Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1 Queen St.
&
0131/624-6200.
www.nationalgalleries.org. Free admission, except for some temporary
exhibits. From late 2011: Fri-Wed 10am-5pm; Thurs 10am-7pm. Closed Dec 25-26. Bus: 4, 10, 12, 16, 26, or
National Galleries shuttle.
MORE ATTRACTIONS
Edinburgh Zoo
Scotland's largest animal collection is 4
1
⁄
2
km (3 miles) west
of Edinburgh's city center on 32 hectares (80 acres) of hillside parkland. The zoo
contains more than 1,500 animals, including white rhinos, pygmy hippos, and
chimps. It also boasts the largest penguin colony in Europe housed in the world's
biggest penguin enclosure. From April to September, a penguin parade is held daily
at 2:15pm. Run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, it highlights its role in
wildlife conservation.
134 Corstorphine Rd.
&
0131/334-9171.
www.edinburghzoo.org.uk. Admission £15.50 adults, £13
seniors, £11 children, £47.50 families (2 adults and 2 children). MC, V. Apr-Sept daily 9am-6pm; Oct and
Mar daily 9am-5pm; Nov-Feb daily 9am-4:30pm. Bus: 12, 26, 31, or 100 (Airlink).
Georgian House
Charlotte Square, designed by the great Georgian architect
Robert Adam, was the final piece of the city's first New Town development. The
National Trust for Scotland runs this restored town house as an example of how
people lived in that prosperous era of the city. The furniture is mainly Hepplewhite,
Chippendale, and Sheraton, mostly from the 1700s. A sturdy old four-poster bed
with an original 18th-century canopy occupies a ground-floor bedroom. The nearby
dining room has a table set with fine Wedgwood china and also contains a chamber
pot that was passed around by the gents after the women folk had retired. Last
admission 30 minutes before closing.
7 Charlotte Sq.
&
0131/226-3318.
www.nts.org.uk/visits. Admission £5.50 adults; £4.50 seniors, stu-
dents, and children, £15 families. MC, V. July and Aug 10am-7pm; Apr-Jun and Sept-Oct daily 10am-
5pm; Mar 11am-4pm; and Nov daily 11am-3pm; closed Dec-Feb. Bus: 10, 19, or 41.
Greyfriars Kirk
Although the churches of Scotland are not generally on the same
scale as the cathedrals of the Continent, they do have their own slightly austere
allure. Dedicated in 1620, this kirk was the first “reformed” church in Edinburgh
and became the center of a good bit of history. It was built amid a cemetery that
Queen Mary proposed in 1562 because there was no more burial space at St. Giles'
Cathedral on the Royal Mile. In 1638, the National Covenant, favoring Scottish
Presbyterianism to the English Episcopacy, was signed here, and an original copy is
displayed. In the 18th century, the original tower exploded when gunpowder stored
there caught fire. Among the many restorations, one in the 1930s brought in Cali-
fornia redwood to create the current ceiling. The kirkyard has a bit of the Flodden
Wall and it was the site of a prison for Covenanters. The most celebrated grave
contains a 19th-century policeman whose faithful dog, Bobby, reputedly stood watch
for years. The tenacious terrier's first portrait (painted in 1867) hangs in the church
while a statue of the wee dog—made famous by Hollywood—is nearby at the top of
Candlemaker Row, just outside a pub named in his honor.
Greyfriars Place.
&
0131/225-5429.
www.greyfriarskirk.com. Free admission. Apr-Oct Mon-Fri
10:30am-4:30pm, Sat 10:30am-2:30pm; Nov-Mar Thurs 1:30-3:30pm. Bus: 2, 23, 27, 41, 42, or 45.
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