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Visitors to Edinburgh will never be bored. By day, you can stroll through world-ranking art galleries and museums, indulge in some serious retail therapy in internationally renowned shops, or walk back in time on the historic Royal Mile. By night, you can choose from a wealth of theatres, cafes, clubs, restaurants or even a torch-lit tour of the city's most infamous ghosts.
Nor is Edinburgh called the Festival City lightly, as its incredible calendar of annual events clearly shows.
There are simply so many different things to see and do that the challenge is not what to do but how to fit it all in!
Edinburgh regularly features in surveys of the top cities to visit in Europe and one of the main reasons why it is such an appealing destination is the quality and diversity of its attractions.
Whatever your particular interest, from art and architecture to wildlife and whisky Edinburgh promises an unrivalled selection of galleries, museums, castles, cathedrals, zoos, gardens and interpretation centres that are guaranteed to entertain and inspire, inform and enthuse.
The last decade has seen an upsurge in style, sophistication and good taste in Edinburgh's cafés and restaurants. Café culture has hit the centre of the city, with tables spilling onto the pavements in the summer, and this has been matched by the rise of a clutch of original, upmarket and stylish restaurants, many identifying their cuisine as contemporary or modern Scottish and championing top-quality meat, game and fish. As with most large cities in Britain, the culinary map of Edinburgh is colourful and global, with long-established Chinese, Indian and Mexican places competing with Thai, Japanese, North African and Spanish cuisine.
Variety of Eating Experiences
Generally, small diners and bistros predominate, many adopting a casual French style and offering good-value set menus. Traditional Scottish cooking can still be found at some of the more formal restaurants, and inevitably some tourist-oriented places offer haggis and other classic dishes. Edinburgh excels in vegetarian restaurants, including a couple of classic Indian vegetarian places, and seafood - it's long been a speciality of the Leith waterfront, and you'll now also find a number of great seafood bistros in the centre of town.
Restaurant Times
Most of Edinburgh's restaurants serve from 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm and 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm, and many are closed at least one day a week - it's worth checking before heading out on a Sunday or Monday. During the Festival the majority of restaurants keep longer hours, but they are also much busier. Many pubs also serve food, either in the bar itself or an attached restaurant.
Drinking
Many of Edinburgh's pubs, especially in the Old Town, have histories that stretch back centuries, while others, particularly in the New Town, are unaltered Victorian or Edwardian period pieces. Add a plentiful supply of trendy modern bars, and there's a variety of styles and atmospheres to cater for all tastes.
The standard licensing hours are 11.00 am - 11.00 pm (12.30 pm - 11.00 pm on Sundays), but many honest howffs stay open later and, during the Festival especially, it's no problem to find bars open till at least 1.00 am.
Any mention of culture and Edinburgh in the same sentence usually focuses on the world's largest celebration of the arts, the Edinburgh Festival which for the best part of every August completely transforms the capital. But there's much more to the cultural scene in Edinburgh than this. The city boasts a host of theatres, cinemas, galleries and dance and music venues offering a rich and vibrant year-round calendar of drama, comedy, performance, music, film and art events that cater for just about every possible taste.
Vibrant Nightlife
Inevitably, Edinburgh's nightlife is at its best during the Festival which can make the other 49 weeks of the year seem like an anticlimax. However, at any time of the year, the city has plenty to offer, especially in the realm of theatre and music.
The nightclub scene is lively, with some excellent venues hosting a changing selection of one-nighters. In the bigger venues, you may find different clubs taking place on each floor. Most of the city-centre clubs stay open till around 3.00 am. While you can normally hear live jazz, folk and rock every evening in one or other of the city's pubs, for the really big rock events, ad hoc venues - such as the Castle Esplanade or Murrayfield Stadium - are often pressed into service. The city has permanent venues large enough to host large touring orchestras and ballet companies; elsewhere you can also uncover a lively comedy club and a couple of excellent art house cinemas.
Despite the spread of the big chains, it's still possible to track down some characterful and unusual shops in central Edinburgh.
High-street Shopping
Princes Street, one of Britain's most famous shopping streets, is all-but dominated by standard chain outlets, though no serious shopper should miss out on a visit to Edinburgh's venerable department store, Jenners, at 48 Princes Street, opposite the Scott Monument. More fashionable upmarket shops and boutiques are to be found on parallel George Street, while Rose Street, the lane between Princes and George streets, has a collection of rather more independent, interesting shops. Central Edinburgh's two big shopping malls, Princes Mall and the St James Centre, are dominated by the big names.
Speciality Shopping
For more original outlets, head for Cockburn Street, a hub for trendy clothes and record shops, while on Victoria Street and in and around the Grassmarket you'll find an eclectic range of antique and arts and crafts shops plus some antiquarian booksellers. Along and around the Royal Mile there are several distinctly offbeat places among the usual souvenir sellers. For antique shops, the two best areas are St Stephen Street in Stockbridge and Causewayside in Southside.
After a hard session of full-on partying or total immersion in the arts and cultural extravaganza that Edinburgh is famed for, it's good to change gear completely and get physical. Whether you want to watch someone else's efforts or take part yourself, the capital offer visitors a number of interesting options.
Football
Edinburgh has two top-flight teams competing in Scotland's Premier League who normally play at their respective home grounds on alternate weekends. Heart of Midlothian (known as Hearts) play at Tynecastle Stadium, Gorgie Road (t: 0131-200 7201), a couple of miles west of the centre; Hibernian (or Hibs) play at Easter Road Stadium (t: 0131-661 1895), a similar distance northeast of the centre. Between them, the two clubs dominated Scottish football in the 1950s, but neither has won more than the odd trophy since, though one or the other periodically threatens to make a major breakthrough.
The best swimming/ indoor sports centres
The best golf courses
Other sports facilities
The best walks in the city
Easy walks outside the city
The best beaches
The best views of the city
Rugby
Scotland's international fixtures are played at Murrayfield Stadium, a couple of miles west of the city centre. The major international tournaments staged here are the Autumn international tests where Scotland takes on the cream of the southern hemisphere and the Six Nations where Scotland competes with England, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy each February/March. Phone the stadium on 0131-346 5000 for advice on ticket sales, but be warned that tickets can be very hard to come by for the big games.
The capital also boasts it's own professional rugby team, Edinburgh Rugby, 'The Gunners', who compete in the Celtic League at Murrayfield against teams from Wales and Ireland. Phone the stadium on 0131 346 5252 for details of upcoming fixtures.
Golf
Edinburgh is awash with fine golf courses, but most of them are private. The best public courses are the two on the Braid Hills (t: 0131-447 6666); others are Carrick Knowe (t: 0131-337 1096), Craigentinny (t: 0131-554 7501) and Silverknowes (t: 0131-336 3843).
Other Activities
Edinburgh has a number of public swimming pools ranging from international standard down to the very quaint Victorian-era community pools. There are also gyms and sports centres, artificial ski slopes, pony trekking centres, ice-rinks, tennis courts and one of the best outdoor climbing and adventure sports complexes anywhere in the UK, The Adventure Centre at Ratho. But if you're looking for something less robust, there are also a great range of walks of varying standards on the outskirts of the city.
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