Edinburgh Castle

Perched on an ancient volcano above the Old Town, Edinburgh Castle has seen nine hundred years of siege, sovereignty and rebuilding. You begin on the Castle esplanade with a private guide who knows which parts are original, and which stories of kings, queens, soldiers and notorious prisoners belong to each.

Inside, you see Scotland's oldest Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny, walk through the grand banquet halls, and step into St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in the city and still used for weddings and baptisms. Below ground, the recreated vaults give a glimpse of the grim lives of the pirates and prisoners once held there, while the walls above look out across the Old Town.

From the castle you head down into the Grassmarket, where the executions used to happen, and the history of the rock meets the life of the city below it.