🇬🇧 Scotland
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe — a compact medieval and Georgian capital built on volcanic rock above the Firth of Forth, with a castle on an extinct volcano as its centrepiece. Scotland's capital (population 550,000) is simultaneously ancient and electric: the Royal Mile connects Edinburgh Castle (founded 12th century) to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the Queen's Scottish residence) through a continuous layer of closes, wynds and courtyards hiding bars, whisky shops and subterranean vaults. The New Town (18th century Georgian grid, UNESCO) is one of the finest examples of planned urban architecture in the world. And every August, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe — the world's largest arts festival — transforms the city into something that has to be experienced to be believed.