Marco Polo - Edinburgh: Travel with Insider Tips

Dominating the skyline and that, for more than 800 years

This medieval thoroughfare makes its way between, historical residential buildings from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse

The dazzling building of the century for modern Scotland, a fascinating contrast to the Old Town

Volcanic hill for the romantically minded, with a Neoclassicist ensemble of buildings and a wonderful view of the city

Extensive gardens with the Scott Monument links and separates Edinburghs two inner city areas

The Neoclassicist building with paintings from the past hundred years lies in a semi-rural parkland setting that is a masterpiece of landscape art itself

A restaurant idea that really works: cool service and outstanding Scottish-French cuisine you can afford in an unfussy atmosphere within the walls of the Old Town

Shopping in an exquisite atmosphere: this street of fashionable shops with its noble Georgian architecture is the New Towns answer to The Royal Mile

This is the tourists headquarters for all Scottish waters of life

The old harbour just outside town is a place to have fun with prize-winning chefs and architecture by Terence Cochran

The most elegant Baroque pub in the city is actually Victorian

The name gives it away: this Victorian dream of a nightclub conjures up real magic

Successful combination of a listed building and a contemporary hotel

Edinburgh is the centre of the (artistic) universe during the largest festival of the kind in the world

Another superlative in the field of off-beat, young theatre and imaginative performances

At the Beltane Fire Festival held on the last day of April, more than 12,000 go on a pagan, Celtic spree that doesnt end until May. A really spectacular event on Calton Hill

The Chapel of the Scottish Order of the Thistle in St Giles Cathedral is decorated with oak stalls for 16 knights and three members of the royal family, unusual coats-of-arms and angels playing bagpipes

The National Gallery only exhibits some of the artists watercolours in the weak January light to prevent them from fading even more

Your children will love Edinburgh Zoo; especially if they dont miss the daily penguin parade

Its no secret with the locals, but most visitors dont know about it: Edinburgh has its very own sandy beach

Non-stop horror films, pole dancing, cosy corners and candlelight burgers in the gloomy Banshee Labyrinth under a bridge in the Old Town

You will get the best photo of the castle from St Cuthberts Cemetery at the foot of the hill. It is particularly beautiful in winter when leaves do not block your view

Irn-Bru, the orange-coloured Scottish pick-me-up and national soft drink is the basis of one of the desserts served in the Hotel du Vin Bistro

For men, it could be Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap; for ladies, definitely the mere wisp of a fascinator to decorate their hair a milliner rules over her realm in the Fabhatrix in the heart of the Old Town

Bus lines 15 and 62 will take you in comfort, in half an hour, to the legendary, exquisite Rosslyn Chapel to the south of the city centre. Do you think you will be able to find the Holy Grail that some people think is hidden inside its walls? You can buy expert literature at the Chapel that will do away with many of the myths

The people of Edinburgh have story-telling and music-making in their blood. They celebrate Gaelic culture at the Ceilidh Culture Festival at Easter all washed down with plenty of drink, of course!

They really exist: tights with tartan patterns on the Royal Mile. The square check powder pink model is even quite sexy