Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a city with awesome sights and friendly locals waiting to say hello, amidst cobbled streets full of character.
What you need to know about Edinburgh
Language: English is the national language, spoken with a pretty distinct Scottish accent.
Currency: British Pound (GBP)
Banking: All major bank cards are accepted by retailers generally.
Weather: Summer months can be warm but the general temperature is a few degrees colder than the weather further south, for example, in London.
Urban Oasis Among Hills
Edinburgh is one of the most lovely places in Europe to walk around, with the city rolling over a progression of sloping streets and with the view of the sea never far away. It's a place full of landmarks high an low, with the novel topography of the place providing great views, epic photo opportunities all surrounded by a mix of the new and the old.
From the Old Town's pleasant clutter of medieval apartments heaped high along the Royal Mile, its horizon falling between the dark Castle Rock and the reddish brown borders of Salisbury Crags, to the New Town's flawless examples of neoclassical decency, the city offers a continually evolving point of view, and modern additions compliment the legacy of Edinburgh as opposed to replace or impinge upon it.
Edinburgh Castle looms high above the city
Edinburgh Coined as the Athens of the North
The Athens of the North, an eighteenth century Edinburgh epithet conjured up by the incredible masterminds of the Scottish Enlightenment, is a city of high culture and grandiose goals, of craftsmanship and writing, theory and science.
It is here that each late spring the world's greatest art event returns and attempts (many times successfully) to surpass the critical acclaim of the previous year's offering. What's more, it is here, underneath the Greek columns of Calton Hill – Edinburgh's acropolis – that the Scottish parliament sits again following a 300-year period where they were not present at all.
Enjoy Yourself in Auld Reekie
Edinburgh is otherwise called Auld Reekie, an utterly practical place that scoffs at the demands of the literati. Auld Reekie is a city of boisterous, swarmed bars and indulgent eateries, hard nighttime drinking at throughout the night parties, lager fuelled artists and profane performers.
The city's wilder scene enticed Robert Louis Stevenson to investigate the bars and debauched decadence of the Edinburgh old Town. Furthermore, it's the city of Beltane, the pagan festival on May Day, where partygoers shed their clothes and throw shapes around campfires underneath Calton Hill.
Edinburgh Offers Something For Everybody
Like a book you grow to cherish, Edinburgh is a place you'll potentially need to plunge into the pages of over and over, relishing each time an alternate affair, chapter or experience.
There is so much variety in the sights to see and the deeds to do.
The world-renowned Edinburgh Castle captivates and gives up many of its secrets and stories to those who visit.
There are clubs and late night bard to emerge from in time to be greeted by the sunrise in summertime.
The bistros and restaurants welcome visitors all year round but are especially warm and inviting in wintertime when you can sit with a meal and watch the mist roll along and consume the tops of buildings in the city's Old Town.
Those who hike and love the outdoors can take up the challenge of trekking up to the famous Arthur's Seat that overlooks the whole city - a view with drinking in.
Fudge and toffee shops are on hand to satisfy the sweetest of sweet tooth, just remember to leave room for dinner!
Whatever you travel to Edinburgh for, keep an open mind and enjoy a classic European city break that should certainly be on everyone's list of places to see.