Edinburgh tourist attractions

Edinburgh Castle crowns Castle Rock, a volcanic plug at the head of the Royal Mile, and has been fought over more times than any other stronghold in Europe. Inside stand the Honours of Scotland, the nation's crown jewels, and St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest surviving building in the city. Mons Meg, the giant medieval siege gun, and the Scottish National War Memorial sit within its walls, and the One O'Clock Gun fires across the city every day except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Location: Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG

Access: Ticketed, timed entry, open daily from 09:30. Tickets often sell out, so booking ahead is advised.

Arthur's Seat is the rocky summit of an extinct volcano rising at the centre of Holyrood Park, directly behind the Palace of Holyroodhouse. At 251 metres it is the highest point in the city, and the climb from the palace gates takes around an hour, rewarding walkers with sweeping views over the Old Town, the Firth of Forth and the hills of Fife beyond. The surrounding park, edged by the Salisbury Crags escarpment on its western side, stays open all year, its internal roads closed to traffic at weekends.

Location: Holyrood Park, Edinburgh EH16 5HX

Access: Free. The park and its paths are open year round.

The Royal Mile is the spine of Edinburgh's Old Town, a succession of streets running downhill from the Castle esplanade to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Its name reflects a length of roughly one Scots mile, and along the way it passes St Giles' Cathedral, the City Chambers and dozens of narrow closes and wynds branching off to either side. Tenements rise above shops, cafes and museums, while the historic Tron Kirk marks its midpoint. Walking its full length is the classic way to trace the medieval city.

Location: Old Town, between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse

Access: Free to walk at any hour. Its closes and wynds stay open beyond shop trading hours.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse stands at the foot of the Royal Mile and serves as the monarch's official residence in Scotland. Founded beside the ruins of Holyrood Abbey, it is best known as the home of Mary, Queen of Scots, whose apartments and the chamber where her secretary David Rizzio was murdered can still be seen. The State Apartments, the Great Gallery hung with portraits of Scottish kings, and the roofless abbey and gardens make up the visit, with Holyrood Park rising directly behind.

Location: Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DX

Access: Timed entry. As a working royal residence it can close at short notice, so it is worth checking before a visit.

The National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street gathers the nation's collections under one roof, from Scottish history and archaeology to natural history, world cultures, science and design. The soaring Victorian Grand Gallery, with its cast-iron columns and glass roof, adjoins a modern sandstone wing, and highlights range from Dolly the Sheep to the Lewis Chessmen. A rooftop terrace looks out over the Old Town. It is one of Scotland's most visited attractions.

Location: Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF

Access: Free entry, with a charge for some special exhibitions. Open daily 10:00 to 17:00.

St Giles' Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh, has stood on the Royal Mile for more than 900 years, founded in 1124. It became the centre of the Scottish Reformation under John Knox, who preached here from 1559, and remains the mother church of Presbyterianism. Its distinctive crown steeple is a landmark of the Old Town skyline, and inside, the Thistle Chapel, added in 1911 for the Order of the Thistle, is carved with elaborate stalls and heraldry.

Style: Gothic

Location: High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1RE

Access: Free entry, with donations welcome. Open to visitors outside service times.

The National Monument of Scotland crowns Calton Hill, an unfinished replica of the Parthenon begun in 1826 as a memorial to Scots who died in the Napoleonic Wars. Funds ran out after only twelve columns were raised, and the half-built colonnade earned nicknames such as Scotland's Folly. Its classical form helped give Edinburgh its reputation as the Athens of the North, and today it stands among a cluster of monuments on the hill, with wide views over the city, the Firth of Forth and Arthur's Seat.

Style: Neoclassical

Location: Calton Hill, Edinburgh EH7 5BN

Access: Free. Calton Hill is open to walk at any hour.

The Real Mary King's Close is a warren of 17th-century streets and houses sealed beneath the City Chambers off the Royal Mile. Once a crowded network of tenements, the closes were partly demolished and built over in the 18th century, leaving rooms and passageways preserved underground. Guided tours led by costumed characters recount daily life, the plague years and the ghost stories the site is known for, including the tale of a girl named Annie. The hour-long walk passes through low, dark spaces on uneven ground.

Location: 2 Warriston's Close, High Street, Edinburgh

Access: Ticketed, guided tours only. Open year round except Christmas Day, with booking advised.

Photo: "The Real Mary King's Close" by Mario RM (CC BY-SA).

Surgeons' Hall Museums, run by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, hold one of the oldest medical collections in Scotland. Housed in William Playfair's neoclassical building on Nicolson Street, the galleries cover pathology, the history of surgery and dentistry, with specimens, instruments and the story of the body snatchers Burke and Hare, whose crimes ended on the college's dissection table. The displays include human remains, which some visitors may find distressing.

Architect: William Henry Playfair · Style: Neoclassical

Location: Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DW

Access: Ticketed, open daily 10:00 to 17:00, no booking required.

The Museum of Edinburgh occupies Huntly House, a bright ochre 16th-century merchant's house on the Canongate stretch of the Royal Mile. Its maze of low-ceilinged rooms traces the story of the city through decorative arts, silver, glass and old street signs, and holds the original National Covenant of 1638. A favourite exhibit is the collar and feeding bowl of Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal terrier of Edinburgh legend. The house itself, with Latin mottoes across its facade, is among the best preserved on the Old Town's spine.

Location: 142 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DD

Access: Free, open daily 10:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30.

Photo: "Museum of Edinburgh" by Allie_Caulfield (CC BY).