Edinburgh has been the capital city of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the Scottish parliament. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
Each year Edinburgh plays host to a collection of festivals which come together under the banner of the famous Edinburgh Festival over four weeks from early August. The most famous of these events are the Edinburgh Fringe (the largest performing arts festival in the world), the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Other notable events include the Hogmanay street party (31 December), Burns Night (25 January), St. Andrew's Day (November 30), and the Beltane Fire Festival on the (30 April).
The Castle:
Edinburgh Castle is an ancient Stronghold which, from its position atop Castle Rock, dominates the sky-line of the city of Edinburgh, and is Scotland's second most visited tourist attraction. The points to see are : The The Crown Room; the Crown Square; the Royal Palace; The Great Hall.
The Tattoo:
A series of spectacular performances known as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place on the Esplanade each year during August. The basis of the performance is a parade of the pipes and drums of the Scottish regiments.
Other places of interest:
* Nelson's Monument
* Holyrood House and Park
* Arthur's Seat ( overlooking Holyrood House )
* The Royal Observatory
* A myriad of restaurants offering cuisine from the traditional Scottish cooking to food from the East and beyond. Shopping to satisfy the most dedicated shopper from top designer boutiques to plenty of souvenir outlets.
Getting there by plane -
Major carriers are British Airways and British Midland. Low cost airlines include EasyJet; Continental; FlyBe and RyanAir. Flights leave from all UK airports and flight time from London to Edinburgh is one hour. From New York it is 8 hours 30 minutes.
By Train -
The major rail service provider for routes to and from England is National Express East Coast. FirstScotRail operates all services within Scotland, as well as a London-Edinburgh overnight sleeper link.
Edinburgh has two main train stations – Waverley station (located right in the heart of the city, at the East End of Princes Street) and Haymarket station. Both Waverley station and Haymarket station are within walking distance of the Old Town and the New Town. The stations are also served by numerous bus routes and taxis.
Photo courtesy of Edinburgh Tourism
