7 Reasons to Visit Edinburgh

Welcome to Edinburgh! Images of Castles, Haggis and Closes might be a few things that come to mind when you think of the Scottish capital. Amongst those images are seven reasons to visit Edinburgh if you ever find yourself here.

1.  Edinburgh Castle

The castle can be found at the top of Royal Mile. I didn’t get the chance to go inside it but made my way there by walking along Royal Mile. It was worth it just to see the view of the city from where Edinburgh Castle is located.

tpsdave / Pixabay

2. Royal Mile

I was able to make a reservation at Royal Mile Backpackers which was the perfect location since it is right on Royal Mile. I loved walking along the mile because it had a little bit of everything; shops, pubs, accommodations and Edinburgh Castle at one end of the mile. One suggestion for those of you who want to visit Edinburgh would be to stay along the Royal Mile especially if you want to be in the middle of it all.

             By Farwestern Photo by Gregg M. Erickson (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

3. Greyfriar’s Kirk

If you are like me then you love the feeling of stepping back in time and immersing yourself in the history of the country you are visiting. One of the things I love to do when traveling is visiting churches and cemeteries; places that have been around for hundreds of years. Greyfriar’s Kirk has been around since 1620; it is definitely one place you should see while visiting this city.

   By Carlos Delgado (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

4. Holyrood Palace

The palace can be found at the bottom of Royal Mile. You might be wondering if it is open to the public and the answer is yes. It is open throughout the year except when members of the Royal Family are in residence since this is home to the British Monarch when they are in Scotland.

By Malcolm Manners from Lakeland FL, USA (Palace of Holyrood House) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

5. The Writers’ Museum

This is a must see if you are interested in all things Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and the poet, Robbie Burns. Many articles and books can be found here on these three.

                                                By Christian Bickel (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.0 de], via Wikimedia Commons

6. Closes

Visiting this city is not complete without walking through one of the many closes. If you are asking yourself, ‘what is a close,’ it is a small narrow passageway that opens out to a bigger area that could have houses in the back depending on which close you walk through.

                                                       Ann Harrison [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

                                                        Postdlf [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

7. Deacon Brodie’s Tavern

Look no further if you are looking for a place to eat that is located on Royal Mile. I stopped here after the free walking tour I did through Royal Mile Backpackers. Great food! Perfect location! You can’t go wrong if you want a place to eat that is along Royal Mile.

   By Hynek Moravec (Self-photographed) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

                        Nicholas Mutton [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

I would love to hear your thoughts on Edinburgh if you’ve ever visited this city or if you ever decide to plan a trip here.