-
Highland Tolbooth Kirk
Edinburgh's tallest spire (71.7m) was built in the 1840s by James Graham and Augustus Pugin (architect of London's Houses of Parliament) and takes its name from Gaelic services held here in the 19th century for Edinburgh's Highland congregations.
-
Holyrood Abbey
Founded in 1128 by King David I, this ancient abbey was probably named after a fragment of the True Cross ( rood is an old Scots word for cross) said to have been brought to Scotland by David's mother, St Margaret. The bay on the right, as you look at the huge, arched, eastern window, is the royal burial vault, which holds the remains of Kings David II, James II and James V, and of Mary Queen of Scots' husband, Lord Darnley.
-
John Knox House
Edinburgh's oldest surviving tenement, dating from around 1490, has an outside staircase, overhanging upper floors and crowstepped gables; Calvinist firebrand John Knox is thought to have lived here from 1561 to 1572. The labyrinthine interior has some beautiful painted timber ceilings and interesting displays on Knox' life and work.
-
Leith Links
This public park was originally common grazing land, but is more famous as the birthplace of modern golf. Although St Andrews has the oldest golf course in the world, it was at Leith Links in 1744 that the first official rules of the game were formulated by the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. A stone cairn on the western side of the park bears a plaque describing how the ancient game was played over five holes of around 400 yards each.
-
Mansfield Place Church
In complete contrast to the austerity of most of Edinburgh's religious buildings, the 19th-century, neo-Romanesque Mansfield Place Church at the foot of Broughton St contains a remarkable series of Renaissance-style frescoes painted in the 1890s by Irish-born artist Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852-1936).
-
Meadows
This mile-long stretch of lush grass crisscrossed with tree-lined walks was once a shallow lake known as the Borough Loch. Drained in the 1740s and converted into parkland, it's a great place for a picnic or a quiet walk - in spring its walks lie ankle-deep in drifts of pink cherry blossom, and there are great views of Arthur's Seat.
-
Museum of Childhood
Known as 'the noisiest museum in the world' (it's often overrun with screaming kids), this place covers serious issues related to childhood - health, education, upbringing and so on. It also has an enormous collection of toys, games and books: everything from Victorian dolls to a video history of the 1960s Gerry Anderson TV puppet series, Thunderbirds .
-
Museum Of Edinburgh
The labyrinth of oak-panelled rooms and creaky wooden floors that is Huntly House (built 1570) is home to a lot of less-than-riveting displays, but there are some gems worth seeking out - an original copy of the National Covenant signed in Greyfriars Kirkyard in 1638, an interesting exhibit on the history of the One O'Clock Gun, and the dog collar and feeding bowl that belonged to Greyfriars Bobby.
-
Museum On The Mound
Housed in the Bank of Scotland's splendid Georgian HQ, this little museum is a treasure trove of gold coins, bullion chests, safes, banknotes, forgeries, cartoons and lots of fascinating old documents and photographs charting the history of Scotland's oldest bank.
-
National Gallery Of Scotland
Scotland's premier collection of art is housed in this imposing neoclassical temple nestled beneath the Old Town skyline. Once a year, in January, the gallery exhibits its collection of Turner watercolours, bequeathed by Henry Vaughan in 1900.
-
Advertisement
-
National Museum Of Scotland
Consisting of two buildings - the 19th-century Royal Museum and the late-20th-century Museum of Scotland - which have been cleverly joined together, the National Museum of Scotland covers culture, science, art and nature, from ancient fossils to Formula 1 racing cars. Audioguides are available in several languages, and volunteers give free 45-minute guided tours.
-
National War Museum Of Scotland
Exhibits concentrate on individual stories of courage, determination and heartbreak rather than broad historical narratives, and include unusual items such as a varnished set of elephant's toenails and the story of Bob the Dog, regimental mascot of the 1st Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards, who chased cannonballs at the Battle of Inkerman and was awarded his own medal.
-
Nelson Monument
Looking a bit like an upturned telescope - the similarity is intentional - the Nelson Monument was built to commemorate Admiral Lord Nelson's victory at Trafalgar in 1805. In 1852 a time-ball was added as a time signal for ships anchored in the Firth of Forth - it still drops from the cross-bars of the mast at the top of the monument at every day. The view from the top is superb.
-
Newhaven Harbour
Newhaven was once a distinctive fishing community whose fishwives tramped the streets of Edinburgh's New Town selling ' caller herrin ' (fresh herring) from wicker creels on their backs. Modern development has dispelled the fishing-village atmosphere, but the little harbour still boasts its picturesque lighthouse. Sea.fari (331 4857; www.seafari.co.uk) runs high-speed boat trips from the harbour to Inchcolm Island.
-
Newhaven Heritage Museum
The former fish market on the eastern side of the harbour houses a small museum decked out with tableaux celebrating the lives of Newhaven fisherfolk and the origins of Newhaven as a naval dockyard. A 15-minute video illustrates the hard-working lifestyle that survived here until the 1950s, when overfishing put an end to the traditional source of income.
-
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.
-
Old College
Edinburgh University's Old College is a neoclassical masterpiece designed by Robert Adam in 1789; today it is home to the univeristy's law faculty. At the far end of the quad you'll find the Talbot Rice Gallery.
-
Our Dynamic Earth
Billed as an interactive, multimedia journey through earth's history from the Big Bang to the present day, Dynamic Earth is hugely popular with kids of all ages. It's a slick extravaganza of hi-tech special effects cleverly designed to fire young minds with curiosity about all things geological and environmental. (But its true purpose, of course, is to disgorge you into a gift shop stacked with plastic dinosaurs and souvenir T-shirts.)
-
Outlook Tower & Camera Obscura
The 'camera obscura' itself is a curious 19th-century device - something like a periscope, using lenses and mirrors to throw a live image of the city onto a large horizontal screen. The accompanying commentary is entertaining and the whole exercise has a quirky charm. The Outlook Tower offers great views over the city.
-
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is The Queen's official residence in Scotland. Highlights include the royal apartments, with intricately carved plaster ceilings, floor-to-ceiling tapestries and mythological paintings.
-
Advertisement
-
Parliament Hall
This magnificent 17th-century hall, with original oak hammer-beam roof, is where the original Scottish Parliament met before its dissolution in 1707. It's now used by lawyers and their clients as a meeting place but is open to the public. As you enter 11 Parliament Sq (there's a sign outside saying 'Parliament Hall; Court of Session') you'll see the reception desk in front of you; the hall is through the double doors immediately on your right.
-
Princes Street Gardens
These beautiful gardens lie in a valley once occupied by the Nor' Loch (North Loch), a boggy depression that was drained in the early 19th century. They are split in the middle by The Mound - around two million cart-loads of earth dug out from foundations during the construction of the New Town and dumped here to provide a road link across the valley to the Old Town. It was completed in 1830.
-
Queen's Gallery
This stunning modern gallery, which occupies the shell of a former church and school, is a showcase for exhibitions of art from the Royal Collections. The exhibitions change every six months or so; for details of the latest, check the website.
-
Real Mary King's Close
This medieval Old Town alley has survived almost unchanged for 250 years amid the foundations of the City Chambers, a spooky, subterranean labyrinth that gives a fascinating insight into the everyday life of 17th-century Edinburgh. The guided tour can seem a little naff, milking the scary and scatological aspects of the close's history for all they're worth.
-
Royal Botanic Garden
Founded near Holyrood in 1670 and moved to its present location in 1823, Edinburgh's Botanic Garden is the second oldest institution of its kind in Britain (after Oxford's), and one of the most respected in the world. Seventy beautifully landscaped acres include splendid Victorian palm houses, colourful swathes of rhododendron and azalea, and a world-famous rock garden. The garden's Terrace Café offers good views towards the city centre.
