Best places to visit in Edinburgh – Scotland (part II)

Located beyond the east end of Princes Street is the Calton Hill (UNESCO World Heritage Site), surrounded on three sides by Regent Terrace, Calton Terrace and Royal Terrace. At Calton Hill you’ll find various iconic monuments and some incredible views out over Edinburgh. Take a hike to the top of the hill, sit and relax in a quiet(ish) park-like setting.

The monuments on Calton Hill include the National Monument, which looks like Athens’ Parthenon; the obelisk-like Nelson Monument and the Dugald Stewart Monument.

The Victoria Street, is a very picturesque street, known for its unique and colourful shops.

The Arthur’s Seat was one of my favourite places, despite being a bit of a hike for my fitness level.. 🙂 It’s located about 1 mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle; and it’s the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park, formed by an extinct volcano. From the top you get the greatest panoramic views of Edinburgh’s stunning skyline of Victorian and Georgian architecture and the Firth of Forth (estuary) in the distance.

Was a tough hike and some of the parts are rather difficult (at least for me) depending on your aptitude, the walk to the top takes approximately one hour, but the views from the top are worth it though.

The old Calton burial Ground also known as the Old cemetery, dates back to the late 16th century, and despite not being as extraordinary has the Glasgow one, still worths a visit. Supposedly JK Rowling got a few ideas for names in the Harry Potter series here. And just because I’m already talking about graveyards, there’s another famous one, the Greyfriars Kirk, laying on the tale of Greyfriars Bobby, a dog who supposedly sat upon the grave of its deceased owner for fourteen years following its masters death. The graveyard itself is quite beautiful and offers a nice view of the city.

The Museum of Edinburgh, offers a good view over the history of the city through a collection of artefacts, you can also dress up with replica costumes and have some fun 😉 the museum also has a great courtyard.

If you are on a tight budget walk and spend time at the parks, gardens, and museums,  almost all of these are free…

I will leave here a few more pictures of other corners of the city, hope you enjoy it..

Let me know if you have been to Edinburgh, and which are your favourite places..
Looking forward to hearing from you..

?  read part I ?

photography – all rights reserved – Ana Rocha

26 thoughts on “Best places to visit in Edinburgh – Scotland (part II)

  1. Anne

    Lovely advice, definitely enough information for a well thought out trip for any future endevours! Will keep this handy 🙂

    • cook the beans

      Hi Anne, I’m glad you found it useful 😉 thanks for passing by and good adventures 🙂 Ana xx

  2. msokane

    In Edinburgh, we loved exploring all the closes and alleys. We also enjoyed a ghost tour which took us around a few spots in Edinburgh, including underground, with tales of murderers and ghosts!

  3. orangewayfarer

    Love the fact that pictures look so stunning even without much edit! It transported me vb=back somewhat to the old era that I have seen only in Johny depp movies 🙂

  4. Eirini

    So gorgeous. I am off to Europe in November. I wish I would have had enough time for Scotland… 🙁 Maybe next time .

      • Eirini

        Well we are starting with the middle east. We are staying in Doha for 4 days. Then were off to Europe. We are going to London, Amsterdam, Athens(home-visit family), Rome, Venice and our last stop Paris before we head back to Melbourne

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