Edinburgh is one of the international tourist attractions of the world but most visitors tend to stay in the centre, especially walking through the Old Town and visiting the magnificent Castle.

There are however many equally fascinating places that should not be overlooked and premier among them is the Royal Botanic Garden in Inverleith Row, on the north side of the city, within a one mile bus ride of perpetually thronged Princes Street. Numbers 8, 17, 23, and 27 buses all stop at the gate as do the buses of City Tours. "The Botanics", as Edinburgh folk call the gardens, cover a spread of 78 acres and are visited by over 660,000 visitors a year who go there to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of a magnificent oasis in the heart of a teeming city.

One of the major advantages for families of a trip to the Botanics is the fact that entry is free, though a charge of £3.50 a head for adults is levied for visitors to the awe inspiring glasshouses where Britain's tallest palm tree grows in the world famous tropical rainforest, as well as banana and rubber trees and a huge range of beautiful orchids. A large collection of rare rhododendrons from New Guinea and Borneo can also be seen in the Tropics House.

A recently opened - and free - Chinese Hillside rising above a beautiful pool is also very popular with visitors. Growing there are unusual specimens which were brought back to Edinburgh from China by plant collectors in the early 20th century. There is also an internationally renowned rock garden with rare Alpine plants, a Scottish heath garden and an arboretum that dazzles the eye during autumn. Altogether the Botanics is home to over 6 per cent of all known plants in the world and is a centre of scholarly research as well as a sojourn of delight for visitors.

The origin of Edinburgh's famous garden goes back to 1670 when two doctors, Andrew Balfour and Robert Sibbald, opened a physic garden beside Holyrood House and five years later established a second garden on the site of what is today Waverley Station. In 1763 the two combined gardens were re-located on Leith Walk where they stayed till 1820 when a horticulturist called Robert Graham moved them to the present site at Inverleith.

The two Palm Houses were built in 1834 and 1858 and have been maintained in their original form since then. Another range of exhibition plant houses was started in 1967 and today they provide a range of environments from tropical forests to arid deserts. There is a well stocked shop at the main gate and also a terrace café. A team of guides take visitors on garden walks at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day. The informative walks last an hour and tickets, costing £3, can be bought at the shop or at the Palm House reception desk. No pre booking is necessary.

The Botanics are open every day of the year except January 1st and December 25th. In summer, closing time is 7 p.m. From November till February the Garden closes at 4 p.m.

By: Mark Breed
Ecosse Unique - Holiday Cottages in Scotland

The City of Edinburgh, where the lively activity of Scotland's capital city sits in perfect contrast to the tranquility of the surrounding area.

Edinburgh has one of the most beautiful vistas in the world, making it a perfect base to explore the city and the surrounding countryside. With Scotland's most famous castle dominating the city skyline, there is plenty to see and do with the ideal balance between all things contemporary and traditional.

Every year during the month of August Edinburgh welcomes thousands of visitors to its world famous festival. It is in fact made up of a variety of festivals, exhibitions and events including The Fringe, Book Festival, the International Festival, Jazz & Blues Festival, Military Tattoo, Film Festival and Edinburgh Mela. Additionally, many head to Edinburgh for its month long festival at Christmas which culminates in the world famous Hogmanay celebrations.

Even if this is not your first visit to the city, an open-top bus tour of the city is a great way to get your bearings and work out what's where. Tours follow a circuit through the 18th century Georgian New Town and the medieval Old Town so you can always get back to where you started. The top of the Royal Mile is a great starting place to explore on foot. Edinburgh Castle is Scotland's number one attraction and definitely worth a visit. As well as the obvious visits to see the Stone of Destiny and the Crown Jewels of Scotland, it's worth trying to locate possibly the most touching aspect of Edinburgh Castle, the soldiers' dog cemetery. The cemetery is a small garden used as a burial place for officer's pet dogs and regimental mascots. Arguably the greatest view of Edinburgh is from the castle ramparts as nothing in the city is permitted to be built higher. The fifteenth century cannon at the castle called Mon's Meg is fired at 1pm every day.

The next most visited attraction is that of The Palace of Holyroodhouse. Built beside an Augustinian Abbey dating back to 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is The Queen's official residence in Scotland. Situated at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace is closely associated with Scotland's unruly past, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who made her home here between 1561 and 1567. Successive kings and queens have made Holyrood Palace the premier Scottish royal residence. Today, the Palace is used for official entertaining and ceremonies of state

The ancient tales of grave robbing and murder buzz constantly around your head as you tour the city either on foot or on an Edinburgh open-topped bus. You can also choose from a number of nightly ghost tours available if you are brave enough to cope with the grisly truths of Edinburgh after dark.

After a session of shopping at Scotland’s most famous department store Jenners (opened in 1838 and now owned by House of Fraser) on Princes Street, why not head over to the huge and beautiful Princes Street Gardens. Built from a former loch, the gardens are the perfect place to get out a picnic whilst taking in the views of the castle, the Old Town and the park’s famed floral clock. A great place to watch the hectic world of Edinburgh fly by.

The city is at its most hectic during the summer months for this is the time of the major festivals. The immensely popular Edinburgh Fringe Festival offers a mixed batch of light entertainment from comedy to Shakespeare. To give you an idea of the sheer size of the Fringe, 2006's Festival saw hundreds of groups putting on 1,867 different shows with a total of 28,014 performances in 261 venues.

Although driving is not recommended inside the city itself due to restrictions of parking spaces and the convenience of an excellent public transport service, hiring a car in Edinburgh is recommended to take in the wonderful countryside that surround the city. A 15 minute drive takes you into the coastal, scenic town of Musselburgh. Life here is a lot more down to earth and less cosmopolitan than its neighbouring big brother. Expect to find a race track, possibly the oldest nine hole golf course in Scotland and some excellent opportunities for fine dining along your route.

Just south of Edinburgh is the mid-Lothian region particularly renowned for its diversity and places of interest to pursue. A short drive away presents you with the delights of several castles that are open to visitors, including one that has now been converted into a luxurious castle hotel. You will also find stately homes and old churches, including the Rosslyn Chapel (in the village of Roslin) featured in the Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown.

By: Terry Cod
This article on the city of Edinburgh was written by Terry Cod, a writer with great experience of the major European cities. He is the owner of http://www.edinburgh-hotel-bookings.co.uk offering Discounted Edinburgh hotels.

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Edinburgh is without doubt one of Europe’s great capital cities. Its stunning location, coupled with a huge range of things to see and do have made it a must see destination for millions of visitors, who have been flocking here in steadily increasing numbers.

Scotland’s magnificent capital, with its majestic medieval castle and surrounding hills overlooking the beautiful Firth of Forth, has been enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years. The opening of the controversial new £414 million (yes, really that much!) Scottish Parliament, located at the bottom of the Royal Mile (opposite the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is The Queen‘s official residence in Scotland), has attracted enormous interest and is a symbol of the city’s new found confidence and prosperity, where house prices rose by 12% in 2006 alone. Visitor accommodation and facilities have also seen major expansion to cope with the growing demand.

Many tourists who are “doing” Europe arrive first in London before heading up to Edinburgh to get a taste of Scotland. As a result, Edinburgh is now the UK’s second most popular tourist destination after London. Flights between the two cities take around an hour or between four and five hours by rail. Many visitors use Edinburgh as a base to explore other parts of Scotland. Day trips to Loch Ness (monster hunting) and St Andrews (the home of golf) are possible, or alternatively jump on the train at Waverley for a day trip to Glasgow (takes approximately 50 minutes).

Steeped in history, the life of Edinburgh has grown up around its magnificent medieval castle, which sprawls imposingly on top of the core of an extinct volcano, overlooking the town’s main shopping thoroughfare, Princes Street. First time visitors to Edinburgh are frequently surprised by the castle’s rugged majesty and fabulous setting. Part of Edinburgh’s charm it must be said also lies in its compactness, unlike many other larger cities, making it relatively easy to explore on foot.

Edinburgh has been the Scottish capital since the 15th century and has two distinct areas, the Old Town, dominated by the castle; and the neoclassical New Town, whose development from the 18th century onwards has had a far-reaching influence on European urban planning. It is the wonderful juxtaposition of these two contrasting historic areas, each with their own important buildings, that gives the city its own unique character. This was recognised by the award of UNESCO World Heritage status in 1995.

Visitors to Edinburgh soon find themselves spoiled for choice in what to see and do. The castle is of course at the top of most people’s list. Its high vantage point means that it has been a defensive site for thousands of years. However, the medieval castle that visitors see today was developed over the last 500-600 years, although the earliest part, St Margaret’s Chapel, dates from the 12th century.

The castle houses the Scottish crown jewels (the honours of Scotland) as well as the Stone of Destiny, which was taken from Scone Abbey in 1296 by Edward I of England (otherwise known as Edward Longshanks) and used at Westminster Abbey for nearly 700 years in the coronation of English and latterly British monarchs. To great fanfare it was returned to Scotland on St Andrews Day 1996 and will only be returned to the Abbey for future coronation ceremonies.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, prisoners were held at the castle from a variety of countries, including two American crewmen who sailed with John Paul Jones (Father of the American Navy), and Frenchmen who fought during the Napoleonic wars. Other nationalities held included Spanish, Dutch and Irish.

By: James Maxwell
James Maxwell writes for BestofEdinburgh.com where a wealth of useful information on the best Edinburgh attractions can be found.

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In July 2006, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum re-opened following a three-year refurbishment programme. Within six months, it overtook Edinburgh Castle as Scotland's number one tourist attraction.

Why's that then?

Well, it's all about numbers, really. Before the refurb, it was pulling in about 1 million visitors each year, which is a pretty impressive figure itself. By the start of 2007 though, this amazing Glasgow attraction had turned itself into some kind of architectural magnet, drawing in an outstanding two million patrons in only half a year. I mean how about that for a turnaround?

The thing is, with museums and galleries and the like, in my opinion Glasgow just appears to get it right. And the Kelvingrove? Well, I don't think I could be accused of over-egging the pudding if I stated that it could command a place in any list of global attractions you cared to draw up.

The Kelvingrove houses a pretty breathtaking array of items, not least of which includes Dali's Christ of St. John on the Cross, but also draws in many visitors to see stunning things (yeah, I call them 'things' - very arty of me I know!) like Van Gogh's Alexander Reid portrait, Mary Cassatt's The Sisters, the Sarcophagus of PaBaSa, L.S. Lowry's V.E. Day, Avril Paton's majorly popular Windows in the West, and of course Sir Roger the stuffed Elephant, who lived in Glasgow Zoo until 1900 when he was shot for bad behaviour (sounds pretty barbaric I know, but the story was that his aggressive attitude had been making it crazily dangerous to be near the old fella).

The exhibits themselves are complimented by the mere artistry of the building around them, but you really have to step through its historic doors to feel its breathtaking presence.

I go into more detail about the place on my site, but I'd really recommend just going there for yourself, throwing the guidebooks in the trash, and breathing in for a few hours one of the world's most hidden treasures and its own treasures within. Just try and remember your camera...

Number 1 in Scotland - you bet it deserves it!

Copyright Scott Charles Docherty. All rights reserved.

By: Scott C. Docherty
Scott Docherty lives happily in Glasgow, and is the owner of Top Ten Glasgow Guide & its popular Lobey Dosser Tribute Blog - Have you kept in touch with Glasgow?

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