Edinburgh is vast in terms of the places to visit and things to do, so perhaps it is better if I stick to what I loved the most. It is difficult but I will try. Starting with a place that is the heart of the city. Princess Street is a mile long street with many many shopping and eating opportunities on one side and impressive gardens on the other. The Princess Street Gardens are a welcome green paradise in the otherwise 'hustle and bustle' shopping area. We found the gardens a great place to relax, stroll or play with our toddler in the colorful play area. The gardens offer a majestic view of the Edinburgh Castle which makes for an amazing sight. There are many parks and green areas in Edinburgh; another one of our favorites being The Meadows.

Then there is Arthurs Seat, one of the many volcanoes Edinburgh is surrounded by. Yes you read right...volcanoes, of course, thankfully, extinct volcanoes. Now it has become a nice little hill giving ample trekking opportunities for those who wish to get some panoramic views of the area. On a side note, the word 'panorama'  was first used by the Irish painter Robert Barker to describe his panoramic paintings of Edinburgh. Interesting, right? We climbed up a couple of times, taking the easier route considering we had a toddler to cater to, but there are more difficult treks possible too. The view from the top is heavenly and you can see many landmarks of the city including a perfect aerial view of the Palace of Holyrood, the Queen's residence when she visits.

I also cannot forget our trip to the Edinburgh zoo. Apart from the fact that it is a haven for animal lovers with many different species of animals and birds including zebras and penguins among others, it is also the only zoo I have seen that is built on a hill. You need to wear your best walking shoes when you visit as you will have a full week's worth of workout while touring the zoo. It was in fact, immensely enjoyable, especially when we reached the topmost portion to see some exquisite animals and also a bird show. We were pleasantly surprised with a complete view of the larger Edinburgh area, bigger and in some ways better than the view from Arthur's Seat.

Another stretch of Edinburgh worth mentioning is the Royal Mile. It is the longest and probably the most historically endowed street in Edinburgh. It runs from the Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyrood. Even though we wanted to, we could never walk down the entire mile (seems longer than that!, I guess due to the sloping road) in a single trip. We did bits and pieces of it, sometimes by foot, sometimes by bus. I am sure, all the way by foot would be a great way to see all the great buildings (some tourist attractions and some not), shops and eating joints that this street has to offer.

It was a while before I realized that being coastal, Edinburgh would have a beach. We didn't waste much time when we found out about the Portobello beach, just under 15 minutes from the city centre by bus. Turned out to be a fun little place for family outings. The beach was clean and not very crowded so the walk on the white sands was nice. We also found two interesting mini amusement centres with video games, pool, mini casino games (no serious gambling, just simple stuff for kids) and some fast food. It seemed like a peaceful neighborhood and was a great place to hangout.

There were also some other streets that I found really picturesque especially during fall, such as George Street and the entire route covered by Bus No 2; which brings me to the Lothian Bus Service. The public transportation in the city was so good, we never once thought of purchasing a car. We did rent a car once in a while for going to nearby cities but never for within the city. The bus and train services were fast, convenient and comfortable. I loved the fact that I could take my toddler and his stroller easily in the bus without thinking twice.

Last but not the least, I loved the people of Edinburgh. Simply put, helpful and honest. We got help where we needed many times and on at least two occasions, we discovered how honest people were, and this impressed us no end.

There are many more places in and outside of Edinburgh that one could visit for their beauty and/or historical significance, but they would be too many to mention. I would say only this: Edinburgh should definitely be on your list if you are visiting Scotland. You can see some of my photographs of Edinburgh in the image gallery.

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