Edinburgh – Athens of the North

The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is the country'sAugust. The most popular events in the Edinburgh
second largest city after Glasgow. Located in thefestival include the Edinburgh Fringe which is the largest
south-east of the country, Edinburgh owes its ruggedperforming arts festival in the world, the Edinburgh
setting to many Medieval and Georgian styleComedy Festival which is the largest comedy festival
architecture and is often considered one of the mostin the world, and the Edinburgh International Book
picturesque cities in Europe.Festival. At the time of these festivals the cities are
Edinburgh replaced Scone as the capital of Scotland inusually full with tourists and any accommodation should
1437 and altogether has around 4,500 listed buildings inbe booked way in advanced. However, finding a hotel
the city. A census taken in 2001 noted the populationor Bed and Breakfast in the city shouldn't be too hard.
as 448,625. It's one of Europe's major touristOther notable tourist attractions in the city are
attractions bringing nearly 1 million visitors a year and isEdinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Zoo and some of the
the second most visited destinations in the UK aftermany museums including the Museum of Scotland and
the city of London.the Royal Museum.
Due to the city's vast amount of historic buildings andGetting around in the city is very easy with so much
monuments, Edinburgh is often given the nick namepublic transport available. Many residents of the city
‘Athens of the North'.choose to use the public transport available for every
There are many attractions for tourists in Edinburghday life including the many busses, trains, trams and
and it is notably famous for its festivals. The most welltaxis on offer. Cycling is also big in the city but due to
known of these is the Edinburgh Festival, which is athe city's landscape it can sometimes seem like a
collection of both official and independent festivals thatmountain bike ride.
are held every year over a space of four weeks in