Edinburgh Past And Present - The Edinburgh Website

THE SCOTT MONUMENT

 At over 200ft tall with 287 steps this monument is situated at the eastern end of Princes Street. It was opened in 1846 to commemorate the famous Edinburgh writer, Sir Walter Scott. There are 3 viewing galleries and is worth the climb for the tremendous views across the city.

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Leisure/Museums_and_galleries/Monuments/Scott_monument/CEC_the_scott_monument

EDINBURGH CASTLE

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/

NELSON MONUMENT

Completed in 1815, this monument commemorates Nelson's victory and death at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It is perched on top of Calton Hill at the East end of Princes Street looking like an upturned telescope. It is 106 feet high with 143 steps 456ft above sea level at its base. In 1852 a time signal was installed at it's top to enable ships' captains to set their chronometers accurately - a large ball drops at 1pm on weekday to coincide with the Castle's 1 O'clock gun.

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/directory_record/5053/nelson_monument

EDINBURGH DUNGEON

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

DYNAMIC EARTH

Opposite the Scottish Parliament on Holyrood Road under the shadow of Arthur's Seat a large tent like structure contains Dynamic Earth. Dating from 1999 and costing £39 million, this exhibition area shows the history of the Earth in geological terms. Start in the lift that takes you back in time millions of years, see tropical rainforests and polar regions, experience an earthquake and see how the planet's surface was formed. You can see a new 4D film and a feature in the planetarium.

http://www.dynamicearth.co.uk/

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

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/

HOLYROOD PALACE

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

EDINBURGH ZOO

Dating from 1913 Edinburgh Zoo sits on Corstorphine Hill in the west of the city and is second only to the castle for visitor numbers. Its 82 acres are home to around 1000 different animals. There are childrens' play areas, a shop, cafe and hilltop safari. Great views are to be had from the top of the hill - look across the west of the city with Ostrich and zebra roaming in front of you!

http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/

BOTANIC GARDENS

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/

CAMERA OBSCURA

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/

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