INTRODUCTION

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest city in Scotland and the seventh-most popular in the United Kingdom.Geographically Edinburgh's location is the eastern side of Scotland. Edinburgh has a population of approximately 448,624. And the land approximately covers an area of 665 square miles. The city attracts 1 million overseas visitors a year, making it the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.

MONEY

The UK currency is the pound sterling (£), with 100 pence (p) to a pound. 'Quid' is a slang term for pound. Euros are accepted in Scotland only at some major tourist attractions and a few upmarket hotels - it's always better to have cash in sterling.

WEATHER

The climatic conditions are cold in winters with heavy rain falls and the summers are not cold but cool. The winter season starts from November and remains up to March having temperature ranges from 0 to -10 degrees.

WEATHER

May, June and September are generally the best months for dry, sunny weather, but you can expect rain at any time. The weather changes quickly, too - a rainy morning can often be followed by a sunny afternoon.

AREAS OF EDINBURGH

Edinburgh is divided mainly in four areas: Old town, New town, South side and Leith.

MUSEUMS

Edinburgh is home to a large number of museums, many of which are national institutions. These include:

• The Museum of Scotland.

• National War Museum

of Scotland

MUSEUMS

• Museum of Childhood

• The Royal Society

of Edinburgh

BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS

• Edinburgh Castle

• St Giles' Cathedral • (William Burn, 1829-33) Royal Mile

• The Cathedral of St. Mary (Sir George Gilbert Scott, 1873-79 ; Scott 1890-91; Scott (son) 1913-17) Palmerston Place.

BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS

• Calton Hill

The Mercat Cross – 1885- High Street (Royal Mile)

• Walter Scott Monument

(George Meikle Kemp1841-44)

Princess Street Gardens

BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS

• Scottish Parliament Designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles

• Royal Botanic Garden. Very impressive gardens with a collection of interesting plants.

BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS

Edinburgh Zoo. Watch the world famous Penguin

Parade.

• Rosslyn Chapel.

This chapel, featured in

"The Da Vinci Code" novel and film.

EDINBURGH´S FESTIVALS

• Edinburgh International Festival — The original and "official" festival consisting of classical and contemporary theatre, opera, music, dance, visual arts, talks and workshops.

• Edinburgh Fringe — Started life as a small scale "fringe" event to the EIF, but is now the largest of all the festivals and indeed the largest arts festival in the world. Includes theatre, comedy, music, musicals, dance and children's shows.

EDINBURGH´S FESTIVALS

• Edinburgh International Film Festival or EIFF (1947) was traditionally held in August but, from 2008 is being held in late June.

• Edinburgh Military Tattoo (1950)

EDINBURGH´S FESTIVALS

• Other notable events include the Hogmanay street party (31 December), Burns Night (25 January), St. Andrew's Day (30 November), and the Beltane Fire Festival (30 April).

SPORTS IN EDINBURGH

The most popular sports in Edinburgh are Football, Rugby and Cricket.

SPORTS IN EDINBURGH

Edinburgh has two professional football clubs - Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian. They are known locally as Hibs and Hearts and both teams currently play in the Scottish Premier League.

SPORTS IN EDINBURGH

Edinburgh's professional rugby team, Edinburgh Rugby, play in the Celtic League at Murrayfield. It is the largest capacity stadium in Scotland.

By: Ana Mª Peinado

2009/2010