Royal Mile Historic Core

The Witches' Well is a bronze fountain set into the stone wall at the lower end of the Castle Esplanade, just below Edinburgh Castle. It features a decorative relief of a snake curled around the heads of the Greek goddess of health,…

The Hub is marked by a tall, octagonal Gothic spire that reaches seventy-one point seven meters, making it the highest point in central Edinburgh. It sits at the top of the Royal Mile at the junction of Castlehill, Johnston Terrace, and…

Gladstone's Land is a six-storey tenement building on the Royal Mile that you can identify by the golden sculpture of a hawk clutching a mouse hanging above the entrance. Built in fifteen fifty, the house underwent a major redevelopment in…

Lady Stair’s Close consists of a flagstoned courtyard accessed from the Lawnmarket. The property features a seventeenth-century style townhouse built with steep gables, ornate stonework, and a turret. This building underwent a…

The Heart of Midlothian is a heart-shaped mosaic formed of red and grey granite stones set directly into the pavement of the Royal Mile, just outside the west door of Saint Giles' Cathedral. It marks the exact location where the door to…

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…

The Mercat Cross is an eight-sided stone structure topped by a pillar and a crowned unicorn, the national animal of Scotland. It stands in Parliament Square, next to Saint Giles' Cathedral, where it serves as the official site for royal…

The John Knox House is distinguished by a timber gallery that projects over the High Street, a signature feature of Edinburgh’s medieval architecture. Built in the late fifteenth century, the house is a rare survivor from a time when the…