18 Attractions to Explore Near Grassmarket
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Camera Obscura & World of IllusionsCamera Obscura & World of Illusions is a tourist attraction located in Outlook Tower on the Castlehill section of the Royal Mile close to Edinburgh Castle. The original attraction was founded by entrepreneur Maria Theresa Short in 1835 and was exhibited on Calton Hill. Outlook Tower has been a museum since the late 1890s and is currently home to many interactive exhibits, including the original Camera Obscura.
Greyfriars KirkyardGreyfriars Kirkyard is the historic graveyard surrounding the Greyfriars Kirk church, dating to the 1500s, and is rumoured to be among the most haunted graveyards in the world. The parish and graveyard are named for the defunct Franciscan friary on the site whose friars wore grey habits. The graveyard has seen many historic events take place within its grounds and is the site of not only historic resting places but heart-warming tales and bone-chilling ghost stories.
Victoria StreetVictoria Street was built between 1829-34 as part of a series of improvements to the Old Town, with the aim of improving access around the city. Built between 1829 and 1834, this street is the brainchild of architect Thomas Hamilton, the one who masterminded Edinburgh’s network of neo-classical wonders. It was now gently curved and adorned with colourful shopfronts, is indeed a much loved spot for tourist photos, postcards and TV adverts.
Greyfriars KirkGreyfriars Kirk is one of the most famous churches in Edinburgh where you'll find the famous Greyfriars Bobby buried. It is a Protestant church, built between 1602 and 1620, on the former site of a Franciscan monastery, making it one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh Castle is a historic fortress dominating the skyline of Edinburgh. It is located on top of Castle Rock, a volcanic lava rock formed 350 million years ago. Edinburgh Castle is Scotland's most and the United Kingdom's second most-visited paid attraction. The castle has undergone 26 sieges in its 1,100 year history. It is beleived to be the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world.
Gladstone's LandGladstone's Land is a surviving 17th-century high-tenement house situated in the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular tourist attraction. it is now a house-museum that explores in detail how the city’s residents lived in the Old Town over 400 years ago. Currently, six of its rooms are open to the public and all include original items from the 1600s, antiques and period decoration.
The Writers' MuseumThe Writers’ Museum, housed in Lady Stair's House at the Lawnmarket, on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, presents the lives of three of the foremost Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Run by the City of Edinburgh Council, the collection includes portraits, works and personal objects. Beside the museum lies the Makars' Court, the country's emerging national literary monument.
National Library of ScotlandThe National Library of Scotland is Scotland's largest library, with over 30 million physical items in our world-class collections. Since 1925, our responsibility has been to record, preserve, and share the memories of Scotland's people and their significant, lasting contributions to the world. To do this, we collect and care for Scotland's knowledge, history, and culture — everything from rare historical documents to leaflets and shopping catalogues.
Princes Street GardensPrinces Street Gardens is one of the most important urban parks situated in the heart of Edinburgh. It separates the Old Town from the New Town. The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, beginning in the 1760s. The Gardens are the best known parks in Edinburgh, having the highest awareness and visitor figures for both residents and visitors to the city.
St Margaret's ChapelSt Margaret's Chapel, in Edinburgh Castle, is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, Scotland.[1] An example of Romanesque architecture, it is a category A listed building. As you will see, the chapel is a small building, found in the upper levels of the castle, and was used for prayer by the Scottish Royal Family. It is very simply designed inside, and the chancel arch is still the original structure.
Greyfriars Bobby StatueThe statue of a floppy-eared Skye terrier has been sitting at the top of Candlemaker Row since 1873. Usually a flurry of camera-clicking tourists marks the spot. The dog, of course, is the world-famous Greyfriars Bobby. The statue is mounted on a polished column of granite, 3 feet high and 20 inches in diameter, above a polished granite basin 3 feet in diameter, mounted on a plinth, with an octagonal drinking trough at ground level.
National Museum of ScotlandThe National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture, and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum. It incorporates the collections of the former National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. As well as the national collections of Scottish archaeological finds and medieval objects, the museum contains artifacts from around the world, encompassing geology, archaeol
Museum on the MoundThe Museum on the Mound focuses on the history of the Bank of Scotland as well as the history of numismatics, which is the study of physical money. The permanent collection includes artefacts tracing the history of the Bank of Scotland since its foundation in 1695, paintings and architectural models of the Head Office building on the Mound, and the history of banking and building societies in Britain. It has more than 50,000 visitors per year.
National War MuseumThe National War Museum, situated within Edinburgh Castle, is Scotland’s national war museum reflecting over 400 years of Scotland at war. It has collection features, as well as the typical military items, traditional Scottish clothing worn during the battles, personal items belonging to the soldiers, and letters sent home from the battlegrounds on distant lands.
Scottish National GalleryThe Scottish National Gallery is one of Scotland’s top free visitor attractions. It houses Scotland’s national collection of fine art from the early Renaissance to the end of the nineteenth century. The gallery comprises two main buildings, the National Gallery of Scotland building and the Royal Scottish Academy building, both designed in neoclassical style by William Henry Playfair.
St Giles' CathedralSt Giles’ Cathedral, built on an ancient sanctuary built during the ninth century. The temple is dedicated to St Giles, patron saint of the lepers. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the addition of the Thistle Chapel. St Giles' is closely associated with many events and figures in Scottish history, including John Knox, who served as the church's minister a
The MoundThe Mound is an artificial steep hill that connects the Edinburgh New Town and Old Town in the city centre. It was formed by dumping around 1,501,000 cartloads of earth excavated from the foundations of the New Town into Nor Loch which was drained in 1765 and forms today's Princes Street Gardens. Some of Edinburgh's most notable buildings and institutions have their premises on the Mound, including the National Gallery of Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy, the spires of New College and so mor
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GrassmarketThe Grassmarket is one of the oldest parts of the city, and although the architecture has changed the layout of its open space retains its historic character. It was used as a market from the 14th century, with cattle fairs, horse fairs and corn being bought and sold in its wide open space. But this also made it suitable for public executions, with the last hanging taking place here in 1784.