Self-guided Sightseeing Tour #3 in City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

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Tour Facts

Number of sights 30 sights
Distance 10.2 km
Ascend 344 m
Descend 408 m

Experience City of Edinburgh in United Kingdom in a whole new way with our self-guided sightseeing tour. This site not only offers you practical information and insider tips, but also a rich variety of activities and sights you shouldn't miss. Whether you love art and culture, want to explore historical sites or simply want to experience the vibrant atmosphere of a lively city - you'll find everything you need for your personal adventure here.

Activities in City of EdinburghIndividual Sights in City of Edinburgh

Sight 1: Holyrood Park

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Holyrood Park is a royal park in central Edinburgh, Scotland about 1 mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. It is open to the public. It has an array of hills, lochs, glens, ridges, basalt cliffs, and patches of gorse, providing a wild piece of highland landscape within its 650-acre (260 ha) area. The park is associated with the Palace of Holyroodhouse and was formerly a royal hunting estate. The park was created in 1541 when James V had the ground "circulit about Arthurs Sett, Salisborie and Duddingston craggis" enclosed by a stone wall.

Wikipedia: Holyrood Park (EN), Website

1494 meters / 18 minutes

Sight 2: The King's Gallery

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The King's Gallery

The King's Gallery, previously known as the Queen's Gallery. is an art gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland. It forms part of the Palace of Holyroodhouse complex. It was opened in 2002 by Queen Elizabeth II, and exhibits works from the Royal Collection.

Wikipedia: King's Gallery, Edinburgh (EN)

355 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 3: Dynamic Earth

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Dynamic Earth is a not-for-profit visitor attraction and science centre in Edinburgh, and is Scotland's largest interactive visitor attraction. It is located in Holyrood, beside the Scottish Parliament building and at the foot of Salisbury Crags. It is a registered charity under Scottish law and is owned as The Dynamic Earth Charitable Trust. The centre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.

Wikipedia: Dynamic Earth (Edinburgh) (EN), Website

501 meters / 6 minutes

Sight 4: Canongate Kirk

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The Kirk of the Canongate, or Canongate Kirk, serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town, in Scotland. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. It is also the parish church of Edinburgh Castle, even though the castle is detached from the rest of the parish. The wedding of Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter, and former England rugby captain Mike Tindall took place at the church on 30 July 2011. The late Queen Elizabeth II used to attend services in the church on some of her frequent visits to Edinburgh.

Wikipedia: Canongate Kirk (EN), Website

447 meters / 5 minutes

Sight 5: John Knox House

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John Knox House, popularly known as John Knox's House, is a historic house in Edinburgh, Scotland, reputed to have been owned and lived in by Protestant reformer John Knox during the 16th century. Although his name became associated with the house, he appears to have lived in Warriston Close where a plaque indicates the approximate site of his actual residence.

Wikipedia: John Knox House (EN), Website

60 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 6: Carrubbers Christian Centre

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Carrubbers Christian Centre is a church on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Wikipedia: Carrubbers Christian Centre (EN), Website

58 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 7: Museum of Childhood

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Museum of Childhood Kjetil Bjørnsrud / CC BY 2.5

The Museum of Childhood is a museum which houses a collection of children's toys and playthings, situated on the Royal Mile, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the first museum in the world to specialise in the history of childhood.

Wikipedia: Museum of Childhood (Edinburgh) (EN), Website

196 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 8: Old Saint Paul's

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Old Saint Paul's is an historic church of the Scottish Episcopal Church in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town in Scotland. It is one of the original congregations of the Scottish Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican Communion, which evolved with the adoption of Presbyterian governance by the established Church of Scotland.

Wikipedia: Old St Paul's, Edinburgh (EN)

191 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 9: City Art Centre

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The City Art Centre is part of the Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, which sits under the Culture directorate of the City of Edinburgh Council. The City Art Centre has a collection which include historic and modern Scottish painting and photography, as well as contemporary art and craft. It is an exhibition based venue with no permanent displays.

Wikipedia: City Art Centre (EN), Website

260 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 10: The Mercat Cross

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The Mercat Cross of Edinburgh is a market cross, which stands in Parliament Square next to St Giles' Cathedral, facing the High Street in the Old Town of Edinburgh.

Wikipedia: Mercat Cross, Edinburgh (EN)

113 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 11: Heart of Midlothian

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The Heart of Midlothian is a mosaic located outside St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. The heart marks the location of the entrance to Edinburgh's Old Tolbooth which was demolished in 1817. Locals will often spit upon the heart as a sign of good luck. While the tradition is now one of good luck, it was originally believed to be done as a sign of disdain for the executions which took place within the Old Tolbooth.

Wikipedia: Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile) (EN)

0 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 12: Old Town

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The Old Town is the name popularly given to the oldest part of Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh. The area has preserved much of its medieval street plan and many Reformation-era buildings. Together with the 18th/19th-century New Town, and West End, it forms part of a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wikipedia: Old Town, Edinburgh (EN), Heritage Website

321 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 13: Museum on the Mound

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Museum on the Mound Pjt56 --- If you use the picture outside Wikipedia I would appreciate a short e-mail to pjt56@gmx.net or a message on my discussion page / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Museum on the Mound is a museum in Edinburgh, Scotland, that focuses on money, coinage and economics. It is located in the Bank of Scotland Head Office building on The Mound. It has more than 50,000 visitors per year.

Wikipedia: Museum on the Mound (EN), Website

234 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 14: General Assembly Hall

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The Assembly Hall is located between Castlehill and Mound Place in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the meeting place of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Wikipedia: General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland (EN)

137 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 15: Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

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Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is a tourist attraction located in Outlook Tower on the Castlehill section of the Royal Mile close to Edinburgh Castle. The original attraction was founded by entrepreneur Maria Theresa Short in 1835 and was exhibited on Calton Hill. Outlook Tower has been a museum since the late 1890s and is currently home to many interactive exhibits, including the original Camera Obscura.

Wikipedia: Camera Obscura, Edinburgh (EN), Website

437 meters / 5 minutes

Sight 16: Greyfriars Kirk

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Greyfriars Kirk is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard.

Wikipedia: Greyfriars Kirk (EN), Website

285 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 17: National Museum of Scotland

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National Museum of Scotland No machine-readable author provided. Maccoinnich~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 3.0

The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland is a museum of Scottish history and culture.

Wikipedia: National Museum of Scotland (EN), Website

636 meters / 8 minutes

Sight 18: Symposium Hall

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The King Khalid Building is an event space in the Southside, Edinburgh, Scotland, owned and operated by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. The building was constructed Roxburgh Free Church in 1847 and converted to its current use in 1982.

Wikipedia: King Khalid Building (EN)

554 meters / 7 minutes

Sight 19: Festival Theatre

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Festival Theatre No machine-readable author provided. Globaltraveller assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Edinburgh Festival Theatre is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, large-scale musical events, and touring groups. After its most recent renovation in 1994, it seats 1,915. It is one of the major venues of the annual summer Edinburgh International Festival and is the Edinburgh venue for the Scottish Opera and the Scottish Ballet.

Wikipedia: Edinburgh Festival Theatre (EN), Website

214 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 20: Edinburgh Central Mosque

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Edinburgh Central Mosque is located on Potterrow near the University of Edinburgh central area and the National Museum of Scotland. The mosque and Islamic centre was designed by Dr. Basil Al Bayati, and took more than six years to complete at a cost of £3.5M. The main hall can hold over one thousand worshippers, with women praying on a balcony overlooking the hall. The mosque holds chandeliers and a vast carpet, with very little furniture.

Wikipedia: Edinburgh Central Mosque (EN), Website

326 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 21: George Square Gardens

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George Square is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the south of the city centre, adjacent to the Meadows. It was laid out in 1766 outside the overcrowded Old Town, and was a popular residential area for Edinburgh's better-off citizens. In the 1960s, much of the square was redeveloped by the University of Edinburgh, although the Cockburn Association and the Georgian Group of Edinburgh protested. Most but not all buildings on the square now belong to the university. Principal buildings include the Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh University Library, 40 George Square and Appleton Tower.

Wikipedia: George Square, Edinburgh (EN)

318 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 22: Reid Concert Hall

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The Reid Concert Hall is a small music venue in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located in the south-western corner of Bristo Square about 0.53 kilometres (0.33 mi) south of the Royal Mile, and is part of the University of Edinburgh. Originally opened in 1859 as the Reid School of Music by the university's professor of music, John Donaldson (1789-1865), it was designed by the Scottish Architect David Cousin and is a Category A listed building. The hall is named after General John Reid, an army officer and musician who founded the Chair of Music at the university. The Reid Concerts take place every 13 February.

Wikipedia: Reid Concert Hall (EN)

217 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 23: Bedlam Theatre

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Bedlam Theatre is a theatre in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The building was completed in 1848 for the New North Free Church. After closing as a church in 1941, the building served as a chaplaincy centre and then a store for the University of Edinburgh before reopening in 1980 as the student-run theatre of Edinburgh University Theatre Company (EUTC), operating during Edinburgh Fringe festival as venue 49.

Wikipedia: Bedlam Theatre (EN)

90 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 24: Greyfriars Bobby

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Greyfriars Bobby Michael Reeve / CC BY-SA 3.0

Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier or Dandie Dinmont Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died on 14 January 1872. The story continues to be well known in Scotland, through several books and films. A prominent commemorative statue and nearby graves are a tourist attraction.

Wikipedia: Greyfriars Bobby (EN), Website

160 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 25: Augustine United Church

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Augustine United Church is a United Reformed Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in a local ecumenical partnership with St Columba's-by-the-Castle and Greyfriars Tolbooth and Highland Kirk.

Wikipedia: Augustine United Church (EN), Website

704 meters / 8 minutes

Sight 26: Edinburgh Castle

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Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since at least the reign of Malcolm III in the 11th century, and the castle continued to be a royal residence until 1633. From the 15th century, the castle's residential role declined, and by the 17th century it was principally used as a military garrison. Its importance as a part of Scotland's national heritage was recognised increasingly from the early 19th century onwards, and various restoration programmes have been carried out over the past century and a half.

Wikipedia: Edinburgh Castle (EN), Website

337 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 27: Castle Terrace

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Castle Terrace Car Park is a car park in Edinburgh in the brutalist style which was designated as a listed building in October 2019.

Wikipedia: Castle Terrace Car Park (EN), Website, Heritage Website

856 meters / 10 minutes

Sight 28: Church of St Michael and All Saints

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The Church of St Michael and All Saints is an Episcopal church in Edinburgh, Scotland. The church stands in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and is a Category A listed building.

Wikipedia: Church of St Michael and All Saints, Edinburgh (EN), Website

231 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 29: King's Theatre

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The King's Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Wikipedia: King's Theatre, Edinburgh (EN), Website

461 meters / 6 minutes

Sight 30: Bruntsfield Links

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Bruntsfield Links is 35 acres (14 ha) of open parkland in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh, immediately to the south-west of the adjoining Meadows.

Wikipedia: Bruntsfield Links (EN)

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