Attractions 1

Situated on top of Castlehill the castle is Edinburgh's most famous attraction. In fact in the UK it is second only to the Tower of London in visitor numbers. There is a long and vibrant history to this place (see City Origins). It is well worth a visit if only for the views across the city. There are many things to see including the ancient Scottish Crown Jewels, a war museum, chapel (the oldest building in the city), exhibitions, medieval ruins and of course the gun fired daily at 1pm. And if you are lucky you may see a ghost or two!

http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/

Situated on Market Street just off Waverley Bridge. The Dungeon opened in the 1990s and is part of a chain of dungeons in the UK and Germany. There are gruesome tales and exhibitions, actors appear along the way to tell you stories and make you a part of the scene. This is the darker side of life in the past, evil and murder wrongdoings and debauchery. You may even find yourself on trial!!

http://www.thedungeons.com/en/edinburgh-dungeon/index.html

Officially opened in October 2004 it is a parliament within the United Kingdom and has some control over Scottish affairs. It cost over £400 million to build. Inside there is a visitor exhibition and it is possible to see the parliament in action in the public galleries on the days they debate. There is also a cafe and shop. It is situated across from Holyrood Palace at the bottom of the Royal Mile.

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/

The Queen's official residence in Edinburgh, Holyrood Palace sits in the Queen's Park under Arthurs Seat at the bottom of the Royal Mile. There is a ruined Abbey in the grounds that was built around 1128 by King David I. The house itself was built by James IV in 1498 to enlarge an existing guest house but the house we see today is from a reconstruction in 1671 ordered by Charles II after fire damage by Oliver Cromwell's troops. You can visit Mary queen of Scots chambers, state rooms and halls as well as seeing hundreds of years of Royal history. There is a new gallery called the Queen's Gallery which contains exhibitions from the Queen's collection.

http://www.royal.gov.uk/OutPut/Page559.asp

Built in the 1850s this is one of Edinburgh's oldest tourist attractions. It is situated on Castlehill and inside a darkened room you can view live scenes from around the area on a large dish - the optics on the roof show, for example, people walking along Princes Street and you can pick them up on your hand!! This is all done with the aid of a guide. There is a 3D exhibition of of photos plus old Edinburgh and pin hole photos. On the roof is the Outlook Tower where you can use the most powerful public telescope in Britain and see for miles. There is also a Magic Gallery showing trickery and illusion over 200 years.

http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/

Originally founded around 1670 the gardens were situated at Holyrood and were known as the Physic Gardens as it specialised in growing medicinal herbs. It moved to Leith in 1763 to escape Edinburgh's pollution and moved again to its present site at Inverleith Row in 1823. The garden is first and foremost a scientific institution dedicated to discovering and describing plants and their relationships, evolution, conservation and biology. This Botanic Garden is known as one of the finest in the world and home to 6% of all known plants.There are glasshouses including Britain's biggest Palm house, a Chinese hillside, rock gardens, woodland area and exhibition areas amongst many other sites of interest. Here too there are great views across the city.

http://www.rbge.org.uk/