Castles, Clocks & Cemeteries: Edinburgh's Best Attractions

Some are brought to Edinburgh by the buzz of the Fringe, some come for a shopping spree up the Royal Mile. Whether you’re wanting the low-down on top attractions for your visit, or you’re a new resident who’s looking for the lore of your locale, the capital has a ton of landmarks that are informative, eye-opening, and oftentimes, downright eerie.

There has been some kind of fortification on the volcanic plug of Castle Rock for more than 1000 years, but the Edinburgh Castle we can see today was one of Medieval Britain’s most defendable strongholds – fortunately for us in modern times, the gates have opened and tours of the fortress are now Scotland’s most visited paid tourist attraction. The castle walls are a crowning jewel of the capital’s skyline, and the daily firing of the One O’Clock Gun from the battlements has become an iconic part of the city’s soundscape every afternoon.

As well as displaying geological and archaeological samples from around the world, the National Museum of Scotland (Chambers St) contains an eight-storey wing detailing the country’s timeline, starting in the basement with prehistoric Scots, to postwar modernity right underneath the rooftop terrace. Other highlights include the taxidermied remains of Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to have been cloned from a single cell, and the Millenium Clock, a ten-metre high tower which, multiple times a day, comes alive with hellish scenes of gargoyles dancing around the sculpture and machinery.

A medical museum not for the faint of heart, Surgeon’s Hall (Nicolson St) offers an archive of anatomical parts, with Edinburgh’s grizzly history of Enlightenment-era surgeons and scientists having their work preserved in formaldehyde for all to see. For a standout attraction, see the pocket book bound in the skin of notorious graverobber William Burke.

Rumoured by some to be one of Britain’s most haunted locations, Mary King’s Close (2 Warriston’s Cl) is an alleyway buried hundreds of years ago, perfectly preserving Edinburgh’s Reformation-era undercity. Guided tours shine a lamplight on the gruelling conditions of the past, and the impact of the plague on all levels of the capital.

Greyfriar’s Kirkyard
Greyfriar’s Pl
Our own Père Lachaise, Greyfriar’s Kirkyard is a cemetery renowned for its gothic embellishments and interned elite. The legendary terrier who protected his owner’s grave for years is immortalised in the statue of Greyfriar’s Bobby, who vigilantly guards the cemetery on George IV Bridge.

Vault Tours
Mercat Tours, 28 Blair St + Auld Reekie Tours, 45 Niddry St
Auld Reekie Tours and Mercat Tours both offer a thrilling exploration of the catacombs that rest under the Old Town. See the city from its darkest depths with this subterranean sojourn into the vaults where smugglers and witches hid from prying eyes.

Dynamic Earth
Holyrood Rd
If tunnels and tombs are too macabre, Dynamic Earth is Scotland’s always-popular, highly interactive science centre. Experience a simulated earthquake, place your hand on a real-life glacier and expand your horizons at the star-studded planetarium shows.

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
549 Castlehill
To see Edinburgh from a whole new perspective, this tourist attraction / learning centre contains six floors of mind-bending optical illusions, including holograms, a mirror maze and a vortex tunnel.

National
The Mound
FKA the Scottish National Gallery – behind the huge, neoclassical columns facing Princes Street is a collection of fine art featuring works by Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

Scott Monument
Princes St
Built to commemorate the celebrated novelist Walter Scott, this imposing black spire is one of Edinburgh’s most iconic waypoints, not only for the excellent vistas offered on the structure’s viewing platforms.

Modern
73 & 75 Belford Rd
The artist formerly known as the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Modern One and Modern Two on opposite sides of Belford Road house contemporary multimedia art, and have hosted past exhibitions on everything from surrealism to claymation.