Photo: John Lord (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Culture and heritage · Scotland
Edinburgh Castle
A fortress on an extinct volcanic rock above the capital, home of the Scottish crown jewels. Scotland's best-known landmark.
Edinburgh · Scotland
The experience
Edinburgh Castle stands on Castle Rock, the remains of an extinct volcano guarded by cliffs on three sides, a place people have lived for thousands of years. The castle you see today is a royal and military fortress built up over the centuries, from the 12th-century St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building standing in Edinburgh, to barracks and military museums.
The Crown Room holds the Honours of Scotland, the crown, sceptre and sword of state, among the oldest crown jewels in the British Isles. In the Royal Palace is the room where King James VI was born, who united the crowns of Scotland and England in 1603.
From the ramparts all of Edinburgh opens out: the New Town, the Firth of Forth and the hills of Fife. Every day except Sunday the One O'Clock Gun is fired, a tradition from the 19th century.
We arrange timed tickets and a private English-speaking guide, and suggest a morning visit followed by a walk down the Royal Mile to Holyroodhouse.
Scotland
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