Edinburgh Hotels

Looming grand and ancient over the city is Edinburgh Castle, where you can take in spectacular views of the city. It is here that you can see its famous cannon, ‘Mons Meg’, which, true to Edinburgh’s flare for drama, is still fired at 1pm every day except Sunday. While some cities have daintily chiming church bells, Edinburgh marks the passing of time with an explosion.

While the castle proudly displays statues of Scottish heroes William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, it is connected by the Royal Mile to Holyrood House, the Queen’s official Scottish residence – which sums up Edinburgh’s unique blend of combative defiance and happy acceptance. It is a city with multiple personalities (it inspired Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) and yet far from requiring a straight jacket, it encourages visitors to fly their own freak flags and run with whatever feels good.

It’s not just history and tradition that colours the town – there are plenty of opportunities to paint it red in the many pubs, clubs and restaurants. Edinburgh’s nickname ‘Auld Reekie’ means ‘Old Smoky’ and conveys the seductive allure of a decadent party scene where excess is embraced and fun, sex and laughter simmer in a heady cocktail.

EDINBURGH’S TOP 10

EDINBURGH LOCAL

Old Town

Edinburgh’s Old Town is the site of many a – you guessed it –historical attraction. Its cobbled streets feature some of the city’s most stunning architecture and much of the medieval fortress feel is retained, only without quite so many beheadings and a generally more pleasant smell. This is where you’ll find St Giles Cathedral, the Law Courts and the Museum of Scotland.

For something truly unique, head under the Royal Mile to take a tour of Mary King’s Close, a warren of hidden, haunted streets from the 16^th Century. Although obviously laid on for tourists, it has a more authentic feel than the Edinburgh Dungeon, which has more of a theme-park vibe (although is still very well done and is a fun way to scare the bejesus out of the kids).

New Town

Actually, not that new – with Georgian grandeur predominating. However, it is the place to go to experience modern splendour and excess. Princes Street offers a veritable orgasm of retail splendour, with parallel George Street providing no shortage of drinking holes and bars.

Broughton Street

Most of Edinburgh’s gay scene centres on Broughton Street, with a veritable gaggle of gay clubs, pubs and bars to choose from. Dance the night away with the young glitterati in Planet or stop by The Street for a coffee by day and a tipple by night.

EDINBURGH EAT & DRINK

If you’ve never tried it, you can get haggis in Edinburgh. Or you could chose from the impressive range of world-class dining options…

EDINBURGH EVENTS

Edinburgh is a city positively loaded with festivals. August in particular sees a swarm of festivals and festival-goers descend on the city.

The legendary Edinburgh Fringe Festival is one of the most acclaimed arts festivals in the world and is a hotbed of creativity and innovation. Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Steve Coogan, Eddie Izzard and many, many more all made their names here.

An offshoot of the Fringe Festival and now an international drawcard in its own right, the Edinburgh International Comedy Festival encapsulates the irreverent and mischievous nature of the city, and is guaranteed to have you rolling in the aisles, if not peeing in your pants.

There’s also the International Art Festival, International Science Festival, International Book Festival and the Jazz and Blues Festival. You name a niche, and Edinburgh probably has a festival for it, even if your niche happens to be dancing naked around a bonfire to honour the pagan festival of Beltane in May. And let’s face it, who can’t get down with that?

August also sees the iconic Edinburgh Tattoo, a unique blend of music, dance and military-related shenanigans. Millions have watched the event in the grounds of Edinburgh Castle since its debut and it’s one of the biggest attractions in the city. Chances are you’ve seen it on TV, but it’s sooo much better in person.

Join the crowds swarming along the Royal Mile for New Year’s Eve (better known as Hogmanay north of the border) and sing along with the heartiest rendition of Auld Lang Syne you’ll ever hear.

WHEN TO GO

It’s Scotland, so despite the best efforts of the Gulf Stream, Edinburgh isn’t exactly prime sun-bathing territory. But it does have a very famous fog, known as the ‘haar’, which is apt to descend on the city from the North Sea with no warning and is the stuff of myth and legend.

WHAT TO MISS

While Edinburgh is a relatively safe city there are, as always, a few dodgy areas and some elements that may annoy…

• Princes Street is a retail heaven, but because buskers seem to know you’ll have your money out, they line the streets to… er… perform. Some are extraordinary and by all means these deserve a few quid, but the majority simply try to capitalise on tourist sentimentality by giving truly awful bagpipe renditions of Celtic folk songs. The sound is akin to a thousand cats being fed through a wood chipper, so please – don’t encourage them.
• Certain parts of Leith on the city’s fringes are notorious for housing estates, petty crime and characters who have jumped straight from the pages of an Irvine Welsh novel.

GETTING THERE AND AROUND

The A1 concludes its South to North journey in Edinburgh, so driving there is straightforward and, apart from in peak tourist season, parking is reasonably plentiful and not too pricey. Otherwise, Edinburgh is well-served by air and rail.

Once in the city, walking is your best bet for seeing everything Edinburgh has to offer, while the public transport system is about as efficient as the public transport system in every British city.

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