Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EXPLORING
EDINBURGH
Edinburgh's reputation is enormous, and the city
essentially lives up to it. The second-most popular
destination after London for visitors to Great Britain,
the Scottish capital is one of the most picturesque cities in
Europe. Built on a set of steep hills, Edinburgh is unargu-
ably dramatic.
8
Old Town
lies at the heart, with Edinburgh Castle at one end of the
Royal Mile,
which follows the spine of a hill down to the Palace of
Holyroodhouse. For many visitors, this
is
Edinburgh, with its mews,
closes, and alleyways. But across the valley to the north, now filled by
the verdant Princes Street Gardens, is the city's
New Town,
which
dates to the 1770s. Here are tidy streets and broad avenues, another
popular focal point in Edinburgh, with restaurants, bars, shops, squares,
and attractions, such as the
National Portrait Gallery.
New Town
reaches out to the village-like setting of
Stockbridge
—from which one
can walk along the city's narrow meandering river, the Water of Leith—
to
Dean Village
(another district that feels almost rural in nature) and
the
National Gallery of Modern Art
and its sister arts venue, the
Dean Gallery.
Between the city center and Haymarket is the
West End.
It has more
outstanding examples of New Town-styled buildings, as well as a cluster
of performance spaces such as
Usher Hall
and the
Traverse Theatre.
Edinburgh's
Southside
is mostly residential, but offers the sprawling
park known as the
Meadows,
the precincts of Edinburgh University, as
well as suburbs such as Marchmont. North of the city center is the now
vibrant district around the port of
Leith
on the Firth of Forth, which
empties into the North Sea.
Edinburgh's world-famous annual cultural celebration—the
Edin-
burgh Festival
—brings in tourists and lovers of art of all forms from
around the world. But if you prefer a bit more space and smaller crowds,
avoid the month of August in Edinburgh.
