Castles, closes
and cobblestones

Crown Jewels & Stone of Destiny

The Crown Room · Upper Ward

The centrepiece of the castle. The Honours of Scotland, Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State, are the oldest surviving royal regalia in Britain, used at Scottish coronations from 1543. The Stone of Destiny sits beside them, returned from Westminster Abbey in 1996. Head here the moment you enter at 09:15, the room fills fast and there’s no way to rush it once the crowds arrive.

Great Hall & War Memorial

16th century · Upper Ward

The Great Hall was built for James IV around 1511 and has one of the finest hammer-beam roofs in Scotland, worth stopping in even for five minutes. The Scottish National War Memorial next door (1927) is genuinely moving: a memorial to the 148,000 Scots who died in the First World War. Both are on the way between the gate and the Crown Room. The One O’Clock Gun fires from Mills Mount Battery, check the time, it’s worth catching (daily except Sundays).

The Royal Mile

Castle Esplanade south to the Canongate · ~1.2km

Edinburgh's spine, running from the Castle esplanade all the way down to Holyrood Palace. Walk at your own pace, browse the closes (the narrow alleyways off both sides). Turn right at George IV Bridge to pick up Victoria Street heading to the Grassmarket. No need to go all the way to Holyrood today.

Victoria Street

Cobbled · George IV Bridge to Grassmarket

Turn right off the Royal Mile at George IV Bridge. Victoria Street curves downhill with coloured shopfronts on the lower level and Victoria Terrace walkway above. One of the most photographed spots in Edinburgh. It drops you into the east end of the Grassmarket at the bottom, straight into lunch.

The Kirkyard

Candlemaker Row · Since 1561

One of Edinburgh's oldest churchyards, with ornate 17th-century tombs and Covenanter history. J.K. Rowling wrote in the nearby Elephant House; Tom Riddle's gravestone is here (visible through the fence). The Covenanters' Prison is the locked enclosure inside, reputedly the most haunted spot in Edinburgh. Walk the full circuit; it's larger than it looks from the entrance.

Greyfriars Bobby

Statue at the kirkyard entrance · Candlemaker Row

The small bronze statue of a Skye Terrier who guarded his owner's grave in this kirkyard for 14 years after his death in 1858. One of Edinburgh's most visited spots. Bobby's own grave is just inside the kirkyard, near the entrance gate. The Bobby Bar across the road is named after him.

Organs, specimens & Burke

18 Nicolson Street EH8 9DW · Closes 17:00

Three galleries of anatomical and pathological specimens collected by Edinburgh surgeons over 300 years, jars, bones, instruments. And William Burke himself: his skeleton is on display with the dissection marks clearly visible. He was publicly dissected here in 1829, at the very college whose museum this is. The object label makes for remarkable reading.

Burke & Hare

Body snatching · Edinburgh 1828

William Burke and William Hare murdered 16 people and sold the bodies to Dr Robert Knox for dissection, Edinburgh’s anatomy schools needed far more cadavers than legal sources could provide. Burke was hanged before 25,000 people in January 1829. The museum holds his notebook, its cover made from his own tanned skin, alongside the pocket book made the same way. The same South Bridge area you were just underground in.

Edinburgh Castle

Hilltop fortress · Since 12th century

Sits on a volcanic plug above the city, the most-visited paid attraction in Scotland. Worth the queue: Crown Jewels (the Honours of Scotland), the Stone of Destiny, the One O'Clock Gun (fired daily except Sundays), the views down the Royal Mile. Allow 2-3 hours.

Collect the guidebook from the ticket office on arrival.

National Museum of Scotland

Chambers Street · Free entry

The best free museum in Scotland, six floors covering Scottish history, science, design, technology, and natural history. Dolly the cloned sheep is here. The roof terrace has a great Castle view (free). Easy to lose 2 hours.