Edinburgh is two cities, stacked on top of each other. The Old Town, the medieval city on the ridge, the Royal Mile running from the castle (the volcanic plug, the rock that has been a fortress since the Iron Age, the most visited attraction in Scotland, ~£19.50, and the view from the battlements is the best view in the city: the Firth of Forth, the Fife coast, and the hills of the Borders) to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the Queen’s official residence in Scotland, the ruins of the abbey, and the Gallery of the Kings, the portraits of the 111 monarchs of Scotland, the longest and most disputed royal lineage in Europe), the closes and the wynds, the narrow alleyways that run off the spine of the Royal Mile, the hidden courtyards, and the ghosts (the Mackenzie Poltergeist, the most famous ghost in Edinburgh, the Black Mausoleum in Greyfriars Kirkyard, and the ghost tours that have made the city the most haunted in Europe, the tours are tacky, atmospheric, and unexpectedly fun). Below the bridge, the New Town, the Georgian masterpiece, the grid of the streets, the crescents, and the neoclassical order imposed on the landscape in the 1760s as the wealth of the Scottish Enlightenment outgrew the medieval city. Edinburgh is the historic city (the castle, the Old Town, the ghosts) and the vibrant city (the Fringe Festival, the food, the bars), and the combination is the most beautiful, most surprising, and most completely satisfying city-break destination in the UK. Here is your guide.

Edinburgh, historic & Vibrant

• The Old Town, the Royal Mile and the secrets: The Royal Mile is a mile and 107 yards (the Scots mile, longer than the English mile, the essential Edinburgh fact), and the walk from the castle to the palace takes you through the history of Scotland. The essential stops: the Scotch Whisky Experience (the tourist attraction, the barrel ride, the tasting, and the largest collection of Scotch whisky in the world, and, honestly, the quickest and most enjoyable introduction to the spirit. ~£19 for the Silver Tour, the tasting of four whiskies. Book ahead for the summer), the Camera Obscura (the Victorian optical device, the periscope projecting a live image of the city onto a white table, the optical illusions, the mirror maze, and the most fun attraction in Edinburgh. ~£18, and the view from the roof, the city, the castle, and the Firth, is the best of any paid attraction in the city), and Gladstone’s Land (the 17th-century tenement, the painted ceilings, the furnished rooms, and the best insight into the life of the Old Town before the New Town was built. National Trust for Scotland, ~£10). The essential secret: the Real Mary King’s Close (the underground street, buried beneath the Royal Exchange in the 1750s, the houses, the stories, and the sense of walking through the Edinburgh of the 17th century, the plague, the poverty, and the ghosts. ~£19, and the best historical tour in the city). More UK →
• The New Town, the Georgian masterpiece: The New Town is the Enlightenment in stone: the grid of the streets (George Street, the Princes Street Gardens, the valley between the Old and the New Town, the former Nor Loch, drained in the 1760s, now the most beautiful park in the city), the crescents (the Moray Estate, the Drummond Place, and the most beautiful residential architecture in Britain), and the galleries (the Scottish National Gallery, the Raphael, the Titian, the Velázquez, the Rembrandt, and the best collection of European painting in Scotland. Free. The National Portrait Gallery, the faces of the Scottish Enlightenment: David Hume, Adam Smith, Robert Burns, and the heroes of Scottish history. Free). The essential walk: the Water of Leith (the river, the 12-mile walk from the centre of the city to the Firth of Forth, the Dean Village, the beautiful old mill village in the valley below the New Town, the water, the trees, and the silence that is 5 minutes from the city centre. The walk to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the two galleries, the gardens, and the best modern art in Scotland. Free)
• The Fringe and the festivals, the vibrant city: Edinburgh in August is not Edinburgh, it is the Edinburgh Festival City: the International Festival (the high culture, the opera, the ballet, the classical music, and the fireworks from the castle. The tickets from ~£20, the atmosphere is formal, and the music is the best of the summer), the Fringe (the open-access arts festival, the 3,000 shows, the comedy, the theatre, the circus, and the chaos. The tickets from ~£5, and the street performers on the Royal Mile, the fire-eaters, the unicyclists, and the living statues, are free), and the Tattoo (the military music on the castle esplanade, the massed pipes and drums, the fireworks, and the most spectacular single event of the summer. ~£40–100). The rest of the year: Edinburgh is still Edinburgh. The pubs (the Bow Bar, the Victoria Street pub, the 300 whiskies, and the best Scottish pub in the city. The Oxford Bar, the favourite pub of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus, the unchanged interior, and the sense of stepping into a novel), the restaurants (the Timberyard, the family-run restaurant in the former warehouse, the tasting menu, and the best meal in Edinburgh. ~£75. The Kitchin, Tom Kitchin, the Michelin star, the “from nature to plate” philosophy, and the best Scottish produce. ~£100), and the walk up Arthur’s Seat (the extinct volcano in the centre of the city, the 30-minute climb from Holyrood, and the view of the city, the Firth, and the hills of Fife. The best free experience in Edinburgh)