Edinburgh is full of picturesque streets, hearty food, annual festivals and historical architecture, attracting almost 4 million visitors each year.
The Scottish capital is home to an array of visitor attractions.
Views over the city can be seen from the most famous and popular attraction, Edinburgh Castle.
The hosts of the annual Edinburgh tattoo military display and holders of Scotland’s Crown Jewels.
The castle sits on an extinct volcano at the top of the Royal Mile, a street now lined with pubs, shops, iconic buildings and other visitor attractions such as Camera Obscura or the Tartan Weaving Mill.
Traditionally, it was the route in which the Royal family would travel between their Palace at Holyrood and the castle.
To learn about Scotland’s national tipple, one must visit The Scotch Whisky Experience, also on the Royal Mile.
However, Holyrood park is soon to see the first producing Scotch whisky distillery in the city since the 1920s as the Holyrood Distillery prepares to start distilling and open to visitors in 2018.
Their location is an old engine room that is currently under renovation.
Many bars and restaurants also offer a wide range of Scotland’s finest whiskies which are wonderful for washing down the famous haggis.
This is on everyone’s menu each January 25th when the nation comes together to celebrate the life of their famous poet, Robert Burn’s.
Irn Bru is equally as famous in Scotland.
The centre of Edinburgh is divided into two areas, the medieval old town as described above and the Georgian style new town around Princes Street, an area for high street shopping, parks and the annual Christmas Market.
Since 1947 the Edinburgh Fringe has been the world’s largest art festival, with thousands of shows taking place at hundreds of venues across the city each August.
I’ve had the pleasure of traveling to Edinburgh many times for work, study and pleasure. It may not have the vibrant, colourful culture offered by its Glasgow rival but pretty, quaint, quirky and thoroughly enjoyable all sum it up very well.
There is always plenty to see and do at any time of the year.
