by sirg0508

Created on: August 13, 2011   Last Updated: August 16, 2011

When planning a day sightseeing in Edinburgh you’re not limited to the historical parts of the city, museums or art galleries. It may not be the largest city in Scotland but as the capital with the largest number of attractions for its size in Europe, it attracts many from all over the world for business, education and tourism.

With the city split into the Old Town and the New Town it can be worthwhile taking an open top tour bus from Waverley Bridge. Tickets for these tours can be bought at the buses or at the Tourist Information Centre and not only give a good history of the city and the buildings in the Old Town, but also give you the freedom to jump on and off throughout the day along the route to visit the top attractions. For those who speak English there are live tour guides so hopping on a different bus can give you even more information on the city as the guides do not have a set script. If your first language is not English there are buses with headsets to listen to. These bus tours cover a good area of the city saving you time walking. The weather isn’t always ideal but sitting upstairs on the open top bus gives far more opportunities to get better photos with unrestricted views.

Edinburgh Castle, home to Scotland’s Crown Jewels is one of the main attractions sitting high on extinct volcanic rock with some of the best views over the New Town and Firth of Forth to Fife. Paying to enter the grounds of the castle there are numerous historic buildings and rooms to explore to the modern gift shops and cafes. The best time to visit is so you’re there in time for the 1pm gun firing (daily excluding Sundays), a tradition dating back to 1861.

Whether walking or taking a tour bus, the road from the Castle will take you down the Royal Mile to the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyrood House, the Queen’s residence in Edinburgh. This road offers such a wide variety of tourist shops, Churches, places to eat and drink, and attractions including the Scotch Whisky Experiment, Camera Obscura, Museum of Edinburgh and Our Dynamic Earth. As it’s such a popular tourist area the shops can be quite expensive but the Museum of Edinburgh is free and you can save on Our Dynamic Earth tickets by booking online. Similarly, the attractions of The Edinburgh Dungeons and Edinburgh Zoo websites frequently offer discounts when booking online.

For the best views of the city (other than the Castle), a trip up Calton Hill or Arthurs Seat offer

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