Edinburgh is the second-largest city in Scotland and its capital. It is situated on the east coast of Scotland's central lowlands on the south shore of the Firth of Forth and in the unitary local authority of City of Edinburgh. It has been the capital of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the country's devolved government. The city was one of the major centres of the enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Edinburgh is well known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, the largest performing arts festival in the world, and for the Hogmanay street party. At the time of the art festivals the population of the city doubles. The city is one of the world's major tourist destinations, attracting roughly 13 million visitors a year, and is the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.
Transportation in Edinburgh
By Car: Edinburgh is linked to Glasgow by the M8 motorway and from there to England and Wales by the M74 and on to the A74 and M6 further to the south (toward Manchester). Edinburgh is also directly linked to London by the A1.
By Coach: National Express operates regular daily coach services from both London and Manchester to Edinburgh. Scottish Citylink Coaches is the largest provider of express coach services in Scotland, with a comprehensive network of destinations. There are frequent services to Glasgow (journey time – 70 minutes) and Aberdeen (journey time – 3-4 hours). All the coaches leave from the bus station on St Andrew Square. New operator Megabus sell Internet-only tickets between Scotland’s cities and have led to a recent reduction in fares amongst all operators.
By Train:First Scotrail operates a train service from Glasgow to Edinburgh every 15 minutes. First Scotrail’s handy but underused Caledonian Sleeper, between London Euston and Edinburgh, runs every night except Saturday (journey time – 6 hours and 45 minutes). Virgin Trains operates a direct service between Manchester and Edinburgh, three times a day (journey time – 3 hours). National Express East Coast operates a direct half-hourly service between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh (journey time – 4 hours and 30 minutes) with award winning on-board catering in the restaurants it provides with its premium services.
By Air: Edinburgh International Airport is Scotland’s, and one of Europe’s, fastest growing airports, located 8 miles west of Edinburgh. British Midland and British Airways are the main scheduled carriers. Low cost carriers with rapidly expanding routes from Edinburgh include Flyglobespan and Easyjet with other carriers using Edinburgh including Air France, Air Scotland, Continental, Flybe, KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair and Scot Airways.
Edinburgh Castle is Scotland’s most famous tourist attraction, built on the core of an extinct volcano. There has been a stronghold on this site since at least the first century AD. Edinburgh Castle now houses the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny, Mons Meg (a massive 15th-century cannon) and the army headquarters of the Scottish Division. The Palace of Holyroodhouse sits at the eastern end of the Royal Mile and has been the royal quarter of Edinburgh since 1128, when David I founded an abbey here. The National Gallery of Scotlands collection of European paintings and sculpture dating from the Renaissance to the 19th century is Scotland’s greatest and includes works by Van Dyck, Tiepolo, Pisarro, Monet, Cézanne, El Greco, Raphael, Titian and Botticelli. The Museum of Scotland opened in December 1998, in a spectacular new building. The exhibits detail the country’s history from its geological formation and earliest inhabitants up to the 20th century. Scotland’s regional treasures are also on display. A church has stood on the site of St Giles’ Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh, since the 12th century. The present building, with its distinctive open-crown steeple supported by eight flying buttresses, dates back to the 16th century.
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