Scotland · The capital
Few capitals make a first impression like Edinburgh. The city rises in tiers from the medieval Old Town to the elegant Georgian New Town, all of it crowned by a castle on an extinct volcano, and the whole compact center is yours to explore on foot.
The Royal Mile runs like a spine from the castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the real magic is in stepping off it: down the narrow closes and wynds, into a hidden courtyard, a whisky bar or a bookshop where the past feels very close. When you want air and a view, Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill put the entire city and the Firth of Forth at your feet.
Come in August and you arrive in the middle of the world's largest arts festival, the Fringe and the Tattoo together, when every venue and street corner turns into a stage. Come the rest of the year and you get the same atmospheric city at a gentler pace, all woodsmoke, gray stone and golden light.
