In this section, we have revealed our favourite things to do and places to go in Edinburgh. They are nearly all unique to Edinburgh and sometimes the world and are all places that you may not have found without our help. We hope that your stay in Edinburgh will be richer because of these suggestions.

If you have any feedback for us after trying any of them, please let us know as we respect your opinion and can amend the site if we need to.

Edinburgh is a city which has been loved by visitors for centuries. In the past decade it has become an increasingly cosmopolitan and vibrant place providing interest and inspiration for visitors at any time of the year.

We have a fantastic range of restaurants, bars and shops to suit all tastes and pockets and there are a huge number of excellent museums and galleries in the city too. Edinburgh’s diverse cultural and historical heritage is richly represented today with world famous writers such as JK Rowling, Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall-Smith and Irvine Welsh all calling the city home. You can also trace the footsteps of Langdon and Neveu from Dan Brown’s massively popular The De Vinci Code at Rosslyn Chapel just outside Edinburgh.

The city explodes into life during the Edinburgh Festival each August and early September and over the Hogmanay celebrations at New Year. The Edinburgh Festival is a generic term which is used to cover the following world renowned festivals; The Edinburgh International Festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, The Edinburgh International Book Festival and The Edinburgh International Film Festival.  During the Edinburgh Festival the very best the world has to offer culturally is available on your doorstep and the choice is so huge it can be bewildering.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is the world’s most famous celebration of New Year and the city has an amazing programme of events to keep revellers fully occupied at this time.

Visitors from around the world wishing to trace their Scottish Ancestry will find Edinburgh to be a treasure trove of information. The General Register for Scotland facilities at New Register House is one of the best national genealogical resources in the Western world. You will not only be able to trace who your ancestors were, but what they did and you may be able to walk in their footsteps. You will also be able to leave Edinburgh with some of your own beautiful clan tartan.  

The Scottish capital is also a great place to use as a base to explore other parts of the country. In less than an hour you can travel to Glasgow, some of the world’s best golf courses along the coast at Gullane and North Berwick, the beautiful unspoilt Borders with its abbeys and castles, Stirling Castle the resting place of William Wallace and Perth, The Gateway to the Highlands.

The only problem you will face in Edinburgh is being spoilt for choice!