Edinburgh

Every day except Sunday, at exactly one o'clock, a cannon shot thunders from Castle Rock across the rooftops – it once allowed ships in the harbor to set their clocks. Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, combines a medieval Old Town on a volcanic ridge with a Georgian planned city, and every city break in Edinburgh becomes an encounter with history, literature and whisky.

Old Town and New Town

The Old Town runs down the ridge from Castle Rock to the Palace of Holyrood. In the Middle Ages, houses of up to ten stories crowded tightly together here, and narrow alleys, known as closes, lead into inner courtyards. When the Old Town was bursting at the seams in the 18th century, the New Town was built to the north of it, based on a design by the young architect James Craig: wide streets, elegant squares and rows of buildings made of pale sandstone. Both districts have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. Between them lie Princes Street Gardens, where a loch once protected the castle, and the Scott Monument, a neo-Gothic tower honoring the writer Walter Scott.

Sights in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle sits enthroned on an extinct volcano; within its walls you'll find the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny and St Margaret's Chapel from the 12th century, the oldest building in the city. The Royal Mile leads downhill, past St Giles' Cathedral with its stone crown and the Thistle Chapel, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King's official residence in Scotland, and the modern Parliament building. Behind it rises Arthur's Seat, a 251-meter (824-foot) hill in the middle of the city that you can climb in an hour. The National Museum of Scotland shows Dolly the cloned sheep and the Lewis Chessmen, and Calton Hill offers the classic view over the city.

Neighborhoods beyond the Royal Mile

Stockbridge, with its Sunday market, delicatessens and the Water of Leith, a river with a walking path along its banks, feels like a village within the city. Leith, the old harbor, is now known for its waterfront restaurants; the Royal Yacht Britannia is moored there, and you can tour the royal family's quarters on board. Southside and Newington are student neighborhoods around the university, while Tollcross and the West End are home to theaters, cinemas and pubs. Bruntsfield and Morningside invite you to stroll past cafés, bookstores and gourmet shops, and on the Meadows, a large expanse of grass south of the Old Town, students gather for picnics on sunny days. Dean Village, a former mill village on the Water of Leith, is only a few minutes from Princes Street and yet feels like a place in the countryside.

Festivals and culture

In August, Edinburgh transforms into the biggest cultural stage in the world. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe offers thousands of performances in basements, churches and pubs, from comedy to theater; running alongside it are the International Festival, the Book Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade. At New Year's, the city celebrates Hogmanay with a torchlight procession and a street party. In 2004, Edinburgh became the first UNESCO City of Literature, and authors such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle and J. K. Rowling have lived here.

Eating in Edinburgh

Haggis with neeps and tatties – that is, rutabaga and mashed potatoes – is a must, as is Cullen skink, a soup made with smoked haddock. Scottish salmon, North Sea lobster and Highland beef appear on the menus of many restaurants. In the pubs of the Grassmarket and Rose Street you can try single malt, and the Scotch Whisky Experience near the castle introduces you to the art of whisky making.

Getting there and best time to visit

From Edinburgh Airport, the tram takes about 35 minutes to reach the city center and continues on to Leith. By train, it's four and a half hours to London and one hour to Glasgow. The best time to visit is from May to September; in August, accommodations are expensive and book up early. Day trips lead to the Highlands or to South Queensferry and the Forth bridges.