Other sights in Edinburgh
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Old Calton Burial Ground
One of Edinburgh’s many atmospheric old cemeteries, Old Calton is dominated by the tall black obelisk of the Political Martyrs’ Monument, which commemorates those who suffered in the fight for electoral reform in the 1790s. In the southern corner is the massive cylindrical grey stone tomb of David Hume (1711–76), Scotland’s most famous philosopher. Hume was a noted atheist, prompting rumours that he had made a Faustian pact with the devil; after his death his friends held a vigil at the tomb for eight nights, burning candles and firing pistols into the darkness lest evil spirits should come to bear away his soul.
reviewed
-
Rosslyn Chapel
The success of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent Hollywood film has seen a flood of visitors descend on Scotland’s most beautiful and enigmatic church – Rosslyn Chapel. The chapel was built in the mid-15th century for William St Clair, third earl of Orkney, and the ornately carved interior – at odds with the architectural fashion of its time – is a monument to the mason’s art, rich in symbolic imagery. As well as flowers, vines, angels and biblical figures, the carved stones include many examples of the pagan ‘Green Man’; other figures are associated with Freemasonry and the Knights Templar. Intriguingly, there are also carvings of plants from t…
reviewed
-
Hopetoun House
One of Scotland’s finest stately homes, Hopetoun House has a superb location in lovely grounds beside the Firth of Forth. There are two parts – the older built to Sir William Bruce’s plans between 1699 and 1702 and dominated by a splendid stairwell with (modern) trompe l’oeil paintings; and the newer designed between 1720 and 1750 by three members of the Adam family, William and sons Robert and John. The highlights are the red and yellow Adam drawing rooms, lined in silk damask, and the view from the roof terrace.
reviewed
-
Lennoxlove House
Lennoxlove House is a hidden gem of a country house dating originally from around 1345, with major extensions and renovations from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. It contains fine furniture and paintings, and memorabilia relating to Mary, Queen of Scots. Chief among these are her death mask and a silver casket given to her by Francis II of France, her first husband. The house has been the seat of the duke of Hamilton since 1947.
reviewed
-
B
Edinburgh Dungeon
This manufactured attraction combines 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 kids under eight.
reviewed
-
C
National War Museum of Scotland
At the western end of the castle, to the left of the castle restaurant, a road leads down to the National War Museum of Scotland, which brings Scotland's military history vividly to life. The exhibits have been personalised by telling the stories of the original owners of the objects on display, making it easier to empathise with the experiences of war than any dry display of dusty weaponry ever could.
reviewed
-
D
The Shore
The most attractive part of Leith is the cobbled waterfront street alongside the Water of Leith, lined with pubs and restaurants. Before the docks were built in the 19th century this was Leith’s original wharf. An iron plaque in front of No 30 marks the King’s Landing – the spot where King George IV (the first reigning British monarch to visit Scotland since Charles II in 1650) stepped ashore in 1822.
reviewed
-
Scottish Seabird Centre
Top marks to the bright spark who came up with the idea for the Scottish Seabird Centre, an ornithologist’s paradise that uses remote-control video cameras sited on the Bass Rock and other islands to relay live images of nesting gannets and other seabirds – you can control the cameras yourself, and zoom in on scenes of cosy gannet domesticity.
reviewed
-
E
Dean Gallery
Directly across Belford Rd from the NGMA's main building, another neoclassical mansion houses its annexe, the Dean Gallery. The Dean holds the NGMA'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 the Edinburgh- born sculptor Sir Eduardo Paolozzi.
reviewed
-
Tantallon Castle
Perched on a cliff 3 miles east of North Berwick is the spectacular ruin of Tantallon Castle. Built around 1350, it was the fortress residence of the Douglas earls of Angus (the ‘Red Douglases’), defended on one side by a series of ditches and on the other by an almost sheer drop into the sea.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Inchcolm Abbey
The tiny island of Inchcolm is home to the ruins of Inchcolm Abbey, one of Scotland’s best-preserved medieval abbeys, as well as colonies of grey seals, puffins and other seabirds. You can visit Inchcolm from Newhaven Harbour or Queensferry.
reviewed
-
Queensferry Museum
In the pretty, terraced High St in Queensferry is the small Queensferry Museum. It contains some interesting background information on the bridges, and a fascinating exhibit on the ‘Burry Man’, part of the village’s summer gala festivities.
reviewed
-
Hopetoun House
The ferry Maid of the Forth sails from Queensferry to Inchcolm, one to four times daily most days from May to October. Two miles west of Queensferry lies Hopetoun House, one of Scotland’s finest stately homes.
reviewed
-
Dirleton Castle
Two miles west of North Berwick is Dirleton Castle, an impressive medieval fortress with massive round towers, a drawbridge and a horrific pit dungeon, surrounded rather incongruously by beautiful, manicured gardens.
reviewed
-
St Mary’s Parish Church
Church St leads from the eastern end of High St to St Mary’s Parish Church. Built in 1462, it’s the largest parish church in Scotland and one of the finest pre-Reformation churches in the country.
reviewed
-
F
Queen’s Gallery
The Queen’s Gallery, beside the palace ticket office, is a showcase for a range of changing exhibitions of art from the Royal Collections.
reviewed
-
G
Hub
This ticket office and information centre for the Edinburgh Festival is located inside the Highland Tolbooth Kirk.
reviewed
