Edinburgh: memorable and beautiful city

Edinburgh Old Town. Old city center, with old building, narrow alleys, pubs and shops. Royal Mile runs through it and is the main walking street filled with shops and attractions. Calton Hill. Historic area on a small hill, with several neoclassical monuments and scenic views of the city. Featuring bars, eateries and gift shops as well. National Museum of Scotland. Large, modern museum housing Scottish and international industrial history relics and natural history displays. Many interactive exhibits. Free admission and guided tours.

Princes Street. One of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh’s New Town. Popular shopping and walking street. St Giles’ Cathedral. An iconic medieval Presbyterian Church and principal place of worship of Church of Scotland. Located on Royal Mile and open for public tours and featuring small gift shop.

The Real Mary King’s Close. Hidden streets and alleys, under Royal Mile, dating back to 17^th century. Haunted tours offered accompanied by costumed guides telling spooky stories and legends from the past.

Royal Yacht Britannia. Former Royal family’s personal yacht, decommissioned in 1997 and used now for visits, lunches and events. Edinburgh Waverley. Large historical train station in central Edinburgh. Serving as Edinburgh’s main railway station, also has popular eateries and shops. The Scotch Whisky Experience. An attraction opened in 1988, telling the story of Scotland’s national drink with high-tech exhibits, barrel ride and whisky tasting with tutoring.

Scott Monument. Massive, gothic style memorial to the writer, Sir Walter Scott. Located on Princess Street, one of the main landmarks of Edinburgh. Scottish National Gallery. National collections of art including both European masterpieces and Scottish works. Hosting periodical special exhibitions.

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. A 70 acre of manicured gardens with flowers and a glasshouse. Hosting exhibitions, events and offering guided tours and cafes.

Edinburgh Zoo. Large zoo located in the west outskirt of the city. Offering hands-on animal encounters and free hilltop safari rides. Great family entertainment year around. Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. Five floor tower, down the hill from Edinburgh Castle, offering interactive optical illusions and camera obscura show at the top. Great views to the city from the roof top. Holyrood Park. Park area around the slopes of Arthur’s Seat, with walking and cycling paths and a loch.

Rosslyn Chapel. A 15^th century chapel, with unique intricately carved details, made globally famous in The Da Vinci Code movie and the book. Princes Street Gardens. Two adjacent park areas in center of Edinburgh. Lined with monuments from the Princess Street side and offering various leisure activities, such as Winter Wonderland during the winter. Scottish Parliament Building. Also referred simply as Holyrood, it is a modern building, starting operation in 2004, home of Scottish Parliament.