Take A Bus Tour
Like every other city, Edinburgh has a selection of bus tours, which
leave from Waverly Station or you can hop on/off throughout the route.
These are an ideal way for the first time visitor to get an overview
of the city, get their bearings and chose which attractions to visit.
The tour guides are knowledgeable and also highly entertaining. The
best of these is Guide Friday (Tel: 0131-225 6593) and like its competitors
it offers a day ticket, which operates on a hop on/hop off
basis. This tour takes in the Old and New Towns and takes 45 minutes
if you dont get off along the way although we suggest
you do. Tickets can be bought on the spot and the buses leave very
frequently.
Walking Tour
The evening time is an excellent time to capture the magic of Edinburghs
past both factual and fictional. Edinburghs rich and colourful
past with tales of gallows, witch hunts, body snatchers. Tales of
the colourful character Brodie, provide rich territory for the Literary
Pub Crawl which starts from the Beehive in Grassmarket at 7.30 nightly
and is an excellent way to hear of Edinburghs literary past
of Scott, Burns etc.
Exploring the darker side of Edinburgh are the ghost tours, best experienced at night. Certainly one of the most popular are the infamous Mercat Ghost & History Tours. Hidden closes, courtyards and gardens are explored and their stories dramatically revealed to bring Edinburgh's glorious past to life.
There is also the Ghost & Ghoul tour (Tel: 0131-225-6591 - Nightly at 7pm/8pm April-October). Costumed actors lead this tour through the winding roads of the Old Town.
Witchery Tours (Tel: 0131-225-6745) lead a more light hearted tour of the same subject matter from outside the famous Witchery Restaurant at 352 Castlehill, Royal Mile.
If, however, you fancy a walking tour during the day Robin Tours (Tel: 0131-225-6591) run a daily tour at 10am which takes in the Old/New town.
Visit One of Edinburghs Four National
Art Galleries
No real city visit is complete without a visit to some of the citys
treasures and when it comes to art Edinburgh has plenty to choose
from.
There are four main national art galleries:
- National Gallery
- Portrait Galley
- Gallery of Modern Art
- Dean Gallery
Visit the City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries website, a comprehensive guide to art and history in this ancient town.
National Gallery: The Mound
Built in 1840, paintings are ordered in chronological order. The Playfair
room as been restored to original look and now has tightly grouped
paintings which facilitates a greater number of pictures that might
not have been displayed. There are paintings by Raphael, Velazquez,
Reubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Gaugin. There are surprisingly
few English artists featured with a greater preponderance of American
works and there are some notable Scottish paintings. Watch out for
visiting collections.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street
The building itself is worthy of viewing inspired by Doges
Palace in Venice. Permanent exhibitions are on the top two levels
with short biographies of famous Scots. This gallery is an ideal
way to identify Scots of note with many familiar faces of Bonnie
Prince Charlie, Queen Mary of Scots and poet Robert Burns.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Belford Road
Established in 1959 as the first collection in Britain devoted to
20th Century painting and sculpture. The grounds feature the works
of Henry Moore and Epstein amongst others. The gallerys holdings
are arranged thematically. French painting is well represented with
Matisse, Giacomettis and Picasso. There are also works by
Scottish artists. You could also take in a trip to Dean Gallery,
which is just across the road.
Dean Gallery, Belford Road
Housed in a neo-classical building. Dean Gallery features the work
of Scottish born sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi with an extensive collection.
On the ground floor is an impressive collection of Dada and Surrealist
art and look out for Dalis Sinal of Anguish and works by Picasso
and Miro
Explore Old Town/Royal Mile
Old Town as its name suggests represents the oldest
inhabited part of Edinburgh and dates from medieval times. The Old
Town emerged as a small enclave and the premier street in Old Town
is the Royal Mile.
The Royal Mile is a stretch that connects Edinburgh Castle and
Holyroodhouse. There are four sections Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High
Street and Cannongate. If one wanders down the High Street at its
junction with Jeffrey Street, brass markers in the roadway denote
the old edge of Edinburgh and beyond this point is Canongate, a
separate town notable for its gardens and orchards.
On the south side of the Lawnmarket, near its junction with George
IV Bridge, is Brodie's Close. The close is named after Francis Brodie,
a respectable craftsman, his son and business partner, William Brodie
is more notable. Brodie was an outwardly respectable member of the
Town Council during the eighteenth century. He was a gambler, rake
and, burglar as well. This colourful character led an interesting
life which included an abortive armed raid upon the Excise Office
in the Royal Mile, and in 1788 William Brodie was publicly hanged
just a few yards down the road from Brodie's Close. It is said when
he was hanged it emerged that the scaffold was an improved model
he himself had invented. Along Royal Mile are the famous tenements,
tall buildings for their time, which housed numerous families. Each
had many closes which reach through the houses and beyond. Most
of these are intact and accessible. Well worth a little exploring.
The most picturesque house in the High Street section of the Royal
Mile is John Knox's House. John Knox was the famous Protestant reformer
during the period 1561-72. Knox was the minister of St Giles' and
is believed to have lived here. John Knox delivered many a thundering
sermon in St. Giles there in the presence of, and much to
the discomfiture of the Roman Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots. John
Knox's House, which was saved from demolition many years ago by
the Protestant Society, has hand-painted ceilings. It is entered
by fore stairs, a once common architectural feature in the Royal
Mile, but of which there are now few surviving examples. Near the
door is one of the street wells, which at one time were the only
source of water in the neighbourhood.
Almost directly across the street is the Museum of Childhood, the
first of its kind when founded by the City of Edinburgh more than
30 years ago and will be of interest to families
Just off the Lawnmarket is Lady Stair's House, one of the Edinburghs
museums in this area. Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and
Robert Burns, famous Edinburgh sons are commonerated here.
Along George IV Bridge to the top of Candlemaker Row is a monument
to Greyfriars Bobby. Greyfriars Bobby was a faithful terrier owned
by John Gray. At John Grays funeral in 1858 at the nearby
Greyfriars Churchyard the dog refused to leave afterwards. Bobby
lived for a further 14 years and never wandered very far from the
churchyard. The Lord Provost of Edinburgh undertook to pay for Bobby's
licence, and the dog collar, suitably engraved, and is still to
be seen to this day in Huntly House Museum, in the Canongate. The
monument was erected not long after Bobby's death.
Candlemaker Row is also a convenient route to reach the Grassmarket,
an interesting historic square noted for its antique shops, boutiques,
pubs and restaurants. Both the Apex City Hotel and the Apex International are located on Grassmarket.Famous sons of Edinburgh Robert Burns and
William Wordsworth both lodged in the White Hart Inn on the north
side of the Grassmarket. The site of the Beehive dates as a hostelry
for over 500 years. Grassmarket was also the site of public gallows
and suggests a murkier past and was the site of riots. The famous
body snatchers Burke and Hair had a lair near here. Today at its
northern end there a variety of bars and pubs to choose from. From
Grassmarket take the northeast route to Victoria Street, an interesting
2-tiered street, with some notable shops and restaurants. Well worth
a browse and meander.
Go Shopping
Dangerous but a must do. While most of the big UK chains are represented
in Edinburgh, Jenners stands head and shoulders above the rest a
high quality department store reminiscent of Harrods of London.
There is a distinct shopping area in the New Town bordered by Princes
Street and the street behind it Rose Street. Now Edinburgh has the
addition of Harvey Nicks which is a real plus and an indication
of new style in the city.
If it is antiques or craft type items you are seeking Grassmarket
and adjacent Victoria Street are ideal for browsing while there
are some interesting shops on the Royal Mile worth a rummage.
Take a Trip to Up and Coming Leith
Every major city has an old run down area being rejuvenated and
Edinburgh is no different. Leith, is just a mile from city centre
and a brisk 20 minute walk (or Guide Friday offers a bus service
to Britannia). Leith was a port and a strong commercial centre but
was in decline until the 1980s. Since then it transformed itself
with a good concentration of bars and restaurants. One or two establishments
took the risk and more followed all the better for visitors
to give a good choice. This has been complimented by a new shopping
and entertainment area and now the former Royal Yacht Britannia
is permanently moored there.
Leith is worth the trip for its restaurants and bars but is still
a working port and has some historic points of interest, but a visit
to the Royal Yacht Britannia is worth a view. Open since 1997, the
yacht is an interesting attraction with a visitor centre and unaccompanied
exploration of the yacht is allowed with audio material supplied.
A tribute to 1950s dowdiness the yacht indicates frugal charm and
an insight into royal travel.
Climb Arthurs Seat
If all this city living is getting too much for you take a very
pleasant walk to Arthurs Seat. If you go to Hollyroodhouse
at the end of the Royal Mile, Hollyrood Park, or Queens Park is
a natural wilderness right in the heart of Edinburgh. Packed into
an area of 5km there are mountains, crags and Glens with Arthurs
Seat, its highest summit, at the south end of the park. Arthurs
Seat is an extinct volcano. A satisfying climb, but by no means
the shortest route, begins at the entrance of the park beside the
Palace of Holyroodhouse. The walk takes an hour and half from here.
Cross over the Queens Drive, then take the path passing St
Margarets Well, heading towards St. Anthonys chapel.
Before you get to the chapel follow the path curving southwards
into the flat glen called Dry Dam and its a good climb up
to the top from here.
|