What to see in Edinburgh

Edinburgh highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

1. Edinburgh Castle

   The castle on its volcanic rock, home to the Honours of Scotland; book your ticket.

2. Royal Mile

   The street that runs down from the castle to Holyrood, with alleyways (“closes”) hiding courtyards.

3. Arthur's Seat

   An extinct volcano in the middle of Holyrood Park: a 45-minute climb and all of Edinburgh in view.

4. Calton Hill

   A hill of monuments in the centre; the best place to watch the sun set over the city.

5. Dean Village

   An old flour-milling quarter beside the Water of Leith, with stone houses and the Dean Bridge high above.

6. Grassmarket

   A long square below the Castle Rock, once a market and a place of public hangings. Victoria Street starts at the corner.

7. Greyfriars Kirkyard

   17th-century graves, iron cages against body snatchers and surnames Rowling borrowed for her characters.

8. Palace of Holyroodhouse

   The King’s official residence in Scotland: Mary Queen of Scots’ chambers, Flemish tapestries and the ruined abbey in the garden.

9. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

   Twenty-eight hectares with Victorian glasshouses and an arboretum. From the southern slope you can see the whole city skyline.

10. Scott Monument

    A Gothic spire blackened by soot. Two hundred and eighty-seven ever-narrower steps up to the balcony.

11. Portobello Beach

    Two kilometres of sand and a Victorian promenade, twenty minutes away by bus. Locals swim all year round.

12. Craigmillar Castle

    A 14th-century ruin where Mary Queen of Scots took refuge in 1566. You can climb the tower and there’s hardly ever a queue.

Day trips from Edinburgh

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

• Highlands and Loch Ness ★ 4.6 (20,975 reviews)
• Edinburgh Castle ★ 4.7 (1,250 reviews)

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Typical food of Edinburgh

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Edinburgh from your kitchen).

Shortbread

Scotland’s butter biscuits, made with just three ingredients and a texture that melts in the mouth. In Edinburgh they’re a must at Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year.

• Serves 16
• 50 min

Ingredients

• 250 g butter at room temperature
• 125 g sugar
• 375 g flour (or 300 g flour and 75 g rice flour)
• 1 pinch of salt
• Sugar for dusting

How to make it at home

1. Beat the butter with the sugar until creamy.
2. Add the flour and salt and mix with your hands just until it comes together as a dough.
3. Press it into a tin of about 20 × 30 cm, a finger’s width thick, and prick it with a fork.
4. Mark the portions with a knife and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.
5. Bake at 160 °C for about 30 minutes, until barely golden. Sprinkle with sugar and cut while hot.

The trick: Don’t let it brown too much: it should stay pale.

Frequently asked questions about Edinburgh