Edinburgh is not the largest city in the UK, but it’s second only to London in popularity. Yes, almost everyone knows its main attractions, such as the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, and the National Museum of Scotland. However, the interesting places in Edinburgh don’t end there.
Both in and around the city you will find many other less popular sights, and if you hire a car, you can easily find them. So, pick up Easirent Edinburgh Airport hire car right after arriving and start your exciting trip. You will be happy to discover another side of the Scottish capital with its cultural treasures, incredible architecture, and wildlife in the suburbs. Here everyone will find something to their liking, and the rich history and local flavor will make anyone feel like a hero of a fairy tale. If you are ready, then hire a car and drive towards adventure!
The Royal Botanic Gardens
The fans of parks, gardens, landscape design, and exotic plants should definitely visit one of the largest and finest botanical gardens in the UK. It offers a rock garden with a waterfall, a Chinese garden with a large collection of Asian plants, 11 greenhouses with tropical plants and palms, and much more.
The Royal Botanic Gardens are beautiful at any time of the year, especially in spring, when the alleys are covered with blooming rhododendrons and azaleas. The Botanical Garden is popular not only among travellers but also locals. Indeed, it’s a great place to take a walk or have a picnic on the grass under the shade of huge trees.
South Queensferry
South Queensferry is a well-preserved fishing village with narrow, cobbled medieval streets and stunning bay views. It’s located a 15-20-minute drive from the centre of Edinburgh, so car hire is the easiest and fastest way to get there.
There are many colorful pubs and restaurants in the old houses along the main street. There you can sample Scottish cuisine and enjoy a whiskey tasting. At the same time, the embankment is a good place to walk along the bay of the Fort River.
By the way, several companies in South Queensferry offer boat trips around the bay and to the historic Inchcolm Island. You can order one if you want. In addition, the embankment provides panoramic views of the grandiose engineering structure of the 19th century – the railway bridge over the Firth of Forth. This is another reason to hire a car and drive to South Queensferry.
Arthur’s Seat
King Arthur Mountain rises above Edinburgh and gives the city a unique look. Every day, dozens of travellers climb the 251-meter-high peak of the mountain, offering panoramic views of Edinburgh, the North Sea, and the Firth of Forth.
You can reach the top of King Arthur’s Mountain through Holyrood Park, which begins behind Holyrood Palace. There’s only one road around King Arthur Mountain. The path to the top of the mountain starts from the road on the east side of the hill.
Holyrood Park itself looks like a miniature Scotland. It occupies a very small area with a surprisingly wide variety of landscapes – hills, rocks, swamps, gorges, lakes, and fields. Sometimes you can even see sheep grazing there.
Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo covers a large area on a green hill near the centre of Edinburgh. The top of the hill offers great views of Edinburgh and the surrounding area.
Generally, the zoo has over 1,500 animals in its collection, including white rhinos, pygmy hippos, and chimpanzees. The largest penguin colony at Edinburgh Zoo also delights visitors with penguin parades that take place daily at 2:15 pm.
The zoo’s celebrities are undoubtedly the two pandas that the zoo rents from China. Edinburgh Zoo features uniquely designed animal habitats and viewing platforms for visitors. So this is definitely one of the best places to visit in the Scottish capital.
Museum of Childhood
The Museum of Childhood is one of Edinburgh’s few free attractions sitting on the Royal Mile. The collection of children’s toys dating back to the antique period spans four floors and includes many interesting and sometimes even strange exhibits.
Among the old dollhouses, teddy bears, and children’s railways, it’s hard not to feel nostalgia for a time free from electronic games. Many visitors to the museum find in the collection long-forgotten toys that they themselves played in childhood.
A separate part of the museum is dedicated to toys and children’s games in the Scottish Highlands. The museum also has a playroom where children can play with replicas of antique toys.
Mary King’s Close
Mary King’s Close is probably one of the most unique of all the local sights. This is the so-called lost underground city in Edinburgh. During the Middle Ages, when Edinburgh was a terribly overpopulated city, dozens of families lived, worked, and even kept cows in these basements. Many inhabitants of these cellars died during the plague epidemic in the 17th century.
For a long time, these cellars were empty, as no one wanted to live in these cellars. Why? Many believed that they were full of the ghosts of people who died during the plague. All these dark, narrow, streets under modern Edinburgh have remained almost untouched. Therefore, this is a great place to discover the mystical secrets of the underground city.
Leave a Reply