Edinburgh Sights

  1. Arthur's Seat

    Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano of 251m (823ft) situated smack bang in the middle of the city's doorstep wilderness, is the focal point of Holyrood Park. The former hunting ground of Scottish monarchs, the park covers 650 acres (260 hectares) of moorland, lochs and fields. Arthur's Seat forms part of a volcano that includes Calton Hill and Castle Rock.

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  2. Blackford Hill

    A patch of countryside enclosed by the city's southern suburbs, craggy Blackford Hill (164m) offers pleasant walking and splendid views. The panorama to the north takes in Edinburgh Castle atop its rock, the bristling spine of the Old Town, the monuments on Calton Hill and the 'sleeping lion' of Arthur's Seat.

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  3. Calton Hill

    Calton Hill, which rises dramatically above the eastern end of Princes St, is Edinburgh's acropolis, its summit scattered with grandiose monuments dating mostly from the first half of the 19th century. It is also one of the best viewpoints in Edinburgh, with a panorama that takes in the castle, Holyrood, Arthur's Seat, the Firth of Forth, New Town and the full length of Princes St.

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  4. Canongate Kirk

    The kirkyard of this 17th-century church contains the graves of several famous characters, including economist and author of The Wealth of Nations , Adam Smith (1723-90), Agnes MacLehose (the 'Clarinda' of Robert Burns' love poems), and the 18th-century poet Robert Fergusson (1750-74). Robert Burns, a fan of Fergusson, paid for his gravestone and penned the epitaph.

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  5. Canongate Tolbooth

    Built in 1591, the picturesque Tolbooth served successively as a collection point for tolls (taxes), a council house, a courtroom and a jail. It now houses a fascinating museum, the People's Story, recording the life, work and pastimes of ordinary Edinburgh folk from the 18th century through to the present day.

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  7. Charlotte Square

    At the western end of George St is Charlotte Sq, the architectural jewel of the New Town, which was designed by Robert Adam shortly before his death in 1791. The northern side of the square is Adam's masterpiece and one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture anywhere. Bute House, in the centre at No 6, is the official residence of Scotland's first minister.

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  8. City Art Centre

    The largest and most populist of Edinburgh's smaller galleries, the CAC is home to the city's collection of Scottish art, ranging from the 17th to the 20th century, including works by the Scottish Colourists, as well as many fine paintings, engravings and photographs showing views of Edinburgh at various stages of its history.

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  9. City Chambers

    The imposing Georgian City Chambers were originally built by John Adam (brother of Robert) between 1753 and 1761 to serve as the Royal Exchange - a covered meeting place for city merchants - replacing the traditional meeting place of the Mercat Cross. However, the merchants preferred their old stamping ground in the street and the building has housed the offices of the city council since 1811.

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  10. Collective Gallery

    The Collective is an artist-run gallery with regularly changing exhibitions by contemporary Scottish and international artists. It's a little more cutting edge than the city's larger galleries.

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  11. Cramond Village

    With its moored yachts, stately swans and whitewashed houses clustered around the mouth of the River Almond, Cramond is the most picturesque corner of Edinburgh. It is also rich in history - the Romans built a fort here in the 2nd century AD.

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  13. Dean Gallery

    An imposing neoclassical mansion topped with monumental towers, the Dean holds the Gallery of Modern Art's collection of Dada and surrealist art, including works by Dali, Giacometti and Picasso, and a large collection of sculpture and graphic art created by Edinburgh-born sculptor Sir Eduardo Paolozzi. A smaller version of Paolozzi's statue of Newton (which stands outside the British Library in London) is in the garden.

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  14. Duddingston Parish Church

    Poised on a promontory overlooking Duddingston Loch, this church is one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh, with some interesting medieval relics at the kirkyard gate: the Joug, a metal collar that was used, like the stocks, to tether criminals and sinners, and the Loupin-On Stane, a stone step to help gouty and corpulent parishioners get onto their horses. The early-19th-century watchtower inside the gate was built to deter body snatchers .

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  15. Duddingston Village

    Nestling under the southeastern slopes of Arthur's Seat, the picturesque village of Duddingston is one of the oldest parts of the city, dating from the 12th century, though all that remains of that era are parts of the parish church. At the western end of the village stands an 18th-century pub, the Sheep Heid, and at the eastern end is Prince Charlie's Cottage, where the Young Pretender held a council of war before the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745.

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  16. Dunbar's Close Garden

    Tucked away at the end of an Old Town close, this walled garden has been laid out in the style of the 17th century, with gravel paths, neatly trimmed shrubs, herbs and flowers and mature trees. A hidden gem, and an oasis of tranquillity amid the bustle of the Royal Mile.

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  17. Edinburgh Castle

    The brooding, black crags of the Castle Rock, shouldering above Princes St Gardens, are the very reason for Edinburgh's existence. This rocky hill - the glacier-worn stump of an ancient volcano - was the most easily defended hilltop on the invasion route between England and central Scotland, a route followed by countless armies over the centuries.

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  19. Edinburgh Dungeon

    This manufactured attraction combines a gruesome tableaux of torture and degradation with live actors who perform scary little sketches along the way. There's also a 'horror labyrinth', a creepy mirror maze inhabited by the ghost of a little drummer boy. Mildly amusing in a large group, mildly embarrassing in a small one and genuinely terrifying for small children. Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult; not recommended for young'uns.

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  20. Edinburgh Printmakers' Workshop & Gallery

    Founded in 1967, this was the UK's first 'open-access' printmaking studio, providing studio space and equipment for professional artists and beginners alike. You can watch printmakers at work in the ground floor studio, while the first floor gallery hosts exhibitions of lithographs and screen prints by local artists.

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  21. Flodden Wall

    At the western end of the Grassmarket a narrow close called the Vennel leads steeply up to one of the few surviving fragments of the city wall that was built in the early 16th century as protection against a feared English invasion. Beyond it is the Telfer Wall, a later extension that continues to Lauriston Pl.

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  22. Fruitmarket Gallery

    One of the city's most innovative galleries, the Fruitmarket showcases contemporary Scottish and international artists; it also has an excellent arts bookshop and café . There are around half a dozen exhibitions a year, ranging from paintings to installations to light-based artworks.

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  23. George Heriot's School

    One of the most impressive buildings in the Old Town, this school was built in the 17th century with funds bequeathed by George Heriot (goldsmith and banker to King James VI, and popularly known as Jinglin' Geordie). It was originally a school and home for orphaned children, but became a fee-paying public school in 1886. It's open to the public on Doors Open Day (www.doorsopendays.org.uk) in September.

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  25. Georgian House

    Dating from 1796, this elegant town house has been beautifully restored to show how Edinburgh's wealthy elite lived at the end of the 18th century. The rooms are furnished with the finest period furniture and the walls are decorated with paintings by Allan Ramsay, Henry Raeburn and Sir Joshua Reynolds. There are costumed guides on hand to add a bit of character, and a 35-minute video presentation helps to bring the place to life.

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  26. Gladstone's Land

    In 1617 Thomas Gledstanes, a 17th-century merchant - and ancestor of the 19th-century British prime minister William Gladstone - bought this tenement building, which gives a fascinating glimpse of the Old Town's past. The comfortable interior contains fine painted ceilings, walls and beams and some splendid furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries. The volunteer guides provide a wealth of anecdotes.

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  27. Greyfriars Bobby

    One of Ediburgh's most popular memorials is the tiny statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier who maintained a vigil over the grave of his master, an Edinburgh police officer, from 1858 to 1872. The story was immortalised (and romanticised) by Eleanor Atkinson in her 1912 novel Greyfriars Bobby, which was made into a movie in 1961 by - who else? - Walt Disney (a remake was released in 2005).

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  28. Greyfriars Kirk & Kirkyard

    The church of Greyfriars is famous as the spot where the National Covenant was signed in 1638, rejecting Charles I's attempts to impose episcopacy and affirming the independence of the Scottish Church. Many who signed it were later executed in the Grassmarket and, in 1679, 1200 Covenanters were held prisoner in terrible conditions in an enclosure in the far corner of the kirkyard.

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  29. Heart of Midlothian

    Outside the western door of St Giles Cathedral is a cobblestone heart set into the paving that marks the site of the 15th-century Tolbooth. The Tolbooth served variously as a meeting place for parliament and the town council before becoming law courts and, finally, a notorious prison and place of execution. Immortalised in Sir Walter Scott's novel The Heart of Midlothian, the Tolbooth was demolished in the 19th century.

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