Scotland's capital was recently voted the best place to live in the UK, and it's not hard to see why. It's a compact, unbelievably beautiful city that's rich in history as well as contemporary entertainment. Visitors' lists of must-see attractions include Edinburgh Castle at the west end of the Royal Mile, the Parliament building on the east, the myriad art galleries and museums, the exquisite views from Calton Hill, the bustle of Princes Street and the extraordinary contrast between the higgledy-piggledy charm of the Old Town and the Georgian splendour of the New Town. As well as revelling in all the above, those who live here love the thriving music, clubbing and cinema scene, the rich diversity of Edinburgh's restaurants, bars and parks, the proximity to the coast and the sheer joy of being here.

Popular events

Days out

• Danny La Rue Night
  Cabaret, La Cage Aux Folles and blokes in frocks to celebrate the late La Rue.
• 21st Century Ceilidh
  Stamp your feet, clap your hands and spin across the room with live music from Whisky Kiss plus a…
• The BIG LGBT Picnic
  Bring along food, drinks and your best tartan rug for a family-friendly picnic with games, music…
• Icebreakers
  Social group for people who want to make new friends in LGBT company. This welcoming and…
• Mind Matters: Assertiveness Course
  Gradually build confidence over six weeks. Booking essential.
• The World Famous Regent Bar Quiz
  A monthly general knowledge quiz in this gem of the LGBT pub scene. There are top prizes for…
• Rough Cut Nation
  A striking collaborative multimedia installation, featuring the work of some of Scotland's most…
• View more Days out in Edinburgh

Books

• An Evening With John Burningham
  A private viewing of Burningham's exhibition with Tim Cornwell, Arts Correspondent for 'The…
• Storytelling with Jen Harwood
  Storyteller Jen Harwood reads from three of John Burningham's books, including his newly released…
• Bookcrossing Unconvention
  Two days of author talks, releases, a walk and other booky fun. Email…
• Ewan Morrison
  The 'erudite purveyor of filth' talks about his new book, 'Ménage'.
• Edinburgh International Book Festival
  
• Blackwell Book Quiz
  Test your literary credentials in teams of up to five members.
• Bret Hart
  Bret Hart challenges the world of pro-wrestling to a smackdown in his autobiography, 'The Hitman…
• View more Books in Edinburgh

Clubs

• DV8
  Fetish club with Footman John and Mistress Alana. The dress code asks for a minimum of smart black…
• Poptastic
  Queer clubbing night with indie/electro from Phil Bakstad in room one and retro pop/trash from…
• Suds
  Wash that man right out of your hair (or find someone to re-enact that classic Levi's ad with) at…
• Eden
  The Edenangels (Lucky Luciano, Little Miss Mix-It, Barrie Millar, Dave Myers, YaHozna and Kenwai…
• Icebreakers
  Social group for people who want to make new friends in LGBT company. This welcoming and…
• Taste
  Fisher & Price and Miss Chris in the main room playing an eclectic mix of the very best in…
• Love Traffic
  Pulling doesn't get any easier than this. At a traffic light party everyone knows where they…
• View more Clubs in Edinburgh

Comedy

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009
  As arts festivals go, the Edinburgh Fringe is quite simply the biggest and best in the whole…
• The Hangover
  Two days before his wedding, Doug (Bartha) heads to Vegas with his two best friends and future…
• Wicked Wenches
  The monthly visit to the ladies room of comedy returns with the rather beautiful talents of Janey…
• Jongleurs Comedy Club
  Snuggle into the side of the Omni Centre and watch as all the fun in the whole world evolves…
• The Hangover (Subtitled)
  Two days before his wedding, Doug (Bartha) heads to Vegas with his two best friends and future…
• Heresy
  Your favourite night of depraved comedy is now free, but with the same great line-ups lorded over…
• Lee Mack - Going Out
  Fast-paced banter-meister Lee Mack stops off on his biggest ever live tour, promising the kind of…
• View more Comedy in Edinburgh

Film

• The Hangover
  Two days before his wedding, Doug (Bartha) heads to Vegas with his two best friends and future…
• Dream Boy
  Based on the novel by Jim Grimsley, two young boys, one introspective, the other confident embark…
• Ghosted
  A mysterious love story that traverses east and west, flitting from Hamburg and Taipei, as artist…
• To Each Her Own
  Tobin scripted, produced, shot and edited her debut film, a coming out tale of a young married…
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
  Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) again joins with the Autobots against their sworn enemies, the Decepticons.
• Drag Me to Hell
  Life is good for ambitious LA loan officer Christine (Lohman). Until that is, she double refuses…
• The Hangover (Subtitled)
  Two days before his wedding, Doug (Bartha) heads to Vegas with his two best friends and future…
• View more Film in Edinburgh

Kids

• Storytelling with Jen Harwood
  Storyteller Jen Harwood reads from three of John Burningham's books, including his newly released…
• The Singing Kettle: Boogie Woogie Zoo
  Musical pandemonium with Scotland's favourite children's entertainers. Party with the penguins and…
• The Tweenies Live!
  The stars of the pre-school television world are back with more of their worryingly catchy chart…
• Milkshake! Live in My First Concert
  Characters from Channel 5's Milkshake - Fifi & Bumble, Peppa & George, Rupert Bear, Little…
• Bountiful Birds
  Create a beautiful bird feeder for your garden, out of willow and other natural materials…
• Children's Activities
  Take the kids to see history come alive this summer - at the Georgian House they can write with a…
• Cookery Camp for Kids
  Learn to cook (and eat) your way around the world. Practical, hands-on cookery classes for ages 7…
• View more Kids in Edinburgh

LGBT

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009
  As arts festivals go, the Edinburgh Fringe is quite simply the biggest and best in the whole…
• DV8
  Fetish club with Footman John and Mistress Alana. The dress code asks for a minimum of smart black…
• Poptastic
  Queer clubbing night with indie/electro from Phil Bakstad in room one and retro pop/trash from…
• Suds
  Wash that man right out of your hair (or find someone to re-enact that classic Levi's ad with) at…
• Wicked Wenches
  The monthly visit to the ladies room of comedy returns with the rather beautiful talents of Janey…
• Danny La Rue Night
  Cabaret, La Cage Aux Folles and blokes in frocks to celebrate the late La Rue.
• Dream Boy
  Based on the novel by Jim Grimsley, two young boys, one introspective, the other confident embark…
• View more LGBT in Edinburgh

Music

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009
  As arts festivals go, the Edinburgh Fringe is quite simply the biggest and best in the whole…
• 21st Century Ceilidh
  Stamp your feet, clap your hands and spin across the room with live music from Whisky Kiss plus a…
• Assembly Rooms Ceilidh
  Traditional fun with ceilidh bands and a piper, and some international folk dances to complement…
• 'Singing the Alhambra': Spanish Culture and Flamenco
  Ethnomusicologist Dr Jan Fairley explores the traditions, past and present, of this…
• Canongate Cadjers Ceilidh Band
  Live ceilidh music, Scots tunes and dancing.
• The World Festival at the Botanics
  Sample an exotic array of entertainment from the World Festival, including music, theatre and…
• Ceilidh Night
  Friday night Ceilidh with the John Stuart Band and your caller Ken Gourlay.
• View more Music in Edinburgh

Theatre

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009
  As arts festivals go, the Edinburgh Fringe is quite simply the biggest and best in the whole…
• The World Festival at the Botanics
  Sample an exotic array of entertainment from the World Festival, including music, theatre and…
• Disney's High School Musical
  Based on Disney's Emmy-winning film of the same name, 'High School Musical' tells the story of…
• The Singing Kettle: Boogie Woogie Zoo
  Musical pandemonium with Scotland's favourite children's entertainers. Party with the penguins and…
• The Tweenies Live!
  The stars of the pre-school television world are back with more of their worryingly catchy chart…
• Kes
  40 years since Barry Hines' novel was made into a classic film, director Nikolai Foster presents a…
• Singin' in the Rain
  Tim Flavin puts on his Gene Kelly hat to play the part of Don Lockwood in this classic musical set…
• View more Theatre in Edinburgh

Visual art

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009
  As arts festivals go, the Edinburgh Fringe is quite simply the biggest and best in the whole…
• Rough Cut Nation
  A striking collaborative multimedia installation, featuring the work of some of Scotland's most…
• As Others See Us
  An exhibition celebrating Robert Burns and the Year of Homecoming. Photographers Ross Gillespie…
• Storytelling with Jen Harwood
  Storyteller Jen Harwood reads from three of John Burningham's books, including his newly released…
• Jupiter Art Land
  Contemporary sculpture garden in the private 80 acre-gardens of Bonnington House featuring…
• Two Horizons
  Works from the collections of Charles Asprey and Alexander Schröder are brought together in an…
• The Discovery Of Spain: British Artists and Collectors: Goya to Picasso
  A celebration of Spanish culture, as seen through the eyes of British artists and collectors. It…
• View more Visual art in Edinburgh

Dance

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009
  As arts festivals go, the Edinburgh Fringe is quite simply the biggest and best in the whole…
• 21st Century Ceilidh
  Stamp your feet, clap your hands and spin across the room with live music from Whisky Kiss plus a…
• Assembly Rooms Ceilidh
  Traditional fun with ceilidh bands and a piper, and some international folk dances to complement…
• The World Festival at the Botanics
  Sample an exotic array of entertainment from the World Festival, including music, theatre and…
• Ceilidh Night
  Friday night Ceilidh with the John Stuart Band and your caller Ken Gourlay.
• Edinburgh International Festival
  Edinburgh's annual cultural extravaganza works tirelessly to secure the best of the world's…
• Ceilidh Club
  Ceilidh dancing, furious fiddlers and callers to lead you through the steps, featuring…
• View more Dance in Edinburgh

Talks

• The Art of Spain
  Weekly screenings of the acclaimed BBC Four series, in which art historian and critic Andrew…
• Adult Education Open Evening
  Find out about and meet the tutors for the Adult Education courses in the coming year. You can…
• The Bunk Collages of Eduardo Paolozzi
  Dr John-Paul Stonard discusses Paolozzi's controversial series of 'Bunk' collages, which reveal a…
• 'Singing the Alhambra': Spanish Culture and Flamenco
  Ethnomusicologist Dr Jan Fairley explores the traditions, past and present, of this…
• An Evening With John Burningham
  A private viewing of Burningham's exhibition with Tim Cornwell, Arts Correspondent for 'The…
• David Bomberg: A Love Affair With Spain?
  Spain played an important role in David Bomberg's paintings. Richard Cork discusses the work of…
• Portraits in Focus
  Nicola Kalinsky, Chief Curator at the Portrait Gallery, discusses Sir Francis Grant's painting…
• View more Talks in Edinburgh

Sport

• Pentland Skyline Walk
  17 mile hike which follows the same route as the Pentland Skyline Race and encompasses all the…
• Ultimate Urbathon
  It's a 10km run but not as you know it! With secret challenges that will see you swinging, running…
• Big Fun Run
  A 5km fun run through Holyrood Park, with charity concessions available for those running for a…
• Hopetoun House Race for Life
  Cancer Research UK's Race for Life 2009.
• View more Sport in Edinburgh

Popular places

Cinemas

• Cineworld Edinburgh
  Fountainpark Dundee Street, Edinburgh
• Cameo
  38 Home Street, Edinburgh
• Vue Edinburgh Ocean
  Ocean Terminal Ocean Drive Leith, Edinburgh
• Filmhouse
  88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh
• Vue Edinburgh Omni
  Omni Greenside Place, Edinburgh
• Odeon Wester Hailes
  Westside Plaza 120 Wester Hailes Road, Edinburgh
• Dominion
  18 Newbattle Terrace, Edinburgh
• Institut Français d'Ecosse
  13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh
• Odeon
  118 Lothian Road, Edinburgh
• View more Cinemas in Edinburgh

Clubs

• Electric Circus
  36–39 Market Street, Edinburgh
• The Hive
  15–17 Niddry Street, Edinburgh
• Why Not?
  14 George Street, Edinburgh
• The GRV
  37 Guthrie Street, Edinburgh
• GHQ
  4 Picardy Place, Edinburgh
• City Nightclub
  1a Market Street, Edinburgh
• City Café
  19 Blair Street, Edinburgh
• Berlin Bierhaus
  3 Queensferry Lane, Edinburgh
• Cabaret Voltaire
  36–38 Blair Street, Edinburgh
• The Stand
  5 York Place, Edinburgh
• View more Clubs in Edinburgh

Galleries

• Cameo
  38 Home Street, Edinburgh
• City Café
  19 Blair Street, Edinburgh
• The Bowery
  2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh
• The Stand
  5 York Place, Edinburgh
• Filmhouse
  88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh
• Jupiter Artland
  Bonnington House Steadings Wilkieston, Edinburgh
• The Village
  16 South Fort Street Leith, Edinburgh
• The Bongo Club
  Moray House 37 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh
• Out of the Blue Drill Hall
  30–36 Dalmeny Street Leith, Edinburgh
• Edinburgh Zoo
  Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh
• View more Galleries in Edinburgh

Hotels

• Ardmor House
  74 Pilrig Street, Edinburgh
• Edinburgh Thistle Hotel
  107 Leith Street, Edinburgh
• Le Monde
  16 George Street, Edinburgh
• Melville Castle Hotel
  Melville Gate, Gilmerton Road, Edinburgh
• George Hotel
  19-21 George Street, Edinburgh
• Roxburghe Hotel
  38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh
• Venue 260 @ Jury's Inn
  43 Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh
• Caledonian Hilton Hotel
  Princes Street, Edinburgh
• Hudson Hotel
  9-11 Hope Street, Edinburgh
• Radisson SAS Hotel
  80 High Street, Edinburgh
• View more Hotels in Edinburgh

Museums

• National Museum of Scotland
  Chambers Street, Edinburgh
• Brass Rubbing Centre
  Chalmers Close Royal Mile, Edinburgh
• Hopetoun House
  Shore Road South Queensferry, Edinburgh
• Palace of Holyroodhouse
  Royal Mile, Edinburgh
• Edinburgh Castle
  Royal Mile, Edinburgh
• Scottish Gallery of Modern Art Sculpture Walk
  Belford Road, Edinburgh
• Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
  Castlehill, Edinburgh
• Museum of Edinburgh
  Huntly House 142 Canongate, Edinburgh
• National War Museum of Scotland
  Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
• The People's Story
  Canongate Tolbooth 163 Canongate, Edinburgh
• View more Museums in Edinburgh

Pubs & bars

• Biblos
  1 Chambers Street, Edinburgh
• GHQ
  4 Picardy Place, Edinburgh
• The King's Wark
  36 The Shore, Edinburgh
• The Granary
  32–34 The Shore, Edinburgh
• Cargo
  Edinburgh Quay, Edinburgh
• City Café
  19 Blair Street, Edinburgh
• The Orchard
  1/2 Howard Place, Edinburgh
• The Shore Bar & Restaurant
  3 The Shore, Edinburgh
• 99 Hanover Street
  99 Hanover Street, Edinburgh
• The Ship on the Shore
  24–26 The Shore, Edinburgh
• View more Pubs & bars in Edinburgh

Restaurants

• L'escargot Bleu
  56/56A Broughton Street, Edinburgh
• The Apartment
  7–13 Barclay Place, Edinburgh
• The Outsider
  15/16 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh
• Biblos
  1 Chambers Street, Edinburgh
• Monteiths
  57–61 High Street, Edinburgh
• The King's Wark
  36 The Shore, Edinburgh
• Mosque Kitchen
  Edinburgh Central Mosque, Edinburgh
• Mother India's Café
  3–5 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh
• The Dogs
  110 Hanover Street, Edinburgh
• A Room in Leith
  1c Dock Place, Edinburgh
• View more Restaurants in Edinburgh

Tourist attractions

• The Hub
  Castlehill Royal Mile, Edinburgh
• St Giles' Cathedral
  Royal Mile, Edinburgh
• Auld Reekie's Haunted Underground Experience
  Meet at The Tron Kirk, Edinburgh
• Craigmillar Castle
  Craigmillar Castle Road, Edinburgh
• Edinburgh Castle
  Royal Mile, Edinburgh
• The Real Mary King's Close
  2 Warriston's Close High Street, Edinburgh
• Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
  Castlehill, Edinburgh
• Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World
  Melville Nursery, Lasswade
• The Esplanade Edinburgh Castle
  Royal Mile, Edinburgh
• Water of Leith Visitor Centre
  24 Lanark Road, Edinburgh
• View more Tourist attractions in Edinburgh

Theatres

• Playhouse
  18–22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh
• The Bowery
  2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh
• King's Theatre
  2 Leven Street, Edinburgh
• Edinburgh Festival Theatre
  13/29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh
• George Square Lecture Theatre
  George Square, Edinburgh
• St Bride's Centre
  10 Orwell Terrace, Edinburgh
• Assembly Rooms
  54 George Street, Edinburgh
• Scottish Storytelling Centre
  43–45 High Street, Edinburgh
• Brunton Theatre
  Ladywell Way Musselburgh, Edinburgh
• Roxy Art House
  2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh
• View more Theatres in Edinburgh

Venues

• The Hive
  15–17 Niddry Street, Edinburgh
• Royal Highland Centre
  Ingliston, Edinburgh
• Black Bo's
  57–61 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh
• Henry's Cellar Bar
  8–16a Morrison Street, Edinburgh
• The HMV Picture House
  31 Lothian Road, Edinburgh
• The Voodoo Rooms
  19a West Register Street, Edinburgh
• Oddfellows
  14 Forrest Road, Edinburgh
• Cabaret Voltaire
  36–38 Blair Street, Edinburgh
• The Ark
  3–7 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh
• Citrus Club
  40–42 Grindlay Street, Edinburgh
• View more Venues in Edinburgh

Independent shops

• A Ha Ha Ha
  99 West Bow, Edinburgh
• A1 Pets
  165 Great Junction Street, Edinburgh
• The Bead Shop
  6 Dean Park Street, Edinburgh
• The Owl & Lion Gallery
  15 Grassmarket, Edinburgh
• Arkangel
  4 William Street, Edinburgh
• The Bed Shop
  110–120 Leith Walk, Edinburgh
• Boobytrap Boutique
  15 William Street, Edinburgh
• Whiplash Trash
  53 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh
• Pageant
  10 Lauriston Street, Edinburgh
• Alchemia Studio Gallery
  37 Thistle Street, Edinburgh
• View more Independent shops in Edinburgh