Edinburgh Old Town

Edinburgh Old Town

The city of Edinburgh is one of the most famous cities in the UK. And, of course, like any city, it is divided into different districts and historical monuments, but in this case, the Edinburgh area is one of the historical monuments. Edinburgh Old Town is one of the most famous monuments of medieval history in Scotland. But of course, modernity has not spared it, and there are also many hotels, restaurants, bars and many other attractions for people of all ages.

 But today we will focus on the Old Town of Edinburgh. It holds a rich history of the culture of the people. 

Why is this place considered a historical monument? After all, it is probably the same as any other old town in the UK. But no, Edinburgh's Old Town was founded in the 12th and 13th centuries and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an act that underscores its cultural significance for the whole of Britain and especially for the people of Edinburgh.

Since Edinburgh's Old Town is its heart and foundation, from which the city once began to develop and spread further, it is formed on a slightly strange soil that resembles magma from an erupting volcano. And it goes down, i.e. the Old Town of Edinburgh is slightly higher than all other buildings in the city, it differs from the new streets both in its architecture and street width. The streets in the Old Town area of Edinburgh are very narrow and long, the houses are lined with stone, as in the 11th-12th centuries, which has turned brown over the years and gives even more character to this place. This will be the first thing you see when you arrive in Edinburgh by train, as this area is still the centre of the city. 

The Royal Mile is a famous historical landmark in the area, but what is it? It is the main artery of the Old Town, i.e. the main street, which is 1.6 km long. It stretches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace.

You definitely need to see both the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, and you can do this by joining walking tours of the city: The Edinburgh Free Tour, this tour is mostly focused on telling the story of the city's history.

In addition to the above-mentioned sights, you can also visit St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, which is one of the most striking examples of Gothic architecture, it has been the religious centre of Edinburgh since the 12th century, and services and other various important church events are still held there. Let's go back to Edinburgh Castle, which is part of the Old Town. It stands on a cliff above the city, so you can see it literally from anywhere in the city, it was the royal residence for many centuries, and today it is one of the city's biggest historical monuments.

For special fans of Harry Potter, there is also fun to be had, because it is here that the Harry Potter Tour is held, where you can see interesting places related to either the writing of the books or the filming of the film. 

Edinburgh has one more feature: the so-called "closses", a labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys. Each of them has its own unique history and even a name given to them by the locals. For example, Mary King's Close is one of the most famous of them, but it is closed and only open to visitors as a museum, because there you will have the opportunity to learn secret stories about life in medieval Edinburgh, how the plague spread and many, many creepy urban legends. I think it's a very fascinating tour that is definitely worth paying attention to and spending some time on. 

But Edinburgh is not only rich in streets, the Old Town is home to the house, and now a museum, of the famous religious reformer who had a great influence on religion in the UK during his lifetime, John Knox. In his house museum, you will have the opportunity to learn about his life and what reforms he made to the religion of Scotland.

At first glance, it may seem that Edinburgh is definitely not a city for young people, there are only museums and historical monuments, of course, they are also very interesting, but where can you eat and drink the famous Scottish beer? In fact, Edinburgh has quite a vibrant nightlife, even most museums are open at night for night tours or even have a separate night programme. And of course, pubs and restaurants are also open at night and you should definitely visit The Edinburgh Pub Crawl, which means that you will start your local beer tasting in one of the city's pubs and aim to visit as many as possible in one night. As Edinburgh is also famous for its university, this activity is very popular among students.

Of course, Edinburgh is not spared from festivals for other events, and as you might have guessed, most of them are held in the Old Town. Every August, a famous festival named after the city is held here and attracts dozens of young or very famous artists, and not only them, it is very popular among young people who come from all over the country for the incredible atmosphere of the festival and live music of their favourite artists. Another incredibly interesting festival in my opinion is the Edinburgh Tattoo Festival. You can already tell from the name what's going on there. Tattoo artists from different parts of the world come to Edinburgh to present their tattoo works, show their skills and possibly make someone's dream come true.

Summing up, I would like to say that Edinburgh is an incredible place that will not leave anyone indifferent, and its Old Town district is generally breathtaking at first sight. Edinburgh's daytime and nightlife are equally impressive. The various churches, museums, Houses of Parliament, streets and labyrinths will definitely catch your eye and most likely make you want to come back to this wonderful city again.