Royal Mile, what to see and do in the heart of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Visit Edinburgh Is synonymous with visit the Royal Mile.

En Edinburgh You have to differentiate between the area where the oldest part of the city sits, at the top of the hill, from the area where the more modern city extends.

La medieval city It is located at the top of a hill, and its great central axis is the Royal Mile, a street that has a length of one Scottish mile (1,8 kilometers).

This street part of palace of holyroodhouse and climb to the top of the hill until you reach the great Edinburgh castle.

For its part, the modern city of edinburgh, which surrounds the entire hill of the medieval city, has as its main street Princes street,

Precisely the park that extends next to Princes street It is a highly recommended place to enjoy very beautiful panoramic views of the medieval city.

What to see and do on Edinburgh's Royal Mile

When in your trip to edinburgh you arrive at the Royal Mile, you will be pleasantly surprised by the medieval style of all the houses that surround this main street of the old city.

In addition to numerous monuments and historical buildings, you will also find a succession of beautiful corners, passages and alleys.

La Edinburgh's Royal Mile It is historically divided into four zones.

The Hub, home of the Edinburgh International Festival

The upper part of the Royal Mile is known as Castle hill, and it is the section that descends from the Edinburgh castle to the small square where the building is located The Hub.

It is easy to recognize the Hub when you get to the Royal Mile for its tall needle tower of unmistakable Gothic style that rises above all the buildings in its surroundings,

In fact, it is the highest in the medieval city of Edinburgh, and its shape leads us to think that we will find a church or a cathedral there.

But in reality it is a quite special building because, to begin with, the Edinburgh Hub It is not a medieval building since it was built just over 150 years ago, specifically in 1845.

Initially named as Victoria Hall, was intended to be the administrative headquarters of the Church of scotland and, at the same time, an assembly hall.

But in 1929, with the reunification of the churches of scotland, the new common headquarters was established in another building on the nearby hill of TheMound, between the medieval city and the modern city of Edinburgh.

Later, in 1959, the building was renamed St John's Church, which acquired some fame for giving religious services in the Gaelic language, used in Scotland along with English.

Finally, in 1995 it was acquired by the organization of the Edinburgh International Festival, and after a complete interior remodeling, in 1999 it was opened again, now as the administrative headquarters of said festival.

The result is that when you head towards the spectacular needle tower of the hub Thinking that we are going to visit a church, upon entering its interior you find yourself in front of very modern offices with a very colorful aesthetic design.

Precisely there are the ticket offices where you can buy tickets for the aforementioned shows. international Festival.

Inside the building there is also a large convention hall, with capacity for 420 people, a couple of small concert halls, and even a coffee with its outdoor terrace.

In fact, the hub It is widely used as a venue for conventions and conferences, as well as for celebrating weddings.

Lawnmarket and Gladstone Land Medieval House

The next section of the Royal Mile is known as Lawn Market, which in the past was a fabric market.

When you pass through this area you will see that it has not lost its history commercial environment, although now with a totally tourist orientation.

In this section of Lawn Market for the Royal Mile you will find a succession of shops remembrances, pubs and cafes, and even heavy double-decker tour bus traffic.

In this area you can also visit the historic Gladstones Land medieval house.

Hihg Street and St. Giles Cathedral

The next section of the Edinburgh's Royal Mile is known as High Street, and that is where several historical buildings are concentrated.

The central point is the parliament square, with the building of the old Scottish Parliament, which was in force between the years 1640 and 1707.

But, above all, in this square the St. Giles Cathedral. the most important religious building in Scotland.

The origins of the cathedral date back to the 9th century, with subsequent extensions to the building.

It is the place where in the mid-16th century the preacher john knox gave the sermon reform which led to the founding of the Scottish Presbyterian Church.

Fringe Festival on the Royal Mile

Si visits Edinburgh in August, it is in this section of High Street where you will enjoy all the street activities that take place during the Fringe festival.

In this alternative festival to the most sumptuous international festivals. With more than 60 years of history, the Edinburgh Fringe It presents more than two thousand shows that take place on more than 200 stages.

It not only includes theatrical performances, with comedies or dramas, but also offers a wide variety of shows, such as dance, music or even shows for children.

Many of these Shows consist of Services, or they have a very cheap price, less than 10 euros, as an alternative to the official shows, which are much more restricted and much more expensive.

If you get to Edinburgh in the first week of August, then you will see that the central part of the Royal Mile, in the section of High Street, has been closed to road traffic and throughout the day there is a veritable whirlwind of young artists who in a very imaginative way are promoting their Fringe shows.

On your walk you will be inundated with brochures inviting you to attend different performances.

But in addition, and especially in the afternoon, along with this great cultural promotion, numerous street artists are dedicated to giving their very varied performances, from music to magic, and even jugglers' performances.

The consequence is that Edinburgh, without a doubt, is the city in northern Europe with the greatest street atmosphere during the month of August, which makes it a great center of tourist attraction for youth.

In fact, since Official International Festival There has always been the feeling that visitors to Edinburgh think that the real international festival is the one they see promoted on the street, the Fringe. Actually, there are reasons to create this confusion.

Medieval John Knox House

Continuing with your walk along the Royal Mile, a little further down, where the Tron Kirk, begins the section of the Royal Mile known as Canongate.

Here the medieval houses of John Knox House y Morocco Land.

In particular, the John Knox House is considered as the oldest house in the medieval city.

Built in the year 1490 , this house is known by the name of john knox because the preacher who founded the presbyterian church as a rejection of Scottish Protestant Church, and who historically was faced with Mary I, Queen of Scots.

john knox He lived in that house in 1572 for a very short period of time, until he died there at the end of that same year.

Located halfway between Edinburgh castle and Royal Palace Holyroodhouse, externally it will catch your attention due to its great charm, with very characteristic shapes and a clear medieval style.

But you will see that at the same time it is a very well-kept building, which is due to a recent remodeling.

As happens in other medieval houses in the city, the interior of the John Knox House It has become a history Museum local, where various memories of their daily life are displayed.

The Visiting hours for the medieval John Knox House They are, Monday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m., with last access one hour before closing.

The John Knox House ticket prices are, adults, 8,10 euros; children over 7 years old, 1,75 euros; and free pass for children under 7 years old.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

From here, the street descends towards the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and when you reach it, you will have already completed your entire journey along this Scottish mile in which the Royal Mile extends.

Tours and guided visits on the Royal Mile

Regarding your trip, if instead of making your visit on your own you prefer to be accompanied by a guide in spanish, here you have the information to sign up for the guided tour of Edinburgh.

Lasting three hours, the main focus of the visit will be the Royal Mile, its monuments and corners.

And if you like the theme of mysteries and ghosts, here you have information about the Edinburgh Underground Ghost Tour, which takes place in the underworld of the Royal Mile.