Travel Guide to Edinburgh, Great Britain

Edinburgh is the city, where the Scottish spirit can be felt as vastly, as nowhere. A bagpipe and a kilt even nowadays are a part of everyday life. Scottish food, which consists only of healthy products, is well-known for its high quality. Basically it Scottish food includes beef, lamb, game and a lot of fish. All over the world is known not only Scottish cheese and Scottish beer, but also Scottish whisky.

The Edinburgh Castle. The Edinburgh Castle is the most popular place of interest; it seems that the castle just hovers over the center of Edinburgh. If you go by the drawbridge inside, you can see the well-known Stone of Fortune, the sacred Scottish relic, where long, long ago English and Scottish monarchs used to be crowned. From the castle one can enjoy a wonderful view on the whole city. Every day, except for Sundays, at 1 p.m. sharply you can hear the shoot of the castle alarm-gun. The Edinburgh Castle is also splendid scenery for the Annual Festival of Army Orchestras. During the Edinburgh Festival and on New Year's Day over the castle you may see the great holiday fireworks. More than that in the Edinburgh the staging of new adventures of Harry Potter is carried out.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Palace of Holyroodhouse, which used to be the place of plots, murders and political intrigues, nowadays is the official residence of the Queen. It's situated in the very center of the medieval Royal Mile, the central street, which leads to the Edinburgh Palace. It was the place, where Maria Stuart spent the worst days in her life, her dramatic fortune doesn't leave anyone indifferent. In the Palace of Holyroodhouse before pregnant Maria's very eyes by her husband's order her secretary David Riccio was killed. Today there you can look at plenty of Maria Stuart's private things.

The Writers' Museum. The Writers' Museum is located in a narrow street, the branch of Royal Mile. Portraits, manuscripts and personal things, that are exhibited there, inform us about the life of such famous writers, as Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Robert Luis Stevenson. Besides that, in the museum there are specialized exhibitions, devoted to the other famous Scottish writers. The medieval court in front of the museum is called 'Makers' Court'. There on the cobblestone pavement the aphorism of the Scottish authors are carved. It's in some way the Edinburgh Fame Alley.

Five galleries. In five scattered over the city galleries the works of the outstanding art figures of different eras are exhibited. In the National Gallery of Scotland you can look at the permanent show of European art. In the Royal Scottish academy you can enjoy the works of Monet, Titian and Gauguin. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery tells us about the 500-year history of Scotland starting with Robert Burns and ending with Sean Connery. The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, also as Dean Gallery, located nearby, is an ideal place for lovers of modern art; even the bushes there are the sort of art.

The National Museum of Scotland. In the National Museum of Scotland one can learn about the formation of the Scottish landscape, the first citizens, the creation of the nation and about the changes, which happened not only in Scotland, but in the whole country, due to the inventions and discoveries. The marvelous art objects, as long as the items of everyday usage in an easy manner inform about what the Scottish did for the development of their culture and self-consciousness. The Royal Museum of Scotland is situated in a small distance. It's a beautiful building in the Venetian style, where you'll find the collections from all over the world that tell us about art, science, industry, archeology, environment and many other things.

The Royal Yacht 'Britannia'. More than for 40 years the Royal Yacht 'Britannia' served the Royal family. Monarchs, heads of countries, presidents were there. Nowadays everyone can have an excursion along the upper and the lower decks and imagine themselves a celebrity. The visitor can get closer to all the aspects of royal sea life: starting with fabulous dinning-rooms and ending with small narrow laundries.

Festivals. In Edinburgh festivals are carried out almost on every at least a little bit important occasion. This city knows what a real festival is. New Year there starts with a great celebration, in which everybody is involved. The other great festival is the biggest Festival of Art, besides it there are festivals of cinema, jazz and blues, books, science, Christmas, the military parade and even a special festival of art for children. Shops turn into galleries, churches – into concert halls: the whole city takes part in a festival. Young talents gather in Edinburgh and this city welcomes everyone.

Read more about Edinburgh:
Restaurants and cuisine in Edinburgh
Local traditions and lifestyle
'Must visit' places in Edinburgh
Nightlife and attractions in Edinburgh
Preparing for Edinburgh: Advices
Edinburgh photogallery