Quezi

Edinburgh - photo by davidhc - CC-BY

If you’re on a short visit to Edinburgh, go directly to the Old Town to see the headline historic sights. This area is the traditional heart of the city, clustered round the Royal Mile: the street that leads from the Castle at the top to Holyrood Palace at the bottom. You can’t see much of  this area through a bus window, so don’t commit yourself to a sight-seeing coach tour without thinking it through.

You could spend a few pounds on a taxi to start your own “tour” at the castle esplanade if you want to avoid trudging uphill. Buying tickets online in advance is also a time-saver. There will be guides and/or audio tours at the Castle and several other key attractions, so if you prefer to move around independently you can still get your fill of information.

After exploring the castle and enjoying panoramic views of the whole region, head down the Royal Mile and turn down some of the closes – alleyways – to get a more intimate view and a sense of the traditional courtyard lifestyle of Scottish cities. To find out about life indoors in 17th century Edinburgh,  check out Gladstone’s Land, just a minute or two downhill.

You will have to pick and choose, even within this compact one-mile backbone of Edinburgh, unless you have days to spare. Will you go to see the Camera Obscura, a Victorian optical novelty best in bright weather, or Lady Stair’s House, home of the Writers Museum, or St. Giles’ Cathedral?

A bit further down you may choose to visit the picturesque 15th century John Knox’s house with its hand-painted ceilings, or find out about the working people of the city in the People’s Story Museum. This is in the Canongate section of the Royal Mile where some of the oldest surviving buildings are, with 16th century Huntly House holding yet another museum.

Eventually you’ll arrive at Holyrood Palace at the opposite end of the Mile from the Castle. This is the Queen’s official residence when she visits Scotland’s capital, and is closed to tourists if she’s there. A nearby alternative would be Canongate Kirk (church) and cemetery where Mary Queen of Scots’ murdered lover is buried, or you can cross the road to inspect the new Parliament building so you can join in discussions about its controversial design.

If you begin to want a change from guiding yourself, there are lots of walking tours. Guides will fill you in on both facts and legends. Some will take you to the highlight attractions, while others specialise in niche subjects from ghosts to whisky. Some even lead you underground to the buried homes of Mary King’s Close.

You won’t get the most out of the Old Town without walking, but if you’re ready to sit down and be driven, try exploring the rest of Edinburgh on one of the buses that let you travel through the day with a “hop-on, hop-off” ticket on a circular route. Fans of Georgian architecture will want to stop off in the New Town – which was new around 1800. There are fine views from Calton Hill. Art lovers can pause at a gallery; most of them have good lunches and cakes, by the way. You can get near to the Firth of Forth (an estuary), or try a refreshing break from city bustle in the Botanic Gardens.

As an old and hilly city, Edinburgh can be tough for visitors with less-than-average mobility. Taxis are not too expensive, with provision for wheelchair users in most of the black cabs, so they may be a good way of getting to major historic buildings like the Castle, Palace, and Cathedral. These three have arrangements for visitors who don’t do stairs, though don’t expect to see every last nook and cranny.