The city is one of Europe's major tourist destinations, attracting around 13 million visitors a year, and is the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, its second largest city after Glasgow which is situated 45 miles (72 km) to the west. It lies on the east coast of Scotland's Central Belt, along the Firth of Forth and has a resident population of almost half a million.
Edinburgh has been the capital of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the Scottish Parliament. The city was one of the major centres of the Enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh, earning it the nickname Athens of the North.
Visiting the Old Town of Edinburgh is one of the most fascinating experiences Scotland's Capital City has to offer to its tourists. Walking down the narrow wynds and closes, visiting historic buildings and coming into contact with the occult are just some of the things to do in the Old Town. Nearly 25.000 people used to live in this small area in the 1700s with people of all classes living together. The buildings on the Royal Mile were inhabited by rich and commoners alike until the development of the New Town began. The Old Town was then left with an ever growing population of poor and knew its worse time of decay and disease.
Many of the buildings on the Royal Mile are hundreds of years old and are Europe's original skyscrapers. The overcrowding in the limited space of the Old Town led to buildings being expanded upwards. That's how medieval Edinburgh got its first 6-7 storey high buildings. With them closely built together, it is said that people on the upper floors could reach out and shake hands. The lower floors would be inhabited by merchants who had their own shops, at the very top floor you would find the poorest of Edinburgh and in between you would find the middle class, lawyers, doctors, etc.
Some highlights of the Old Town would be;
The Royal Mile -- a mile long street -- runs through the heart of the Old Town connecting two royal buildings - Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyrood, the Queen's residence in Edinburgh. Along with shops and pubs there are countless closes, each with its own name and story to tell. One of the Royal Mile's most famous closes is Mary King's Close.
St. Giles Cathedral - the High Kirk (Church) of Scotland, is located on the Royal Mile and is an impressive architectural achievement. Many famous Scottish figures are linked to St Giles but perhaps the most famous of all is that of John Knox.
The Old Town is also home to some of Edinburgh's most interesting kirkyards (graveyards). Greyfriars Kirkyard is a peaceful place, where people come to relax at lunchtime. Greyfriars is allegedly the home of a poltergeist -- Bloody MacKenzie -- and is also famous for the story of Burke and Hare, the bodysnachers, and that of Scotland’s most famous dog, Greyfriars Bobby.
Prosperity in Scotland during the 1700's, combined with wealth consequent to considerable political power now enjoyed by Scots in Parliament in London, led to an explosion of new building. At that time the Old Town was overcrowded, noisy and dirty. Visitors said they could smell Edinburgh as they appraoched Dalkieth some 8 miles to the South. Lack of proper drainage and generally insanitary conditions caused ill-health. It is no wonder that plans were made to build a new Edinburgh, and the site that was chosen was just to the North on a long low ridge of land running from East to West. Lord Provost Drummond led the initiative. In 1752 Proposals were published outlining his plans. A year later an Act of Parliament ratified the proposals and by 1759 the initial project of draining the North Loch (now the site of the Waverley Rail Station) was begun. In 1766 a competition for the best architectural scheme was held. 6 plans were considered, and James Craig's scheme was chosen.
Although nowadays Princes Street is commonly regarded as the main street of this scheme, it was not so originally. George Street on the top of the ridge was the backbone of the plan; it was built, at 100 feet wide, 20 feet wider than either Princes Street or Queen Street (parallel to the south and north respectively).
At either end of George Street are two spacious garden squares. The buildings on the North side of one, Charlotte Square, the last part to be built, were designed by Robert Adam, and building began in 1795, three years after his death. Today it remains one of the most harmonious and unified architectural schemes of the 18th Century.
The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
There are over 4,500 listed buildings within the city.
Scotland's capital city is the world's Festival City. Over the peak festival period in the summer, its population doubles as it plays host to hundreds of thousands of visitors and performers from all over the world. The most famous of these events are the Edinburgh Fringe (the largest performing arts festival in the world), the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The huge range and number of artistic events, performances and exhibitions happening throughout the city makes a trip to Edinburgh an unforgettable experience. It makes you feel that there is always something else happening around the corner which you might be missing. There is; and you are. This is inevitable, part of the joy of the Festival.
Other notable events include the Hogmanay Street party (31 December), Burns Night (25 January), St. Andrew's Day (November 30), and the Beltane Fire Festival (30 April).
It can be hard to know which way to look in a city this beautiful; Edinburgh features breathtaking natural landscapes as well as some of the world's most spectacular architecture - including four castles and 160 public monuments.
Calton Hill, with its panoramic views and its unfinished acropolis, towers over the east end of Princes Street, a short walk from Waverley station; a little way to the south, Holyrood Park's six hundred and fifty acres of wilderness stretch from the new Scottish Parliament buildings and the Palace of Holyrood, at the foot of the Royal Mile, up to Arthur's Seat - a craggy, glacier-carved remnant of the city's distant volcanic past.
At the top of the Royal Mile, on another volcanic peak, stands Edinburgh Castle, with views across the whole city.
The city is one of Europe's major tourist destinations, attracting around 13 million visitors a year, and is the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.
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