The Scottish capital of Edinburgh, which is located on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, is the UK's second most popular destination for international visitors after London.
As a city break destination, it offers the opportunity to appreciate many centuries of strong and passionate Scottish heritage.
The city also offers a wealth of arts and culture, particularly during the festivals for which the city is known worldwide.
Princes Street and the Royal Mile provide the city's bustling tourist thoroughfare, particularly during one of the many annual festivals for which Edinburgh is rightly famous.
Wander just beyond, and there's the Medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town, both with UNESCO World Heritage status along with Arthur's Peak, an ancient volcano and the main peak of the hills in Edinburgh that form most of Holyrood Park.
Easy to understand why this city is popular
By Ashley Gibbins
A traditional route taken by international visitors to the UK starts in in London before heading to Edinburgh and then taking in Bath, Stratford-up-on Avon and/or the Cotswolds.
There are any number of reasons why Edinburgh has enduring popularity as a tourist destination.
Unlike the, sometimes overwhelming size of the UK capital, its Scottish counterpart offers all one could want from a short-break city destination, with the chance to take it all in.
Getting there is also no real problem
The rail service from London Kings Cross gets into Edinburgh Waverly, in the heart of the city, in under four and- a-half hours.
For those driving from London, as Ann and I did, Edinburgh is a straight though longer run of just under eight hours.
Stopping overnight on route breaks up the journey and, having a car, means Edinburgh can be the starting point for a grand Scottish road trip.
Once in Edinburgh, by whichever route, all one could wish for is within easy walking distance.
The bustling hub
Top of the tourist list is likely to be a trip up to Edinburgh Castle along with a walk along Princes Street (Edinburgh's Oxford Street) and the Auld Toun (Old Town) around the Royal Mile.
This is the city's retail and entertainment hub with bars, pubs and the usual tourist paraphernalia.
Grandeur and calm
A short stroll beyond hive of tourist activity, and one gets to Dean Village by the Water of Leith, once
an area of water mills, and now a place of gentle calm.
Or one can walk around the New Town area and appreciate the grandeur of the elegant Georgian
that line the broad avenues and open squares.
Arts and culture
As Scotland's capital it should come as no surprise that Edinburgh is rich in arts and culture.
There are any number of museums and galleries open to the public and a good chance one will find a
festival taking place.
The Edinburgh International
Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are well known.
But there are any number of other annual arts, music and science festivals that help state Edinburgh's
claim to be the UK's festival capital.
And, of course, there is Edinburgh's wild (and often windy) Hogmanay new year celebrations.
A proud nation
Finally, one does not visit Edinburgh without appreciating what a proud and welcoming nation
the Scots are.
Proud of their place in history, their heritage and the many achievements of their scientists, designers, inventors, industrialists and literary icons.
Nation status
The Scottish Parliament building, at the end of the Golden Mile, is where Scotland remaining part of the UK or becoming an independent nationcould well be determined in the coming years.
Free guided tours allow visitors to explore the architecture, art and history of the Scottish Parliament.
A castle standing the test of time
Edinburgh Castle, which is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe, towers over Edinburgh atop the appropriately named Castle Rock.
The rock, a 'volcanic plug' formed some 350 million years ago and has been used as a fortification since the since the Iron Age.
A royal castle on the rock is known to have been constructed during the reign of David I in the 12th century and remained a royal residence until 1633.
As a major stronghold in the Kingdom of Scotland, the Castle saw many conflicts from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite rising of 1745.
In all the castle suffered 26 sieges in its 1,100-year history and is considered 'the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world'.
In more recent times, it has been a military garrison and prison and is now the city's major visitor attraction.
The castle is also an iconic part of Edinburgh's Old and New Towns which both enjoy UNESCO
World Heritage status.
The castle also houses the Honours of Scotland, its Crown Jewels, and the Stone of Destiny, the block of red sandstone used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland.
The annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo by British Armed Forces and Commonwealth and international military bands takes place in August.
Edinburgh offers areas of stunning contrast
Visitors to the Scottish capital can enjoy hugely interesting areas, within walking distance of each other, that could not be different
The Old Town
Until the late 18th century Edinburgh's Old Town was, in effect, the whole of the city.
Vising today one finds the medieval street layout careful preserved with cobbled streets, narrow alleyways and hidden courtyards.
At its centre is the Royal Mile, an area of Reformation-era tenement buildings that lead from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse
Along the way one finds St. Giles' Cathedral, with its magnificent, vaulted ceiling and ornate tombs; the National Museum of Scotland; the Old College of the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Parliament Building.
The Real Mary King's Close
The area also contains a number of underground vaults and hidden passages.
The best way to appreciate these is to take the Real Mary King's Close tour.
This fascinating and very informative, one-hour social history tour with a character guide, explores a warren of hidden streets and spaces of Mary King's Close, which are buried under the Royal Mile.
The close (as in an area closed at night for security) took its name from Mary King, a merchant burgess who lived there in the 17th century.
The close was partially demolished and buried with the building of the Royal Exchange in the 18th century.
The Old Town provides the excitedly beating heart of the Edinburgh Festival each August (see below).
Edinburgh New Town
Unlike the gradual and random growth of the Old Town, Edinburgh's New Town was a carefully
planned construction project approved by the City Council in 1767.
It is the largest complete example of town planning from the Georgian era anywhere and embraces classical architecture, grand squares and terraces, gardens and secluded lanes.
Particularly stunning is Charlotte Square, designed by the architect Robert Adam in 1791, and rightly regarded as an architectural masterpiece.
The Assembly Rooms, in George Street, date from 1787, and are still used for concerts.
www.ewh.org.uk/world-heritage-sites/newtown
Princes Gardens and Dean Village
Dean Village is just off Princes Street, but the contrast between the two areas could not be greater.
While Princes Street a bustling stretch of retail outlets and invariably crowded, and those of you who do not gain benefit from retail therapy should head across the road to the green oasis that is Palace Street Gardens.
Created in the mid-1700s as private gardens for the wealthy, Princess Gardens was opened to the public in 1876 and is a relaxing resource for residents and visitors alike.
Dean Village, on the Water of Leith, was where mills operated using the water flowing through.
Strolling through the village one finds mill stones and stone plaques decorated with
baked bread and pies.
Well Court, the villages landmark village, was built in the 1880s and housed local workers
who worked at the water mills.
Visitors can also check out the free exhibition exhibitions in the Dean Gallery and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
www.ewh.org.uk/world-heritage-sites/deanvillage
Hollyrood Park
With its 650 plus acres has hills, lochs, glens, ridges, cliffs and patches of gorse, Holyrood
Park, about a mile from Edinburgh Castle, could be the Highlands.
On a good day, there is a walk up to Arthur's Seat, an ancient volcano, that offers great views over the city and Duddingston Loch, a freshwater loch rich in birdlife.
The park also gave us just a taste of what we could expect on our Scottish road trip.
www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-aplace/places/holyrood-park
Always something happening in 'festival' city
While Edinburgh is a year-round city destination, there is a real frisson of excitement in the city during one of its many festivals.
Of these, the Edinburgh International Festival and the Festival Fringe, in August,
are globally renowned, while nowhere celebrates Hogmanay like Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival has been presenting three weeks of opera, theatre, dance and classical music, from the world's finest performers in these genres, for over 70 years.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe started in 1947, when theatre groups not invited to the International Festival, still came to the city to stage their productions.
The Fringe of the festival name and approach continued and has grown to be the biggest arts festival in the world.
Thousands of artistes arrive to perform theatre, dance, music, cabaret and comedy and everything in between, and hundreds of thousands come to be part of it.
Hogmanay
Edinburgh's Hogmanay, the Scottish celebration of the New Year began as an impromptu street party around the Tron Kirk in the High Street of the Old Town.
The size and popularity of the celebrations officially organised with the main street party limited to 100,000 ticket holders.
In addition to the regular 'party' celebrations there is a torchlight process, fireworks and open-air concerts by top Scottish performers.
Other festivals
Other annual festivals that attract a more select but equally enthusiastic audiences include the :
A place to stay
The Bonham, Edinburgh
By Ann Mealor
The Bonham Hotel, situated in a secluded cobbled crescent in a leafy part of the city, is a real gem of a place in Edinburgh's stately West End.
It comprises three Victorian townhouses overlooking peaceful Drumsheugh Gardens.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the centre, it is still within walking distance of everything a
visitor would want to see including the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, St Giles' Cathedral, Princes Street and Waverley Station.
There are lots of upmarket restaurants and stylish bars close by and the concierge is happy to make bookings.
A traditional boutique hotel with 49 individually styled bedrooms.
The Bonham has bags of character and buckets of charm.
Smooth stone floors, a sweeping wooden staircase, wood panelling, sumptuous wallpaper, Tiffany glass lamps and elegant chandeliers are the
order of the day.
In the bar and lounge areas, the furnishings are plush, in hues of golds, blues and greys with
comfortable Queen Anne chairs,
large portraits, gilded clocks, bronze figurines and patterned rugs scattered across oak floors. I felt like a house guest in a luxurious, yet homely dwelling.
As we walked through the lounge to our room, a couple of friends were enjoying traditional afternoon tea.
Sipping glasses of prosecco, they looked like they had settled themselves in for the afternoon,
determined to make the most of their sophisticated treat
The fancy cakes, scones and neatly cut sandwiches on their three-tiered cake stands looked
delicious.
The room
Our room was a large, junior suite with mahogany furnishings, high ceilings, sash windows and magnificent views across the city.
Hanging pride of place in the centre of the room was a magnificent crystal chandelier.
The bed was large and very comfortable and the sofa and chairs in the bay window provided the
ideal place to enjoy a pre-dinner drink.
There was plenty of Brodies tea and coffee along with traditional Scottish shortbread.
A welcome gift of delicious truffles was a lovely surprise. We found complimentary water was in
the fridge, along with fresh milk - all important for a good cup of tea!
Dressing gowns and slippers were in the bathroom along with luxurious, full-size bottles of
Arran shampoo, body lotion and shower gel.
Wining and dining
The Bonham dining room was elegant and chic with wood panelling, rich, purple plush chairs and
large gilt framed portraits.
A la carte dining was available as well as a two or three course market menu.
The restaurant is currently open only at the weekends, so we dined each evening in the cosy, yet sophisticated, bar area - and loved it.
We enjoyed The Bonham beer battered fish and chunky chips, the steak sandwich, the vegetable
burger and a selection of Scottish cheeses.
Everything was delicious.
And the cocktails I had each evening, a Cosmopolitan and a Margarita, were expertly made - top notch!
I don't think I could have got better in Edinburgh!
Breakfast was served in the restaurant each morning and there was a great selection of
dishes to choose from.
These included kippers, smoked salmon and scrambled egg, creamy porridge and the full
Scottish breakfast.
My poached eggs were perfect, but the kippers were superb.
Excellent service
The service was excellent throughout the hotel, from the very efficient front desk team who
brought extra earl grey tea to our room, to the bar staff who kept our peanut bowl topped up!
The Hotel is completely Covid compliment and has introduced a wide range of enhanced
cleaning and safety measures.
All staff wear masks and there is hand gel everywhere, even individual bottles on the breakfast tables.
The Bonham Hotel provided everything we needed – and more – to make our visit to
Edinburgh the best it could possibly be.
www.bespokehotels.com/thebonham
Bespoke Hotels
The Bonham is part of the Bespoke Hotels group of boutique and luxury hotels, whose Scottish
properties includes :
AllWays Travellers to Scotland
In addition to this AllWays Traveller to Edinburgh, you can also enjoy reading:
- AllWays Traveller to the Scottish Borders
- AllWays Traveller to Carnoustie, home of golf links
- AllWays Traveller to the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness
- AllWays Traveller to the Cairngorms