Whats on...

The Scott Monument was built to commemorate Sir Walter Scott, one of Scotland's greatest novelists.
Scott’s novels include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian and Waverley.

The Monument is 200 feet and 6 inches (61.1metres) high, with 287 steps to the top.
The climb through the internal stairways is in four stages, with 360 degree viewing galleries on each level.
The galleries provide unrivalled panoramic views of Edinburgh’s historic Old and New Towns.
Level one is home to the Museum room where you can sit and discover more about Sir Walter Scott and the architecture of the Monument.

Edinburgh Castle dominates the city of Edinburgh like no other castle in Scotland, and Edinburgh Castle is unequalled in the whole of the British Isles. Over one thousand years of history sit on top of the famous Edinburgh rock, and when you see Edinburgh Castle you will understand why over a million visitors a year visit Edinburgh Castle.

No visit to Edinburgh is complete without a visit to Edinburgh Castle, and once you have ventured up to the highest parts of Edinburgh Castle’s structure, you will be overwhelmed by the spectacular views of Edinburgh afforded from this Scottish "Castle of Castles".

Like the castle rock on which Edinburgh Castle is built, Arthurs seat was formed by a now extinct volcano which was eroded by a glacier moving from west to east during the Quaternary, exposing rocky crags to the west and leaving a tail of material swept to the east. This is how the Salisbury Crags formed and became basalt cliffs between Arthur's Seat and the city centre. From some angles, Arthur's Seat resembles a lion couchant. Two of the several extinct vents make up the 'Lion's Head' and the 'Lion's Haunch'

Arthurs Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park, a wild piece of highland landscape in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. The hill rises above the city to a height of 251 m (823 ft), provides excellent panoramic views of the city, is quite easy to climb, and is a popular walk. Though it can be climbed from almost any direction, the easiest and simplest ascent is from the East, where a grassy slope rises above Dunsapie Loch.

Princes Street Gardens are people's every day refuge at lunchtime or whenever they want to get away from the noise and rush of Edinburgh. You can relax on the green grass and wait for the One O'Clock Gun to fire from the Castle, admire the view or feed the countless pigeons.

Princes Street Gardens in the heart of Edinburgh's City Centre were once a lake called Nor' Loch. The Loch, which had been the trash dump of Edinburgh for centuries was drained in order to improve access from the New Town to the Old Town. Later, the Nor' Loch was transformed into the beautiful Princes Street Gardens we see today.

Most tourists refer to this green space as Princes Street Garden instead of Gardens. This green space on the south side of Princes Street is divided in two by the street known as the Mound. The two parts, East Princes Street Gardens and West Princes Street Gardens have a unique character and both have lots of things to see.

The railway runs secluded behind a row of trees in the Gardens. Introduced through Princes Street Gardens in 1846, it's impressive in the way it was made so that it never disturbs the peace of the Gardens. If it weren't for the sound of the train engines, you would never know a railway passes through.

If it's a nice day then it's worth spending it in the gardens. There isn't much to do as such but if you want to read, have lunch or simply relax after a hard day's shopping or sightseeing, that's the place to go to. You can buy ice-cream, rolls and sandwiches in the Gardens itself.