Edinburgh Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
capital city of Scotland, UK
About Edinburgh
This was an exciting place to be 300-350 million years ago, as volcanoes raged and flared across the region. The biggest was what we now call Arthur's Seat, with smaller cones at Castle Rock, Calton Hill, and elsewhere. Then they fizzled out and started to be buried by other rock layers. Much later came the Ice Ages, the last some 20,000 years ago. Vast glaciers from the west scoured away the surface, but where they hit Castle Rock they had to divide and flow around. They left the Rock intact with a scooped-out hollow to its north, west and south, and a tail of stone debris dumped in its lee to the east. This created an obvious defensible spot for early settlement. By the 12th century Edinburgh was the chief city of Scotland; the Old Town grew up with the Castle at its head, the Royal Mile
Top Attractions in Edinburgh
Explore the best things to see and do in Edinburgh:
- ★Beltane Fire Festival
- ★Degree Show
- ★Edinburgh Art Festival
- ★Edinburgh Festival Fringe
- ★Edinburgh International Book Festival
- ★Edinburgh International Festival
- ★Edinburgh International Film Festival
- ★Edinburgh International Science Festival
Edinburgh Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 16 sections including: