We visited Edinburgh as part of our five day break with Rail Discoveries. Our first evening was free,so we walked into the old town to explore and then have dinner. On our first morning,we had a guided tour of this beautiful city.

Beautiful place to visit. Architecture, museums, Palace - everything creates Scottish atmosphere. We went there for weekend and were very satisfied. Besides - Hopp On - Hopp Off Bus tour was very useful to understand the location of historical places.

Angus was a great guide, he kept us entertained with historical facts and current information in an amusing way. He certainly knew the history. Two hours passed quickly. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to know the why's and how Edinburgh has developed here, along with the stories of who was involved .

Loved our walk around the old town lots to see and lots to find. Lovely historic city with fantastic magical stories. Easy to get around via tram, bus or walk, a days pass £5. We will return.

Well, this really must be on every visitor’s itinerary, as it’s the historic heart of the city, with many of the medieval buildings preserved for posterity. It’s crammed full of character , with lots of nooks and crannies to explore in the many tall narrow closes , and warren of wynds of “Auld Reekie”. Here you’ll find a plentiful variety of shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes leading steeply up cobbled paths to the Royal Mile, and Edinburgh Castle . We were a bit dismayed at the unsightly graffiti , and litter lying about - but that’s the downfall of any big city. Despite it being only March there were lots of tourists on the go , so got a bit crowded in passing places. ( Must be murderous at the height of the season. )

We approached our exploration of Edinburgh without the use of a tour. Our objective was to visit a concentrated area that included Old Town, the Royal Mile, etc. We began at St. Andrews Square; walked to the Scott monument, down Princes Street, through the Princes Street Gardens, and up the hill past New College and to Edinburgh Castle. We then walked the Royal Mile to Holyrood and included a few side streets such as Victoria, Grassmarket, etc. We then walked the route back to St. Andrews. The sights in the Old Town were the highlights of the experince!

One of the best Old Town you could find in Europe. We enjoyed walking around old town. It’s got so much character that it almost seemed like a set in a movie. So much history where almost every building and street has a story.

Plan to spend a lot of time in this part of the city where you will find a lot of tourists and a lot of treasured sites like the castle, the palace, the university, and a number of museums. Some of the streets are closed to traffic. Walk the Royal Mile. Have lunch in a pub.

In Scots, Old Town is pronounced the same but spelled Auld Toun, as in “Should auld acquaintance be forgot…” Either spelling is spellbinding. The “town” that grew around Castle Hill reached to the End of the World. World’s End Close [alleyway] was once, literally for Edinburgh’s poorest residents, the end of the world. The “Close” marked the place where poor folks who couldn’t afford to pay a fee to enter the city dwelled. It’s at the end of the Royal Mile near Holyrood where the hotel at which our tour group stayed at the end of our journey. Near that dubious mark now stands World’s End Pub, where poor people like me can’t afford a pint or two. Scotland is an expensive country. Auld Toun/Old Town features Saint Andrews Square and the Scott monument. And then there’s the easily confused Princes Street, as in more than one prince, not princess. Along that street is the Princes Street Gardens. The Royal Mile connects Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood. Also within an easy walk is National Museum of Scotland—artifact overload. Little doubt as to why Edinburgh has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995. Thing is, UNESCO was founded in England in 1945. What took ’em so long? Edinburgh Castle and Old Town have been around for 1,100 years. Old Town includes St. Giles’ Cathedral, the Old College of Edinburgh University, Parliament Building. It contains underground vaults and hidden passages that are relics of previous phases of construction. There’s also Victoria Street. Our group walked on misted cobbles to Maison Bleue, for the group’s farewell dinner. I had the eerie sensation I’d seen this curved street, but not déjà vu. Victoria is admired as Edinburgh’s quaintest street, reputedly an inspiration for Diagon Alley. Curving upward, many levels house eclectic boutiques in structures with turrets and wizard-hat pointy roofs stretching skyward. The 2001 film, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” featured scenes along Victoria Street. Old Town Edinburgh is the quintessential European city. Enjoy! I certainly did.

Our guidebook said no matter how much time you afford Edinburgh you could still spend more time there. We found this particularly true about the old town as there is just so much to see there. It definitely is worth getting a guide of some sort so you can understand the history of the streets in the building which is rich and fascinating. A map is useful but it can also be fun just to get lost and this way you discover off the beaten track things. Wherever you go there is something to see and food and restaurants are plenty so you don't go hungry or thirsty. Make sure your camera battery is charged as well as there are so many photo opportunities everywhere.