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Home to the nation's new Parliament buildings, Edinburgh is Scotland's capital city and is renowned for its architecture, history, and cultural festival.
Over recent times, Edinburgh has experienced an explosion of economic growth. The economy is oriented to service industries, with particularly strong financial & banking services, while the electronics industry is a major employer to the West of the City.
The city centre is dominated by the magnificent Edinburgh Castle which stands at the head of the Old Town (designated a world Heritage Site by UNESCO). The City's three universities and huge volume of tourists, give Edinburgh an increasingly cosmopolitan feel that cannot be rivalled in the north of the UK.
By Rail
The Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) East Coast mainline links Edinburgh and London (King's Cross). It's the UK's fastest intercity railway and you can travel from capital to capital in around 4 hours.
Virgin Trains also operate services to Edinburgh from London Euston, Southern England and Wales.
If you prefer to travel overnight, the Scotrail Caledonian Sleeper Service runs between London (Euston) and Edinburgh 6 nights a week.
Edinburgh is only around 2 hours from York, Newcastle, Inverness and Aberdeen by train. And Glasgow is even closer, a regular shuttle service - taking just 45 minutes - connects the two cities.
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by air
Edinburgh International Airport is only 12km (8 miles) west of the city centre. It's easy to get to by car, taxi or on one of the frequent airport buses from the city centre (journey time is around 20 minutes).
There are over 40 flights a day from London to Edinburgh plus regular flights from 20 other UK airports. Many scheduled flights from Europe and several transatlantic charter flights also arrive here daily.
You can also get transatlantic flights into Glasgow International Airport, which is an hour's drive west of Edinburgh. It can be easily reached using the regular coach service that runs from Edinburgh city centre.
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by rail
The Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) East Coast mainline links Edinburgh and London (King's Cross). It's the UK's fastest intercity railway and you can travel from capital to capital in around 4 hours.
Virgin Trains also operate services to Edinburgh from London Euston, Southern England and Wales.
If you prefer to travel overnight, the Scotrail Caledonian Sleeper Service runs between London (Euston) and Edinburgh 6 nights a week.
Edinburgh is only around 2 hours from York, Newcastle, Inverness and Aberdeen by train. And Glasgow is even closer, a regular shuttle service - taking just 45 minutes - connects the two cities.
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by road
A superb road network means it's also easy to reach the city by car. And if you're working to a budget, a range of regular coach services connect Edinburgh with the rest of the UK.
by sea
There are fast, safe and scenic road links between Edinburgh and both the continental ferry ports in Hull and Newcastle, and the Irish ferry terminals at Stranraer and Cairnryan. You can also now sail direct from nearby Rosyth to Zeebrugge on the new Superfast Ferry service - Scotland's only sea link with mainland Europe.
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There's so much to do in Edinburgh it would take a whole guidebook to do it justice, but here are some things you can't miss.
Perched high upon its rock, Edinburgh Castle dominates the city skyline. The Castle Esplanade, which plays host to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo every August, gives you a great view over Princes Street and the New Town and right across to Fife. The Castle - parts of which date back to the 12th century - is home to the One O'clock Gun which is fired every day (except Sundays) at 1pm. The sound carries across the city, so be prepared for the noise, which can be a bit of a surprise if you're not expecting it!
The Castle is at the top of the Royal Mile. During the Fringe, part of this historic street is closed to traffic and becomes a huge open-air venue full of actors, acrobats, singers and stilt walkers. (The Royal Mile is actually a mile and an eighth long, which is an Old Scots Mile.)
At the foot of the Royal Mile you'll find the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official Edinburgh residence. The Palace is full of history; in fact you can still visit the room where Mary Queen of Scots' secretary and confidant, David Rizzio was murdered in a plot involving her second husband, Lord Darnley, in 1566.
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Princes Street is one of Edinburgh's busiest shopping streets. On one side there's Princes Street Gardens, a great place to chill out and take a break. The other side of the street is shopping heaven - whether you're looking for new shoes, a new outfit or a total make-over, this is where you want to be.
Also in the gardens is the Scott Monument, a gothic memorial to writer Sir Walter Scott, if you're energetic enough to climb to the top, you'll get a great view across to the Castle.
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If you walk East along Princes Street, you'll probably notice the 'Acropolis' on Calton Hill. Officially known as the National Monument, it's a tribute to those who died in the Napoleonic Wars. It looks impressive, but the people behind it ran out of money before it was finished.
Of course there's plenty more to see and do - spend a leisurely afternoon in one of the city's many museums and galleries, explore the city's parks and gardens or enjoy a day out at one of our many world-class visitor attractions.
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