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Edinburgh
Castle

Edinburgh Castle is the top paid tourist attraction in

Scotland, with over 1.4 million visitors in 2013.
Situated at the heart of the Scottish capital, the
castle is perched on top of the craggy...

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Calton Hill

Calton Hill is one of Edinburgh's main hills, set right

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in the city centre. It is unmistakable with its Athenian Attraction
acropolis poking above the skyline.
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West Princes Street Gardens is the larger of the two

West Princes
tracts of green space (the other being East Princes
Street Gardens Street Gardens) that run parallel to Princes Street in
the heart of the city. The gardens were...

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Although fenced off with Edinburgh's characteristic

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East Princes
black, wrought iron railings, The Gardens are open to
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Street Gardens the public and easily accessed at various gates along
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Princes Street and other points.

The Royal
Botanic
Garden

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), located

in Edinburgh's Inverleith area, is often dubbed
Scotland's answer to Kew gardens. It is not only a
place to learn about trees, ferns, plants, and...

Edinburgh
Castle
Gardens

The Castle Gardens are on a steep hill directly under

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Edinburgh Castle to the South of the West Princes
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Street Garden. It is bounded by the railway line in the
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North and The Mound to the East.

Inchcolm
Island

Inchcolm Island is a tiny island in the Firth of Forth,

between Edinburgh and Fife to the North. It is best
known for its ancient and well preserved Augustinian
Abbey. The Abbey is currently looked...

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Union Canal

The 19th century Union Canal is not a park in the

typical sense, but like the Water of Leith it provides a
strip of blue and green through Edinburgh from
Lochrin Basin in Fountainbridge (just off...

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Craigmillar
Castle

Edinburgh's historic Craigmillar Castle, famous as the Visitor

location of plot and intrigue. The well-preserved ruin Attraction
includes a tower house, courtyard and gardens.
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Greyfriars Kirk

Greyfriars Kirk, also known as Greyfriars Tolbooth and Visitor

Highland Kirk, was the first church built in Edinburgh Attraction
after the Reformation and opened in 1620.
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National
Museum of
Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland re-opened on 29th

July 2011, following a 47.4 million refurbishment of
the Victorian building.

Old College
Quad

The Quad is encircled by the historic buildings of Old

Visitor
College and provides a large playing area surrounded
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by a raised balcony offering excellent sight lines for
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large scale outdoor performan

Scottish
National
Gallery

The Scottish National Gallery (aka National Gallery of

Scotland, National Gallery Complex) incorporates
three buildings in the centre of Edinburgh: the
National Gallery of Scotland (home to Scotland'...

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The Scottish National Portrait Gallery provides a

Scottish
unique visual history of Scotland, told through the
National
portraits of those who shaped it. Admission to the
Portrait Gallery
gallery is free, although an entrance charge...

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Mansfield
Traquair
Centre

Fringe-goers may remember the former catholic

Mansfield church building at the foot of Broughton
Street when as Cafe Grafitti it buzzed with live music
acts from around the world. Or maybe you were...

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Hopetoun
House

Palatial stately home near South Queensferry

overlooking the Firth of Forth (just West of the Forth
Bridges), with large rambling grounds. Hopetoun is
held under private charitable trust, but remains...

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Edinburgh
Fringe Shop
and Box Office

The Fringe Shop is located on the Royal Mile (aka the

High Street), just down from St.

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Royal Yacht
Britannia

The Queen was seen to publicly shed a tear, not a

common event, when the Royal Yacht was put to
pasture at the docks in Leith in 1998.

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Scotch Whisky
Experience

Whisky themed visitor centre, with a five-star rating

from the Scottish Tourist Board, that offers a tour
through 300 years of whisky history.

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Edinburgh Zoo

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In the 1990s, Edinburgh Zoo seemed a run-down and
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depressing place.
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St. Cecilia's Hall

The auditorium at St Cecilia's Hall dates back to

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1763, making it the oldest concert hall in Scotland,
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and the second oldest in Britain. The building is
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part of Edinburgh University.

Scottish
Parliament

"The Scottish parliament, adjourned on the 25th

day of March, 1707, is hereby reconvened."

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Edinburgh Tattoo
Office

Get your tickets for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo

here in person or online.

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Rosslyn Chapel

Rosslyn Chapel received its collegiate charter from

Rome in 1446. They started to build in 1456 and
the chapel was still not complete by Earl William
Sinclair's Death in 1482.

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Palace of
Holyroodhouse

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence Visitor

in Scotland of the Queen, stands at the end of
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Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
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John Knox House

This 15th century house was home to James

Mosman, goldsmith to Mary Queen of Scots, and
was the final residence of John Knox, leader of the
Scottish Reformation and founder of the
Presbyterian Chur

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Camera Obscura
and World of
Illusions

In this Victorian rooftop chamber very near the

entrance to Edinburgh Castle you can see live
moving images of Edinburgh projected onto

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Our Dynamic
Earth

With its expansive, white marquee design,

Dynamic Earth is a rather large, incongruouslooking structure at the edge of the Edinburgh Old
Town, near the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood
Palace and...

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Edinburgh
Farmers' Market

The Edinburgh Farmer's market at Castle Terrace

takes place every Saturday from 9am-2pm, year
round, beneath Edinburgh Castle.

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Scott Monument

The Scott monument is a brooding, 200-foot

(61m), Gothic spire which opened in 1846 in
honour of the prolific local novelist Walter Scott. It
has been called "the largest monument to a writer
in the...

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Edinburgh City
Chambers

This is where the City of Edinburgh Council

conducts much of its business. In particular,
members of the public can attend most meetings
of the Council, Committees and Sub-Committees.

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Edinburgh
Writers' Museum

Tucked away in Lady Stairs Close, up a narrow

staircase entered half-way up the Mound, in
Edinburgh Old Town, you will find the Edinburgh
Writers' Museum.

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Lauriston Castle

Lauriston Castle is set in 30 acres of parkland and

formal gardens with spectacular views overlooking
the Firth of Forth.

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Royal Bank of
Scotland, St.
Andrew Square

The Royal Bank of Scotland has gone from darling

of the stock market to corporate basket case in a
matter of years, but it still retains an attractive
head office in the heart of Edinburgh's financ

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Scottish Mining
Museum

The Edinburgh area used to be dotted with coal

mines. Many of these were shut down in the era of
Margaret Thatcher following the longest-strike the miners's strike - in UK history.

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Real Mary King's

Close

Mary King's Close is a narrow and eerily wellpreserved, Old Town close that was sealed off and
built over, in 1753, on the site of Edinburgh City
Chambers.

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Nelson
Monument

The Nelson Monument on Calton Hill was built

between 1807 and 1816 to commemorate Admiral
Horatio Nelson who died at the Battle of Trafalgar
in 1805.

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General Register
House

Opening in 1788, General Register House

continues to serve the same purpose it was built
for as an archive of public records.

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Bute House

Bute House has been the official residence of the

First Minister of Scotland since 1999. Located at
No.6 Charlotte Square - the north side of the
square - it is reckoned to be one of the finest...

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The Georgian
House

As the name suggests, this New Town building, run

by the National Trust of Scotland as a public
Visitor
museum, has been carefully restored as a typical
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Georgian House of the late 18th-early 19th
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Linlithgow
Palace

The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are set in a parkland

beside a loch in the town of Linlithgow, a quarter of
an hour train ride from Edinburgh, or if going by car
off the M9.

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Arniston
House

Arniston House has been home to the Dundas family

since 1571. The estate originally belonged to the
Knight's Templar and then the Knight's of Saint John.

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Museum of
Edinburgh

The Museum of Edinburgh is a series of

interconnected 16th and 17th century buildings
situated on the Royal Mile in the heart of Edinburgh
Old Town. Formerly known as Huntly House, the
museum...

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National
Museum of
Flight

East Fortune airfield saw action in two world wars. It

now brings the story of aviation from the First World
War to the present day through exhibitions inside
and outside the airfield's hangars.

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Cannonball
House

A 15th century tenement house at the top of the

Royal Mile, just below Edinburgh Castle Esplanade,
that has a (visible) cannon ball lodged in its outer
wall.

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Burns
Monument

Re-opened in 2009 following extensive restoration

work, this is more than a monument, it's a small,
circular temple in the Neo-Greek style typical of
Georgian era Edinburgh, constructed in honour of...

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St. Bernard's
Well

The few visitors that jump the shut iron gate into St.
Bernard's Well are usually imbibing something
stronger than the legendry mineral water sourced
from this area over the centuries.

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Gladstone's
Land

A six story tenement building on the High Street,

which has been purchased and renovated by the
National Trust of Scotland, to offer a taste of life in
17th century Edinburgh.

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Caledonian
Brewery

At its height, in the 19th century, Edinburgh's

brewing industry comprised of some 40 or so

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breweries.

Parliament
Square

Large open, cobbled square in Old Town conservation

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area on the Royal Mile. Parliament Square is named
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after parliament house which was built in 1641 and
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was used by the Scottish parliament u

Old
Observatory
House

Impressive 18th century building atop Calton Hill,

designed and once inhabited by New Town architect
James Craig.

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Royal
Observatory

The main astronomy observatory, in the South of

Edinburgh, distinguished by its distinctive copper
domes atop Blackford Hill.

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City
Observatory

The City Observatory on Calton Hill was main centre

for astronomers until 1896 when it was decided to
move to Blackford, due to light pollution

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Gorgie City
Farm

Much-loved working urban farm with lambs, pigs,

chickens, quails, and a variety of crops.

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Royal
Commonwealt
h Pool

The Royal Commonwealth Pool (RCP), aka "the

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Commie", is a broad, squarish building in the
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Newington area to the South of the City. The building,
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with its Olympic sized pool housed within,...

Stirling Castle

One of Scotland's most spectacular castles, steeped

in history of the Scottish people. William Wallace,
Robert the Bruce and Mary Queen of Scots passed
this way once.

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Edinburgh
Dungeon

Indoor gothic theme park, very near Waverley

Station, that promises "500 years of Edinburgh's
darkest and most gory history, 11 actor led shows
and 2 scary rides

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Bo'ness and
Kinneil
Railway

Working passenger steam trainline, not far from

Edinburgh, that is run by the Scottish Railway
Preservation Society. Since Bo'ness station opened in
1981, the line has been gradually extended and...

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Summerhall

Formerly the Royal Dick Veterinary College, this

historic building has been transformed into a vibrant
multi-arts venue.

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Corstorphine
Hill Tower

Corstorphine Hill Tower, also known as Clermiston

Tower or the Scott Tower, is a suitably dramatic
memorial (watch video) to celebrated Scottish auth

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Surgeon's
Hall
Museum

The Surgeon's Hall, part of the Royal College of

Surgeons complex on Clerk Street, houses Scotland's
largest medical museum with one of the most
significant surgical collections in the world.

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New
Register
House

National archive located at the East of Princes Street,

around the corner from Robert Adam's landmark
General Register House.

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Mavisbank
House

After being destroyed in a fire in 1973 and left to ruin,

this private historic mansion is being bought by
compulsory purchase order and grounds are being
taken over by public agencies in 2012 for

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Arthur's
Seat

Arthur's Seat is the top of Holyrood Park, the large

public park at the foot of the Royal Mile. It takes a
moderately fit walker about 20 minutes to climb to the
top.

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Gilmerton
Cove

Opened to the public fewer than 10 years ago,

Gilmerton Cove is an underground warren of tunnels
and rooms hand carved in to the sandstone bedrock
and dating back hundreds of years ago.

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Tron Kirk

The Tron Kirk, situated in the heart of the Old Town, was
commissioned by King Charles I and built by Scottish
architect John Myle between 1636 and 1647.

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Kinneil
House

Kinneil House dates back to the 15th century and was

once a popular home for the Dukes of Hamilton.

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Festival
Wheel

The Festival Wheel is a large mechanical Ferris Wheel,

situated in the centre of Edinburgh, in East Princes
Street Garden.

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Escape
Hour

Escape Hour is a new escape Game Venue. Teams of

between 2 and 6 players must solve a series of puzzles
to escape a room or complete a task within a
designated time period.

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