Edinburgh Attractions

Edinburgh travel facts

Currency: £ GBP

Visas:
Generally tourists from Europe, USA and the Commonwealth do not require Visas for UK holidays. Check out: www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Getting there by plane:
Flights into Edinburgh Airport are serviced by an Express Bus (number 100). They run every 10 minutes during the day and take approx. 25 minutes to the centre of Edinburgh. Check out: Traveline Scotland
Getting there by train:
Trains to Edinburgh go into Waverley station. Waverley station is very central and exits into Princes Street.
Tipping:
10-15% is normal in cabs and restaurants (where a service charge is usually included in your bill).

What to see in Edinburgh

Dynamic Earth
Dynamic Earth
Holyrood Road. Tel: 0131 550 7800
Our Dynamic Earth is one of Edinburgh`s most exciting new tourist attractions. By visiting Our Dynamic Earth you will take a trip back in time and learn about planet Earth. The museum has interactive, hands on exhibits that should be a big hit with the kids. They will be whisked back in time and feel the phenomenal force of nature in The Restless Earth; then touch an iceberg and experience a tropical rainforest.
Nearby Hotels: to Dynamic Earth
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Tel: 0131 225 9846
A majestic landmark which dominates the capital city`s skyline just as it has dominated Scotland`s long and colourful history Edinburgh Castle is the best known and most visited of our historic buildings. Perched on an extinct volcano and offering stunning views, this instantly recognisable fortress is a powerful national symbol, and part of Edinburgh`s World Heritage site.
Nearby Hotels: to Edinburgh Castle
Loch Ness Discovery Centre
Loch Ness Discovery Centre
1 Parliament Square, Royal Mile. Tel: 0131 225 2290
Journey over the sunlit hills above Loch Ness down into the abyss. Life is sparse in the cold deep waters .... but not absent !
Nearby Hotels: to Loch Ness Discovery Centre
Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre
Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre
354 Castlehill, Royal Mile. Tel: 0131 220 0441
The Scottish Whiskey Heritage Centre brings to life over 300 years of whiskey making in Scotland. This unique interactive visitor attraction in Edinburgh, allows you to experience the sights, sounds and smells of whisky, and the opportunity to discover how Scotch whisky is made.
Nearby Hotels: to Scotch Whiskey Heritage Centre
Royal Botanic Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens
20a Inverleith Row, Stockbridge, New Town, EH3 5LR Tel: 0131 552 7171
The 31-hectare garden is open all year round, providing a perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of the city`s busy streets. Situated just north of the city centre, the garden houses ten magnificent temperature-controlled glasshouses, allowing each one to support a different kind of plant habitat, from an Amazonian rainforest to a Canary Island hillside.
Nearby Hotels: to Royal Botanic Gardens
Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo
Corstorphine Rd, Murrayfield EH12 6TS. Tel: 0131 334 9171
The zoo was opened in 1913 and is located in leafy surroundings just ten minutes from the city centre. As part of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, its mission is "to promote, through the presentation of our living collections, the conservation of animal species and wild places, through captive breeding, environmental education and scientific research."
Nearby Hotels: to Edinburgh Zoo
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
1 Queens Street, New Town. EH2 1JD. Tel: 0131 624 6200
The gallery provides a unique visual history of Scotland, told through portraits of the figures who shaped it: royals and rebels, poets and philosophers, heroes and villains. Every subject is Scottish, but their portraits are not necessarily by Scots. Such artists as Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Copley, Thorvaldsen, Rodin and Kokoschka are represented, alongside home-grown Ramsay, Raeburn and other Scottish artists.
Nearby Hotels: to Scottish National Portrait Gallery - Royal Scots Club
National Gallery Of Scotland
National Gallery Of Scotland
The Mound, Princes Street,New Town. EH2 2EL. Tel: 0131 624 6200
Housed in a grand neo-Classical building on the New Town`s Mound, the National Gallery of Scotland boasts one of the world`s best collections of European art. Admire the extensive Scottish collection, and look out for Raeburn`s famous Skating Minister.Since obtaining its purchase grant in 1903 the gallery has acquired an excellent collection of Western art, including work by Velázquez, Boticelli and Gauguin. It also shares ownership of Canova`s Three Graces with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London
Nearby Hotels: to Scottish National Portrait Gallery
The Grassmarket
The Grassmarket
The Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1.
Nestled in the heart of the historic Old Town, the Grassmarket area is one of the most historic, vibrant and popular parts of Edinburgh. Made up of the Grassmarket itself and a collection of cobbled streets that feed into it, the area boasts spectacular medieval architecture and an eclectic and distinctive range of shops, galleries, cafes, bars and restaurants.
Nearby Hotels: to The Grassmarket
St Giles Cathedral
St Giles Cathedral
Parliament Square, EH1 1BB Tel: 0131 225 4363
Since the ninth century, there has been a church on the site of this cathedral. St. Giles` Cathedral was built in 1120, and four supportive piers remain from the church`s Norman history. St. Giles was the site from where John Knox led the Scottish Reformation. The pre-Raphaelite stained glass is amazing. Worth seeing is the Thistle Chapel, the highest Scottish order, established in 1910. You can descend into the crypt, where there is an unpretentious coffee shop.
Nearby Hotels: to St Giles Cathedral
Canongate Kirk
Canongate Kirk
On the Canongate, Off the Royal Mile. E81 8BR Tel: 0131 226 5709
When King James II created his Knights of the Thistle, the congregation of the Holyroodhouse no longer had a place of worship. Thus, in 1891, the Canongate Kirk was built. This captivating church also has an intriguing cemetery, which includes the gravesites of philosopher Dugald Stewart, artists Alexander and John Runciman, and poet Robert Dugal
Nearby Hotels: to Canongate Kirk
Arthurs Seat
Arthur`s Seat
Holyrood Road. Tel: 0131 550 7800
Edinburgh has an extinct volcano at its heart. Rising above Holyroodhouse Palace, Arthur`s Seat is an easy get-away from the bustle of the centre. Climb the well-trodden paths to take in the panoramic city views. Without question the best views are to the west over looking Edinburgh Castle, Old Town and the New Town. On a good day, the Ochil Hills beyond the Forth Road Bridge and the Firth of Forth can be clearly seen.
Nearby Hotels: to Arthur`s Seat
Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Place. EH1 2QQ Tel: 0131 2265 429
Greyfriars Kirk - officially Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk - was the first church built in Edinburgh after the Reformation, in 1562, on the grounds of the old Franciscan convent. The church is probably best remembered in the public consciousness by the heartwarming story of the loyal dog, Greyfriars Bobby, commemorated by a statue in the graveyard. The Skye Terrier kept vigil over his master`s grave - John Gray, who died on 15 February 1858 - for 14 years until his own death
Nearby Hotels: to Greyfriars Kirk

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