1. Edinburgh Castle: incredible panoramic views of the city as this castle was built high on a hill for protection. Every day (except Sunday) at 1pm they even set off the cannon! During the month of August, the Military Tattoo is held which gains worldwide attraction with music, entertainment and food. The Castle is typically £16 per adult for admission. http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/

2. Grassmarket: a historic marketplace in Old Town with plenty of restaurants, bars and pubs.

3. The Royal Mile: the main Edinburgh thoroughfare connecting the Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood House Palace. It is approximately one mile of old Gothic architecture. Walk the mile during the day and night for different experiences!

4. Princes Garden: At the base of Edinburgh Castle dividing Old and New town; save enough time to enjoy a picnic here if the weather is right!

5. Princes Street: All the high street and typical shops are found here but you need to pop into Jenners, the city’s most famous department store. In the same site since 1838, right across from the Scott Monument.

6. Scott Monument: a tribute to Sir Walter Scott and the largest monument dedicated to a writer in the world. You can climb to the top for great views of the city.

7. Holyrood House Palace: The monarch’s official residence in Scotland since the 16th century. Currently, the Queen holds residence for one week in summer but otherwise visitors can view the apartments, the Queen’s gallery, and the ruins and gardens of Holyrood Abbey. Approximately £20 for adults. Palace of Holyrood

8. Royal Yacht Britannia: Settled in Leith, you can visit the Royal Yacht and even have a cup of tea aboard.

9. Calton Hill: Between New Town and Leith, Calton Hill offers the best views of Edinburgh in my opinion.

10. Have a cup of tea at The Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling wrote the early Harry Potter novels.

11. Climb Arthur’s Seat: A 350 million year old volcano that offers beautiful views of Edinburgh, plus it only takes about 30 minutes to get to the top.

12. Day Trip to the Highlands: Hairy Coo Tours was amazing. They offer a FREE day trip from Edinburgh to the Southern Highlands stopping at several key places: Forth Bridge, Wallace monument in Stirling (think Braveheart!), Stirling Castle, Lake of Menteith, village of Aberfoyle, the Lochs, Mountains & Glens of the Trossachs, Monty Python’s Doune Castle AND you get to feed some hairy coos!! Adorable. They just ask that you tip however much you felt the tour was worth.

13. Drink some scotch. Which is whisky from Scotland. Scotch from anywhere else is just whisky. Drink some and have someone else explain it…

14. Greyfriars Bobby: an adorable statue of Bobby, a little Skye terrier, who guarded his owner’s grave at Greyfriars Kirkyard for 14 years. Little Bobby was one of Edinburgh’s most beloved residents!

15. Leith: A walk from Edinburgh to the coast offers a different side of the city ending with a beautiful coast view. Also, some amazing foodie spots are in Leith <I’ll share later>.

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more photos of Edinburgh…