Royal Mile: Edinburgh Travel Guide (4.7★)

Castle to palace, one long slope

The street follows a volcanic ridge. Edinburgh Castle sits on the rock at the top, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse sits in the flat ground at the bottom. In between, the road changes its name four times:

• Castlehill: the Camera Obscura and the Scotch Whisky Experience
• Lawnmarket: Gladstone’s Land, a tall 17th-century merchant’s tenement
• High Street: St Giles’ Cathedral, the City Chambers and the Tron Kirk
• Canongate: the Museum of Edinburgh, Canongate Kirk and the Scottish Parliament

The road surface is granite setts, which get slippery in rain. Stone tenements rise six storeys or more on each side. Their ground floors are mostly tartan, cashmere and whisky shops, with pubs and cafés in between.

What to stop for

St Giles’ is the anchor of the High Street. Its crown spire is the shape you’ll see on every postcard. Inside, look for the Thistle Chapel with its carved oak stalls.

In the setts just outside the cathedral is the Heart of Midlothian, a heart-shaped mosaic marking the site of the old Tolbooth jail. Across the street stands the statue of the philosopher David Hume, whose toe people rub for luck. The polished bronze shows how many do.

Below the City Chambers, the Real Mary King’s Close runs guided tours through streets that were built over in the 18th century. Farther down, John Knox House juts out into the High Street.

Past the old city boundary at St Mary’s Street, the Canongate is noticeably quieter. It ends at Abbey Strand, with Holyrood Abbey’s ruins behind the palace and Arthur’s Seat rising beyond.

Reading the closes and the cobbles

This is one of the busiest streets in Scotland, so the useful skill is getting off it. The narrow alleys between the buildings are called closes and wynds. Many are public and lead to courtyards or steep stairs.

• Advocate’s Close frames a view of the Scott Monument.
• Fleshmarket Close and curving Cockburn Street drop down to Waverley Station.
• Dunbar’s Close Garden, off the Canongate, is a small 17th-century-style garden where you can sit.

Contactless card works almost everywhere, including most small shops. If you watch a street act for a while during the August Fringe, it’s normal to tip the performers. In August the High Street becomes a pedestrian stage, and walking slowly is the only speed. Visit early in the morning or on an evening outside festival season if you want space.

Getting there and timing

Edinburgh Waverley station is a steep five-minute climb from the High Street, up Cockburn Street or the Fleshmarket Close steps. Trams stop at Princes Street, and from there North Bank Street leads up the Mound to the Lawnmarket.

The walk itself takes about 30 minutes. With the cathedral, one tour and lunch, plan three to four hours; add the castle or the palace and it becomes a full day. Opening hours for St Giles’, the castle and Holyroodhouse change with the season and royal visits, so check each official site before you go.