UltimateCity Guide Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Castle on its rock above the trees of West Princes Street Gardens

The city guide to Edinburgh, Scotland

Best of Edinburgh

A castle on a volcano, a medieval Old Town and a Georgian New Town, seven MICHELIN stars from Leith to Stockbridge, the world’s great August festivals and the Highlands within a morning’s drive: Edinburgh, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

Where to eatWhat to see
The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakSister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe story of the train, the great journeys and where to book themA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resortThe Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyHome Reports, closing dates and the neighbourhoods

Edinburgh, from the castle rock to the sea

Edinburgh is two cities in one view: the medieval Old Town strung along its ridge from the castle to Holyroodhouse, and the Georgian New Town laid out below it, a World Heritage Site together. Here are the grand hotels and the 2026 MICHELIN stars, the castle, the galleries and the festivals, the Old Town, the New Town, Stockbridge, the West End, Leith, the Southside, Bruntsfield and Portobello, and day trips to East Lothian, Glasgow, Stirling, St Andrews, the Borders and the Highlands. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Edinburgh, a city of two towns

In depth

A city of two towns

Edinburgh·In depth

The medieval Old Town on its ridge and the Georgian New Town below it, one World Heritage Site: how to read Edinburgh.

Read the story

Edinburgh by area

From the Royal Mile to the sea, each part of Edinburgh has its own guide: the Old Town on its ridge, the Georgian New Town, Stockbridge and Dean Village, the theatres of the West End, Leith’s quayside, the Southside and the Meadows, Bruntsfield and Morningside, and Portobello’s beach.

The Royal Mile in the Old TownArea guideOld Town & the Royal MileCastle to palaceCharlotte Square in the New Town, with its statue and Georgian terracesArea guideThe New TownGeorgian EdinburghDean Village on the Water of LeithArea guideStockbridge & Dean VillageThe village in the cityThe Usher Hall on Lothian RoadArea guideWest End & HaymarketTheatres and terracesThe Shore at Leith at dusk, reflected in the Water of LeithArea guideLeith & the ShoreThe port

On foot

Edinburgh is a walking city: the Old Town and the New Town are a few minutes apart across the gardens, and the tram runs on down Leith Walk to the sea.

  1. Area guideSouthside & the MeadowsUniversity and green space
  2. Area guideBruntsfield & MorningsideThe Links and the villas
  3. Area guidePortobelloEdinburgh by the sea

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: the UK ETA and the city’s visitor levy, the tram from the airport, and itineraries from one day in the Old Town to a Platinum weekend.

Before you goEdinburgh essentialsEntry, the visitor levy, money and emergenciesEdinburgh Castle on Castle Rock above the rooftops of the cityItineraryThe Old Town in a dayCastle to palaceThe Balmoral hotel and its clock tower at the east end of Princes StreetLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesTables laid with marble tops and fresh flowers in the dining room of Restaurant Martin Wishart in LeithItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Balmoral and LeithPrestonfield HouseItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Witchery and Prestonfield

Our advice

Be at the castle for one o’clock

Book a timed ticket for Edinburgh Castle and be on the walls at one o’clock, when the One o’Clock Gun fires; then walk down the Royal Mile to Holyrood. Edinburgh Castle

Beyond Edinburgh

East Lothian’s beaches, Glasgow’s museums, Stirling’s castle, the links of St Andrews, Scott’s Borders and the Highlands, all within reach of Waverley.

The Bass Rock and its lighthouse in the Firth of ForthBeyond EdinburghEast Lothian & North BerwickBeaches and the Bass RockThe central hall of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and MuseumBeyond EdinburghGlasgowThe great Victorian cityStirling Castle on its rockBeyond EdinburghStirling & the TrossachsCastle and lochsThe ruins of St Andrews CathedralBeyond EdinburghSt Andrews & FifeGolf and fishing villagesSir Walter Scott’s library at AbbotsfordBeyond EdinburghThe Scottish BordersScott’s country
  1. Beyond EdinburghThe HighlandsPerthshire, Glencoe and the Cairngorms

Our advice

Climb Calton Hill at dusk

Ten minutes from Princes Street, Calton Hill shows you the whole city as the lights come on: the castle, the Old Town ridge, the New Town and the Firth of Forth. Calton Hill

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Edinburgh in your inbox

An occasional email with new places, events, area guides and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.

Edinburgh in depth: the stories behind the city

The two towns, the festival city, eating from Leith to Stockbridge, the grand hotels, the trams and trains, and how buying works in Scotland: the stories behind the city.

The Big Wheel and an illuminated Edinburgh sign in Princes Street Gardens at ChristmasChristmas & HogmanayChristmas in EdinburghThe Big Wheel, the ice and HogmanayFeatureEdinburgh, the classic and the newCastle, closes, crescents and the new waterfrontThe Scottish National Gallery on the MoundThe back storyThe festival cityAugust and Hogmanay

Across Britain with the ULTIMATE guides

Across Britain with the ULTIMATE guides: London and Brighton to the south, the great train journeys and the ships that call at Leith.

Edinburgh Waverley and the Balmoral, with Calton Hill beyondULTIMATE LondonLondonFour hours south by trainULTIMATE BrightonBrightonThe South Coast

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

See all Europe

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdamthe NetherlandsULTIMATE AmsterdamThe canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, canal-house hotels, twenty MICHELIN-starred tables, brown cafés, and day trips to Haarlem and Keukenhof.The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

See all 81 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

What readers are saying: festival tips, whisky bars, Leith’s tables and the walks up Arthur’s Seat.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    The hammerbeam roof of the Great Hall in Edinburgh Castle

    This week's pick

    Edinburgh Castle

    Old Town·Castle

    Book a timed ticket for Edinburgh Castle and arrive before one o’clock: the One o’Clock Gun fires from the castle walls, and the Honours of Scotland wait inside.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    Avery’s dining room: a large abstract painting on a dark stone wall above the tablesItineraryEdinburgh in 48 hours: the New Town, Stockbridge and LeithTwo daysThe Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the castle esplanadeItineraryFestival August: a day at the world’s great arts festivalsOne day in AugustThe monuments of Calton HillItineraryHogmanay in EdinburghNew Year
    1. ItineraryA property viewing day: the New Town, Stockbridge and LeithOne day

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Eating in Edinburgh, from Leith’s quayside to the Old TownEdinburgh · In depth
    2. 2The KitchinLeith · Modern Cuisine
    3. 3Restaurant Martin WishartLeith · Modern Cuisine
    See all 49

    Cafés

    1. 1Palm Court at The BalmoralNew Town · Afternoon tea
    2. 2The Colonnades at the Signet LibraryOld Town · Afternoon tea
    3. 3Fortitude CoffeeNew Town · Coffee
    See all 10

    Bars

    1. 1Panda & SonsNew Town · Cocktail bar
    2. 2BrambleNew Town · Cocktail bar
    3. 3Hey PaluWest End · Cocktail bar
    See all 15

    Hotels

    1. 1Edinburgh’s grand hotels, from the Balmoral clock to the WitcheryEdinburgh · In depth
    2. 2The BalmoralNew Town · Grand hotel
    3. 3Gleneagles TownhouseNew Town · Grand hotel
    See all 20

    Sights

    1. 1Edinburgh, a city of two townsEdinburgh · In depth
    2. 2Edinburgh CastleOld Town · Castle
    3. 3Palace of HolyroodhouseOld Town · Royal palace
    See all 24

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1Edinburgh, the festival cityEdinburgh · In depth
    2. 2Scottish National GalleryNew Town · Gallery
    3. 3Scottish National Portrait GalleryNew Town · Gallery
    See all 40

    Parks

    1. 1Royal Botanic Garden EdinburghStockbridge · Botanic garden
    2. 2Princes Street GardensNew Town · Gardens
    3. 3The MeadowsSouthside · Park
    See all 8

    Walks

    1. 1The Royal Mile: castle to palaceOld Town · Walk
    2. 2Victoria Street and the GrassmarketOld Town · Walk
    3. 3The Water of Leith: Dean Village to StockbridgeStockbridge · Walk
    See all 8

    Shopping

    1. 1Harvey Nichols EdinburghNew Town · Department store
    2. 2Multrees WalkNew Town · Luxury street
    3. 3Westfield St James QuarterNew Town · Shopping centre
    See all 15

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: call 999Edinburgh · Emergency
    2. 2Royal Infirmary of EdinburghLittle France · Hospital
    3. 3Royal Hospital for Children and Young PeopleLittle France · Hospital
    See all 10

    Property

    1. 1Buying in Edinburgh: Home Reports, closing dates and missivesEdinburgh · In depth
    2. 2The Scottish buying process (mygov.scot)Edinburgh · Official guide
    3. 3Land and Buildings Transaction TaxEdinburgh · Tax
    See all 11

    Developments

    1. 1Westfield St James QuarterNew Town · Development
    2. 2Trams to NewhavenLeith · Development
    3. 3Dunard CentreNew Town · Development
    See all 6

    Cars

    1. 1Edinburgh’s Low Emission ZoneCity centre · Driving
    2. 2Parking in EdinburghEdinburgh · Driving
    3. 3Car hire at Edinburgh AirportIngliston · Car hire
    See all 7

    Getting Around

    1. 1Edinburgh by tram, bus and trainEdinburgh · In depth
    2. 2Edinburgh AirportIngliston · Airport
    3. 3Airlink 100Ingliston · Airport bus
    See all 13