Edinburgh

The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is the country’s second largest city after Glasgow. Located in the south-east of the country, Edinburgh owes its rugged setting to many Medieval and Georgian style architecture and is often considered one of the most picturesque cities in Europe.

Edinburgh replaced Scone as the capital of Scotland in 1437 and altogether has around 4,500 listed buildings in the city. A census taken in 2001 noted the population as 448,625. It’s one of Europe’s major tourist attractions bringing nearly 1 million visitors a year and is the second most visited destinations in the UK after the city of London.

Due to the city’s vast amount of historic buildings and monuments, Edinburgh is often given the nick name ‘Athens of the North’.

There are many attractions for tourists in Edinburgh and it is notably famous for its festivals. The most well known of these is the Edinburgh Festival, which is a collection of both official and independent festivals that are held every year over a space of four weeks in August. The most popular events in the Edinburgh festival include the Edinburgh Fringe which is the largest performing arts festival in the world, the Edinburgh Comedy Festival which is the largest comedy festival in the world, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. At the time of these festivals the cities are usually full with tourists and any accommodation should be booked way in advanced. However, finding a hotel or Bed and Breakfast in the city shouldn’t be too hard.

Other notable tourist attractions in the city are Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Zoo and some of the many museums including the Museum of Scotland and the Royal Museum.

Getting around in the city is very easy with so much public transport available. Many residents of the city choose to use the public transport available for every day life including the many busses, trains, trams and taxis on offer. Cycling is also big in the city but due to the city’s landscape it can sometimes seem like a mountain bike ride.

With so many great attractions to visit in Edinburgh I recommend booking into a B&B . Bed and Breakfasts

can be booked easily online but even if you just turn up you won’t be stuck to find some B&B’s