Visiting Edinburgh: Scotland's inspiring capital
About Edinburgh
Edinburgh (a UNICEF World Heritage Site) is one of the world's great cities, with something for everyone at all times of the year:
- Edinburgh's Christmas and Edinburgh's Hogmanay (December and January)
- Science Festival, Ceilidh Culture and Beltane (March and April)
- Children's Festival (May)
- International Rugby Weekends (February, March, November and December)
- International Film Festival (June) and Jazz & Blues Festival (July)
- Book Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Festival and Military Tattoo (August and September) make up the summer festival season
- Edinburgh Mela (August).
And apart from these special events, the city offers a wealth of historical and cultural attractions, from castles and palaces to world-class galleries and museums. All this makes Edinburgh an ideal destination at any time of year.
Edinburgh has a cosmopolitan restaurant scene, with more eating places per head of population than any other UK city outside London. Check out your options at the List Eating and Drinking Guide. There are also great pubs and bars; take a virtual pub crawl at http://www.edinburghpubguide.co.uk/.
As well as being a bustling capital city, Edinburgh has many green spaces for visitors to enjoy. The most obvious of these is Arthur's Seat, the extinct volcano that dominates the skyline from every part of town, and there are many other options.
To find out what's on while you're in Edinburgh, consult The List, the local listings guide for Edinburgh (and nearby Glasgow) that gives information about film, theatre, dance, clubs, art, literature and other events.
The UK's favourite city
For the 12th consecutive year, Edinburgh has held on to its title as the UK's favourite city in the Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Travel Awards 2011, and the city regularly comes out top in other awards as well. Browse The Guardian's Edinburgh city guide for inside information about what makes Edinburgh so special.
