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Robert Burns Birthplace Museum set for Alloway in Ayrshire

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum set for Alloway in Ayrshire

£21m building celebrating Scottish poet opens Wed 1 Dec 2010

17 Feb 2011

As part of the Robert Burns Heritage Park trail, a new museum dedicated to the Scottish icon will be opened in Ayr in December. The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum will be opened on 1 December in Alloway, by Burns Cottage, where the poet was born. The…

The best parks and green spaces in Edinburgh

The best parks and green spaces in Edinburgh

Extinct volcanoes, hidden gardens and urban parks in the capital

16 Feb 2011

Edinburgh is a capital blessed with an abundance of green spaces, from extinct volcanoes to hidden gardens – all ideal spots to take time out and recharge your batteries

Ghosts

A guide to the best ghost tours of haunted Edinburgh

The best of the spooky and haunted side of the historic Scottish capital

16 Feb 2011

In the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, one of Edinburgh’s most famous literary sons, ‘Only a few inches separate the living from the dead.’ And nowhere is that more true than in the Old Town. From Burke and Hare to Half-Hangit Maggie, the city has more…

A guide to Edinburgh Castle

A guide to Edinburgh Castle

The capital's most iconic landmark is a must-see for any visitor

16 Feb 2011

Castle Rock, the plug of an extinct volcano, is estimated to be 350 million years old. Archaeologists say that its grassy shoulders were the site of a settlement at least as early as 900bc, and by ad600 there was probably a feasting hall on the…

A Scots Kitchen

A guide to some of the best restaurants in Edinburgh

The Scottish capital has some of the best restaurants for Scottish cuisine

16 Feb 2011

Some visitors may come to Scotland with a sense of dread that they’ll be force-fed salty porridge or be obliged to eat everything deep fried in fat. It’s true that the more adventurous may well encounter food here they’re unlikely to find elsewhere…

The best castles you can stay in near Edinburgh

The best Scottish castles you can stay in near Edinburgh

Many Scottish castles are open to residents looking to live like royalty

16 Feb 2011

Voted favourite UK city by Condé Nast Traveller magazine in 2010, and named Britain’s best city for tourists – for the 11th year in a row – in the Guardian and Observer travel awards, you might wonder why anyone would ever want to leave the city that…

The historical events that shaped the city of Edinburgh

The historical events that shaped Edinburgh

An overview of Edinburgh's history provides further insight into Scotland's capital

16 Feb 2011

In prehistoric times, our ancient ancestors hunted and farmed on the plain between the Forth and the Pentland Hills, and settled on the heights of Castle Rock and Arthur’s Seat, strengthening these rocky outcrops with primitive ramparts. Later, in the…

Along The Royal Mile

Edinburgh's Royal Mile takes in hundreds of years of history and drama

A haven for tourists and the centrepoint of historic Edinburgh

16 Feb 2011

The Royal Mile begins as you leave the castle. On the right is the Scotch Whisky Experience – the perfect introduction to the history and alchemy of Scotland’s national drink – complete with a dram at the end. On the left, the tower with the…

Why Edinburgh remains unrivalled as a festival city

Why Edinburgh remains unrivalled as a festival city

A huge number and variety of festivals take place each year

16 Feb 2011

In 1961, a theatre director made a proposal. It was his opinion that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was getting too big. It would be much better, he said, ‘if only ten halls were licensed’. Nobody listened. Had the director been able to travel…

Designed for Life

A guide to the architecture and design of Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s architecture from medieval tenements to the ultra-modern

16 Feb 2011

Should you happen past Enric Miralles’ Scottish Parliament building at the foot of the Royal Mile and hear raised voices from a group of otherwise peaceful-looking types, don’t be surprised. It’ll just be yet another architectural tour that has…

Liquid Gold

Where to explore the world of Scotch Whisky in Edinburgh

The best single-malt whisky tastings, tours and shops

16 Feb 2011

The purpose of Scotch whisky is to give pleasure,’ says Charles MacLean in his Whiskypedia: A Gazetteer of Scotch Whisky, and Edinburgh is the place to pursue this principle. You can literally immerse yourself in a whisky barrel at the Scotch Whisky…

Golf

The best golf courses in Edinburgh

Edinburgh and East Lothian courses include Musselburgh Links, Turnhouse, Gullane and Muirfield

16 Feb 2011

The game of golf got its first written mention in 1457, when King James II was so worried that his subjects were busy playing golf rather than practicing their archery that he issued an act of parliament, banning the game, with severe penalties for all…

A guide to Edinburgh's New Town

A guide to Edinburgh's New Town

The largest example of Georgian town planning in the world

16 Feb 2011

Sitting elegantly to the north of Princes Street Gardens is Edinburgh’s grand and leafy New Town, the largest example of Georgian town planning in the world, which provides a well-ordered contrast to the chaos of the city’s medieval Old Town.

Portraits of a nation

The most significant works of art in Edinburgh

Scotland's National Galleries are home to many major works

16 Feb 2011

What’s your idea of true art? The perfect peachy bums of The Three Graces? Football mastermind Sir Alex Ferguson rendered in cut-up red postcards? A stern-faced ice-skating minister? Whatever tickles your artistic fancy, you can be sure to find it in…

Novelists

A guide to Edinburgh's authors and books

Edinburgh, first City of Literature, boasts some of the world’s most famous and well-loved authors

16 Feb 2011

Challenge anyone who doubts Edinburgh’s claim to be a literary city to come up with another capital whose main station is named after a novel (Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley), one of whose football teams is named after another (The Heart of Midlothian…

Walking in Edinburgh

Why the best way to discover the beautiful city of Edinburgh is on foot

A guide to the best walking tours of Scotland's capital

16 Feb 2011

Wandering around a city without a map can either turn up serendipitous gems or leave you hopelessly lost and frustrated with none of your must-see list ticked off. That’s when it’s a good idea to enlist the help of a walking tour guide who’ll whisk you…

Trips to the Scottish Highlands from Edinburgh

Bus trips to the Scottish Highlands from Edinburgh

How to explore the best of the rest of Scotland

16 Feb 2011

Edinburgh has culture, history, shops and sustenance, but there’s a whole country beyond to be explored and it would be a shame to limit a visit to Scotland to the capital alone. If you visit just one other part of the country, make it the Highlands…

Getting around Edinburgh by bus, bike and on foot

Getting around Edinburgh by bus, bike and on foot

The hilly streets of Scotland's compact capital are easy to navigate

16 Feb 2011

Edinburgh’s volcanic terrain means you’re never far from a steep hill, and while getting around the city centre is simple on foot or by bike, taking a bus tour is an easy way to see the sights, especially if your time is limited. The city’s main tour…

The best independent shops and designer boutiques in Edinburgh

The best independent shops and designer boutiques in Edinburgh

From Harvey Nichols and Iain Mellis to Analogue Books and Demijohn

16 Feb 2011

Multrees Walk is the place to go if you want to splash the cash – Edinburgh’s high-end designer shops all rub their expensive shoulders together in one street. Harvey Nichols is here – it has five floors of designer goodies including womenswear…

The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh

The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh

Newly renovated NMS showcases Scottish achievements

16 Feb 2011

A country with as many scientists, inventors and explorers as Scotland needs a place to show off all its achievements – and nowhere does the job better than the newly renovated National Museum

The Scottish clothes designers making a name for themselves

The Scottish clothes designers making a name for themselves

Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane, Deryck Walker and Holly Fulton

16 Feb 2011

Scotland has always been at the head of cutting-edge design – and today’s selection is just as good

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh

Holyroodhouse is to Scotland what Buckingham Palace is to England

16 Feb 2011

Holyroodhouse is to Scotland what Buckingham Palace is to England – but it is much older, dating from a time when England’s kings still lived in the Tower of London. Holyrood Park was originally a royal hunting preserve beneath the towering crags of…

Off the beaten path: the Water of Leith

Why the Water of Leith is one of Edinburgh's best kept secrets

The 12-mile stretch of walkway through the heart of the Scottish capital

16 Feb 2011

Take a stroll along the Water of Leith and you’ll feel as if someone is watching you. That’s because they are. It’s not the occasional posse of feral youths but, rather, naked men standing knee-deep in the water, staring. Before you dial 999, however…

The best shops for cashmere, tweed, knits and tartan

The best shops in Edinburgh for cashmere, tweed, knits and tartan

Some of the world’s finest textiles come from Scotland

16 Feb 2011

See-You-Jimmy hats and kilt towels are all good fun, but if you want the real deal sartorial souvenir from Scotland, it’s got to be cashmere, tweed, knits and tartan. So give the trashy tourist haunts on the High Street a swerve and head instead for the…

A guide to the best cheese shops in Edinburgh

A guide to the best cheese shops in Edinburgh

The finest purveyors of Strathdon Blue, Dunlop Cheddar and many more Scottish cheeses

16 Feb 2011

In the popular parlour game of ‘if you had to give something up for life, what would it be?’ (Strictly Come Dancing or X Factor, partner or friends, stilettos or trainers), many have foundered over the choice between cheese or orgasms. You think it’s an…

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