Edinburgh sits on a ridge of ancient volcanic rock above the Firth of Forth, its medieval Old Town and planned Georgian New Town standing side by side. The castle, the Royal Mile, the closes and the Enlightenment-era terraces of the New Town together form one of Britain’s most complete dual-heritage cityscapes.
At a glance
Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns were jointly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The listing covers both the medieval Old Town, which grew organically from the 12th century along the ridge below the castle, and the Georgian New Town, laid out from 1766 on strictly geometrical lines to relieve an overcrowded medieval city. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and, since 1999, the seat of the Scottish Parliament.
Key facts
- Edinburgh Castle: built on Castle Rock, a volcanic plug estimated at 350 million years old, and recorded as having withstood numerous sieges through its history.
- Royal Mile: a Scottish mile (1.81 km) running from the Castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, lined with closes, narrow alleyways leading off the main street.
- Old Town tenements: 16th- and 17th-century buildings that reached up to 14 storeys, among the tallest domestic buildings of their time.
- New Town: planned from 1766, developed through 1840, with architect James Craig responsible for the original layout and Robert Adam for later buildings including Charlotte Square.
- Edinburgh Festival: the Edinburgh International Festival, founded in 1947, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, held annually in August.
History
Castle Rock has been occupied since at least the Iron Age. The Reformation reached Edinburgh in 1560, and John Knox preached against Mary of Guise at St Giles’ Cathedral in July 1559, a sermon that helped set off the final phase of Scotland’s Protestant revolution. Mary Queen of Scots reigned from 1542 to 1567 and was also briefly Queen Consort of France; she lived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where her secretary Rizzio was murdered in her private chambers. She was later imprisoned and, in 1587, executed by Elizabeth I of England.
The Old Town’s medieval streets became severely overcrowded, prompting the construction of the New Town from 1766, first under James Craig’s plan and later shaped by Robert Adam. Between roughly 1740 and 1800, Edinburgh was a centre of the Scottish Enlightenment, home to David Hume, Adam Smith, whose Wealth of Nations appeared in 1776, James Watt, who improved the steam engine’s condensing chamber in 1765, and Joseph Black, who discovered carbon dioxide and developed the theory of latent heat.
The Scottish Crown Jewels, known as the Honours of Scotland, were last used at Charles II’s coronation in 1651 and were later hidden inside the castle for over a century before being rediscovered by Sir Walter Scott in 1818. The Stone of Destiny, used in the coronation of Scottish kings from at least 843 CE, was removed to Westminster Abbey by Edward I in 1296 and returned to Edinburgh Castle in 1996.
What you see
The castle stands on its volcanic outcrop above the city, holding the Honours of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny. From its gates, the Royal Mile descends through the Old Town to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, passing dozens of closes, narrow alleys named after past occupants or events. One of them, Mary King’s Close, was sealed beneath the street from the 1750s and is now open to visitors as a museum. Tenement buildings up to 14 storeys still line parts of the Old Town.
East of the Old Town, the volcanic hill of Arthur’s Seat rises to 251 metres and can be reached on foot from the city centre, its summit giving views over Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and the Pentland Hills. To the north, the New Town presents ordered Georgian terraces and squares, including Charlotte Square, in deliberate contrast to the Old Town’s medieval density.
Practical information
- Access to the castle: opening times and admission arrangements are published by the castle’s official visitor channels.
- The Festival: the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe run each August; programme and venue details are released by the festivals’ own organisers.
- Mary King’s Close: visited only as part of a guided tour; current arrangements are listed by the site’s official visitor information.
Getting there
Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns sit within the compact city centre, with the Royal Mile linking the Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse on foot. The New Town lies immediately north, within easy walking distance across Princes Street Gardens.
Nearby
- Arthur’s Seat — a walk of under an hour from the city centre, with panoramic views over the city and the Firth of Forth.
- Palace of Holyroodhouse — at the eastern end of the Royal Mile, historically linked to Mary Queen of Scots.
- Mary King’s Close — beneath the Royal Mile, a sealed 17th-century street open as a museum.
- Charlotte Square — in the New Town, associated with Robert Adam’s later Georgian work.
Sources
- Edinburgh City Council
- UNESCO World Heritage inscription, Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (1995)
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