Attraction
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh's fortress on an extinct volcanic plug, home to the Honours of Scotland, St Margaret's Chapel, Mons Meg and the daily One O'Clock Gun.
There are plenty of things to do in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, and most of the best are within walking distance of each other. The medieval Old Town runs down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, while the Georgian New Town, laid out in neat streets and squares to the north, holds the main shopping streets, galleries and many of the best bars. Together the two form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and green spaces such as Holyrood Park, Calton Hill and Princes Street Gardens are never far away.
Beyond the centre, Stockbridge has a village feel with independent cafés and a Sunday market, and Leith, the old port, is known for its waterfront restaurants and the Royal Yacht Britannia. The food scene ranges from Michelin-starred dining to hog roast rolls and fish and chips by the harbour, with Scottish seafood, game and whisky as highlights. Three days is enough to see the main sights, and four or five lets you add a day trip to the Highlands. August is festival month, when the city is at its busiest.
Attraction
Edinburgh's fortress on an extinct volcanic plug, home to the Honours of Scotland, St Margaret's Chapel, Mons Meg and the daily One O'Clock Gun.
Attraction
The monarch's official residence in Scotland at the foot of the Royal Mile, with State Apartments, Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers and the ruins of Holyrood…
Attraction
Free national museum on Chambers Street covering Scottish history, natural world, science and world cultures, with Dolly the sheep and the Lewis chessmen.
Attraction
The former royal yacht, berthed at Ocean Terminal in Leith, where five decks including the state apartments and the Royal Deck Tearoom are open to visitors.
Attraction
An extinct volcano rising 251 metres above Holyrood Park, a short walk from the Royal Mile, with city-wide views from its rocky summit.
Attraction
Scotland's national art gallery on the Mound, a free Playfair building with works by Raeburn, Titian, Vermeer, Botticelli and Canova's The Three Graces.
Café
A Stockbridge bakery known for classic viennoiserie, custard slices, pains suisses and cardamom buns, with a regularly changing range and a pantry next door.
Café
A Swedish bakery café at Quartermile beside the Meadows, serving buns, sourdough and Swedish pastries baked on site, open every day from early morning.
Café
The West End café of Edinburgh roaster Cairngorm Coffee, serving its own speciality coffee from early morning until 7pm, seven days a week.
Café
The original heart of Edinburgh roaster Artisan Roast, a snug Broughton Street café serving its own espresso blend, single origins and V60 filter.
Café
A small Grassmarket gelato and chocolate shop where Mary makes the gelato fresh every morning, known for hot chocolate floats and changing flavours.
Café
An independent speciality coffee shop on Cockburn Street in the Old Town, serving coffee and cakes, with a second branch further up the same street.
Hotel
Rocco Forte's five-star landmark at the east end of Princes Street, opened in 1902 as a railway hotel, with a spa, whisky bar and famous clock…
Hotel
The Edinburgh outpost of Gleneagles, a 33-room luxury hotel in a Georgian building on St Andrew Square with The Spence restaurant and a rooftop bar.
Hotel
A five-star country house hotel in 20 acres of parkland beneath Arthur's Seat, with 23 opulent rooms and suites and the all-day Rhubarb restaurant.
Hotel
A Kimpton hotel spread across seven interconnected Georgian townhouses on Charlotte Square, with a glass-roofed courtyard, a spa and BABA restaurant.
Hotel
A lifestyle hotel in the historic India Buildings on Victoria Street in the Old Town, with chambers and suites, Eve restaurant and Commons Club.
Hotel
A four-star design hotel a minute's walk from Waverley station, with Scottish-inspired interiors and the Nor' Loft rooftop champagne bar on the seventh floor.
Bar
A walk-in cocktail bar on Queen Street in the New Town, open every night from 4pm until 1am, with sister bars across Edinburgh.
Bar
A basement live music venue on Chambers Street with jazz, blues, funk and more every day of the week, open until the early hours at weekends.
Bar
A historic village pub in Duddingston below Arthur's Seat, reputedly dating to 1360, with a courtyard, Sunday roasts and a Victorian skittle alley.
Bar
The rooftop bar of the Johnnie Walker whisky experience on Princes Street, serving cocktails and Scottish-inspired food with views of the castle and Old Town.
Bar
A whisky and cocktail bar in a historic building on Advocate's Close, just off the Royal Mile, with over 300 whiskies and seasonal Scottish food.
Bar
A late-night live music pub in the vaults under South Bridge, just off the Royal Mile, with several bands on stage every night.
Restaurant
Tom and Michaela Kitchin's Michelin-starred restaurant in a converted whisky warehouse in Leith, cooking Scottish seasonal produce under the motto From Nature to Plate.
Restaurant
Candlelit historic dining rooms at the gates of Edinburgh Castle, serving classic dishes built on Scottish produce, with nine suites to stay in.
Restaurant
A family-run restaurant on Lady Lawson Street with a Michelin star and Green Star, serving weekly-changing menus built on wild meat, fish and vegetables.
Restaurant
Seasonal Scottish cooking in an 1836 Playfair-designed cottage below Calton Hill, with a six-course set dinner at long communal tables.
Restaurant
A New Town bistro on a quiet lane off Thistle Street, serving French classics with a Scottish touch from locally sourced seasonal produce.
Restaurant
An Italian restaurant in a former 19th-century banking hall on George Street, run by the Contini family with homemade pasta and Scottish seafood.
Thing to do
Guided tours through a preserved 17th-century street hidden beneath the Royal Mile, led by costumed guides who tell the stories of the close's residents.
Thing to do
A Victorian camera obscura and floors of hands-on optical illusions on Castlehill, topped by a rooftop terrace with panoramic views over Edinburgh.
Thing to do
Guided whisky tours and tastings on Castlehill, with the 3,384-bottle Diageo Claive Vidiz Collection and the Amber restaurant and whisky bar.
Thing to do
A 13-mile riverside path through Edinburgh from Balerno to Leith, passing Dean Village, Stockbridge and the Gallery of Modern Art along the way.
Thing to do
A Sunday market on Saunders Street in Stockbridge with independent traders selling street food, baking, cheese, produce, crafts and gifts all year round.
Tour operator
Edinburgh walking tour company running history walks and ghost tours since 1985, including trips into the Blair Street Underground Vaults.
Tour operator
Edinburgh-founded small-group tour company running day trips and multi-day tours to the Highlands, Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye since 1993.
Tour operator
A three-hour food and drink walking tour visiting four restaurants and pubs across Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town, with cheese, beer and whisky tastings.
Tour operator
A social enterprise whose walking tours of Edinburgh, including a daily Royal Mile tour, are led by guides who have experienced homelessness.
Tour operator
Official hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tours of Edinburgh, with live-guided and recorded commentary routes and 24 or 48-hour tickets.
Three days covers the castle, the Royal Mile, Holyrood, the New Town and a walk up Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill. Add a day or two for Leith, Stockbridge or a Highland day tour.
The Old Town puts you among the main sights, the New Town is quieter with good restaurants and shopping, and Stockbridge and Leith suit travellers wanting a more local feel.
The tram runs from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre and on to Leith, and the Airlink bus runs around the clock, taking about 30 minutes.
Hotels can be expensive, especially in August and at Hogmanay, but many museums and galleries are free, and walking is the easiest way to get around. A visitor levy is charged on hotel stays.
Edinburgh is generally considered safe. Take normal care with belongings in crowded areas, and wear sturdy shoes, as the Old Town is steep and cobbled.