Edinburgh instantly evokes associations with castles on granite rocks, wrought iron bars, antique mirrors in heavy frames. This is partly true - castles are found in abundance in the Old Town, as well as various art galleries and museums. However, this city is truly alive. The day can be spent on the sights of Edinburgh, but it is better to spend the evening in a pub with a fun conversation or in a restaurant overlooking the harbor. After all, Edinburgh is multifaceted. None of his guises should be missed.
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is comprised of four streets that form a vast and rather convoluted neighborhood. It consists of the intricacies of smaller streets that entwine the Mile. It is believed that the beginning of the Mile is at Edinburgh Castle. A market appeared here in about the twelfth century, around which wooden houses quickly appeared, just as quickly burned by the British. Gradually, the purely trade vector of the Royal Mile began to change its direction: it seemed that it had become a semblance of New Babylon with a hundred or two professions, concessions and languages.
Here the Inquisition sat, its bonfires were burning merrily, taverns and brothels were immediately opened hospitably, not far from the central court and the place of executions. Life on the Royal Mile was in full swing, as it is today. Parliament Square, Holyrood Bridge, Camera Obscura, St. Giles Cathedral - attractions for every taste.
Holyrood palace
Almost at the very end of the Royal Mile is the current royal residence, where members of the royal family stay. As a rule, this happens in the summer - at this time the palace is closed to tourists. The history of the castle began in the twelfth century with the unsuccessful Sunday hunt of King David, who himself almost became a hunting trophy. The miraculous salvation of the monarch was the reason for the construction of first the abbey, and then the Holyrood Castle.
Tourists can visit the royal dining room, the throne room, where the knights of the Thistle are still held, the chambers of Mary Stuart with an authentic setting, as well as the royal gallery, which contains portraits of monarchs who have sat on the throne of Scotland throughout most of its history. ... You can also stroll through the palace garden and climb the "Arthur's Throne". In winter, the palace is open to the public from 09:30 to 16:30, in summer until 18:00. The price of an adult ticket is £ 11.3.
Holyrood abbey
Holyrood Palace is adjacent to Holyrood Abbey. The once thriving church is now a deplorable - but no less magnificent - sight. The gloomy ruins of the once lush halls are now covered in moss. Electric lighting is unnecessary here - in some places there are not enough large areas in the roof. But in the Middle Ages, meetings of nobles were often held here and the most important political decisions were made!
Over the past three hundred years, many local and foreign architects have proposed projects for the reconstruction of this cultural heritage, but none of them have been implemented. You can enter the abbey with a ticket to visit Holyrood Palace. Their visiting hours also coincide.
Edinburgh castle
If you look at the castle from the city, you get the impression that it is floating in the air. Initially, it was created as a fortress and for many centuries it was used for fortification purposes by various forces and political groups. Since the twelfth century, it has become the official royal residence, and then the arena of the main actions in the confrontation between England and Scotland. The main royal relic, the Stone of Destiny, is also kept here.
Monarchs at all times laid their hands on him in order to solemnly take an oath before a high assembly. A tour of the castle will allow you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of robberies, sieges, betrayals, political and love flirting, prison everyday life and even magic - it was here that some elements of the Harry Potter saga were filmed. The entrance fee is £ 16.5. In winter, the castle can be visited from 09:30 to 17:00, in summer, the visit time is extended by an hour.
Scott Monument
One of the most crowded and noisy train stations in Edinburgh - Edinburgh Waverley - is located on Princess Street. It is not surprising that such a significant place received an equally significant name. The station was named after one of the characters of Walter Scott, and there is a magnificent monument not far from the giant building. Its height is over sixty meters.
If you do not know that this monument was erected in honor of the great Scottish writer, you can consider that this is an unusual neo-Gothic church of the Victorian era - the composition of this monument is such a large-scale and architecturally intricate one. It offers almost the best views of central Edinburgh, however, for the sake of admiration, you will have to climb one of the spiral staircases, that is, overcome almost three hundred steps. The real architectural highlight of the monument is the sculpture of Walter Scott himself, sitting in an armchair and stroking his dog.
Dead End Mary King
Just four hundred years ago, Mary King, the daughter of a highly successful lawyer, was perhaps the busiest in the capital. The King family owned most of the local buildings, and everything went well until the plague broke out in the city. In the Mary King quarter, they began to drive those infected with the plague, in order to then make them prisoners of these streets, simply walled up the dying people. The most famous of these sufferers was little Annie, a girl who was put in the "basement of the dead" and who is still looking for her parents. Oddly enough, there is still no powerful rationale behind such a heartbreaking story. It is only known for certain that it was a quarantine zone.
Nothing can be said with complete certainty about the "walled up". One way or another, but gradually a new city began to be built over the dead end, and soon it turned into a kind of catacombs, of which, ultimately, they made a tourist attraction. It is better not to go down here without a guide and a powerful lantern - you can get lost in no time. For an entrance ticket to the "city of the dead" will have to pay 12.5 pounds. The opening hours should be checked on the official website, as it is constantly being adjusted.
Cathedral of Saint Egidius
This cathedral is better known as St. Giles Cathedral. It is officially considered the country's premier Presbyterian temple. Its construction began in the fourteenth century. Once upon a time there was an ancient church on the site of the cathedral. Some of the pillars of the previous construction still support the vaults of the modern cathedral. To many, the Cathedral of St. Egidius seems somewhat gloomy with its Victorian stained glass windows and skillful stone carvings. As a rule, the most interesting is the Chapel of the Thistle, in which knights still take place today.
The walls of this old chapel are decorated with numerous coats of arms of aristocrats, members of eminent families and crowned persons, who at different times were honored to become knights of the Thistle. On the territory of the cathedral there are also crypts of many famous Scottish personalities. In summer, the cathedral can be visited from 09:00 to 19:00, with a special schedule on weekends. In winter, it is open until 17:00.The admission fee is £ 3, the ability to take multiple pictures will cost £ 2.
Craigmillar Castle
Once a whole village grew up around Craigmillar Castle, now around only numerous buildings in the central part of Edinburgh. The specificity of the castle is that it is almost the only Scottish castle that has preserved its authentic look. The first mentions of it date back to the beginning of the thirteenth century.
The most ancient components of the castle appeared a hundred years later. Among the most famous deceased ever to reside in Craigmillar, Maria Stuart stands out in particular. The castle is open to the public all year round. An adult ticket will cost £ 6.
Greyfriars Kirk Church
Once on the site of the modern church there was an abbey of the Franciscan order - "Abode of the gray brothers". It is considered one of the oldest buildings outside the Old City of Edinburgh. Her age is estimated at four centuries. For a long time it consisted of two buildings, the earlier of which dates back to the period of the Reformation. This church has long been a real stronghold of Presbyterianism.
Greyfriars Kirk became the first Presbyterian church to feature a stained glass window and even an organ. The local cemetery is no less famous than the church itself. Among the ghosts here are their own Jack the Ripper and their own Hachiko, about whom several novels have been written.
National Portrait Gallery
The Scots took very seriously the creation of a national collection of portraiture and photography. The very idea of opening such a gallery caused a wide resonance in society, but the government was in no hurry to invest in this project. The first sketches of a modern gallery appeared through the efforts of the then famous philanthropist John Findlay, who two centuries ago allocated funds for the creation of a special building to house the collections.
The neo-Gothic red sandstone structure with stucco moldings and numerous sculptural compositions on the east and north façades still leaves many passersby staring. You can visit the gallery from 10:00 to 17:00 on all days except Thursday. It closes two hours late on Thursdays. Entry to the National Treasury of Portraiture is free.
Scottish Whiskey Heritage Center
Scotch whiskey has been a brand for more than one century. This is not just a brand of alcohol, but the history of the country and its character. The whiskey heritage center today houses more than three thousand collectible bottles of this drink. This project is always relevant, as the government is happy to invest in the development of the center and attract partners.
The center itself occupies an expansive building on the Royal Mile. The tour usually includes theoretical and practical parts. Moreover, the practical is striking in its variability - usually the guest is offered to taste more than a hundred varieties of whiskey, which are made in various regions of the country. The center is open from 10:00 to 18:30. The entrance ticket will cost a minimum of 14.5 pounds.
Museum "Our dynamic Earth"
The museum amazes even before the acquaintance with its expositions takes place. The roof of this building is made in the form of a giant membrane stretched over metal cables. In such an unusual way, it was decided to celebrate the new millennium. The museum maintains an ideal balance of scientific reliability and spectacular presentation of the material.
Thus, the guests of the museum will be able to get a holistic view of the processes that helped shape the Earth, as well as the various stages of development of the animal and plant world. Another important milestone is scientific forecasting. Questions of alternative evolution are raised. The full ticket price is 12.5 pounds, the child ticket will cost 7.95 pounds. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:30.
National Museum of Scotland
The Contemporary National Museum is the result of the merger of the Museum of Antiquities and the Royal Museum. It is noteworthy that we are talking not only about moving collections and drawing up new excursion programs, but also about combining two buildings - a modern constructivist one and an old Victorian one. The expositions relate to various fields of knowledge: history, geology, natural history, cultural studies.
Sometimes it seems that all this flow of information has no system: next to the stuffed cloned sheep Dolly is the Elton John's art hall, which turns into a hall with artifacts from Ancient Egypt. The most vivid impressions usually remain from the Great Hall - the largest room of the museum, richly decorated with bird sculptures and filled with light. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:00. The entrance to the museum is free.
National Gallery of Modern Art
The gallery opened only at the end of the twentieth century. A huge neo-Gothic building with a magnificent garden was chosen for its placement, which has now been turned into a large-scale sculpture dedicated to Charles Jenkins. According to the creators, the idea is based on chaos theory. The gallery's funds are so huge that it is often necessary to hold temporary exhibitions. Visitors can get acquainted with the works of Picasso, Matisse, Nicholson, Braque for free from 10:00 to 17:00.
Fort Bridge
This bridge has an extremely important function. In fact, it connects the southeast and northeast of the country. It began to be built at the end of the nineteenth century. During the three years of construction, more than sixty people died. The scale of the project is striking: it used ten times more metal than the construction of the Eiffel Tower.
The visual effect of this bridge was so strong that many contemporary filmmakers, artists and photographers chose it as a backdrop for their work. Some art historians also say that the Fort Bridge is not only an expression of contemporary art, but also its spiritual inspiration. The duality of nature is fascinating.
Royal yacht "Britannia"
Once this yacht belonged to Elizabeth II herself. Before being moored at Leith Port, she received the status of the ship that was in direct service for the longest time. She rocked on the waves for almost forty-four years, having made over a thousand voyages and over a million nautical miles. Most of the premises have been preserved in an authentic setting. Some cabins and dining room are used for events. The entrance fee is £ 12. For most of the year, visits are possible from 10:00 to 15:30.
Princess Street Gardens
A huge area of fifteen hectares between New and Old Edinburgh was given over to gardens, which the residents and guests of the city still cannot rejoice in. Back in the Middle Ages, Nor-Lokh Lake was created on the territory of modern gardens for fortification purposes, which, closer to the onset of the New Age, it was decided to drain it to create a park zone. Which was done brilliantly. Soon the two parts of Edinburgh were united by the railway, and a huge number of statues and even fountains appeared in the park itself, which are still in operation.
Tourists come here not only for relaxation, but also to see the famous flower clock and rise above the city on the Ferris wheel. Of course, it is not the highest in the world, but even so it is worth pampering yourself and plunge into the world of bright lights of fairground fun from a bird's eye view. In the summer months, a large-scale fireworks festival is held here, and in the winter it is filled with an ice rink. The entrance to the park is free.
Royal Botanic Gardens
This botanical garden has more than a long history. For almost five centuries of its existence, it has changed its location more than once.It is noteworthy that initially it was created for educational purposes so that young doctors and biologists could study the properties of various medicinal plants. Gradually, the profile changed from teaching to research. Now it is more of a place of cognitive recreation. The park is divided into independent thematic zones, some of which are located directly in the open air, while others are located in greenhouses. If the entrance to the territory of the garden itself is free, then for the entrance to some greenhouses you will have to pay 4.5 pounds.
The workers themselves often call the rockery the main pearl of the garden: a mountain river, waterfalls and lakes form a complex system. The Chinese Garden is constantly expanding and takes guests into the Asian landscape. The palm greenhouse with lianas, bamboo and almost all types of palms is especially loved by visitors. The heather conservatory and the areas dedicated to the local flora have an incomparable charm. Entire sections of the garden are dedicated to environmental issues. It is best to visit the botanical garden in the spring or summer, when all the plants are filled with strength. In the warm season, the garden is open from 10:00 to 19:00, in the autumn-winter period it closes at 18:00.
Arthur's throne
The highest of Edinburgh's seven hills is Arthur's Throne, which is located in a park adjacent to Holyrood Castle. Once this majestic hill was nothing more than a volcano, today many call it the "lion's head", which is not far from the truth. At a certain angle, the shape of the hill really begins to resemble a formidable predator preparing to jump. As for the official name of the hill, according to one of the versions, it was here that the legendary Camelot castle was once located.
The only thing that can be said with complete certainty is that once upon a time large-scale military battles really took place on the territory of the hill. True, it is not known whether King Arthur himself was somehow connected with them. Today, tourists are happy to climb the hill to capture the colorful panoramas of Edinburgh.
Calton Hill
This hill is located to the east of the New Town and is another excellent observation deck, however, the reputation of this place is not really clean, rather, on the contrary. It was here that the city prison was located, and also regularly carried out executions. Today, there is a modern observatory at the top, and three wide avenues diverge in different directions from the hill. A number of monuments adorn Calton Hill. The most unusual of them is the incomplete copy of the Parthenon, which attracts with its incompleteness.
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