Travel bucket list idea:
The brooding castle looming over the city is the iconic image of the Scottish capital and notches up more than a million visitors each year. Tick it off for the views alone: to the north the Firth of Forth and the Kingdom of Fife, to the south the Pentland Hills.
The fortress and royal palace, with dungeons and a 12th-century chapel, forms a sprawling complex that also includes the National War Museum.
If you can, time your visit to coincide with the one o’clock gun, which has been fired almost every day since 1861 – apart from Sundays, Good Friday, and Christmas Day.
Buy tickets online to avoid the queues at the ticket office, and to guarantee entry.
The website has a helpful section on the castle’s history and another one on its historical characters – both worth a read before you go. They also have several suggested itineraries, varying from 1-3 hours–again, worth having a look before you come and deciding what you want to see.
You can also download a castle map. If you’d rather wander around the warren of buildings at your own pace, you can plug into an audio guide for an extra fee, available on arrival.
It offers the same all-year round.
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Edinburgh
Price: £34
Min age: 0
Rating 4.90 / 5 [2564 ratings]
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Edinburgh Region, United Kingdom (UK)
Capital treats abound, from mighty castles and royal palaces to gourmet restaurants and arguably the world’s best performing arts festival.
