The Edinburgh Portal
Welcome! — Fàilte! — Walcome!
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View across Calton Hill monuments to Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. -
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Old town Skyline. -
Edinburgh panorama from Calton Hill, early evening . -
Edinburgh castle and Balmoral Hotel clock tower at night. -
Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags, part of Holyrood Park.
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Edinburgh (/ˈɛdɪnbərə/ ⓘ Scots: [ˈɛdɪnbʌrə]; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann [ˌt̪un ˈeːtʲən̪ˠ]) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. The city is located in south-east Scotland, and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth estuary and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in mid-2020, making it the second-most populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area has a population of 912,490.
Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is the seat of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, the highest courts in Scotland, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. It is also the annual venue of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scottish law, literature, philosophy, the sciences and engineering. The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582 and now one of three in the city, is considered one of the best research institutions in the world. It is the second-largest financial centre in the United Kingdom, the fourth largest in Europe, and the thirteenth largest internationally.
The city is a cultural centre, and is the home of institutions including the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. The city is also known for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, the latter being the world's largest annual international arts festival. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate, and the extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th/19th centuries. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has been managed by Edinburgh World Heritage since 1999. The city's historical and cultural attractions have made it the UK's second-most visited tourist destination, attracting 4.9 million visits, including 2.4 million from overseas in 2018. (Full article...)
Selected location article
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Victoria Quay (VQ) (Cidhe Bhictòria in Scottish Gaelic) is a Scottish Government building situated in Leith, Edinburgh, relatively close to the HRY Britannia museum ship. (Full article...)
Selected images
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View over Edinburgh -
Two Edinburgh Trams seen at the West End - Princes Street stop -
The Princes Street Gardens, the best known park in Edinburgh -
The National Monument of Scotland (right) and Nelson Monument (left) -
The Castle Rock -
The High Street, part of the Royal Mile -
The Dean Gallery, part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art -
Edinburgh (from Salisbury Crags) by William Crozier, a painter associated with The Edinburgh School -
Scottish baronial-style turrets on Victorian tenements in St. Mary's Street -
Architecture in Edinburgh -
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle -
The ruins of Holyrood Abbey -
David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist born in Edinburgh in 1711 -
Charlotte Square, a garden square in the New Town -
Sir Walter Scott -
Ratho Park Golf Club -
View looking west along George Street -
The BT building in Edinburgh Park -
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The Governor's House -
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Fountain at Holyrood Palace -
Jenners Department Store, the oldest department store in Scotland -
Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland -
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St Giles' Cathedral, the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh -
Queensferry Crossing road bridge -
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City Observatory, the Gothic Tower
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Selected transportation article
The Edinburgh Tram inquiry was a public inquiry, chaired by Lord Hardie, that was held in Edinburgh to establish why the Edinburgh Trams project incurred delays, cost more than originally budgeted and delivered significantly less than was projected. Its report, which was published in September 2023, put much of the blame for the delays and cost overruns on Edinburgh Council and on various arms-length companies employed by the council, singling out Transport Initiatives Edinburgh for particular criticism.
Due to the inquiry's own long delay and mounting costs, it was accused of turning into a "bigger scandal than the one it was set up to look into in the first place". (Full article...)
Selected area article
Seafield is a coastal strip situated on the Firth of Forth between Leith and Portobello in north-east Edinburgh, Scotland. The area is mainly commercial, and has little housing.
The area is home to Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, which cares for around 150 of Edinburgh and the Lothians' lost and abandoned cats and dogs. (Full article...)
Selected environment article
Duddingston Loch is a lake, or freshwater loch, in Edinburgh. It is one of the last two remaining natural lochs within the city, the other being Lochend Loch. It is situated to the south of Holyrood Park and lies southwest of the village of Duddingston. (Full article...)
Did you know?
- ... that Prince Philip was the first member of the British royal family to fly in a helicopter?
- ... that George Parks was president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and his son Rowan Parks became president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh?
Selected arts article
The Scotsman is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its parent company, National World, also publishes the Edinburgh Evening News. It had an audited print circulation of 8,762 for July to December 2022. Its website, Scotsman.com, had an average of 138,000 unique visitors a day as of 2017. The title celebrated its bicentenary on 25 January 2017. (Full article...)
Selected education article
The Transport Research Institute (TRI) is a transportation science facility at Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Full article...)
Selected sports article
Myreside Stadium is a sports ground in Edinburgh, Scotland. Often simply known as Myreside, Watsonians RFC have used this venue on the east side of Myreside Road as their home ground for rugby union matches since 1933. Edinburgh Rugby used it for some home matches 1996–2002 an again in 2017 and 2018; this included Pro12, later Pro14 and European Rugby Challenge Cup matches. A main stand is positioned along the west side of the grass pitch, with floodlights around the ground. Ahead of the Edinburgh Rugby team's return to play home matches at the stadium, temporary stands were installed to increase seating capacity to 13,799. (Full article...)
Selected religion article
Edinburgh Central Mosque (officially known as the King Fahd Mosque and Islamic Centre of Edinburgh) is located on Potterrow near the University of Edinburgh central area and the National Museum of Scotland. The mosque and Islamic centre was designed by Dr. Basil Al Bayati, and took more than six years to complete at a cost of £3.5M. The main hall can hold over one thousand worshippers, with women praying on a balcony overlooking the hall. The mosque holds chandeliers and a vast carpet, with very little furniture.
The architecture combines traditional Islamic features with some Scots baronial style. (Full article...)
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