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As Scotland ’s capital, Edinburgh is a city, rich in culture,  historic interest and intrigue.
Looming
over the Edinburgh is the imposing castle perched high on a rocky
precipice, overseeing the town in all directions. Edinburgh Castle
is
one of Scotland’s most famous and favoured destinations, attracting
over a million visitors each year to this formidable fortress.
Leading
down from the castle is the Royal Mile, a cobbled street lined with a
mixture of boutiques, sumptuous restaurants, old pubs, souvenir shops
and
cafes (Author JK Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter book in an
Edinburgh café.).
While the narrow alleyways or ‘wynds’ echo with
history in this Edinburgh’s Old
Town dating from the 15th Century.
At
the bottom of the Royal Mile are two important buildings, the new
Scottish Parliament and the magnificent Palace of Holyroodhouse, the
Queen’s official residence in Scotland.
Out from the protection
of the castle is Edinburgh’s New Town, one of the best-preserved old
Georgian towns you will find in Britain. Both Edinburgh’s Old and New
Towns have been designated as World Heritage Sites and today the New
Town’s collection of townhouses, city gardens and leafy squares make up
Edinburgh’s hottest real estate and its main financial and
sophisticated
shopping districts.
Though bustling all year round
Edinburgh really comes to life at two points in the
cultural calendar.
In August the city is home to a number of festivals most notably the
Edinburgh International Festival; the worlds largest international arts
fair and close on its heels The Edinburgh Fringe Festival; an
extravaganza of performance artists and street theatre. The other time
Edinburgh brims with exuberance is of course Hogmanay, the Scottish New
Year where the locals celebrate in the way only they no best; with
music, fireworks, a few verses of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and more than a few
drams of whisky .
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