Things to do in Edinburgh

Nature · Central-east

An extinct volcano rising 251 metres directly out of the city centre, with a genuine hillwalk to the summit.

Local tip: The path from Dunsapie Loch is far shorter than the main route from Holyrood and almost nobody uses it. Go at sunrise in summer — it is light by 4:30am and you will have it to yourself.

Landmark · Royal Mile

A medieval street plan of tenements and narrow closes running down the ridge from the Castle to Holyrood.

Local tip: The Royal Mile itself is tourist shops; the closes off it are the real thing. Mary King's Close is preserved underground beneath the City Chambers, and Advocate's Close has the best view of the New Town.

Nature · Runs across the city

A 12-mile riverside path from Balerno through Dean Village to Leith, passing the Modern Art galleries and a lot of heron.

Local tip: Dean Village is the postcard bit and gets crowded; the stretch from Stockbridge north-west is quieter and just as good. It is also the fastest way to cross parts of the city on foot.

Neighborhood · North, on the Firth of Forth

The old port, now the city's best eating and drinking district, with several Michelin stars on one short waterfront.

Local tip: The tram now runs from the city centre to Newhaven through Leith Walk, which changed the area's connection to the centre entirely. Come for dinner on The Shore rather than eating in the Old Town.

Culture · Chambers Street

A Victorian glasshouse grand gallery attached to a modern extension, covering Scottish history, natural history and technology — and free.

Local tip: The roof terrace is open to anyone and has one of the best views in the city, and hardly any visitor finds it. Free entry, as with all Scottish national museums.

Nature · North-west coast

A tidal island in the Firth of Forth reached by a causeway lined with WWII anti-submarine pylons, walkable at low tide.

Local tip: Check the tide table posted at the causeway — people get cut off and rescued every year, and the crossing window is genuinely narrow. Get it right and you have a wartime island to yourself, twenty minutes from the centre.