A view of Edinburgh Castle, seen from the top of a grassy knoll, is transfixed in a navy sky illuminated by the crackle of fireworks, as music from the Edinburgh festival sinks into the surrounding valleys. The summer months in Edinburgh are packed with festivals, and a stroll away from the hill and towards the excitement could draw you closer to celebrations of anything: from world music, to international foods, to books inspired by Scotland and the literati of Edinburgh.

The following morning an entirely different experience rises with the evaporating dew: the opportunity to see the rolling hills, and mountains sprinkled with houses and sheep, that surround a city decorated with both medieval and neoclassical architecture. Get lost in the maze of medieval buildings of the Old Town during the day, and in the evening stumble into, and out of, the late night pubs in Auld Reekie, known for its partying and mockery of the northern elite. The chilled evening air after a night of drinking brings calm over the city as high heels echo on the cobbled stone streets and an almost empty Princes St. Gardens is seen at its barest below a sapphire sky.

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The best things to do in Edinburgh

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