Lonely Planets Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist

EDINBURGH // Walking down the cobbled Royal Mile, set against the brooding backdrop of Edinburgh Castle and a congregation of medieval rooftops, it isnt the knife-throwing unicyclist that first stops you in your tracks. Neither is it the a cappella choir rehearsing in the shadows of St Giles Cathedral, nor the gussied-up collective of artists including bare-chested Korean drummers, a karaoke version of Macbeth, a soap-bubble circus and a group of preening Thai ladyboys. Even the camera-ready crowds lining up to take photos arent surprised by them. Instead, it is the zombified drag queen, pulling balloons from between her buttocks, that brings the street to a standstill.

At such times, theres no shame in being baffled by the worlds largest arts festival. Now well into its 70s, the annual, three-week-long Fringe comes with a packed programme of some 3500 shows, 1900-odd premieres and around 55,000 performances stretched across 300 citywide venues. In previous years, the Royal Botanic Gardens has hosted a pianodrome built from 55 recycled pianos. A repurposed 1960s caravan has become a comedy club. The top deck of a bus has welcomed poetry recitals, and a chicken coop with a capacity for only three has hosted the worlds smallest-ever comedy show. In some cases, public convenience has been forsaken in the name of art believe it or not, even toilets have been used as an unlikely venue. Quite simply, the Fringe floods the city with art and nowhere beats it for spectacle or scale. Strangeness, too. Come August in Edinburgh, everything seems brighter, barmier and more colourful.

To negotiate such a minefield of creative freedom, its best to tackle the Fringe over several days, dipping in and out of shows aided by word-of-mouth reviews and tips picked up in the pub. There is theatre, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, opera, music and spoken word, and whatever the time of day, an acrobat, trapeze artist, contortionist or tried-and-tested bagpiping busker will be pleased to entertain you. Plan ahead too much and youll miss the freedom of spontaneity, but come ill-prepared and you may find the hot tickets already sold out. In previous years, you could have seen the likes of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, Robin Williams, Rowan Atkinson, Mike Myers, members of Monty Python or Sir Billy Connolly for less than a fiver.

Still bewildered? Simply step through the looking glass and prepare to be dazzled by the greatest show of arts and culture on Earth. You wont have seen anything like it and unless you return year on year, like a local you never will again.

ESSENTIAL ARTS FESTIVALS

Held in mid-Wales every spring, the Hay Literary Festival is an international exposition of all things books

WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) first hit its global groove in England before expanding into other lands

For a more genteel cultural gathering, but with plenty of top-drawer art, head down to Cornwalls Port Eliot Festival

SEE IT ! The Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs for three weeks throughout August. At the big four venues (Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance and Underbelly) 2-for-1 previews are the norm in the first few days, while the Fringe Half Price Hut on The Mound is a safe bet for last-minute bargains.

the citys High Street during the Fringe | James Ratchford / Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

Edinburgh Festival performances from the Lemon Bucket Orkestra | David Monteith - Hodge / Photographise

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

Wiz Productions | David Monteith - Hodge / Photographise / Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

London // Some museums are travel destinations in themselves. The British Museum the first ever public national museum is the envy of the world, with good reason in some cases, considering the many treasures obtained under questionable circumstances in colonial times.

Yet this miraculous museum started life as a humble cabinet of curiosities, assembled by 18th-century physician and hot-chocolate inventor, Sir Hans Sloane. As a condition of bequeathing his treasures to the nation, he ordered that they be open for free to all studious and curious persons, a tradition that persists to this day.