Edinburgh

Edinburgh is built on drama — literally. The city sits on a landscape shaped by volcanoes and glaciers, with Castle Rock rising 350 feet above the surrounding terrain. People have lived on this natural fortress for at least 3,000 years, making it one of the longest continuously inhabited sites in Scotland.

The castle that crowns the rock has been a royal residence, military garrison, and prison. It houses the Honours of Scotland — the oldest crown jewels in Britain — and the Stone of Destiny, upon which Scottish kings were traditionally crowned. The One O'Clock Gun has been fired from the castle ramparts every day (except Sundays) since 1861.

Below the castle, the Royal Mile runs downhill to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the monarch. This single street contains more history per square metre than almost anywhere in Britain — from the medieval closes and wynds of the Old Town to St Giles' Cathedral, where John Knox preached the Scottish Reformation.

Edinburgh's New Town, built in the eighteenth century, is one of the finest examples of Georgian urban planning in the world. Together with the Old Town, it forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city that gave the world the Scottish Enlightenment — home to David Hume, Adam Smith, and Robert Burns — remains one of Europe's most beautiful and culturally rich capitals.