Highlights of Edinburgh

There’s a well-known 17th-century print of Edinburgh that shows the city looking like a skeletal herring, with wynds and alleys (or ‘closes’) radiating from the central spine like bones. Edinburgh castle, sitting atop a monumental plug of volcanic rock, is the piscine head and effortlessly dominates the city. The monumental volcanic plug of the sheer castle rock, which shows evidence of fortification from the late Bronze Age around 900BC, is possibly Scotland’s largest, continually-inhabited site. A successor to this ‘dun’ or hillfort was the site of Din Eidyn, a settlement associated with the kingdom of the Gododdin.

Sassy, stentorian and Sassenach-baiting tours by guides from Historic Scotland (the governmental heritage agency which manages the sight) provide a useful introduction to the buildings within the citadel walls, which span early medieval to Victorian times. They'll explain the role of two guns - the 'One O'Clock Gun' - fired at that hour daily in response to a dropped signal ball on Calton Hill, which has its origins as a time signal for shipping in the nearby Firth of Forth, and Mons Meg, a 15th-century 'bombast' or supergun. It gets fired 'with a bit of smoke and mirrors', during Edinburgh's world-famous Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) celebrations.

The earliest surviving building, St Margaret’s Chapel, is a tiny 12th-century memorial to the canonised queen who died in 1093. Timelines in the nearby Honours of Scotland exhibition help first-timers grasp the genealogy of wearers of the Scottish Crown which, together with the 16th-century sword and sceptre is dramatically and reverentially displayed. They share top billing with the plain sandstone Stone of Destiny, coronation talisman of the ancient kings. This was restored to Scotland in 1996, 700 years after its removal to Westminster Abbey by marauding English forces. Doubts as to its provenance linger, centring on the suspicion firstly, that England’s Edward I was palmed off with a fake, or secondly that the students who temporarily ‘liberated’ the stone from London in 1950 duped the authorities by returning a replica. Their story is told in the recent low-budget (Glasgow University stands in for Westminster Abbey!) caper movie Stone of Destiny.

Next door you’ll find the most atmospheric part of the royal quarters within the castle – the glorified cupboard or ‘cabinet’ where Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to the child who became James Vi of Scotland (and later also James I of England, when he inherited its crown after the Union of the Crowns which followed the death of the childless English Queen Elizabeth I in 1603). The Great Hall, with its magnificent hammerbeam ceiling, is rather more regal in scale. The castle honours those who served king and country in two regimental museums and in the worthwhile National War Museum. Those who paid the ultimate price are remembered in the moving and dignified Scottish National War Memorial, a homage to the 150,000 lost in the First World War (when Scotland suffered disproportionate fatalities), and later casualties. The combination of Arts and Crafts sculpture, and stunning stained glass, by the acclaimed craftsman Douglas Strachan, is genuinely moving. An exhibition focuses on the castle's role as a holding place for Prisoners of War from numerous conflicts, but the display boards detailing life for prisoners - in terms of rations, dress and time-passing pursuits, is more engaging than the rather humdrum effort at recreating the scene via tableaux.

During August the castle esplanade hosts the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a celebration of military music and feats of technical derring-do staged by representatives of armed forces from around the world.

Edinburgh Castle, Castlehill Edinburgh EH1 2NG, Scotland

Hours:
Summer: 1 April - 30 September Daily 9:30am - 6pm (subject to change during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in August).

Winter: 1 October - 31 March, Daily 9:30am - 5pm. Closed 25 and 26 December. On 1 January Castle is open 11am – 5pm.

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Cost: Offpeak (1 October - 31 May)
Adults: aged 16 - 59 £14.50
Children age 5 - 15: £8.60
Children under 5 free
Concession: age 60 and over, unemployed: £11.60
Historic Scotland members free

Peak (1 June - 30 September)
Adults:£16
Children: £9.20
Concession: £13

There's only one exit from the castle, so head through the monumental entrance, through the Esplanade and onto Castlehill. After a short stroll to your left you'll find the towering building that houses Edinburgh's venerable Camera Obscura, now teamed with a World of Illusions that plays with perception using all the tricks of more recent technology.

The Camera Obscura is a sort of periscope with mirrors that spies on people and vehicles all over central Edinburgh. The operator zooms across the city's distinctive topography, pausing here and there while delivering an enjoyable spiel. After explanations of the science and history (it was developed by a Victorian optician), visitors get the chance to interact with the technology, scooping up then dumping unsuspecting pedestrians using sheets of card that also become ersatz bridges, to general hilarity as double-decker buses trundle up and down this temporary obstacle. It's good, wholesome fun, whether you are 8 or 80 (though the five flights of stairs may deter a little).

While waiting for your allocated showtime, be sure to take in the fabulous views from the balcony - Edinburgh's amazing skyline lies before you - and youngsters will particularly enjoy the view of the towers and turrets of Hogwarts - aka George Heriot's School.

The World of Illusions is an engaging run through tricks of perceptions of all sorts from holograms, to trompe l'oeil illustrations, pinhole camera images, and all sorts of japes with mirrors and lights - from magic mazes, to infinity progressions and traditional distorting effects, and a disorienting vortex tunnel. There are lots of hands-on exhibits, from a crackling plasma sphere to a photobooth that lets you morph yourself into an ape, plus the chance to see what you would look like as a severed head served on a platter!
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Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
549 Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2ND, Scotland
0131 226 3709

Hours:
April to June Daily 9:30am-7pm (until 8pm on public and school holidays)
July and August Daily 9:30am-8:30pm
September and October Daily 9:30am-7pm (until 8pm on public and school holidays)
November to March Daily 10am-6pm

Last camera obscura showtime is usually one hour before closing time.

Cost:
Adults: £10.95
Students (with ID): £8.95
Seniors: £8.95
Children age 5 - 15 years £7.95
Children under 5 free

Continue down Castlehill, turn right at Upper Bow and walk until you reach the railing and arcading that denotes Victoria Terrace, the upper level of the curious, curving and picturesque two-tier street that snakes up from the Grassmarket to George IV Bridge. Steps will lead you down to a charming street lined with quirky, unusual and high-end shops, with stuccoed, rainbow-coloured façades, an exuberant contrast to the austere brick and stonework of the towering upper level, which hosts a number of bars and restaurants with al fresco tables.

There are galleries, smart fashion stores, and excellent foodie haunts, including a branch of the famous cheesemonger Iain J Mellis, and Demijohn, which markets itself as 'the world's first liquid deli', with ranges of gastronome's oils and vinegars, as well as the ubiquitous whisky.

If you turn left, walking uphill, on the other side of the road, just before you reach George IV Bridge you'll find some pointed social commentary murals on the windows of the building on the right hand side at No 2 India Buildings. Turn left onto George IV Bridge, then cross the road at the junction with the High Street section of the Royal Mile, then continue down the hill with the crown spire of the Kirk of St Giles on your right, and stop at Mary King's Close (on your left).
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West Bow, Edinburgh EH1 2HH - EH1 2JP, Scotland
Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2HE - EH1 2JW, Scotland

If the castle paints a picture of what life was like for medieval royals, aristocrats and their prisoners, you can get a better grip on the reality of life for ordinary folk thanks to the strange historical anomaly that is Mary King's Close.

The closes that spur off the Royal Mile give some idea of the city's layout in those days, but modern sanitation and gentrification mean this is a limited insight. Historical happenstance ensures that Mary's King's Close - in fact a series of closes - helps to paint a vivid picture. When bubonic plague arrived in Edinburgh in the middle of the 17th century, the squalid, teeming, densely-packed houses of the time acted as an enormous petri dish. As the death toll rose, streets were abandoned, and roughly a century later the city partly demolished and sealed the closes, and built the Royal Exchange - today's City Chambers (home of Edinburgh's City Council) - above them.

Costumed guides lead you through this strange subterranean street with largely-intact buildings - some still displaying evidence of their use, for instance as a bakery or butcher. The darkness and the cobbles combine to add an air of spookiness, and it's easy to imagine nefarious deeds being undertaken, an opportunity capitalised by the guides, who relay tales of the ghost of a child, whose presence is allegedly felt by many visitors who leave votive offerings, as if at a shrine. Whether you go for the hokum or for an unusual insight into life in a bygone era you should leave intrigued.

When you leave, retrace your steps on the High Street by turning right and proceeding back towards the Castle, crossing the road at George IV Bridge. Walk along here, with the National Library of Scotland on your left, and continue until you take a left at Chamber Street, where the National Museum is a short way along, on the other side of the street.
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The Real Mary King's Close
2 Warriston's Close, High Street
Edinburgh, EH1 1PG
0845 070 6244

Hours
March 30th - October 31st Daily 10am-9pm (last tour)
November 1st - March 29th Sunday - Thursday 10am-5pm(last tour)
Friday & Saturday 10am-9pm (last tour)

Cost
Adults: £12.50
Seniors (age 60+):£11.00
Students (with ID): £11.00
Children age 5 – 15: £7.00
Children under 5: not admitted

Scotland's flagship museum has recently had a multi-million-pound makeover, and has been winning rave reviews. It is the UK's most-visited attraction outside London. The much-extended Victorian building is designed in the style of an Italianate palace, and the soaring, light-flooded Grand Gallery with its balconies and glazed roof is unexpectedly lovely. It's a stunning display space for a diverse collection that spans everything from ethnography to printing presses, and seeks to throw some light on Scotland's contribution to the world.

To make the most of your visit get hold of the map available at the entrance hall information desk, and either follow it to the subject areas that particularly interest you (or to the leaflet's suggested dozen star exhibits on the treasure trail), or take one of the free guided tours.

As you would expect, there are numerous galleries devoted to Scotland's history, where the unmissable exhibits include the fabulous Lewis chessmen (Kingdom of the Scots, Level 1) - enigmatic pieces carved from walrus ivory an whales' teeth and discovered on the Island of Lewis in 1831, though probably made in Norway 800 or more years ago. The pieces have expressions that are unquestionably comic to the modern eye, and they have bags of character, making them one of the most popular archaeological finds held in UK Museums (the bulk of the hoard was spirited away to London's British Museum). Unsettling treasures associated with dark elements of Scotland's past include the Arthur's Seat Coffins (Daith comes in, Level 4) - 17 tiny coffins with carved occupants found in 1836. Their purpose is unknown, but possibly a form of tribute to the victims of the notorious dissection table serial killers, Burke and Hare - and the frankly terrifying mask and wig used as a disguise while preaching by Alexander Peden (Kingdom of the Scots, Level 1), a 17th-century Covenanting church minister, outlawed during one of Scotland's prolific periods of religious strife.

There's plenty of interest that's not focused on Scotland - artefacts from Ancient Egypt on Level 3, and ethnographic pieces like the Benin Head on Level 5, as well as an extensive geological section. The collection of cellphones (Communicate! Level 3) prompts smiles as it shows just how far technology has advanced in the recent past - who remembered that the first portable phones and early BlackBerry's were so clunky?

Scotland has often been at the forefront of scientific advances (there is a respectable school of thought that contends that Scots invented the modern world), and this is perhaps best illustrated by the preserved carcass of Dolly the Sheep (Connect, Level 1), the first cloned mammal ever created from an adult cell - devised at the Roslin Institute, just outside Edinburgh in 1996. The Connect galleries are full of hands-on exhibits and gadgets that can keep youngsters entertained. For more details see the Edinburgh for families with young children tour.

Admission (other than to Special Exhibitions) is free, though donations are always welcome.

When you leave, cross the road and take the #35 bus to Ocean Terminal.
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National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, Scotland
0300 123 6789

Hours:
Daily 10am - 5pm
General admission free, donations welcome
Special exhibitions
Adults: £9
Children: £6
Children under 5 free

There's a little bit of the voyeur in most of us, and Edinburgh offers a delicious opportunity to indulge that vice in the shape of the decommissioned former Royal Yacht Britannia, now berthed beside the Ocean Terminal shopping mall, which houses the yacht's visitor centre.

Displays in the visitor centre and hand-held audio guides combine to fill you in both on the historical background, and on the realities of day-to-day life on board, with tempting little details like the fact that shouting was prohibited, meaning that all orders were conveyed using hand signals, in this strangely feudal Upstairs, Downstairs world.

Clyde-built and launched in 1953, Britannia was in fact the most recent in a series of royal yachts, dating back to 1660, and its interior was designed by the architect Sir Hugh Casson to give the impression of 'a country house at sea.' That said, to the modern eye, the royal quarters - with the exception of the state dining room - seem remarkably modest, and downright suburban in taste. All but one of the beds on board - the Queen's - is a single, and her bright, slightly chintzy suite, connecting with the Duke of Edinburgh's more masculine room, feels endearingly unplush. The royals' sun lounge and sitting room are also surprisingly homely - until you see the cramped and spartan quarters used by the crew! It's not surprising that the laundry is a key part of the tour - on this tight ship, when in tropical climes the crew maintained their immaculate appearance by changing anything up to 12 times a day!

The state dining room ratchets things up a bit, and testifies to Britannia's other use as a floating embassy. It can seat 56, and takes three hours to prepare, with the settings aligned using a ruler. In fact the dining table and Hepplewhite chairs on display are replicas - the originals now at Windsor where Prince Philip has a special Britannia room. The drawing room could hold receptions for up to 250 guests, entertained by a piano played by Noel Coward, among others.

There are lots of facts and figures to digest: from launch until its decommission in 1997 the ship covered more than a million nautical miles; the crew consisted of 220 men and 20 officers, and Britannia provided a honeymoon haven for four Royal couples - all of whom saw their marriages end in divorce.

It's fun to end your visit with afternoon tea, and perhaps a glass of bubbly on the Royal Deck.

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The Royal Yacht Britannia
Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland
EH6 6JJ
0131 555 5566

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Hours:
January, February, March, November, December 10am - 3:30pm* (last admission; April, May, June, October 9:30am - 4pm (last admission); July, August, September 9:30am -4:30pm (last admission).
*On 24 December last admission is at 2.30pm
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Cost
Adults: £11.75
Seniors ages 60+: £10
Children ages 5 - 17: £7.50
Children under 5 free
Family (2 adults and up to three children): £34
Student (with ID) £10