Edinburgh
offers plenty to pique your interest, keep you entertained and provides just
the right nightlife to keep your vacation fun and exciting. The capital city of
Scotland, Edinburgh offers medieval relics, a Scottish atmosphere and modern
architecture. The nightlife includes city festivals throughout the year, loud
music, soft music and everything in between. Scotland is a literary capital,
boasting both Sir Walter Drake and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as natives. First
time visitors will have to make some decisions as to how they want to spend
their time. Here are a few options to consider.
Museum
visits
When visiting
there are some sights you simply do not want to miss having on your itinerary.
The National
Museum of Scotland offers you everything from Art and Industry to
Science, Nature, and history. It is literally two museums in one. One building
is home to glass ceilings and international art collections. They also include
science and cultural displays while the other is devoted to the story of the
people, land, and zeitgeist of Scotland.
Art options
If you have an
interest in the arts, you can visit Fruitmarket Gallery where you'll find
exhibitions on film, photography, sculpture and a variety of other art. This
venue is designed to show new and existing work by not just Scottish artists,
but international artists as well.
Outdoor
activities
Outdoor lovers
will be enthralled with the Royal Botanic Garden of
Edinburgh which offers more than 50 acres of scenery whether you are a
sightseer or a flower lover alpines, the Chinese Hillside, Chilean plants, a
Fossil Garden and so much more.
Do not forget
to check out the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden while in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Zoo a registered
charity in Scotland - provides children of all ages opportunities to see
animals you will not see anywhere else. When the children start screaming
"are we there yet" this will be a great stopping point.
Edinburgh
on foot
If you love
the idea of walking around Edinburgh, you will not be disappointed. The area
lends itself well to walking, biking or hiking. Holyrood Park which was created
by King James VI appears to be the Scottish landscape but in miniature.
You'll love seeing the Salisbury Crags, Arthur's Seat and the various lochs
located here. If you're looking for a walking tour, check out the Royal Mile or
head over to Arthur's Seat (an extinct volcano). There are various festivals
which run year round in Edinburgh. Check your travel plans early and find out
which ones are active when you plan to be there.
Cinemas,
food and drink
Cinemas in
Edinburgh offer foreign language films, mainstream films and alternative films.
This is a perfect outing for those gloomy Scotland days. A food lovers delight,
Edinburgh offers a wide variety of restaurants. Options include French,
vegetarian, seafood, Chinese, Indian. Each provides offerings sure to keep you
within budget (unless you want to spend extra wampum).
Visiting
Scotland means taking time to taste of some of the local whiskey offerings -
The Whiskey
Museum offers more than 200 different whiskeys - one of them is sure
to please your palate if you care for whiskey. This can be a great way to
get introduced to some of the best brands.
Edinburgh
offers a variety of night spots. Themed pubs, sports pubs and more traditional
pubs like Nicol Edwards. Nicol Edwards is made up of huge rooms, dance halls
and offers nightly entertainment. Like many Edinburgh pubs they stay open until
3am offering you plenty of opportunity to move from one pub or club to
another. There are many great places to visit if you are planning a trip
to Scotland. Don't overlook some of these great locations.
Image
credit: Kevin Rae [CC-BY-SA-2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
