Edinburgh Castle
Built on the plug of an extinct volcano and occupied in some form for around 3,000 years. Book ahead, go early, and take the walk down the Royal Mile afterwards rather than driving.
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Hidden gems in Edinburgh & Lothians
Look up the closes and down the side streets — that's where the independents are
Edinburgh is the most visited part of Scotland and, paradoxically, one of the easiest places to miss what's good. The Royal Mile funnels a million people a year past the same dozen shopfronts, while the businesses actually run by Edinburgh residents sit a hundred metres away up a close, in Leith, in Stockbridge, or out along the coast in Portobello and North Berwick.
The landmarks below are worth your time. So are the towns and neighbourhoods around them — and the independents listed here are in all of them.
Local businesses
Independent businesses in Edinburgh & Lothians
This region is just getting started.
We're still building out this region.
If you run an independent business in Edinburgh & Lothians, a free listing here puts you on the map — literally — for people searching for what you do.
Add your business free
Map
Map of Edinburgh & Lothians
The towns and landmarks of this region. Business pins appear here as listings are added.
Scroll-zoom is off until you click the map, so the page keeps scrolling normally.
Towns & villages
Where to look in Edinburgh & Lothians
Places worth slowing down for in this region. We don't have listings in any of them yet — if you trade in one, you can be the first.
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Edinburgh Old Town
The medieval heart of the city — the Royal Mile, and the closes and courtyards running off it.
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Leith
Edinburgh's port district — the best concentration of independent restaurants in the city.
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Stockbridge
A village-feeling neighbourhood with a Sunday market and a run of independent shops along Raeburn Place.
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Portobello
Edinburgh's seaside — a proper sandy beach and promenade, fifteen minutes from the city centre.
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North Berwick
A coastal town in East Lothian with two beaches, a seabird centre and the Bass Rock offshore.
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South Queensferry
A cobbled high street sitting directly under the three Forth bridges.
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Linlithgow
A loch, a ruined royal palace and a canal basin, half an hour west of the city.
No listings yet
Landmarks
The famous bits
Worth seeing in their own right, and a good way to get your bearings in the region.
The Royal Mile
The spine of the Old Town, running from the castle down to Holyrood. The real interest is in the closes leading off it — narrow, steep, and mostly ignored by the crowds on the main street.
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Edinburgh Castle Gatehouse
The Victorian-era gatehouse flanked by statues of Wallace and Bruce, and the point where the Esplanade crowds funnel in each morning.
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Arthur's Seat
An extinct volcano in the middle of the city, 251 metres up, with the best free view in Edinburgh from the top. Forty-five minutes from the Palace of Holyroodhouse car park if you take the gentler eastern path.
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Palace of Holyroodhouse
The monarch's official residence in Scotland, sitting at the bottom of the Royal Mile with the ruined abbey attached to one side. Open to visitors when the royal family isn't in.
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Calton Hill
A short climb from Princes Street for the classic postcard view back over the Old Town. Crowned by the National Monument — a half-finished Parthenon copy that ran out of money in 1829 and never recovered.
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The Forth Bridge
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the great feats of Victorian engineering — 2.5 kilometres of red cantilevered steel, opened in 1890 and still carrying trains. Best seen from the shore at South Queensferry.
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Rosslyn Chapel
A small 15th-century chapel in Roslin, densely carved inside with foliage, figures and the famous Apprentice Pillar. Seven miles south of Edinburgh and worth the trip for the stonework alone.
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