tourist office (Mon-Wed 9am-5pm, Thurs-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm) and beside platform 1 at Waverley Station (July & Aug Mon-Sat 7am-10pm, Sun 8am-10pm; rest of year Mon-Sat 7.30am-9pm, Sun 8.30am-9pm). Hospital Royal Infirmary, 1 Lauriston Place (tel 0131/536 1000), has a 24hr A&E department, although note that it is moving in stages to a new location to the southeast of the centre. Also at the Western Infirmary, Crewe Road North. Internet access The Cottage, 136 Nicolson St (daily 24hr; tel 0131/531 1881); easyEverything, 58 Rose St (daily 24hr; tel 0131/220 3580); Web 13, 13 Bread St (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Thurs until 7pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm; tel 0131/229 8883). Laundry Capital Launderette, 208 Dalkeith Rd, Newington tel 0131/667 0825; Sundial Launderette, 7-9 East London St, Broughton tel 0131/556 2743; Tarvit Launderette, 7-9 Tarvit St, Tollcross tel 0131/229 6382. Left luggage Lockers at Waverley Station and St Andrew Square bus station. Libraries Central Library, George IV Bridge. The National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, is for research purposes only. Lost property Edinburgh Airport tel 0131/333 1000; Edinburgh Police HQ tel 0131/311 3141; Lothian Regional Transport tel 0131/554 4494; Scotrail tel 0141/335 3276. Pharmacy Boots, 48 Shandwick Place (Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm; tel 0131/225 6757). Police In an emergency call 999. Otherwise contact Lothian and Borders Police HQ, Fettes Avenue tel 0131/311 3131. Post office 8-10 St James Centre (Mon 9am-5.30pm, Tues-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm, Sat 8.30am-6pm; tel 0845/722 3344). Rape crisis centre tel 0131/556 9437. Taxis Airport Taxis tel 0131/344 3344; Central Radio Taxis tel 0131/229 2468; City Cabs tel 0131/228 1211.

Explore Edinburgh, New Town

The New Town , itself well over two hundred years old, stands in total contrast to the Old Town: the layout is symmetrical, the streets are broad and straight, and most of the buildings are Neoclassical. Originally intended to be residential, the entire area, right down to the names of its streets, is something of a celebration of the Union, which was then generally regarded as a proud development in Scotland's history. Today the New Town is the bustling hub of the city's professional, commercial and business life, dominated by shops, banks and offices. The existence of the New Town is chiefly due to the vision of George Drummond , who made schemes for the expansion of the city soon after becoming Lord Provost in 1725. The North Bridge, linking the Old Town with the port of Leith, was built between 1763 and 1772. In 1766, following a public competition, a plan for the New Town by 22-year-old architect James Craig was chosen. Its gridiron pattern was perfectly matched to the site: central George Street, flanked by showpiece squares, was laid out along the main ridge, with parallel Princes Street and Queen Street on either side below, and two smaller streets, Thistle Street and Rose Street in between the three major thoroughfares providing coach houses, artisans' dwellings and shops. Princes and Queen streets were built up on one side only, so as not to block the spectacular views of the Old Town and Fife. In many ways, the layout of the New Town is its own most remarkable sight, an extraordinary grouping of squares, circuses, terraces, crescents and parks with a few set pieces such as Register House , the north frontage of Charlotte Square and the assemblage of curiosities on and around Calton Hill . However, it also contains assorted Victorian additions, notably the Scott Monument , as well as two of the city's most important public collections - the National Gallery of Scotland and, further afield, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Calton Of the various extensions to the New Town, the most engaging is Calton , which branches out from the eastern end of Princes Street and encircles a volcanic hill. Waterloo Place forms a ceremonial way from Princes Street to Calton Hill. On its southern side is the sombre and overgrown Old Calton Burial Ground , in which you can see Robert Adam's plain, cylindrical memorial to David Hume and a monument, complete with a statue of Abraham Lincoln, to the Scots who died in the American Civil War. Next door is the massive St Andrew's House , built in the 1930s to house civil servants. Further on, set majestically in a confined site below Calton Hill, sits one of Edinburgh's greatest buildings, the Grecian Old Royal High School , which for many years was assumed to be where Scotland's new parliament would sit. Less than a year before the first elections, however, it was announced that the building was too small for the parliament envisaged. Across the road, Hamilton also built the Burns Monument , a circular Corinthian temple modelled on the Monument to Lysicrates in Athens, as a memorial to the national bard. Robert Louis Stevenson reckoned that Calton Hill was the best place to view Edinburgh, "since you can see the castle, which you lose from the castle, and Arthur's Seat, which you cannot see from Arthur's Seat". Though the panoramas from ground level are spectacular enough, those from the top of the Nelson Monument (April-Sept Mon 1-6pm, Tues-Sat 10am-6pm; Oct-March Mon-Sat 10am-3pm; £2; joint ticket with Scott Monument £4), perched near the summit of Calton Hill, are even better. Begun just two years after Nelson's death at Trafalgar, this is one of Edinburgh's oddest buildings, resembling a gigantic spyglass. Each day at 1pm a white ball drops down a mast at the top of the monument; together with the one o'clock gun fired from the castle battlements these were a daily check for the mariners of Leith who needed accurate chronometers to ensure reliable navigation at sea. Alongside, the National Monument was begun in 1822 by Playfair to plans by the English architect Charles Cockerell. Had it been completed, it would have been a reasonably accurate replica of the Parthenon, but funds ran out with only twelve columns built. Various later schemes to finish it similarly foundered, earning it the nickname "Edinburgh's Disgrace". Playfair also built the City Observatory for his uncle, the mathematician and astronomer John Playfair. At the opposite end of the complex is the Old Observatory , one of the few surviving buildings by James Craig, designer of the New Town. Dean Village Work began on the western end of the New Town in 1822, in a small area of land north of Charlotte Square and west of George Street. Instead of the straight lines of the earlier sections, there were now the gracious curves of Randolph Crescent, Ainslie Place and the magnificent twelve-sided Moray Place. Round the corner from Randolph Crescent, the four-arched Dean Bridge , a bravura feat of 1830s engineering by Thomas Telford, carries the main road high above Edinburgh's placid little river, the Water of Leith. Down to the left lies Dean Village , an old milling community that is one of central Edinburgh's most picturesque yet oddest corners, its atmosphere of decay arrested by the conversion of some of the mills into designer flats. There's now a riverside path which runs almost the entire length of the river; though a little gloomy in parts, ome stretches are charming and colourful. George Street and Around The street parallel to Princes Street to the north is George Street , rapidly changing its role from a thoroughfare of august financial institutions to a highbrow version of Princes Street, where the big deals are these days done in designer-label shops. George Street was designed to be the centrepiece of the First New Town, joining two grand squares. At its eastern end lies St Andrew Square , now home to Edinburgh's bus station, which shares space with the city's newest shopping mall. Beside this on the eastern side stands a handsome eighteenth-century town mansion, designed by Sir William Chambers. Headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland since 1825, the palatial mid-nineteenth-century banking hall is a symbol of the success of the New Town. Heading west along George Street, on the south side of the street, the oval-shaped church of St Andrew (now known as St Andrew and St George) is chiefly famous as the scene of the 1843 Disruption led by Thomas Chalmers, which split the Church of Scotland in two. George Street and Around - Charlotte Square At the western end of George Street, Charlotte Square was designed by Robert Adam in 1791, a year before his death. Once the most exclusive quarter of the city, when the New Town began to change to commercial use, the square maintained its prestige by attracting the offices of the city's most celebrated law firms. The north side of the square is once more the city's premier address, with the official residence of the First Minister of the Scottish Parliament at no. 6 - also the place where the Scottish cabinet meets. Restored by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), the lower floors of neighbouring no. 7 are open to the public under the name of the Georgian House (March-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; £5), whose contents give a good idea of what the house must have looked like during the period of the first owner, the head of the clan Lamont. The rooms are decked out in period furniture, including a working barrel organ which plays a selection of Scottish airs, and hung with fine paintings, including portraits by Ramsay and Raeburn. Meanwhile the love affair of the NTS with the square is continued on the south side, most of which they occupy as their main headquarters in Scotland. It's well worth paying a visit to no. 28 to peer at the sumptuous interior. One floor up, a small gallery (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; free) shows a collection of twentieth-century Scottish art, including a number of attractive examples of the work of the Scottish Colourists. Downstairs there's a shop selling National Trust books and souvenirs, as well as a very pleasant café. Northern New Town The Northern New Town was the earliest extension to the New Town, begun in 1801, and today roughly covers the area north of Queen Street between India Street to the west and Broughton Street to the east, and as far as Fettes Row to the north. This has survived in far better shape than its predecessor: with the exception of one street, almost all of it is intact, and it has managed to preserve a predominantly residential character. One of the area's most interesting buildings is the neo-Norman Mansfield Place Church , home of a cycle of murals by the Dublin-born Phoebe Anna Traquair, a leading light in the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement. She laboured for eight years on this decorative scheme, which has all the freshness and luminosity of a medieval manuscript, yet it was almost lost due to leaks and rot in the fabric of the building in recent decades. The building is currently undergoing major refurbishment. Princes Street Although allocated only a subsidiary role in the original plan of the New Town, Princes Street had developed into Edinburgh's principal thoroughfare by the middle of the nineteenth century, a role it has retained ever since. Its unobstructed views across to the castle and the Old Town are undeniably magnificent. Indeed, without the views, Princes Street would lose much of its appeal; its northern side, dominated by ugly department stores, is almost always crowded with shoppers, and few of the original eighteenth-century buildings remain. It was the coming of the railway, which follows a parallel course to the south, that ensured Princes Street's rise to prominence. The tracks are well concealed at the far end of the sunken gardens that replaced the Nor' Loch, which provide ample space to relax or picnic during the summer. Princes Street - East End Register House (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm; free), Princes Street's most distinguished building, is at its extreme northeastern corner, framing the perspective down North Bridge, and providing a good visual link between the Old and New Towns. It was designed in the 1770s by Robert Adam to hold Scotland's historic records, a function it has maintained ever since. Opposite is one of the few buildings on the south side of Princes Street, the Balmoral Hotel , formerly known as the North British . Among the most luxurious hotels in the city, it has always been associated with the railway, and the timepiece on its bulky clocktower is always kept two minutes fast in order to encourage passengers to hurry to catch their trains. Princes Street - National Gallery of Scotland To the rear of the Royal Scottish Academy, the less elaborate National Gallery of Scotland (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; permanent collection free; admission charged for some temporary exhibitions) is another of Playfair's Athenian constructions, built in the 1840s and now housing Scotland's premier collection of pre-twentieth-century European art. Though by no means as vast as national collections elsewhere in Europe, the National Gallery of Scotland benefits not just from a clutch of exquisite Old Masters and Impressionist works, but also from the fact that it is a manageable gallery enlivened by imaginative displays and a pleasantly unrushed atmosphere. Elsewhere in the city, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and its neighbour the Dean Gallery, display other parts of the National Galleries' collection. The innovative and often controversial influence of the National Galleries' flamboyant director, Timothy Clifford, is immediately apparent on the ground floor, where the rooms have been restored to their 1840s appearance, with the pictures hung closely together on claret-coloured walls, often on two levels, and intermingled with sculptures and objets d'art to produce a deliberately cluttered effect. A free bus (Mon-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; tel 0131/624 6200) runs on the hour between the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and its neighbour the Dean Gallery. Though individual works are frequently rearranged, the layout is broadly chronological, starting in the upper rooms above the entrance and continuing clockwise around the ground floor. The gallery has a programme of temporary exhibitions, which may mean that some of the paintings described here will not be on display. There are no guided tours; instead, audioguides available in five languages (£2) provide commentaries on the gallery's more important works. Princes Street - National Gallery of Scotland - Early Netherlandish and German Works Among the gallery's most valuable treasures are the Trinity Panels , the remaining parts of the only surviving pre-Reformation altarpiece made for a Scottish church. Painted by Hugo van der Goes in the mid-fifteenth century, they were commissioned for the Holy Trinity Collegiate Church (which was demolished to make way for Edinburgh's Waverley Station) by its provost Edward Bonkil, who appears in the company of organ-playing angels in the finest and best preserved of the four panels. On the reverse sides are portraits of James III, his son (the future James IV) and Queen Margaret of Denmark. Their feebly characterized heads, which stand in jarring contrast to the superlative figures of the patron saints accompanying them, were modelled from life by an unknown local painter after the altar had been shipped to Edinburgh. The panels are turned every half-hour. Of the later Netherlandish works, Gerard David is represented by the touchingly anecdotal Three Legends of St Nicholas , while the Portrait of a Man by Quentin Massys is an excellent early example of northern European assimilation of the forms and techniques of the Italian Renaissance. Princes Street - National Gallery of Scotland - Italian Renaissance Works The Italian section includes a wonderful array of Renaissance masterpieces, the latest addition to which is a superb painting by Botticelli, The Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child , which was carefully restored and now positively glows with colour and light. Equally graceful are three works by Raphael , particularly The Bridgewater Madonna and the tondo The Holy Family with a Palm Tree , the latter another example of the striking luminosity restoration can reveal. Of the four mythological scenes by Titian , the sensuous Three Ages of Man , an allegory of childhood, adulthood and old age, is one of the most accomplished compositions of his early period. The companion pair Diana and Acteon and Diana and Calisto , painted for Philip II of Spain, show the almost impressionistic freedom of his late style. Bassano 's truly regal Adoration of the Kings , a dramatic altarpiece The Deposition of Christ by Tintoretto , and several other works by Veronese , complete a fine Venetian collection. Princes Street - National Gallery of Scotland - Seventeenth-Century Works Among the seventeenth-century works, El Greco 's A Fable , painted during his early years in Italy, takes a mysterious subject whose exact meaning is unclear. Indigenous Spanish art is represented by Velázquez 's An Old Woman Cooking Eggs , an astonishingly assured work for a lad of nineteen, and by Zurbarán 's The Immaculate Conception , part of his ambitious decorative scheme of the Carthusian monastery in Jerez. The series The Seven Sacraments by Poussin are displayed in their own room, whose floor and central octagonal seat repeat some of the motifs in the paintings. The series marks the first attempt to portray scenes from the life of Jesus and the early Christians in an authentic manner, rather than one overlaid by artistic conventions. The result is profoundly touching, with a myriad of imaginative and subtle details. Rubens ' The Feast of Herod is an archetypal example of his grand manner, in which the gory subject matter is overshadowed by the lively depiction of the delights of the table. The trio of large upright canvases by Van Dyck date from his early Genoese period; of these, The Lomellini Family shows his mastery in creating a definitive dynastic image. Among the four canvases by Rembrandt is the poignant Self-Portrait Aged 51 , and the ripely suggestive Woman in Bed , which probably represents the biblical figure of Sarah on her wedding night, waiting for her husband Tobias to put the devil to flight. Christ in the House of Martha and Mary is the largest and probably the earliest of the thirty or so surviving paintings by Vermeer ; as the only one with a religious subject, it inspired a notorious series of forgeries by Han van Meegeren. There are two portraits by Hals , while his Verdonck stands in animated contrast to Rembrandt's self-portrait. Princes Street - National Gallery of Scotland - Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Works Of the large-scale eighteenth-century works, Tiepolo 's The Finding of Moses , a gloriously bravura fantasy (the Pharaoh's daughter and her attendants appear in sixteenth-century garb) stands out. By way of contrast, the gems of the French section are the smaller panels, in particular Watteau 's Fêtes Vénitiennes , an effervescent Rococo idyll, and Chardin 's Vase of Flowers , a copybook example of still-life painting. There's also a superb group of early Impressionist works such as Jean Bastien Lepage's beautifully innocent Pas Meche and Camille Pissarro's Kitchen Garden L'Hermitage . Impressionist masters are also well represented; there's a collection of sketches, painting and bronzes by Degas , including the influential Portrait of Diego Marteli , as well as Monet's Haystacks (Snow) and Renoir's Woman Nursing Child . Representing the post-Impressionists are three outstanding examples of Gauguin 's work, including Vision After the Sermon , set in Brittany; Van Gogh 's Olive Trees ; and Cézanne 's The Big Trees - a clear forerunner of modern abstraction. The gallery's relatively few English paintings are impressive. Hogarth 's Sarah Malcolm , painted in Newgate Prison the day the murderess was executed, once belonged to Horace Walpole. Gainsborough 's The Honourable Mrs Graham is one of his most memorable society portraits, while Constable himself described Dedham Vale as being "perhaps my best". The gallery owns a wonderful array of watercolours by Turner , faithfully displayed each January when damaging sunlight is at its weakest, though visitors at other times of year can enjoy two of his fine Roman views displayed in one of the darker galleries. Princes Street - National Gallery of Scotland - Scottish Works On the face of it, the gallery's Scottish collection is something of an anticlimax. There are, however, some important works displayed within a broad European context: Gavin Hamilton 's Achilles Mourning the Death of Patroclus , for example, painted in Rome, is an unquestionably arresting image. Allan Ramsay , who became court painter to George III, is represented by his Portrait of a Lady . The swaggering masculinity of Sir Henry Raeburn 's Sir John Sinclair , featuring the subject in Highland dress, is a fine example of Raeburn's technical mastery. He was equally sure when working on a small scale, as shown in one of the gallery's most popular pictures, The Rev Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch. Other Scottish painters represented include the versatile Sir David Wilkie , whose huge historical painting, Sir David Baird Discovering the Body of Sultan Tippo Saib , is in marked contrast to the genre scenes displayed in the basement, and Alexander Nasmyth , whose tendency to gild the lily can be seen in his View of Tantallon Castle and the Bass Rock, where the dramatic scenery is further spiced up by the inclusion of a shipwreck. Princes Street - Scott Monument and the Royal Scottish Academy Facing the Victorian shopping emporium Jenners, and set within East Princes Street Gardens, the 200ft-high Scott Monument (June-Sept Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm; March-May & Oct daily 9am-6pm; Nov-Feb daily 9am-4pm; £2.50) was erected in memory of the writer by public subscription within a few years of his death. The elaborate Gothic spire was created by George Meikle Kemp, a carpenter and joiner whose only building this is; underneath the archway is a statue of Scott with his deerhound Maida, carved from a thirty-ton block of Carrara marble. Visitors are able to use a tightly winding internal spiral staircase to climb up to a series of platforms which offer some inspiring - if heady - vistas of the city below and hills and firths beyond. The Princes Street Gardens are bisected by the Mound , which provides one of only two direct road links between the Old and New Towns (the other is the Northbridge). Its name is an accurate description: it was formed in the 1780s by dumping piles of earth and other waste brought from the New Town's building plots. At the foot of the Mound on the Princes Street level are two grand sandstone buildings; nearest to Princes Street, Playfair's Royal Scottish Academy (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; admission varies) is the more elaborate of the two, a Grecian-style Doric temple topped with a statue of Queen Victoria and four sphinxes. The £26-million Playfair Project, due for completion in 2005, will eventually see it used as an extension of its more important neighbour, the National Gallery. Queen Street Queen Street , the last of the three main streets of the First New Town, is bordered to the north by gardens, and commands sweeping views across to Fife. Occupied mostly by offices, it's the best preserved of the area's three main streets, although it's principally notable for the striking late nineteenth-century home of the National Portrait Gallery. Queen Street - Scottish National Portrait Gallery At the eastern end of Queen Street is the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; free). The remarkable building is itself a fascinating period piece, its red sandstone exterior, modelled on the Doge's Palace in Venice, encrusted with statues of famous Scots - a theme taken up in the stunning entrance hall, which has a mosaic-like frieze procession by William Hole of great figures from Scotland's past, with heroic murals by the same artist adorning the balcony above. Temporary exhibitions are mounted in the galleries on the ground floor; elsewhere on this floor are the gallery shop and café. The permanent collection is located on the two upper floors. In contrast to the more global outlook of its sister National Galleries, the Portrait Gallery devotes itself to images of famous Scots - a definition stretched to include anyone with the slightest Scottish connection - and is dominated by Scottish artists. Taken as a whole, the gallery offers an engaging procession through Scottish history, with familiar images of famous Scots such as Bonnie Prince Charlie, Mary, Queen of Scots and Robert Burns. Highlights include portraits of the philosopher-historian David Hume by Allan Ramsay, and the bard Robert Burns by his friend Alexander Nasmyth, plus a varied group by Raeburn: subjects include Sir Walter Scott, the fiddler Niel Gow and the artist himself. Thomas Gainsborough's John, 4th Duke of Argyll (1768) depicts the man who "pacified" the Highlands after the Jacobite rebellion; though an enemy to many he was feted by the establishment. The star portrait from the nineteenth century is that of physician Sir Alexander Morison by his patient, the mad painter Richard Dadd. Twentieth-century portraits occupy the first floor and include clever photo-montages of sporting stars Stephen Hendry and Alex Ferguson, a larger-than-life bright red bust of socialist Jimmy Reid by Kenny Hunter, and many other royals, inventors, politicians, tycoons and celebrities. Royal Botanic Garden Just beyond the northern boundaries of the New Town, with entrances on Inverleith Row and Arboretum Place, is the seventy-acre site of the Royal Botanic Garden (daily: April-Aug 9.30am-7pm; March & Sept 9.30am-6pm; Feb & Oct 9.30am-5pm; Nov-Jan 9.30am-4pm; free), particularly renowned for the rhododendrons, which blaze out in a glorious patchwork of colours in April and May. In the heart of the grounds a group of hothouses designated the Glasshouse Experience (daily: March-Oct 10am-5pm; Nov-Feb 10am-3.30pm; donation requested) displays orchids, giant Amazonian water lilies, and a 200-year-old West Indian palm tree, the latter being in the elegant 1850s glass-topped Palm House. Guided tours (£2) of the garden leave from the West Gate on Arboretum Place at 11am and 2pm (April-Sept). West End and Around The western extension to the New Town was the last part to be built, deviating from the area's overriding Neoclassicism with a number of Victorian additions, including the city's principal Episcopal church, St Mary's Cathedral . With its proximity to the city centre the West End is now mostly used for offices, with a decent clutch of bars and restaurants, though there is some elegant terraced housing towards its outer edges. Here, enjoying some green space and a dignified setting are two compelling collections of contemporary art, the well-established Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and its newer neighbour, the Dean Gallery . Further out, Edinburgh's Zoo , a popular family attraction, is located on one of the city's prominent rises, Corstorphine Hill. West End and Around - Dean Gallery Opposite the Modern Art Gallery, on the other side of Belford Road, is the latest addition to the National Galleries of Scotland, the Dean Gallery (same hours; free), housed in an equally impressive Neoclassical building completed in 1833 as an orphanage and later used as an education centre. The interior has been dramatically refurbished specifically to make room for the work of Edinburgh-born sculptor Sir Eduardo Paolozzi . Visitors are given an awesome introduction to Paolozzi's work by the huge Vulcan - half-man, half-machine - which squeezes into the Great Hall immediately opposite the main entrance. No less persuasive of Paolozzi's dynamic creative talents are the rooms to the right of the main entrance, where his London studio has been expertly recreated, right down to the clutter of half-finished casts, toys and empty pots of glue. In the adjoining room a selection of his sculptures and drawings are exhibited in a more traditional manner. Also on the ground floor is the Roland Penrose Gallery , which houses an impressive collection of Dada and Surrealist art. Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst and Man Ray are all represented, and look out too for Dali 's The Signal of Anguish and Magritte 's Magic Mirror along with work by Miró and Giacometti - all hung on crowded walls with an assortment of artefacts and ethnic souvenirs gathered by Penrose and his artist companions while travelling. West End and Around - Edinburgh Zoo A couple of miles west of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Dean Gallery, Edinburgh Zoo (daily: April-Sept 9am-6pm; Oct & March 9am-5pm; Nov-Feb 9am-4.30pm; £7) is set on an eighty-acre site on the slopes of Corstorphine Hill (served by buses #2, #26, #31, #36, #69, #85 and #86 from Princes Street). Here you can see over a thousand animals, including a number of endangered species such as white rhinos, red pandas, pygmy hippos and poison-arrow frogs. Making the most of the space offered by the setting, the "African Plains Experience" has a walkway leading you out over the animals to viewing platforms. The zoo's chief claim to fame is its crowd of penguins (the largest number in captivity anywhere in the world), a legacy of Leith's whaling trade in the South Atlantic. The "penguin parade" (April-Sept daily 2.15pm; also on sunny days in March & Oct) has gained something of a cult status. West End and Around - Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Set in spacious wooded grounds at the far northwestern fringe of the New Town, about ten minutes' walk from either the cathedral or Dean Village (or accessed by free shuttle bus), the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art on Belford Road (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; free), was established as the first collection in Britain devoted solely to twentieth-century painting and sculpture. The display space is divided between temporary loan exhibitions and selections from the gallery's own holdings; the latter are arranged thematically, but are almost constantly moved around. What you get to see at any particular time is therefore a matter of chance, though the most important works are nearly always on view. French painters are particularly well represented, beginning with early twentieth-century work such as Bonnard 's Lane at Vernonnet and Vuillard 's jewel-like Two Seamstresses . There are a few examples of the Fauves, notably Matisse 's The Painting Session and Derain 's dazzlingly brilliant Still Life , as well as a fine group of late canvases by Léger , notably The Constructors . Cubism is represented by Picasso 's Soles and Braque 's Candlestick. Of works by Americans, Roy Lichtenstein 's In the Car is a fine example of his Pop Art style, while Duane Hanson 's fibreglass Tourists is typically unflinching. English artists on show include Sickert, Nicholson, Spencer, Freud, Hockney and Hirst but, as you'd expect, slightly more space is allocated to Scottish artists. Of particular note are the Colourists, whose works are attracting fancy prices on the art market, as well as ever-growing posthumous critical acclaim. Also worth exploring is the vivid realism of the more recent Edinburgh School, whose members include Anne Redpath, Sir Robin Philipson and William Gillies , and the distinctive styles of contemporary Scots such as John Bellany , a portraitist of striking originality, and the poet-artist-gardener Ian Hamilton Finlay. West End and Around - Approaches to The Modern Art and Dean Galleries The most scenic way of getting to the neighbouring Modern Art and Dean galleries is along the Water of Leith walkway , which can be joined at Stockbridge or Dean Village. A free bus runs from outside the National Gallery on the Mound. The only regular public transport running along Belford Road is bus #13, which leaves from the western end of George Street.

Explore Edinburgh - Old Town

The Old Town , although only about a mile long and 300 yards wide, represents the total extent of the twin burghs of Edinburgh and Canongate for the first 650 years of their existence, and its general appearance and character remain indubitably medieval. Containing as it does the majority of the city's most famous tourist sights, it makes by far the best starting point for your explorations. In addition to the obvious goals of the castle , the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Holyrood Abbey , you'll find scores of historic buildings along the length of the Royal Mile . Inevitably, much of the Old Town is sacrificed to hard-sell tourism, and can be uncomfortably crowded throughout the summer, especially during the Festival. Yet the area remains at the heart of Edinburgh, with daily business of the greatest importance being conducted in Parliament House , home of the Scottish Parliament until 1707 and now the location of Scotland's highest Law Courts, and in the Assembly Hall , temporary home of the new Scottish Parliament. It's well worthwhile extending your explorations to the area immediately to the south of the Royal Mile, and in particular to the stunning new National Museum of Scotland . Close by is the wonderfully varied scenery and breathtaking vantage points of Holyrood Park , an extensive tract of open countryside on the eastern edge of the Old Town which includes Arthur's Seat, the peak which rises so distinctively in the midst of the city. Cowgate At the bottom of the valley immediately south of the Royal Mile, and following a roughly parallel course from the Lawnmarket to St Mary's Street, is the Cowgate . One of Edinburgh's oldest surviving streets, it was also formerly one of the city's most prestigious addresses. However, the construction of the great viaducts of George IV Bridge and South Bridge entombed it below street level. In the last decade or so the Cowgate has experienced something of a revival, with various nightclubs and festival venues establishing themselves, though few tourists venture here and the contrast with the neighbouring Royal Mile remains stark. At the corner with Niddry Street, which runs down from the High Street near its junction with North Bridge and South Bridge, unprepossessing St Cecilia's Hall (Wed & Sat 2-5pm; also Mon-Sat 10.30am-12.30pm during the Festival; £1) was built in the 1760s for the Musical Society of Edinburgh. Inside, Scotland's oldest and most beautiful concert room, oval in shape and setunder a shallow dome, makes a perfect venue for concerts of Baroque and early music, held during the Festival and occasionally at other times of the year. The building is primarily worth visiting for the Russell Collection of antique keyboard instruments. Edinburgh Castle The history of Edinburgh, and indeed of Scotland, is indissolubly bound up with its castle (daily: April-Oct 9.30am-6pm; Nov-March 9.30am-5pm; £7.50), which dominates the city from its lofty seat atop an extinct volcanic rock. It requires no great imaginative feat to comprehend the strategic importance that underpinned the castle's, and hence Edinburgh's, importance in Scotland: from Princes Street, the north side rears high above an almost sheer rockface; the southern side is equally formidable; the western, where the rock rises in terraces, only marginally less so. Would-be attackers, like modern tourists, were forced to approach the castle from the crag to the east on which the Royal Mile runs down to Holyrood. The castle's disparate styles reflect its many changes in usage, as well as advances in military architecture: the oldest surviving part, St Margaret's Chapel , is from the twelfth century, while the most recent additions date back to the 1920s. It last saw action in 1745, when the Young Pretender's forces, fresh from their victory at Prestonpans, made a half-hearted attempt to storm it. Subsequently, advances in weapon technology diminished the castle's importance, but under the influence of the Romantic movement it came to be seen as a great national monument. Though you can easily take in the views and wander round the castle yourself, you might like to join one of the somewhat overheated guided tours , with their talk of war, boiling oil and the roar of the cannon. Alternatively, audioguides with personal headphones are available from a booth just inside the gatehouse. Both the guided tours and audioguides are included in the entrance price. The Stone of Destiny Legend has it that the Stone of Destiny (also called the Stone of Scone ) was "Jacob's Pillow", on which he dreamed of the ladder of angels from earth to heaven. Its real history is obscure, but it is known that it was moved from Ireland to Dunadd by missionaries, and thence to Dunstaffnage, from where Kenneth MacAlpine, king of the Dalriada Scots, brought it to the abbey at Scone in 838. There it remained for almost five hundred years, used as a coronation throne on which all kings of Scotland were crowned. In 1296, an over-eager Edward I stole what he believed to be the Stone and installed it at Westminster Abbey, where, apart from a brief interlude in 1950 when it was removed by Scottish nationalists and hidden in Arbroath for several months, it remained for seven hundred years. All this changed in December 1996 when, after an elaborate ceremony-laden journey from London, the Stone returned to Scotland. Much to the annoyance of the people of Perth and the curators of Scone Palace, it was placed in Edinburgh Castle. However, speculation surrounds the authenticity of the Stone, for the original is said to have been intricately carved, while the one seen today is a plain block of sandstone. Many believe that the canny monks at Scone palmed this off onto the English king (some say that it's nothing more sacred than the cover for a medieval septic tank), and that the real Stone of Destiny lies hidden in an underground chamber, its whereabouts a mystery to all but the chosen few. Edinburgh Castle - Crown Square The eastern side of Crown Square is occupied by the Palace , a surprisingly unassuming edifice built round an octagonal stair turret heightened in the nineteenth century to bear the castle's main flagpole. Begun in the 1430s, the Palace owes its Renaissance appearance to King James IV, though it was remodelled for Mary, Queen of Scots and her consort Henry, Lord Darnley, whose entwined initials (MAH), together with the date 1566, can be seen above one of the doorways. This gives access to a few historic rooms, the most interesting of which is the tiny panelled bedchamber at the extreme southeastern corner, where Mary gave birth to James VI. Another section of the Palace has recently been refurbished with a detailed audiovisual presentation on the Honours of Scotland , the originals of which are housed in the Crown Room at the very end of the display. Though you might be put off by the slow-moving, claustrophobic queues that shuffle past the displays, the interest in them is justified: these magnificent crown jewels - the only pre-Restoration set in the United Kingdom - serve as one of the most potent images of Scotland's nationhood. They were last used for the Scottish-only coronation of Charles II in 1651, an event which provoked the wrath of Oliver Cromwell, who made exhaustive attempts to have the jewels melted down. Having narrowly escaped his clutches by being smuggled out of the castle and hidden in a rural church, the jewels later served as symbols of the absent monarch at sittings of the Scottish Parliament before being locked away in a chest following the Union of 1707. For over a century they were out of sight and eventually presumed lost, before being rediscovered in 1818 as a result of a search initiated by Sir Walter Scott. Of the three pieces comprising the Honours, the oldest is the sceptre , given to James IV in 1494 by Pope Alexander VI. Even finer is the sword , a swaggering Italian High Renaissance masterpiece presented to James IV by the great artistic patron Pope Julius II. The jewel-encrusted crown , made for James V by the Scottish goldsmith James Mosman, incorporates the gold circlet worn by Robert the Bruce. The glass case containing the Honours has recently been rearranged to create space for its newest addition, the Stone of Destiny . This remarkably plain object now lies incongruously next to the opulent crown jewels. The south side of Crown Square is occupied by the Great Hall , built under James IV as a venue for banquets and other ceremonial occasions. It later underwent the indignity of conversion and subdivision, firstly into a barracks, then a hospital. During this time, its hammer-beam roof - the earliest of three in the Old Town - was hidden from view. It was restored towards the end of the nineteenth century, when the hall was decked out in the full-blown Romantic manner. In 1755, the castle church of St Mary on the north side of the square was replaced by a barracks, which in turn was skilfully converted into the quietly reverential Scottish National War Memorial in honour of the 150,000 Scots who fell in World War I. Edinburgh Castle - Esplanade and Lower Defences The castle is entered via the Esplanade , a parade ground laid out in the eighteenth century and enclosed a hundred years later by ornamental walls. For most of the year it acts as a coach park, though in July and August huge grandstands are erected for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which takes place every night during August, coinciding with the Edinburgh Festival. A shameless and spectacular pageant of swinging kilts and massed pipe bands, the Tattoo makes full use of its dramatic setting. The gatehouse to the castle is a Romantic-style addition of the 1880s, complete with the last drawbridge ever built in Scotland. It was later adorned with appropriately heroic-looking statues of Sir William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Standing guard by the drawbridge are real-life soldiers, members of the regiment in residence at the castle; while their presence in full dress uniform is always a hit with camera-toting tourists, it's also a reminder that the castle is still a working military garrison. Rearing up behind is the most distinctive and impressive feature of the castle's silhouette, the sixteenth-century Half Moon Battery , which marks the outer limit of the actual defences. Once through the gatehouse, continue uphill along Lower Ward, passing through the Portcullis Gate , a handsome Renaissance gateway of the same period as the battery above, marred by the addition of a nineteenth-century upper storey equipped with anachronistic arrow slits rather than gunholes. Beyond this the wide main path is known as Middle Ward, with the six-gun Argyle Battery to the right. Further west on Mill's Mount Battery , a well-known Edinburgh ritual takes place - the daily firing of the one o'clock gun. Originally designed for the benefit of ships in the Firth of Forth, these days it's an enjoyable ceremony for visitors to watch and a useful time-signal for city-centre office workers. Both batteries offer wonderful panoramic views over Princes Street and the New Town to the coastal towns and hills of Fife across the Forth. Edinburgh Castle - National War Museum of Scotland Located in the old hospital buildings, down a ramp between the café/restaurant immediately behind the one o'clock gun and the Governor's House, the National War Museum of Scotland (free), part of the collection of the National Museums of Scotland, is a recently refurbished exhibition covering the last 400 years of Scottish military history. While the various rooms are packed with uniforms, medals, paintings of heroic actions and plenty of interesting memorabilia, the museum manages to convey a reflective, human tone. Back on Middle Ward, the Governor's House is a 1740s mansion whose harled masonry and crow-stepped gables are archetypal features of vernacular Scottish architecture. It now serves as the officers' mess for members of the garrison, while the governor himself lives in the northern side wing. Behind stands the largest single construction in the castle complex, the New Barracks , built in the 1790s in an austere Neoclassical style. From here a cobbled road then snakes round towards the enclosed citadel at the uppermost point of Castle Rock, entered via Foog's Gate. Edinburgh Castle - St Margaret's Chapel At the eastern end of the citadel, St Margaret's Chapel is the oldest surviving building in the castle, and probably also in Edinburgh itself. Used as a powder magazine for 300 years, this tiny Norman church was rediscovered in 1845 and was eventually rededicated in 1934, after sympathetic restoration. Externally, it is plain and severe, but the interior preserves an elaborate zigzag archway dividing the nave from the sanctuary. Although once believed to have been built by the saint herself, and mooted as the site of her death in 1093, its architectural style suggests that it actually dates from about thirty years later, and was thus probably built by King David I as a memorial to his mother. The battlements in front of the chapel offer the best of all the castle's panoramic views. Just below the battlements there's a small cemetery , the last resting place of the soldiers' pets : it is kept in immaculate condition, particularly when contrasted with the dilapidated state of some of the city's public cemeteries. Continuing eastwards, you skirt the top of the Forewall and Half Moon Batteries, passing the 110-foot Castle Well en route to Crown Square , the highest, most secure and most important section of the entire complex. Edinburgh Castle - Vaults and the Military Prison From Crown Square, you can descend to the Vaults , a series of cavernous chambers erected by order of James IV. They were later used as a prison for captured foreign nationals, who have bequeathed a rich legacy of graffiti. One of the rooms houses the famous fifteenth-century siege gun, Mons Meg , which could fire a 500-pound stone nearly two miles. Directly opposite the entrance to the Vaults is the Military Prison , built in 1842, when the design and function of jails was a major topic of public debate. The cells, though designed for solitary confinement, are less forbidding than might be expected. Grassmarket At its western end, Cowgate opens out into the Grassmarket , which has played an important role in the murkier aspects of Edinburgh's turbulent history. The public gallows were located here, and it was the scene of numerous riots and other disturbances down the centuries. It was here, in 1736, that Captain Porteous was lynched after he had ordered shots to be fired at the crowd watching a public execution. The notorious duo William Burke and William Hare had their lair in a now-vanished close just off the western end of the Grassmarket, luring to it victims whom they murdered with the intention of selling their bodies to the eminent physician Robert Knox. Eventually, Hare betrayed his partner, who was duly executed in 1829, and Knox's career was finished off as a result. At the northeastern corner of the Grassmarket are five old tenements of the old West Bow , which formerly zigzagged up to the Royal Mile. The rest of this was replaced in the 1840s by curving Victoria Street , an unusual two-tier thoroughfare, with arcaded shops below, and a pedestrian terrace above. This sweeps up to George IV Bridge and the National Library of Scotland which holds a rich collection of illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, historical documents, and the letters and papers of prominent Scottish literary figures, displayed in regularly changing thematic exhibitions (usually Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; free). Greyfriars and Around The statue of Greyfriars Bobby at the southwestern corner of George IV Bridge must rank as Edinburgh's most sentimental tourist attraction. Bobby was a Skye terrier acquired as a working dog by a police constable named John Gray. When Gray died in 1858, Bobby began a vigil on his grave which he maintained until he died fourteen years later. His statue, originally a fountain, was modelled from life, and erected soon after his death; his story has gained international renown, thanks to a spate of cloying books and tear-jerking movies. The grave Bobby mourned over is in the Greyfriars Kirkyard , which among its clutter of grandiose seventeenth and eighteenth-century funerary monuments boasts the striking mausoleum of the Adam family of architects. Greyfriars is particularly associated with the long struggle to establish Presbyterianism in Scotland: in 1638, it was the setting for the signing of the National Covenant, while in 1679 some 1200 Covenanters were imprisoned in the enclosure at the southwestern end of the yard. Set against the northern wall is the Martyrs' Monument, a defiantly worded memorial commemorating all those who died in pursuit of the eventual victory. The graveyard rather overshadows Greyfriars Kirk itself, completed in 1620 as the first new church in Edinburgh since the Reformation. It's a real oddball in both layout and design, having a nave and aisles but no chancel, and adopting the anachronistic architectural language of the friary that preceded it, complete with medieval-looking windows, arches and buttresses. At the western end of Greyfriars Kirkyard is one of the most significant surviving portions of the Flodden Wall , the city fortifications erected in the wake of Scotland's disastrous military defeat of 1513. When open, the gateway beyond offers a short-cut to George Heriot's Hospital , otherwise approached from Lauriston Place to the south. Founded as a home for poor boys by "Jinglin Geordie" Heriot, James VI's goldsmith, it is now one of Edinburgh's most prestigious fee-paying schools; although you can't go inside, you can wander round the quadrangle, whose array of towers, turrets, chimneys, carved doorways and traceried windows is one of the finest achievements of the Scottish Renaissance. Greyfriars and Around - National Museum of Scotland Immediately opposite Greyfriars Bobby, on the south side of Chambers Street, stands the striking honey-coloured sandstone National Museum of Scotland (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Tues until 8pm, Sun noon-5pm; free). Opened in 1998 to deserved acclaim, both for its elegant design and for its respectful but imaginative treatment of the nation's treasures, this is undoubtedly Scotland's premier museum. The fresh, open atmosphere of the building is combined with terrific features: specially commissioned art works; the Discovery Centre , specifically aimed at 5- to 14-year-olds; the exhibIT computer bank with databases of the museum's collections; and the Tower Restaurant , a sleek, stylish place with fabulous views which is also open in the evenings. The main entrance to the museum is at the base of the tower (although it is also possible to enter through the neighbouring Royal Museum of Scotland). Make your way to the information desk in Hawthornden Court , the central atrium of the museum and a useful orientation point; on this level you'll also find the museum shop and access to the Royal Museum café. Free guided tours on different themes take place through the day, and free audioguides give detailed information on artefacts and displays. Greyfriars and Around - National Museum of Scotland - Level 0 To get to the first section, "Beginnings" , take the lift or stairs from Hawthornden Court down to Level 0. Here, Scotland's story before the arrival of humans is presented with audiovisual displays, artistic recreations and a selection of rocks and fossils, including some Lewisian gneiss, the oldest rock in Europe, and "Lizzie" (Westlothiana lizziae), the oldest known fossil reptile in the world. The second section, "Early People" , also on Level 0, covers the period from the arrival of the first people to the end of the first millennium AD. This, in many ways, is the most engrossing section of the entire museum, an eloquent testament to the remarkable craftsmanship, artistry and practicality of Scotland's early people. From the doors of the main lift you're confronted by eight giant bronze figures in the distinctive post-industrial style of Edinburgh-born sculptor Sir Eduardo Paolozzi . His trademark incorporation of geometric shapes into the human form allows the figures to "wear" different artefacts. The innovative use of contemporary art is continued with installations by the environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy , who shapes natural materials into sinuously beautiful geometrical patterns. Among the artefacts on display, highlights are the Trappain treasure hoard, 20kg of silver plates, cutlery and goblets found buried in East Lothian, and the Cramond Lioness , a sculpture from a Roman tombstone found recently in the Firth of Forth. Greyfriars and Around - National Museum of Scotland - Levels 1 and 3 The "Kingdom of the Scots" on Level 1 covers the period between Scotland's development as a single independent nation and the union with England in 1707. At the entrance to the section in Hawthornden Court is the Dupplin Cross , a symbol of the different peoples who united under King Kenneth MacAlpine to form a single kingdom in 843. Star exhibits include the Monymusk reliquary , an intricately decorated box said to have carried the remains of St Columba; the Lewis chessmen , exquisitely idiosyncratic twelfth-century pieces carved from walrus ivory; and the "Maiden", an early form of the guillotine. Level 3 shows exhibits under the theme "Scotland Transformed" , covering the century or so following the Union of Parliaments in 1707. This was the period which saw the last of the Highland uprisings under Bonnie Prince Charlie (whose silver travelling canteen is on display), yet also witnessed the expansion of trade links with the Americas and developments in industries such as weaving and iron and steel production. Dominating the floor is a reconstructed steam-driven Newcomen engine , which was still being used to pump water from a coal mine in Ayrshire in 1901. Alongside it, in contrast, is part of a thatched, cruck-frame house of the 1720s of a type in which many Scots still lived during this time. Greyfriars and Around - National Museum of Scotland - Levels 4, 5 and 6 Following the early innovations of steam and mechanical engineering, Scotland went on to pioneer many aspects of heavy engineering, with ship and locomotive production to the fore. Largest of the exhibits in "Industry and Empire" on Level 4 is the steam locomotive Ellesmere . As well as industrial progress, other fields are covered too, including domestic life, leisure activities and the influence of Scots around the world, both as a result of emigration, and through such luminaries as James Watt, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Robert Louis Stevenson. For the Twentieth Century Gal