What to See in Edinburgh

The United Kingdom is divided into 4 parts, and one of the most picturesque parts is Scotland, and especially its capital - Edinburgh. This article contains information about the most interesting places and some tips for tourists.

Edinburgh castle

The center of Edinburgh and its most famous landmark is its castle. This is a huge, ancient structure on the mountain. The entrance to the castle costs £ 16 and the audio guide costs £ 3. History lovers should definitely invest in an audio guide, thanks to which it will be possible to learn a great many interesting facts about the castle. For Russian tourists, it is especially valuable that there is an audio guide in Russian, this is an excellent option for those who are not too confident in their knowledge of English, but are interested in the history of the castle.
The castle houses a museum of the fame of the Royal Scottish Regiment, dating from the history of this formation from the 17th century to the present day. Also, in the castle, it is worth visiting the prison and learning many stories about the most amazing and ridiculous ways to escape from it. An amazing view of the entire city opens from the walls of the castle. And if you come to Edinburgh in August, you can also get to the festival of military bands Militari Tatu.

Pinhole camera

This optical illusion museum is located very close to the Castle. It costs about 12 pounds to enter, but there will be a lot of impressions from the visit. There are distorting mirrors, illusions, and a magnificent observation deck.

Royal Mile

Edinburgh's main street is full of shops, cafes and all kinds of interesting personalities. Here you can meet bagpipers, magicians, and residents, sporting kilts. Mile shops for all tastes, there is a huge number of souvenir shops where you can buy souvenirs for any wallet - from simple magnets to scarves and hats made of natural Scottish wool.
Not a very frequent occurrence in Russia - there are also fan shops here. So, you can find a store in the Warhammer universe, buy a set of collectible figures, books on the universe and many other fan goods. Game of Thrones fans were also involved, and a special store was made for them with armor and weapons from the characters of their favorite TV series. If you want a replica of Sandor Clegane's helmet, there is one for £ 100. Well, for Potter fans, Edinburgh is just a holy place, because only on the Royal Mile there are as many as three shops for true potter fans, where you can find butter beer (not alcohol!), Robes, faculty scarves, magic wands, radio-controlled snitches, the Goblet of Fire, feathers for writing and even the sword of Godric Gryffindor himself.
An important observation - the farther from the castle, the worse the choice of goods, the quality becomes, and the price doubles, so it is best to shop in stores on the top of the mountain, there the staff is more friendly, and an outright fake will not be slipped.

Bobby Monument

Bobby the dog, the symbol of Edinburgh and the hero of postcards and magnets, has a monument erected near the Royal Mile, and every tourist should visit it. The dog must be stroked on the nose. To the right of the monument is the modest cafe The Elephant House. It was here that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter.
National Museum
For a Russian tourist, it will seem unusual due to the fact that historical exhibits, equipment, and giant stuffed animals are mixed in one square. Everything is generously flavored with interactive - panels, touchscreen kiosks, etc., but it will be interesting, most likely, for younger students than for history buffs.

Transport

The well-known double-decker buses in Edinburgh are completely ordinary city transport, so every tourist can safely enjoy a trip in this symbol of Great Britain, but for a Russian tourist you need to know the differences between an English bus and ours.
1. There is only one entrance to the bus - in front. The Scots, unlike the English, are polite people and prefer to line up in advance, and it would be better if you line up with everyone. No one will say anything for breaking the order, but it would be better to show respect for the local residents.
2. There are no conductors in principle. You give the money to the driver, and the passage to the bus is so narrow that you won't be able to get through with a hare.
3. Drivers really don't like it when you stand on the bus, especially if you have blocked the passage, so try to find a free seat and sit down.
4. The Scots love to ride on the second floor, so if the floor is full, you can see the disappointed faces of the Aborigines
5. The buses have free newspapers, which are included in the ticket price. Feel free to take them with you, in Edinburgh everyone comes with newspapers from buses, which are made of fairly high quality paper and are quite impressive in content. They can be brought as a souvenir to friends.
6. It is customary for the Scots, like us, to give way to the elderly, pregnant women and children.
7. Edinburgh has a separate lane for buses, which the vast majority of drivers leave free, so bus passengers are not afraid of traffic jams.

Shops in Edinburgh

They are not much different from the Russian ones. The same products, arrangement, but another name for the usual brands may surprise. For example, chips known in Russia are called "Wallkers" (one-to-one packaging!). The sellers are loyal to tourists and have excellent sign language skills. You can pay with a Russian card with an international payment system. The sellers of the shops on the Royal Mile are extremely emotional - they start talking about the goods on the street, they greet the potential buyer very violently - they shout, wave their hands, etc.

The Scots are very careful about the national cuisine, in any store you can find national cookies (more like waffles). Favorite drink of young people - Irn Brue - kind of forfeits. National food is cheaper than imported food. You should not try hagges - no matter how the sellers persuade, there is nothing good in them (the product is life-threatening! Well, for the psyche, for sure). The taste can be felt by buying hagges flavored chips ...