Tradespeople in Edinburgh Old Town, Edinburgh

About Edinburgh Old Town

Edinburgh's Old Town is the historic heart of the city, running along the ridge from the Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse - a mile of medieval streets, closes and tenements.

The Royal Mile is one of the most visited streets in Scotland, but the Old Town is also a living neighbourhood with thousands of residents in its tall tenement buildings.

St Giles' Cathedral, the Scottish Parliament, the National Museum of Scotland and countless pubs and restaurants sit within its tight grid of wynds and courtyards.

The Old Town and New Town together form Edinburgh's UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for their architectural and historical significance.

Living here means being at the centre of the Edinburgh Festival every August, with street performers, venues and visitors filling every available space.

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About Edinburgh

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Edinburgh is Scotland's capital city and one of the most recognisable cities in the world, built across a series of volcanic hills on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth.

The Old Town and New Town, together a UNESCO World Heritage Site, form the historic core - but the city stretches far beyond them, taking in dozens of distinct neighbourhoods, suburbs and villages absorbed over centuries of growth.

From the Georgian terraces of the New Town to the seaside promenade at Portobello, the leafy avenues of Morningside to the waterfront regeneration at Granton, each part of Edinburgh has its own character and community.

The city is a centre for finance, technology, higher education and the arts - the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world and the city's universities attract students and researchers from across the globe.

Edinburgh's transport network includes a tram line, an extensive bus system, two mainline railway stations and an international airport, connecting its neighbourhoods to each other and to the rest of Scotland and beyond.