Edinburgh: Harry Potter Magical Guided Walking Tour
Duration: 2 hours
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Edinburgh
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Top attractions in Edinburgh
Edinburgh Castle Ticket
Valid: 1 day
Bestseller
Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Highlands Tour from Edinburgh
Duration: 12.5 hours
Bestseller
Edinburgh: Ghostly Underground Vaults Tour
Duration: 75 minutes
Edinburgh Airport City Airlink Bus Transfer
Duration: 30 minutes
Bestseller
City Sightseeing Edinburgh: 24-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour
Valid: 24 hours
Edinburgh: The Royal Yacht Britannia Ticket & Audio Guide
Duration: 2 hours
Historic Scotland 5 and 14-Day Attractions Explorer Pass
Valid: 5 - 14 days
Bestseller
From Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe, & the Highlands Day Tour
Duration: 12.5 hours
Bestseller
Edinburgh: Palace of Holyroodhouse Entrance Ticket
Duration: 1.5 hours
Edinburgh: Royal Attractions with Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours
Valid: 48 hours
Loch Ness, Highlands & Whisky Distillery Tour from Edinburgh
Duration: 12 hours
Bestseller
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Top 10 things to do in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is an effortlessly cohesive reflection of Scotland's breathtaking rural landscape, flaunting cultural vibrancy, historic charm, and scenic wonder. Even its New Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, what are its top attractions?
Edinburgh Castle
The Edinburgh Castle was built at least as early as the 12th century. Looking over the city from Castle Rock, it's been at the heart of some of Scotland's bloodiest conflicts.
Stirling Castle
Having withstood multiple sieges, Stirling is one of Scotland's most important castles. Even if you're not a history buff, the scenery alone warrants a day trip from the capital!
Loch Lomond
What's a holiday to Scotland without visiting one of its picturesque lochs? Luckily, the largest and most breathtaking one in the country, the Loch Lomond, is just a short journey away!
Holyrood Palace
The Holyrood Abbey next to the Holyrood Palace is still in ruins after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Fun fact: Holyrood is Old English for "holy cross."
Royal Mile
The historic thoroughfare, called The Royal Mile, runs through Edinburgh's Old Town from the Castle to Holyrood for one Scots mile. That's longer than a regular mile, in case you were wondering!
Greyfriars Church
The birthplace of 17th-century Scottish Presbyterianism, this church is a landmark of the country's religious history. It still holds Sunday services in English and Scottish Gaelic.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Dating back to 1670, when it was used to grow medicinal plants, this conservation project has bloomed into a leading tourist attraction. Today it houses over 13,000 plant species!
HMY Britannia
Built in 1953, this royal yacht is considered one of the UK's top attractions. You can even enjoy lunch or afternoon tea on the Royal Deck!
Rosslyn Chapel
Just south of Edinburgh lies the village of Roslin, where the spectacular Rosslyn Chapel was built 600 years ago as an object of curiosity and splendor. A truly unique example of religious architecture!
Our Dynamic Earth
The Holyrood area sits beneath a dormant volcano. The information center Our Dynamic Earth is the perfect place to learn about the natural processes that shaped our planet from the Big Bang to the present!
Planning Your Edinburgh Visit
Best time to visit?
Edinburgh is heaving with visitors throughout the summer, but for good reason – it's festival season! If you'd rather see the city significantly less hectic then you'll have to brave the Scottish winter. The good news is that few landscapes lend themselves so beautifully to cloud and drizzle as that of Scotland!
When is the Edinburgh Festival?
Edinburgh has several large festivals occupying its streets throughout summer, including their film, jazz, and book festivals. However, it's common to mistake the Edinburgh Fringe – the world's largest performing arts festival – as THE festival. It spans 25 days of August. This year's exact dates, and those for the other events too, can be found here.
How long to stay?
Book at least a week in Edinburgh if you can. Many of the city's most popular attractions require more time than you'll realise and there's already more than enough to do, especially during festival season. Plus, if you haven't ventured into Scotland's awe-inspiring countryside before, you should consider at least one day trip out of the city too!
Good to know
- LanguageEnglish
- CurrencyBritish Pound (£)
- Time ZoneUTC (+00:00)
- Country Code+44
- Best time to visitSpring for the mild weather, summer for the cultural events!
Things to Do in Edinburgh
Top Attractions in Edinburgh
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What people are saying about Edinburgh
Great old palace and gardens at the end of the Royal Mile.
The Holyrrodhouse palace and remains of the Abbey offer an easy display of the life of the Stuarts that can be seen at leisure. A stroll through the gardens is a must. Its location in the heart of Edinburgh and in front of the Scottish Parliament makes it easy to visit.
Plenty of information about the Yacht. Excellent tea and cakes.
Easy to reach from Edinburgh. The Royal Yacht is well worth a visit to see this intimate floating palace. The engine room is spotless and very informative. The tea room with its grat views of the Leith Water and Gormley's sculpture of a man on the pier, offered the best scones and delicious cakes.
Amazing tour, great value for money, well worth it!
Had a great time with my family, the tour is amazing worth the money. Our tour guide is kind, funny and knowledgeable. Even though some of the tourists were with, were always late coming back he waited for them, overall enjoyed this trip, highly recommended..
Pretty views, fantastic informative guide
This is a long day, but well worth it. He cries are amazing and I learnt lots of history including some family history. Our guide Kenny was very entertaining and kept the tour on schedule. Excellent day
King Dan was exellent raconteur, even if the histories were joking.
Sites wonderful. A longer photo stop on the Firth bridges would;ve been good. Thanks, John + Shinta.
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