Edinburgh Hotels

Studded with volcanic hills, Edinburgh has an incomparable location on the southern edge of the enormous Firth of Forth. The Old Town, with its crowded tenements and bloody past, stands in contrast to the orderly grid of the New Town with its disciplined Georgian buildings. Most of the city's sights are contained within these two districts. The largely medieval Royal Mile, running down from Edinburgh Castle - which, perched atop its black, volcanic crag, dominates the central area - to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, is the Old Town's spine. In the New Town, Princes St, though not so architecturally inspiring, is Edinburgh's chief thoroughfare and one of the world's most spectacular shopping streets. To the north of the centre, Leith, Edinburgh's main port, has survived a period of decline to become a fashionable area of pubs and restaurants. Portobello to the east is where Edinburgh's citizens spend time on the beach when the weather is warm enough. To the west, medieval South Queensferry sits in the shadow of the two large bridges that span the Firth of Forth. To the south, near Holyrood Park, is picturesque Duddingston.

The climate in Edinburgh is best from May to September, but whenever you go, you're likely to see both sun and rain. In summer, daylight hours are long, and the evenings seem endless. In winter, it's cold and daylight hours are short, but with so much going on, Edinburgh is still worth visiting. Note that the city becomes impossibly crowded during the main festival period (August to early September) and Hogmanay (around 1 January), so make reservations well ahead of time if you plan to visit then.