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This impressive sandstone gallery stands out from the austere Georgian façades of its New Town neighbours. Pause before entering to admire the statues that encrust its elaborate red sandstone exterior, including figures of philosopher David Hume and economist Adam Smith. A marble statue of Robert Burns presides over the atrium, surrounded by busts of such notables as Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Scottish Inventor James Watt. Upper galleries are dedicated to portraits of bewigged Stuart and Hanoverian grandees of the Enlightenment and the Victorian age. But it’s not all about long-dead aristocrats and their literary figureheads. More vivid and engaging are the rooms dedicated to images of contemporary Scottish movers and shakers such as Scotland’s current makar (poet laureate) Jackie Kay, playwright and painter John Byrne, musician Annie Lennox, and home-grown film stars including Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Karen Gillan, James McAvoy and Katie Leung.

Sir Walter Scott is one of the most important figures in Scottish literature. Born in Edinburgh, Scott initially pursued a legal career but turned to writing full time as his ballads and historical novels began to bring him success. His works looked back to a time of adventure, honour and chivalry, and did much to promote this image of Scotland abroad. In addition to being a much celebrated novelist, Sir Walter was also a major public figure – he organized the visit of King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822. After Scott’s death in 1832, the 61-m- (200-ft-) high Monument was constructed on the south side of Princes Street as a tribute to his life and work. This Gothic tower, designed by George Meikle Kemp, and completed in 1840, has a statue of Sir Walter at its base, sculpted by Sir John Steell. Inside the huge stone structure, 287 steps give access to the upper-most platform, which boasts impressive and far-reaching views across the Forth to Fife.

Greyfriars Kirk occupies a key role in the history of Scotland, as this is where the National Covenant was signed in 1638, marking the Protestant stand against the imposition of an episcopal church by King Charles I. Greyfriars was at that time a relatively new structure, having been completed in 1620 on the site of a Franciscan friary.

Throughout the 17th century the kirkyard was used as a mass grave for executed Covenanters. The kirk also served as a prison for Covenanter forces captured after the 1679 Battle of Bothwell Brig.

The original kirk building was severely damaged by fire in 1845 and was substantially rebuilt. Greyfriars is best known for its association with a little dog called Bobby, who, so the story goes, kept a vigil by his master’s grave from 1858 until his own death in 1872. Bobby’s well-loved statue stands outside Greyfriars Kirk.

This impressive library is not just about books and manuscripts, though it has thousands of each. Its collections also bring Scotland’s past vividly to life through photography and film, postcards, newspapers, diaries, comics, posters and other ephemera on a variety of topics from football and politics to polar exploration. The John Murray Archive is a treasury of travel writing.

Experience Edinburgh

Holyrood Park, adjacent to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, covers over 2.6 sq km (1 sq mile) of varying terrain, topped by a rugged 250-m (820-ft) hill. Known as Arthur’s Seat, the hill is actually a volcano that has been extinct for 350 million years. The area has been a royal hunting ground since at least the time of King David I, who died in 1153, and a royal park since the 16th century.

The name Holyrood, which means “holy cross”, comes from an episode in the life of David I when, in 1128, he was knocked from his horse by a stag while out hunting. Legend has it that a cross appeared miraculously in his hands to ward off the animal and, in thanksgiving, the king founded the Abbey of the Holy Cross, Holyrood Abbey. The name Arthur’s Seat is probably a corruption of Archer’s Seat, a more prosaic explanation for the name than any link with the legendary King Arthur.

The park has three small lochs. St Margaret’s near the Palace is the most romantic, positioned under the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel. Dunsapie Loch is the highest, sitting 112 m (367 ft) above sea level under Arthur’s Seat. On the south side of the park, Duddingston Loch is home to a large number of swans, geese and wildfowl.

The Salisbury Crags are among the park’s most striking features. Their dramatic profile, along with that of Arthur’s Seat, can be seen from many kilometres away. The Crags form a parabola of red cliffs that sweep round and up from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, above a steep supporting hillside. A rough track, called the Radical Road, follows their base.

Known today as Queen Elizabeth II’s official Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse was built by James IV in the grounds of an abbey in 1498. It was later the home of James V and his wife, Mary of Guise, and was remodelled in the 1670s for Charles II. The Royal Apartments (including the Throne Room and Royal Dining Room) are used for investitures and for banquets whenever the Queen visits the palace. A chamber in the so-called James V tower is famously associated with the unhappy reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. It was probably in this room, in 1566, that Mary saw the gruesome murder of her trusted Italian secretary, David Rizzio, authorized by her jealous husband, Lord Darnley. She was six months pregnant at the time.

In the early stages of the Jacobite rising of 1745, the last of the pretenders to the British throne, Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) held court here, dazzling Edinburgh society with his magnificent parties.

Tours are given daily from April to October, or take an audio tour; both are included in the ticket price. The Queen’s Gallery has works from the Royal Collection.

Following decades of Scottish calls for more political self-determination, a 1997 referendum on this issue resulted in a majority “yes” vote. Designed by the late Enric Miralles, known for his work on buildings at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the Parliament building was opened in 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. It’s well worth taking one of the regular tours of this architecturally exciting public building.

In this permanent exhibition about the planet, visitors are taken on a journey from the earth’s volcanic beginnings to the first appearance of life. Further displays cover the world’s climatic zones and dramatic natural phenomena such as tidal waves and earthquakes. State-of-the-art lighting and interactive techniques provide 90 minutes of learning and entertainment.

The exhibition building is fronted by a 1,000-seat stone amphitheatre designed by Sir Michael Hopkins. Situated beneath Salisbury Crags, the modern lines of Our Dynamic Earth contrast sharply with the natural landscape.

A stroll down colourful Victoria Street from George IV Bridge will bring you to the bustling Grassmarket. Lined by restored medieval buildings, restaurants, busy pubs and funky boutiques, it is a hive of activity, particularly during the arts, crafts and street-food market on Saturday. Its pubs were favoured by Robert Burns and the notorious 19th-century “resurrection men” Burke and Hare. The Last Drop pub is opposite the site where public hangings took place until 1784.

Nowhere else in Edinburgh is quite like Stockbridge. Despite gentrification, this urban village straddling the Water of Leith retains its boho vibe, with gastropubs, lively café-bars, and distinctive architecture in the Colonies, built for 19th-century artisans and their families. Vintage stores and small galleries cluster on St Stephen Street, and the Royal Botanic Garden is a short walk from Raeburn Place, Stockbridge’s main thoroughfare.

Mouthwatering street-food aromas drift from Stockbridge Market every Sunday, when you can sample snacks from all over the world and shop for artsy accessories and other unusual trinkets.

Stockbridge Market

⌂ Saunders St # 10am–5pm Sun
∑ stockbridgemarket.com

The Roman Empire once stretched as far as this pretty village of whitewashed houses on the east bank of the River Almond, and you can still see the foundations of a legionary fortress that dates from the 2nd century AD. At low tide you can cross the causeway to Cramond Island – an adventure involving a one-mile-walk to an uninhabited islet where cormorants and other waterfowl roost. From the island’s shores there are views upriver to the three Forth Bridges and across to Fife. World War II-era concrete bunkers are favourite targets for local graffiti artists.

Waterfront rejuvenation is the name of the game in Leith. Linked to the city centre by the broad thoroughfare of Leith Walk, often heralded as the next “up and coming” area, this former seaport has weathered hard times to gradually transform itself into Edinburgh’s most vibrant multi-ethnic community, one that is proud of its roots but looks to the future. Its lively Saturday farmers’ market is a delight for foodies.

Leith is a historic port town that has traded for centuries with Scandinavia, the Baltic States and the Netherlands, and has always been the main trading port for Edinburgh. Although fiercely proud of its independence, it was eventually incorporated into the city in 1920, and now forms a charming north-eastern suburb. The medieval core of narrow streets and quays includes a number of historic warehouses and merchants’ houses dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. There was a great expansion of the docks in the 19th century, and many port buildings date from this period.

Shipbuilding and port activities have diminished, but there has been a renaissance in recent years in the form of conversions of warehouse buildings to offices, residences and, most notably, restaurants and bars. The Shore and Dock Place now has Edinburgh’s most dense concentration of seafood bistros and varied restaurants.

The tourist attractions have been further boosted by the presence of the former Royal Yacht Britannia, the British royal family’s vessel for more than 40 years. After sailing more than a million miles, it is now in Leith’s Ocean Terminal.

Royal Yacht Britannia

" = ⌂ Ocean Terminal, Leith Docks # Daily
∑ royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

Experience Venice

This magnificent garden lies a short way to the north of the New Town, across the Water of Leith river. The garden was founded by two doctors in 1670 as a Physic Garden, near Holyroodhouse and moved to its present location in 1820, to be progressively enlarged and developed. Access from the east is well served by buses; from the west there’s better parking. From its hillside site, there are views across the city.

There is a rock garden in the southeast corner and an indoor exhibition and interpretation display in the northeast corner. Extensive greenhouses in traditional and modern architectural styles offer fascinating hideaways on rainy days. Don’t miss the alpine display to the northwest of the greenhouses, or the beautiful, fragrant rhododendron walk.

This interesting, tranquil area lies in the valley of the Water of Leith, just a short walk northwest of the city centre down Bell’s Brae from Randolph Crescent. A series of water mills along the river has been replaced by attractive buildings of all periods.

A pretty riverside walk threads its way between the historic buildings, crossing the river on a series of footbridges. Downstream, the riverside walkway passes under Thomas Telford’s magnificent high level bridge, via St Bernard’s Well before continuing towards the Royal Botanic Garden.

Since it opened its doors in 1960, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art has amassed some 5,000 pieces dated from 1890 onwards. Here you can find the work of diverse figures such as Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Pop Art trio of Richard Hamilton, David Hockney and Jake Tilson.

The gallery itself occupies two buildings. Modern One is housed in a Neo-Classical building designed by William Burn in 1825. The impressive lawn and sculpture garden at the entrance were designed by Charles Jencks. The Pig Rock Bothy was specially commissioned by the Scottish National Galleries as a designated space for talks, residences, performances and special events. For exhibitions, be sure to check out Modern Two just opposite.

The vast red-painted framework of the Forth Rail Bridge looms over the pretty, old-fashioned town of South Queensferry like a steam-age colossus. This spectacular rail bridge, the first major steel-built bridge in the world, was opened in 1890 and remains one of the greatest achievements of the late Victorian era and was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

You can see the rail bridge from the shore, or from the Maid of the Forth, which sails from South Queensferry to Inchcolm Island, with its ruined medieval abbey. Look out for seals and puffins on the way.

The quaint Queensferry Museum has a fascinating collection that highlights the building of the Forth Bridges, the ferries that carried traffic across the Firth before the opening of the first road bridge, and local history and traditions like the annual Queensferry Fair and the New Year’s Day “Loony Dook” where locals plunge into the icy waters of the Forth.

Maid of the Forth

⌂ Hawes Pier, South Queensferry # Scheduled sailings booked online
∑ maidoftheforth.co.uk

Queensferry Museum

⌂ 53 High St, South Queensferry # 10am–5pm daily
∑ edinburghmuseums.org.uk

For a fun-filled family day out, you can visit Britain’s only giant pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guan. They are undoubtedly the stars of Edinburgh Zoo, but red pandas, meerkats, chimps, pelicans, penguins and hundreds of other mammal, bird and reptile species share the limelight.

Spreading across a vast hillside site south of the city centre, this non-profit zoo places a strong focus on conservation, education and research. Its range of spacious enclosures allow visitors to get close to animals in environments that imitate their natural habitat. Don’t miss the Wee Beasties exhibition, where you can spot smaller reptiles, amphibians and insects, such as the tiny and brilliantly coloured poison dart frog.

An extensive parkland designed in the style of Versailles is the setting for one of Scotland’s finest stately homes. The original house was completed in 1707, and its dignified, horseshoe-shaped plan and lavish interior represent Neo-Classical 18th-century architecture at its best. A highlight of a visit here is the afternoon tea available in the stables tearoom, with the option of upgrading to a champagne tea.