07
45 min
Calton Hill
Calton Hill is a public open space above the east end of Princes Street, known for its concentration of monuments and broad city views.
- Must see
- Nature site
City guide · United Kingdom
Places to visit in Edinburgh, United Kingdom — page 2
Edinburgh is built around a dramatic ridge-and-valley centre, with the Old Town and New Town facing each other across Princes Street Gardens. Most major central...
Photograph · 瑞丽江的河水 · CC BY-SA 4.0
3,671
Places
- Suggested stay
- 2-3 days
- Getting around
- Walking, bus and tram
Turn this list into a plan
Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Edinburgh is built around a dramatic ridge-and-valley centre, with the Old Town and New Town facing each other across Princes Street Gardens. Most major central sights are walkable, but steep streets, closes and cobbles slow the route. Buses and trams connect the centre with Leith, the airport and outer districts. Plan uphill and downhill sections deliberately rather than treating the map as flat.
Checked 2026-08-26
Practical information
- Language spoken
- English; Welsh is official in Wales
- National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
- Dialling code
- +44
- International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
- Currency
- Pound sterling (GBP)
- Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
- Emergency number
- 999 or 112
- Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
- Plug type
- Type G · 230 V
- Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
- Tap water
- Safe from the mains
- Public water suppliers regulate mains drinking water; use cold mains taps
Planning a visit
September · September balances a 16.5°C mean high and 9.4°C mean low in Edinburgh with 63.7 mm of normal rain across 10.2 rain days.
- January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- March: good time to visit
- April: best time to visit
- May: best time to visit
- June: best time to visit
- July: best time to visit
- August: good time to visit
- September: good time to visit — current month
- October: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- November: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- December: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- Best time
- Good time
- Viable with trade-offs
- Difficult conditions
Sources
- worldweather.wmo.int Checked 2026-08-28
- www.visitscotland.com Checked 2026-08-28
Top things to see
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
Filter the list
101 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
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08 2 hoursRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, usually called the Botanics, is a living scientific collection and a public garden one mile north of the city centre.
- Must see
- Nature site
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09 1 hr 30 minScottish National Gallery
National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery, branded by National Galleries of Scotland simply as the National, is the principal gallery on the Mound above Princes Street Gardens.
- Must see
- Art and culture venue
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10 2 hoursHMY Britannia
HMY Britannia is the former Royal Yacht, launched in 1953 for the British Royal Family and preserved in Leith by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust.
- Must see
- Museum
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11 1 hr 30 minScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is a working parliamentary building at Holyrood and a free public visit, not merely an architectural sight.
- Must see
- Historic monument
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12 45 minCamera Obscura
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is a visitor attraction located on Castlehill in Edinburgh's Old Town, near Edinburgh Castle.
- Must see
- Market
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13 45 minScott Monument
The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic memorial to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, located in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens. Completed in 1844, it stands as one of the largest monuments to a writer anywhere in the world.
- Must see
- Historic monument
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14 45 minThe Real Mary King's Close
The Real Mary King's Close is a historic underground site beneath Edinburgh's Royal Mile. It preserves a network of narrow streets and houses that were sealed beneath the Royal Exchange during the 18th century.
- Must see
- Market
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15 1 hourPrinces Street Gardens
West Princes Street Gardens
West Princes Street Gardens forms the western portion of Princes Street Gardens, a public park in Edinburgh's city centre.
- Must see
- Nature site
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16 1 hourHolyrood Park
Holyrood Park is a royal park in Edinburgh, Scotland, associated with the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It covers a substantial area of open landscape including hills, lochs, and rocky outcrops.
- Must see
- Nature site
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17 45 minDean Village
Dean Village is a former milling hamlet situated northwest of Edinburgh's city centre, nestled in a steep-sided valley along the Water of Leith. The settlement developed from the 12th century around grain mills powered by the river.
- Must see
- Historic monument
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18 1 hr 30 minEdinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo is a zoological park situated in the Scottish capital. It occupies a hillside site to the west of Edinburgh city centre, offering views across the city.
- Must see
- Family attraction
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19 1 hr 30 minDynamic Earth
Dynamic Earth is a science centre and visitor attraction in Edinburgh, Scotland. It explores the story of planet Earth through interactive exhibits and immersive experiences.
- Must see
- Museum
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20 30 minGreyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk is a historic parish church located in Edinburgh's Old Town, near the southern edge of the city centre. The church stands within Greyfriars Kirkyard, a substantial graveyard with notable monuments.
- Must see
- Place of worship
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21 45 minGreyfriars Bobby
Greyfriars Bobby is a small statue in Edinburgh commemorating a Skye Terrier who reportedly guarded his owner's grave for fourteen years in the nineteenth century.
- Must see
- Historic monument
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22 1 hr 30 minSurgeons' Hall Museums
Surgeons' Hall Museums is a medical museum in Edinburgh, Scotland. It serves as the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and houses collections related to surgical history and pathology.
- Must see
- Museum
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23 1 hr 30 minMuseum of Edinburgh
The Museum of Edinburgh occupies Huntly House, a historic building on the Royal Mile. The structure dates to the sixteenth century and holds significance as one of the Old Town's notable architectural survivors.
- Must see
- Museum
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24 1 hr 30 minWriters' Museum
The Writers' Museum is a literary museum in Edinburgh dedicated to Scottish writers. It celebrates the lives and works of Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.
- Must see
- Museum
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25 30 minRosslyn Chapel, Roslin
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel is a 15th-century chapel located in the village of Roslin, approximately seven miles south of Edinburgh city centre. Founded by William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness, the chapel took forty years to construct.
- Must see
- Place of worship
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26 45 minScotch Whisky Heritage Centre
The Scotch Whisky Experience
The Scotch Whisky Experience is a whisky heritage attraction on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, close to Edinburgh Castle. It occupies a former school building and introduces visitors to Scotch whisky’s production, regional character and cultural importance.
- Must see
- Historic monument
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27 45 minCraigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle is a substantial medieval castle ruin southeast of Edinburgh, with major surviving work from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The castle is closely associated with Mary, Queen of Scots, who stayed here in 1566.
- Must see
- Historic monument
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28 45 minHolyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated at the foot of the Royal Mile adjacent to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
- Must see
- Historic monument
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29 20 minForth Bridges
The Forth Bridges are three landmark crossings over the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh: the red steel Forth Bridge, completed in 1890; the Forth Road Bridge, opened in 1964; and the Queensferry Crossing, opened in 2016.
- Must see
- Viewpoint
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30 1 hourScottish National Portrait Gallery
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is Edinburgh’s national museum of portraiture, housed in a red sandstone neo-Gothic building on Queen Street. Robert Rowand Anderson designed the building, which opened in 1889.
- Must see
- Art and culture venue
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31 1 hourScottish National Gallery of Modern Art
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is a major art museum in Edinburgh, Scotland. It forms part of National Galleries Scotland, the country's national collection of art.
- Must see
- Art and culture venue
How the city is laid out
The Old Town follows the Royal Mile ridge from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood, with closes descending sharply on both sides. Across the valley, the Georgian New Town extends north from Princes Street. Calton Hill stands east of the central station, while the Meadows and university districts spread south. Leith forms a separate waterfront centre to the northeast, and Portobello lies farther east on the coast. Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park need their own weather-dependent block.
Checked 2026-08-26
Getting around
Walk between the Old Town and New Town, allowing extra time for slopes and cobbled surfaces. Lothian buses cover the city and surrounding districts, while the tram links the airport, city centre, Leith and Newhaven corridor. Contactless payment is available on the principal bus network, and official journey tools show current services. Use transit for Leith, Portobello and outer attractions rather than extending an already steep central walking day.
Checked 2026-08-26
Common questions
How many days does Edinburgh need?
Two to three days suit a first visit. One day can follow the Old Town ridge, another can cover the New Town and museums, and a third allows Leith or a weather-dependent outdoor route.
When is the best time to visit Edinburgh?
May through September offers longer daylight for viewpoints and neighbourhood walks. Festival periods can change availability and crowd levels, so confirm dates before choosing accommodation.
Is Edinburgh easy to explore on foot?
The central sights are close enough to walk, but steep gradients, steps and cobbles make distances feel longer. Group the Old Town ridge and New Town separately instead of repeatedly crossing the valley.
How do visitors reach Leith?
Use the tram or city buses from central Edinburgh. Leith is a separate waterfront district, so it works better as a coherent half-day than as a quick detour between Old Town sights.
Can visitors use contactless payment on buses?
The principal Lothian bus network accepts contactless payment and applies its current fare rules through the operator system. Use the same card or device consistently and review current visitor guidance before boarding.