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Edinburgh
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(United Kingdom)


Auld Reekie has spruced herself up into Britain's most liveable city.

Edinburgh is unique among Scotland's cities. Tourism, its proximity to England, and its multicultural population set it apart. There's up-to-the-nanosecond dance clubs in 15th-century buildings and firebreathers outside Georgian mansions: this is a place that knows how to blend ancient and modern.


Its superb architecture ranges from ancient churches to monumental Victorian masterpieces - all dominated by a castle on a precipitous crag in the city's heart. Pick any street to stroll - you'll be wowed by sudden vistas of looming battlements, cold volcanic peaks and hills steeped in memory.

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To Do & See
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Books
Scotland: A New History 
(Michael Lynch)

A reasonably up-to-date history of the country, extending to the early 1990s.

A Concise History of Scotland 
(Fitzroy Maclean)

An interesting and readable introduction to Scotland's past.

The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson 
(James Boswell)

One of the greatest Scottish travelogues, including visits to Skye, Coll and Mull.

Rob Roy 
(Sir Walter Scott)

Perhaps the best known of Scott's prodigious outpourings.

Kidnapped 
(Robert Louis Stevenson)

A page-turning read set in Edinburgh and Mull.

Whisky Galore 
(Compton Mackenzie)

The humorous tale of what transpires when a cargo of whisky runs aground on a Hebridean island during WWII.

Ring of Bright Water 
(Gavin Maxwell)

Maxwell's works contain evocative descriptions of life among Highland wildlife.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 
(Muriel Spark)

A shrewd portrayal of 1930s Edinburgh.

Trainspotting 
(Irvine Welsh)

This novel takes the reader on a guided tour of Edinburgh's underworld, demonstrating the Scottish flair for making mordant humour out of despair.

Brander's Original Guide to Scotch Whisky 
(Michael Brander)

An excellent introduction to Scotland's national tipple.

44 Scotland St 
(Alexander McCall Smith)

Originally serialised in The Scotsman, this witty collection tells of the lives of various characters living in an Edinburgh house by the billion-selling author.

Rebus's Scotland 
(Ian Rankin)

Edinburgh's best-known crime writer follows in the footsteps of the hard-boiled detective, Rebus, around edinburgh and beyond.

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