This Edinburgh tourist map marks 14 top sights, 32 hidden gems and a 4.5 km walking route from Edinburgh Castle to the Scottish National Gallery, by the Royal Mile, Calton Hill and Princes Street. It is free to view, print and download.
Download the printable PDF (1.7 MB) >
Each sight has a longer description on the page of Edinburgh tourist attractions.
The numbers below match the pins on the map, the PDF and the video. The first 9 sights are stops on the walking route, down the Royal Mile from the castle to Holyroodhouse, up Calton Hill and back along Princes Street to the Mound. The other 5 are off the route: four are reached on foot or by park paths, and the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith by tram or bus.
Marked in orange: 32 smaller sights worth a detour. The 20 below are in the centre; the PDF lists all 32 with their addresses, including seven that fall outside the map frame. Dolly the Sheep and the miniature coffins are exhibits inside the National Museum of Scotland, and the abbey ruins are part of the Holyroodhouse visit.
The PDF has five A4 pages. Page 1 holds the map with the numbered legend, how to get around and the licence. Pages 2 to 4 describe the 14 sights with a photo, the full address and access, and pages 4 and 5 list the 32 hidden gems with their addresses and seven neighbourhoods. In English, 1.7 MB. Edition: October 2026.
Start of a 4.5 km (2.8 miles) route, timed at 1 h 00 of walking on the flat without the visits; the Old Town adds slopes and steps. The castle on Castle Rock holds the Honours of Scotland and St Margaret's Chapel, and entry is ticketed. Walk down the Esplanade and Castlehill, 0.8 km, to St Giles'.
On the High Street, the High Kirk of Edinburgh, with its crown steeple and the Thistle Chapel inside. Since 5 October 2026 visitors pay for entry, while residents of Scotland and under-16s go in free. The Heart of Midlothian is set in the street outside. Mary King's Close is 0.1 km away.
Entered from Warriston's Close off the High Street, a warren of 17th-century streets and houses sealed beneath the City Chambers. Visits are guided tours of about an hour through low, dark spaces on uneven ground, and booking is advised. Continue down the High Street, 0.3 km.
The Old Town's spine runs down from the castle esplanade to Holyroodhouse, with narrow closes and wynds on both sides and the Tron Kirk on the High Street beside South Bridge. It is free to walk at any hour. Carry on downhill into the Canongate, 0.4 km, to the next stop.
In Huntly House, a 16th-century merchant's house on the Canongate whose Latin mottoes earned it the nickname of the Speaking House. The free museum traces the city's story and keeps the collar and feeding bowl of Greyfriars Bobby; it is not open every day. Walk on down the Canongate, 0.4 km.
At the foot of the Canongate, the monarch's residence in Edinburgh. The visit takes in the State Apartments, Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers, the ruins of Holyrood Abbey and the gardens. It is usually closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and can close at short notice. The longest leg, 1.1 km, climbs to Calton Hill by Jacob's Ladder.
Twelve columns of an unfinished replica of the Parthenon, begun in 1826 for the Scots who died in the Napoleonic Wars. Calton Hill is free and open at any hour, with views over the Old Town, the Firth of Forth and Arthur's Seat. Go down to Waterloo Place and along Princes Street, 0.8 km.
In East Princes Street Gardens, the Victorian Gothic spire for Sir Walter Scott, with his marble statue and his dog Maida beneath it. The climb up the narrow stairs is ticketed and goes by guided tour, with tickets sold at the kiosk on arrival. Follow the gardens west, 0.5 km, to the Mound.
The route ends on the Mound at William Playfair's Ionic temple of 1859, between the Old Town and the New Town above Princes Street Gardens. Entry is free, with some exhibitions ticketed. Princes Street and its tram stop are just below.
The centre is walkable: the 9 stops cover 4.5 km, timed at 1 h 00 on level ground without the visits, though the Old Town ridge has steep streets and steps. The longest leg is the 1.1 km from the Palace of Holyroodhouse up to Calton Hill.
There is no metro. Edinburgh Trams run one line from the airport through Haymarket, Princes Street and St Andrew Square, for Waverley station, to Ocean Terminal and Newhaven. Lothian bus 35 runs along the Canongate and South Bridge, past the National Museum, and bus 34 along Princes Street; both end at Ocean Terminal.
Sights outside the walking route:
The map, the PDF, the walking route and the texts are © 2026 World Tourist Office and free to copy, share, print and adapt, also commercially, under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. The only condition is a credit to World Tourist Office with a link to this page.
The photos are not covered by this licence: they are © their respective owners, used here under their own licences, and may not be extracted or reused separately. Where a photo carries its own credit line, that credit and its licence apply. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), tiles © OpenFreeMap: keep that credit too. The World Tourist Office name and logo are trademarks and are not licensed.
Four photos in the PDF and the video carry their own credit: Mary King's Close, "Mary King's Close" by Mario RM, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0; Museum of Edinburgh, "Edinburgh, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh Museum" by Allie_Caulfield, licensed under CC BY 2.0; Scott Monument, "City of Edinburgh, Scott Monument" by Olliebailie, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; Royal Yacht Britannia, "Royal Yacht Britannia" by Billy McCrorie, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Credit to copy: Edinburgh Tourist Map by World Tourist Office, touristoffice.org/edinburgh-tourist-map/, CC BY 4.0. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
