Edinburgh

Famous all over the world for its medieval castle military tattoo and festival, Edinburgh is one of the most striking and historic of Europe's capital cities. Edinburgh International Airport is a short flight away from most of Europe and it's location, sitting on the East Coast of Scotland on the Firth of Forth, puts this cosmopolitan and vibrant city within easy reach of the rest of Central Scotland and the north of England.

The magnificent architecture, stunning views and historic past have made Edinburgh a popular tourist destination for many years. The city also supports a thriving arts scene, thanks in no small part to the annual festival and fringe as well as lively nightlife, a large student population and plays host to many of the UK's major financial and information technology companies.

The world famous Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline, sitting atop an extinct volcano right at the heart of the city. From here you can experience stunning views of Edinburgh's Old Town and the Pentland Hills to the south, New Town to the west, and to the north is Princess Street and beyond that over the Firth of Forth to the Kingdom of Fife.

Every year the city attracts almost a million people to what is arguably the largest cultural event anywhere on the planet, the Edinburgh Festival. During the months of August and September parades and street performers transform the streets of Edinburgh and anyone walking around the Old Town or Princess Street can hear the Military Tattoo taking place every evening at Edinburgh Castle.

Having been populated since the Middle Ages, the Old Town is a web of tunnels, wynds (stairways) and closes that take you round the many beautiful and historic buildings of the area. This part of the city is home to a lively nightlife scene as well as many tourist attractions and countless numbers of small speciality shops selling everything from traditionally Scottish wares such as whiskey and tartan to the more modern every day items like electrical goods and kitchen equipment.

Don't be fooled by the name "New Town" given to the northern area of central Edinburgh as it was actually planned and laid out during the eighteenth century. Instead of the 20th century architecture that the name suggests the New Town is in fact Europe's largest collection of Georgian architecture and some say it is the largest in the world. The New Town hosts many of the important facilities of the city centre such as Waverly train station and the bus station and is Edinburgh's main shopping district centred on Princess Street.

From culture to shopping, stunning scenery to nightlife or architecture to comedy, Edinburgh has such a wide variety of attractions that it can't fail to please.