Castlehill is the short, steep thoroughfare that forms the summit of the Royal Mile, extending from the Castle Esplanade to the Tolbooth Kirk. Recorded in documents as early as fourteen eighty-seven, this street is one of the oldest…
Edinburgh Royal Mile Walk
This walk follows Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile from the castle gates down to the parliament building. It is the best way to get your bearings and see the city's most famous landmarks in one go.
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1. Castlehill
2. Lawnmarket
The Lawnmarket is defined by a dense row of tall, medieval-style stone tenements and narrow alleyways known as closes that branch off the main thoroughfare. As the oldest section of the Royal Mile, this street served as a bustling open-air…
3. St Giles' Cathedral
The most recognizable feature of St Giles' Cathedral is the stone crown spire that pierces the Edinburgh skyline. Supported by eight flying buttresses, the open shape of this spire is modeled on the royal crown of Scotland. While the…
4. High Street
The High Street is the central section of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, characterized by its narrow, densely packed medieval layout and a skyline dominated by the crown-shaped spire of St Giles’ Cathedral. This thoroughfare has served as the…
5. Tron Kirk Market
The Tron Kirk rises from the Royal Mile as a seventeenth-century stone landmark, instantly recognizable by its prominent octagonal stone spire and the large, arched windows that line its walls. King Charles the First ordered its…
6. The People's Story Museum
The People's Story Museum is housed in the Canongate Tolbooth, a building easily identified by the distinctive clock-topped tower that rises above the north side of the Royal Mile. Constructed in fifteen ninety-one, this stone structure…
7. Canongate Kirk
Canongate Kirk is distinguished by its curvilinear Dutch-style gable, topped by a set of real stag's antlers and a cross. Built between sixteen eighty-eight and sixteen ninety-one, the church was commissioned after King James the Seventh…
8. Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament Building is defined by its low-lying, organic arrangement of interconnected structures, featuring a roofline that resembles upturned boats and concrete, branch-like shapes that appear to sprout from the hillside.…