The Skinny Guide to Edinburgh 2024

Rosamund West Editor-in-Chief

Peter Simpson Deputy Editor, Food & Drink Editor

Anahit Behrooz Events Editor, Books Editor

Dalila D'Amico Art Director, Production Manager

Ellie Robertson Digital Editorial Assistant

Cammy Gallagher Clubs Editor

Phoebe Willison Designer

Ema Smekalova Media Sales Executive

Tallah Brash Music Editor

Arusa Qureshi Fest Editor

Sandy Park Commercial Director

Emilie Roberts Media Sales Executive

Jamie Dunn Film Editor, Online Journalist

Laurie Presswood General Manager

George Sully Sales and Brand Strategist

Gabrielle Loue Media Sales Executive

WELCOME TO EDINBURGH

Edinburgh is a city with many names. In Gaelic, Dùn Èideann. Auld Reekie, after the fug of smoke that formerly hung over it, not to be confused with the fug of haar* that now often hangs over it. The Athens of the North, a nod to Castle Rock’s similarity to the Acropolis as well as the city’s disastrous attempt to build an actual Acropolis on Calton Hill in the 19th century. Sometimes Edina, for reasons which remain unclear, but seems to be popular with poets. Here’s a quick guide to the different areas, to help you get your bearings.

Old Town

The medieval centre of the city, full of winding alleyways and many of the main historic attractions (Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile etc), as well as the subterranean nightlife hub of the Cowgate.

New Town

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Georgian grid plan is home to city centre shops, world-class galleries containing many of the nation’s treasures, quiet residential streets and a wide array of pubs and restaurants.

Southside

Home to Edinburgh University, beloved arts hub Summerhall and much of the Edinburgh Fringe, the Southside is where to find cheap eats, green spaces and a laidback air.

West End

A sprawling clash of Georgian architecture and dominating office blocks, home to theatres and grand concert venues, art galleries, coffee shops and bakeries.

Bruntsfield, Tollcross & Marchmont

Three interlocking Edinburgh neighbourhoods with an intensely local feel and plenty to discover.

Fountainbridge, Gorgie & Dalry

This area’s old industrial buildings are undergoing radical regeneration, yet these remain primarily working-class parts of town with welcoming cafes, bars, restaurants and shops.

Stockbridge & Canonmills

These historic residential areas have a village feel and scenic streets that are manna for influencers.

Abbeyhill

Taking its name from the nearby ruins of Holyrood Abbey, Abbeyhill is one of the oldest parts of the capital – here you’ll find big hills, great sandwiches, exciting galleries and historic pubs.

Leith

Multicultural Leith is not the same as Edinburgh. Liberated from the tramworks, the area is a hive of activity packed with pubs, restaurants, cafes, artist studios and independent shops.

Portobello

A burgeoning food and drink scene, a bustling high street, and all the joys of the Edinburgh seaside.

*A freezing fog that comes in from the North Sea and often ruins entire summers on the East Coast of Scotland

Find the exact location of every venue listed via the QR code.

Step beyond the Edinburgh Festivals and live like a local by seeking out some of the things that make Edinburgh a special place to live all year round

LEITH WITCHCRAFT MARKET

Get in loser, we’re going crystal shopping. The Leith Witchcraft Market takes place every few months, coinciding with the various Pagan Sabbats in the calendar. Head to their spot at Leith Arches for their Lammas (27 Jul), Mabon (22 Sep), Samhain (19-20 Oct) and Yule (14 Dec) markets, with witchy prints, handcrafted herbal soaps and tarot readings aplenty.

TRAM CRAWL TO NEWHAVEN

The tram goes all the way from the airport to Newhaven. What better way to take advantage of such a slick transport link, than use it to get boozy. There are 23 stops, so we don’t recommend you imbibe at every one. Kick-off at Dreadnought in Newhaven; end at The Roseburn by Murrayfield; and drink responsibly along the way.

WATER OF LEITH PATH

Edinburgh does not want for lovely walks, but perhaps the prettiest is along the Water of Leith. The path is teeming with nature (ducks, bats, foxes, swans, herons) and foraging opportunities (raspberries and wild garlic abound). Keep an eye out, too, for Antony Gormley’s haunting series of sculptures that stand sentinel in the river.

TURKISH BATHS

A very charming thing about Edinburgh is that many of its council-run public swimming pools are housed in old Victorian swimhouses. Portobello takes it a step further with an authentic Victorian Turkish bathhouse, with three different hot rooms you work your way through for the ultimate relaxation experience for under a tenner.

JUPITER ARTLAND

Jupiter Artland is a magical sculpture garden in Wilkieston on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Open until 29 September, this year sees a new installation from Laura Aldridge and exhibition from Andrew Sim join existing works from Tracey Emin, Laura Ford, Antony Gormley, Phyllida Barlow and more. On 17 August, head to their one-night only festival, Jupiter Rising, in collaboration with Edinburgh Art Festival.

COLONY OF ARTISTS

The original idea behind the Abbeyhill Colonies (est. 1867) was to offer affordable, secure and clean housing for a whole host of tradespeople, with community at its heart. Now home to many artists, since 2005 artists annually open their homes, turning them into mini exhibition spaces, and the community comes together with stalls, cake stands, art trails, live music and more. Abbeyhill Colonies, 14 & 15 Sep

LEITH COMEDY FESTIVAL

Comedy! It’s not just for August, nor is it just for three streets in the Old Town! After a successful inaugural run last year, the Leith Comedy Festival returns this year for three nights of Fringe fun at The Biscuit Factory from 15 to 17 August, while their full festival takes place later in the year, from 4 to 6 October, details tbc.

BOOK EVENTS

Edinburgh has a vast array of cute indie bookshops, with Lighthouse Bookshop (43-53 W Nicolson St), Typewronger Books (4a Haddington Pl), Argonaut Books (15-17 Leith Walk), Tills Bookshop (1 Hope Park Cres) and Portobello Bookshop (46 Portobello High St) being some of our faves. They all run interesting events and author discussions throughout the year, so keep an eye on their socials for up-to-date info.

COLINTON TUNNEL MURAL

There are several disused railways-turned-paths to be explored all over Edinburgh, with most perfect for an afternoon amble or cycle; the most exciting lies in the west of the city. Accessible via the Water of Leith, the Union Canal or the less scenic Slateford Road, Colinton Dell is home to the Colinton Tunnel Mural, Scotland’s largest historical mural.

BREWERY TAPROOMS

Brewery taprooms have had a revival of sorts in recent years, and in the Leith area you’ll find some of our favourites. On Jane Street, just off Leith Walk, we recommend starting at Newbarns, before heading down the street to Campervan. After that, it’s a brief stroll to the Shore for Moonwake and Lost in Leith, while you’ll find the gluten-free Bellfield Brewery in Abbeyhill.

COWGATE

The Cowgate is one of the Old Town’s main thoroughfares and a must for anyone looking for a top tier night out, especially if you’re after one with live music, and a more underground feel. Pub crawl along the street from east to west, then take in a gig and club night at the award-winning, small but perfectly formed, Sneaky Pete’s.

GO UP A HILL

Edinburgh’s city centre is built on seven hills, which means lots of amazing panoramic views of the capital and beyond. While Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano, is by far the most famous, the view from Blackford might be the best. But the prize for most accessibile and interesting goes to Calton Hill, with stuff to actually see and do at the top; there’s a restaurant, an art gallery (Collective), and the Scottish National Monument, aka Edinburgh’s Disgrace.

A QUEER NIGHT OUT AT PARADISE PALMS

Edinburgh doesn’t have an extensive queer clubbing scene as such, but one of our favourite places is tropical dive bar Paradise Palms, who serve their queer clubbing with a side of vegan food and an indie record label. Find the likes of Femmergy and Sweet Philly there, as well as cabaret nights like Fruit Salad and Kabaret Kweer.

GET A COFFEE

Edinburgh is home to a frankly absurd number of excellent indie coffee shops, dotted all over the place. In leafy Stockbridge (Fortitude)! By the Meadows (Cult)! Just off Princes Street, right in the middle of town (Cairngorm)! In the shadow of the actual Castle (The Source)! Caffeine fans, fill your boots.

OLD MAN PUBS

Edinburgh is very very good at old fashioned boozers and traditional pubs, where locals can be found in the same seats at the same time most days. Some of the best include The Bow Bar (80 W Bow), The Blue Blazer (2 Spittal St), Teuchters (26 William St), The Persevere (398 Easter Rd), Roseburn Bar (1 Roseburn Ter) and Athletic Arms (1-3 Angle Park Ter).

VISIT DUDDINGSTON

We don’t want to accuse Duddingston of actually hiding behind Arthur’s Seat, so we’ll say that the historic village is ‘tucked away’ behind The Big Rock. Walk through Holyrood Park and you’ll find the lovely Sheep Heid pub, an enormous community orchard, and a chill, bucolic vibe.

Whether you’re after a bumper brunch, an onthe-run snack or a delicious dinner, we’ve picked out some of Edinburgh’s culinary highlights

Words: Peter Simpson

ARDFERN

The latest spot from The Little Chartroom team may well serve the best breakfast in Edinburgh; here’s what makes it so great

POV: You’ve had a bumper weekend in Edinburgh, the Athens of the North, the one with all the cobbles and hills and bars and parties and music and comedy and folk with magic wands. It was a big weekend though, and you want one last treat before returning to the day job: a really, really, really good breakfast.

Ardfern is the place to go. The latest spot from the team behind The Little Chartroom fits right in the cool, ‘faintly Nordic’ bracket with its clean white walls and wooden everything else, and the food follows Chartroom’s standard gambit of big flavours and interesting combos. The hash browns are topped with mushroom ketchup and a massive pile of pecorino; the doughnuts are simultaneously filled with jam and custard. But the breakfast, oh my Christ, the breakfast.

‘Venison lorne sausage’ were the words that shook us out of our seats and sent us Leith-ward; when combined with the thick slab of pork belly bacon, this is very much the upscale version of that breakfast from Studio Ghibli classic Howl’s Moving Castle (minus the talking fire). Perfect poached e s; homemade beans that hit all the classic marks but with more bite and less sugariness; crispy, fluffy

toast – this is identifiably a full Scottish breakfast, just done very very well.

ARDFERN

10-12 Bonnington Rd

Mon-Sun, 9am-11pm (kitchen open 9am-2.30pm and 5-8.30pm

The ve ie options are also exciting (oyster mushroom and hispi cabbage, yum yum yum), the Bloody Mary is visually simple but with flavours that are both a big hug and a friendly slap in the face, and the energy of the whole place is

ardfern.uk @ardfern_edinburgh

great. Come back in the evening for an enormous wine list or a big ol’ plate of charcuterie, but for now, enjoy your breakfast. If this won’t haste ye back, we don’t know what will.

BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH

71 Steps

22 Rodney St

New from the Bearded Baker team, 71 Steps is a lovely, calming space located exactly 71 steps from the original cafe. Food-wise, the excellent bagels feature heavily, alongside great coffee and top-drawer sweet baking.

Chotu

16 Haymarket Ter

If you want a bit of heat, head to Chotu opposite Haymarket station. Crispy dosas, fried e s flecked with spices and fresh herbs, and keema to wake you from the deepest of sleeps.

Edinburgh Larder

15 Blackfriars St

Two great phrases to hear when you’re planning breakfast: ‘high quality’ and ‘all day’. The Larder has them both covered, with top-notch Scottish ingredients aplenty.

Hank’s

162 Fountainbridge

Mornings at Hank’s are a busy affair; wedge in the door and you’ll find high-quality breakfast options, a great salad bar, and a very good baked potato.

Hobz Bakery

106 Leith Walk

If you’re in the mood for a more continental breakfast, Hobz is a great

option. Excellent bread, delicious pastries, and a boulevard-esque placement on Leith Walk.

Hula

103-105 West Bow & 94A

Fountainbridge

Loads of foliage, in both print and in person, awaits at Hula’s two spots. The brunch options are great, the juices are delicious, and the decor is tropical.

Kvasa

101 Leith Walk

We like big buns, and we cannot lie. They don’t come much bi er or better than at Kvasa, the sourdough bakery and the only place we can think of with a dedicated cinnamon bun loyalty card.

Preacher’s

24-26 Lady Lawson St

Across the street from The Skinny office, these folks have saved our bacon on multiple occasions. Freshly-baked rolls and homemade tattie scones, and great lunch options for later.

Roseleaf

23-24 Sandport Pl

Mismatched decor, a lovely wateradjacent location and cocktails served in teapots – if ‘vibes’ were an Olympic sport, the Roseleaf would definitely be among the medals.

Singapore Coffee House

5 Canonmills

Bringing kopitiam classics to Canonmills (try saying that three times before a coffee), Singapore Coffee House offers a real change of pace. Look out for their kaya (coconut jam) on toast.

Snax

118 Buccleuch St & 15-17 W Register St

A true Edinburgh icon, Snax is the place to go if you want a classic cafe breakfast. Don’t let the baby blue paint fool you – these guys have been kings of bacon and e country for years.

MOTHER INDIA’S CAFE

It’s an Edinburgh institution that’s somehow right next to everything – if you need dinner plans, here’s why you should head to Mother India’s Cafe

In a city filled with restaurants of all shapes and sizes, how do you stand out? Maybe you have a single-minded focus on one or two dishes, or perhaps you move with ruthless efficiency in an effort to bring prices down. Maybe you pop an entire tree inside the restaurant and hope that makes a difference.

For Mother India’s Cafe, the solution is simple – be reliably excellent at what you do. It’s not exactly ‘one neat trick’, but they’ve been going for over 15 years on this corner at the edge of the Bridges and Newington for a reason. Their tapas-sized take

on Indian cuisine has spawned plenty of imitators, and it’s still one of our favourite places to go with a big group.

MOTHER INDIA’S CAFE

3-5 Infirmary St

Sun-Thu, 12-9.30pm; Fri-Sat, 12-10pm motherindia.co.uk

It’s a big menu but the portions are small, so you’re basically forced to try a bunch of different stuff. There are options for most tastes whether meat-eaters, pescetarians, ve ies or vegans (may we recommend the spiced baked haddock, unless you’re one of the ve ies or vegans). There’s plenty of seating upstairs and downstairs, and it’s ideally located for a whole bunch of

different venues. Festival Theatre, Jazz Bar, the Cowgate, the Tattoo – all of them are just a daal-fuelled stroll away.

Great food designed for sharing, in a location that couldn’t be more central – that’s what makes Mother India’s Cafe stand out. Get a table, order a whole bunch of stuff, and let the undignified squabbling over the last spoonful of saag begin.

ON THE MOVE

£2 Pizza Slice

11 Albion Rd & 26 South Bridge

The clue was in the title all along! This hole-in-the-wall spot will sort you out with a very serviceable slice of margarita or pepperoni for the price of a bus ticket.

Africano Wrap Place

4 Chapel St

These guys know how to manage a queue; no-one has ever waited for one of these delicious, spicy, flavour-packed wraps for more than a few minutes.

Alby’s

8 Portland Pl & 94 Buccleuch St

Big Hot Sandwiches – fair play to Alby’s, they live up to their slogan. Head here for massive wedges of focaccia loaded up with exciting fillings and updated takes on classics.

Bánh Mì Brothers

141 West Port

A tiny spot turning out great sandwiches inspired by the Vietnamese classic. Every time this writer goes in, they’re out of my first choice, and I keep going back. They must be doing something right.

Bonnie Burrito

Outside the Eye Pavillion, Lauriston Pl

This place is so on-the-go it’s on wheels. Tasty burritos with the always-welcome option to split your fillings, in a super-central location.

Civerinos Slice

Various locations around Edinburgh

They say ‘slice’, but we’ve definitely been served pieces of pizza at Civerinos that are the size of whole pizzas elsewhere. Not that we’re complaining; this is very very good pizza.

Earl’s

74 Raeburn Pl & 124 Morningside Rd

A burger’s basically a sandwich, and a sandwich is an on-the-go lunch thing,

right? Earl’s offers up a solid take on the classic cheeseburger, with gooey cheese and cra ly patties.

Edinburgh Street Food

Leith St

ESF has it all – loads of food options, hundreds of seats inside and out, quick service via an order-at-seat system that actually works, and an enormous pink sign you literally can’t miss.

The Fishmarket Newhaven

23A Pier Pl

Fish and chips don’t get much better than at the Fishmarket. It’s always busy, so be ready to queue, but the rewards are worth it.

Greek Artisan Pastries

23 Bread St & 32-34 Portobello High St

These pastries are serious units. You could pave a road with these slabs of bougatsa. Hyperbole? No, the pastries at Greek Artisan Pastries really are that hefty.

Harkness Pies

30B Raeburn Pl

Pie-lovers, brace for impact. Harkness’ range of pastries is incredible. Off for a walk in the Pentlands? Stick a Scotch pie in your Uniqlo banana bag, and you’ll be ready for anything.

Lannan Bakery

29-35 Hamilton Pl

The queues are legendary, but the rewards at Darcie Maher’s bakery are excellent. Brilliantly crisp pastry, mind-blowing lamination, and untold Instagram cred await you.

Lovecrumbs

155 West Port

The vibe – delightful. The coffee – delicious. The seating – surprisingly ample. Lovecrumbs is ideal for an Old Town pitstop, or pop in for one of their incredible ‘jamaretti’ biscuits.

Mary’s Milk Bar

19 Grassmarket

Mary’s is so good that it’s crossed over from ‘foodie’s pick’ to ‘legit tourist attraction’. The ice cream is genuinely the best in the country, so get in the queue – you will not regret it.

Moo Pie Gelato

26 St Mary’s St

Moo Pie’s soft serve is amazingly smooth, their flavours are brilliant, and if you’re here in the winter their hot chocolate is unmissable.

The Original Mosque Kitchen & Cafe

50 Potterrow

A true icon in Edinburgh food, the outdoor seats behind the Central Mosque have seen thousands of folk pass through for delicious and incredibly cheap curries.

The Pitt

20 West Shore Rd

The original Edinburgh street food market, The Pitt has been on hiatus for a bit. However, they’re beginning their reemergence by the waterfront at Granton with a series of pop-ups this summer.

Polentoni

38 Easter Rd

A superb deli amid a clutch of great independent spots on Easter Road, Polentoni is the place to load up for your picnic. Great sandwiches, lovely sweet treats, and more.

Razzo Pizza Napolitana

59 Great Junction St

Razzo’s pizzas are classics of the Neopolitan style – puffy crusts, excellent sugo, a lovely soupy bit in the middle.

Sicilian Pastry Shop

14-16 Albert St

Whether you want delicious cannoli, arancini filled to the brim with ragu, or a full-sized birthday cake, the Sicilian Pastry Shop has you covered. Leith legends, and rightly so.

Twelve Triangles

Locations across Edinburgh 12T offer up reliably great pastries and bread from their various spots across town – if you want more of a sitdown option, head to their Kitchen Table cafe on Easter Road.

SIT DOWN DINING

Chennai’s Marina

Venues across Edinburgh

When Chennai’s Marina say ‘two

chillies’, trust and believe them. The Sri Lankan restaurant bring the heat to their curries, along with mountains of flavour.

Chez Jules

109 Hanover St

This French institution is the place to get a steak or moules frites and come away with a surprising amount left on the Monzo – their lunch deal is legendary.

Eleanore

30-31 Albert Pl

Turn things up a notch at Eleanore, where elegant, delicate presentation comes alongside flavours that will knock you off your feet if you aren’t ready for them.

The Gardener’s Cottage

1 London Rd

A surprisingly idyllic setting given that it’s right by the main road, a kitchen dedicated to local ingredients, and a £20 lunch menu it seems almost unfair to make use of.

Kampong Ah Lee

28 Clerk St

A brilliant no-frills Malaysian restaurant, ideal for dinner before a show at Summerhall or The Queen’s Hall. Big flavours, speedy service and some absolutely brilliant roti.

Kim’s Mini Meals

5 Buccleuch St

Home-style Korean classics delivered with love, with the not-insignificant chance of a seat in a weird corner underneath a staircase.

Montrose 1-7 Montrose Ter

The cute, atmospheric Montrose (from the team behind the Michelin-starred Timberyard) is a delightful and surprisingly laidback option if you want to get fancy, but not too fancy.

The Palmerston

1 Palmerston Pl

Excellent pastries in the morning, inventive and considered cooking in the afternoons and evenings, and a grand but not-too-grand setting whenever you arrive.

Paz Taqueria

64 Thistle St

Paz is ideal date night territory – moody lighting, great cocktails, lovely staff, and inventive tacos that will give you plenty to talk about.

Pizzeria 1926

85 Dalry Rd

The Dalry institution serves up excellent pizza and a great range of fried starters from a bright, Diego Maradona-inspired dining room.

Pomelo

27 Sciennes Rd

Firmly established in their new place in Sciennes, Pomelo offers up

excellent modern Asian cooking. Their hand-pulled noodles are the stuff of legend.

Sabzi

162 Ferry Rd

This award-winning family-run spot on Ferry Road serves up brilliant and highly shareable Indian classics from a menu which changes weekly.

San Ciro’s

148 Leith Walk

Top-notch Neapolitan pizza delivered at high speed and with some real touches of flair, and it always smells incredible.

Skua

49 St Stephen St

We love it when fine dining chefs get a bit wild with it. Case in point: Skua, where top-drawer cooking leads to incredible fried chicken paired with excellent drinks.

Taco Libre

3 Shandwick Pl & 85 Rose St

Chaos reigns at Taco Libre, with its bright lights and loud decor. The tacos are some of the very best around, with simple, authentic fillings and bags of flavour.

Tipo and Noto

110 Hanover St; 47a Thistle St

Stuart Ralston’s culinary empire has many tendrils, but two great places to start are Tipo and Noto. Tipo is inspired by Italy, so head here for great pasta; Noto has a more varied menu, headlined by some outrageously buttery crab.

DRINKS

Edinburgh overflows with bars of all stripes, from cosy pubs to sleek wine bars, and its coffee options are bountiful too. Here are some of our favourite places to imbibe in town

Words: Jamie Dunn

There’s loads to see and do in the capital of Scotland, as evident in the pages of this guide. But once you’ve marvelled at its historic landmarks, soaked up its rich art and culture, climbed its many hills and navigated its ancient streets, you’ll probably want a pint, or a reviving cup of coffee, or simply somewhere to shelter from the inevitable downpour – preferably with a cosy vibe and a first-rate jukebox. Well you’re in luck, because Edinburgh happens to have some of the best pubs, the hippest cocktail joints and the chicest wine bars in the UK, not to mention an on-point coffee scene and a surprisingly bountiful selection of breweries with taprooms to choose from.

Here are The Skinny’s picks of the wonderful beverage providers Edinburgh has to offer. Whether your ideal tipple is a flat white or Taro milk tea, a pint of Neck Oil or a heaven-sent negroni, you’ll find some great options in the list below.

TRADITIONAL PUBS

These are the old-school boozers that don’t go in for frills or fad redesigns. No schooners, brioche burgers or fancy cocktails here, just great

atmosphere, tasty beers and if there is food, it’s of the hearty variety.

Athletic Arms

1-3 Angle Park Ter

Aka ‘the Di ers’, this is a smashing, wedge-shaped bar with a cosy lounge in the back. We highly recommend the pies.

Bennets Bar

8 Leven St

One of Edinburgh’s prettiest ‘old man pubs’, this historic venue features gorgeous original features, maps in the tables (!) and a knockout malt selection.

The Blue Blazer

2 Spittal St

The dark wood decor and cosy nooks of this two-room pub have stayed steadfast for decades. But why change perfection? This place has great beers, and even better vibes.

The Bow Bar

80 West Bow

An Old Town classic, The Bow Bar offers great pints and whisky options (there’s over 300 single malts behind the gleaming bar) in a lovely cosy environment. Their soup and pie game is also exceptional.

Carriers Quarters

42 Bernard St

This Leith favourite dates back to 1785, and it’s barely changed since then. The bar at the front has a friendly atmosphere while the back room hosts everything from live music to bingo.

George IV Bar

54 George IV Bridge

A great option for a pint in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, this traditional pub is bursting with character. The drink and food options are plentiful – and their chips are out of this world.

Malt & Hops

45 Shore

Come to this no-frills pub by the Shore for the rotating ales and craft beers on tap, the fireplace you’re encouraged to stoke, and the chatty bar staff.

Teuchters Bar & Bunker

26 William St

A laidback bar with a ‘make-yourselffeel-at-home’ vibe. The beer selection is good, and there’s tonnes of Scottish scran on the menu. Also check out sister venue Teuchters Landing near the Port of Leith for more nautical vibes.

St Vincent

11 St Vincent St

Just off the Instagram-friendly Circus Lane, this gorgeous, wood-panelled pub in the basement of a Georgian townhouse is a tucked-away New Town gem. Friendly, snug, and with a cocktail menu as good as the beer list.

MODERN BARS

These bars are newer on the block or have changed with the times. They go in for music, DJs and offer more varied drink options. These are ideal spots for lively nights out or places to pre-game with friends before or after a gig.

The Blackbird

37-39 Leven St

This Bruntsfield pub always seems to be bustling – particularly its cute beer garden out back. The beers are wellcurated, and the cocktail list is a mix of classics and more curious concoctions.

The Devil’s Advocate

9 Advocate’s Cl

Situated halfway up one of Edinburgh’s Escher-esque stairwells, this classy bar boasts excellent food and a 300-strong whisky shelf.

DRINKS

The Dog House

18-24 Clerk St

Funky decor and tasty cocktails with regular DJ sets and live music. And that name isn’t a misnomer: expect lots of do os!

Leith Depot

138-142 Leith Walk

Live music is just one reason to seek out this Leith gem; others include its welcoming atmosphere and outstanding pub grub.

Paradise Palms

41 Lothian St

With varied DJ and cabaret nights, plus decor that su ests a gay disco on a neon-lit desert island, Palms is a firm favourite.

question – and a smart wee beer garden at the back.

BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES

There are great breweries and distilleries scattered across Edinburgh, with many of them selling their wares onsite or nearby. Head to the below if you wanna taste these great drinks at their source.

Bellfield Brewery

46 Stanley Pl

Tucked away in a residential corner of town, this award-winning beer garden and taproom isn’t one you’d just happen across but once you know it’s there you’ll keep returning. The beers are first-rate, and there’s a rotating roster of pop-up food vendors.

Lost in Leith

82 Commercial St

Lost in Leith is both a great pub and a fermentaria. Inside you’ll find an atmospheric bar with a full array of weird and wonderful beers from Campervan, and plenty of seating outside to spill out to on warm days.

Newbarns

13 Jane St

Despite being located within a Leith industrial estate, Newbarns gives local pub vibes. Expect darts, a lively atmosphere and fantastic ales, lagers and stouts fresh from the brewery next door.

Port of Leith Distillery

11 Whisky Quay

Salt Horse

57-61 Blackfriars St

Fans of boundary-pushing beer should head to Salt Horse for schooners from the UK’s best craft and small breweries.

Starbar

1 Northumberland Pl

Lovely New York dive bar vibes here. The best jukebox in Edinburgh – no

On the top floor of this newly built nine-story distillery is a nifty bar with a well-crafted cocktail list, small plates and panoramic views.

Porty Vault

243 Portobello High St, Portobello

A stone’s throw from Portobello Beach, this taproom from Vault City serves up an ever-changing lineup of craft beer, from Vault City’s latest releases to

guest beers from around the world. Bao bun specialists Bundits currently have a pop-up in the kitchen.

The Royal Dick

1 Summerhall

Art complex Summerhall is home to Pickering’s Gin and Barney’s Beer, and you’ll find both in plentiful supply in The Royal Dick (or simply ‘The Dick’ to locals), Summerhall’s pub and central hub.

Wee Vault

7A W Maitland St

Also from the Vault City crew, this taproom and bottle shop near Haymarket is heaven for craft beer lovers. As the name su ests, it’s small, but with two dozen beers on tap at any one time, the choice is ample

COCKTAIL AND WINE BARS

Edinburgh has one of the liveliest cocktail scenes in the UK, and a great selection of wine bars too. The below are perfect spots for date nights and for those of you who crave something more than beer.

Bramble

16A Queen St

This low-lit basement cocktail joint serves up inspired concoctions, with terrific DJs bringing the atmosphere.

Chancho

7 Bernard St

An excellent new agave-focused, Leith-based cocktail bar from the team behind Hey Palu.

Hey Palu

49 Bread St

A fantastic Italian cocktail bar that regularly makes ‘best bars in the country’ lists; expect expert bartenders, amazing nibbles and a lovely vibe.

Lucky Liquor Co.

39A Queen St

Another of Edinburgh’s tucked-away cocktail joints serving up an

ever-changing menu of libations pushing the cocktail boundaries.

Nauticus

142 Duke St

This crackerjack cocktail joint in Leith has a neat twist: every one of its tasty concoctions has a link to the area’s rich history as a trading hub.

Nótt

13 Crighton Pl

This chic wine bar in Leith has a deli counter specialising in cheeses, meats and homemade Turkish delights to pair with your tipple.

Smith & Gertrude

26 Hamilton Pl

This cosy neighbourhood wine bar in Stockbridge serves up delicious cheese plates to accompany your wine while vinyl crackles on the record player.

Smoke & Mirrors

159 Constitution St Walk through Smoke & Mirrors’s fairy-light-rimmed arch entrance and

you’ll find an intimate bar bursting with character and great cocktails.

Spry

1 Haddington Pl

Stripped back, monochrome and minimalist, Spry offers an extensive menu of natural wines and delicious small plate options.

COFFEE, TEA AND JUICE

Maybe it’s a caffeine hit or a vitamin boost you’re after. Below are our favourite coffee shops and juice joints in town.

Artisan Roast

72-74 Leith Walk

An Edinburgh institution, you’ll find several Artisan Roasts across the city, and it goes without saying, the coffee is ace at all of them. The Leith shop is particularly good: with plenty of space, it hosts regular spoken-word and comedy events.

Bing Tea

37 W Nicolson St

This tea shop is cute as a button. It serves up the classic milk tea flavours – Thai, Taro, Matcha – alongside fruity numbers and original concoctions like the popular Flaming Tiger and White Rabbit.

Cairngorm Coffee

1 Melville Pl

A bright corner cafe serving killer toasties and knockout coffee with their own roasted beans.

Cult Espresso

104 Buccleuch St

In a converted alleyway, Cult showcases an evolving range of speciality coffee from their own roastery and beyond.

Fortitude

66 Hamilton Pl

Your best place for a caffeine hit in Stocky. Expect superb single-origin coffees and tasty baked goods.

Hula Juice Bar

103-105 West Bow & 94A Fountainbridge

If juices and smoothies are more your bag, get yourself to Hula. Even on the gloomiest Edinburgh day, its vibrant beverages like Sunshine in a Cup or the Blue Hawaiian will put a spring in your step.

Lovecrumbs

155 West Port

Gorgeous cafe with great homemade cakes and pastries and adorably quirky decor.

The Source

4 Spittal St

This tiny cafe and roaster with exciting, funky, small-batch espresso is a favourite of The Skinny team.

Williams & Johnson

1 Customs Wharf

It’s all sleek concrete and streamlined furnishings, but there’s nothing simple about the rich and delicious coffee.

SHOPPING

From specialist food shops to delightful indie bookshops, we explore the best indie shopping on offer in Edinburgh

Words: Anahit Behrooz

One of the most exciting things about Edinburgh is the plethora of independent shops that line the winding, cobbled streets, offering all kinds of curated, handmade goods that beat any of the souvenir tat you might pick up on the tourist trail. Here, we walk you through some of the best design, art, books, record, and food shops to pick up a gift (for yourself as much as anyone else).

DESIGN, HOMEWARES & GIFTS

Agitate

6 William St

Recently relocated photography gallery and shop, with a well-curated selection of film, prints and photography books. agitate.gallery

An Independent Zebra

88-92 Raeburn Pl

A hub of independent designer-makers of homewares, prints, furniture and gifts from across the UK. anindependentzebra.com

Curiouser & Curiouser

93 Broughton St; 106 Bruntsfield Pl

Art, framing and gift shop with two locations in the city. curiouserandcuriouser.com

Flamingosaurus Rex

22 Bruntsfield Pl

A dynamic, multifunctional gallery, shop and art space. flamingosaurusrex.com

Handsel

336 Leith Walk

An independent one-stop-shop for art, homewares, jewellery, cards and zero-waste products. handsel.uk

Logan Malloch

13 Leith Walk

Art, books, ceramics, greeting cards, plants, stationery and gifts mostly sourced in Leith, Edinburgh and wider Scotland. loganmalloch.com

Red Door Gallery

42 Victoria St

Long-standing hub for local artists’ prints, artworks, crafts and jewellery in prime sight-seeing location. edinburghart.com

PROFILE:

LIGHTHOUSE BOOKSHOP

There’re so many incredible bookshops in Edinburgh to choose from – here we pick one of our favourites

There is an embarrassment of bookshops in Edinburgh – appropriately so, given its infamous status as a UNESCO City of Literature. And while it might have been Rabbie Burns and Sir Walter Scott that got it that moniker, it’s the city’s bookshops that carry the torch, offering not just an incredible selection of books but community building and stunning events programmes.

One of the best to do it is Lighthouse Bookshop, the city’s queer community bookshop dedicated to all things radical in fiction and nonfiction. There’s been a bookshop in that space on West Nicolson Street for 30 years; previously called Word Power Books, Lighthouse Bookshop was born when the current owners took over the space in 2017 and has fast become a staple in the Edinburgh book scene. The inside is split across three different spaces that cover all kinds of writing, from indie presses and diverse fiction (their romance section is particularly – excuse the pun – banging) to radical and left-wing politics and even a wee zine section.

Their booksellers are also some of the best in the business, with a sta ering amount of knowledge

LIGHTHOUSE BOOKSHOP

between them – if you have a vague recollection of a book cover you saw once, or want a recommendation for truly niche poetry, they’re your people. And the spirit of fellowship doesn’t stop there; Lighthouse Bookshop is all about building community, whether that’s closing for an hour so its booksellers can attend protests or putting on incredible events that bring writers and readers together. There are book launches throughout the year, monthly book clubs about queer

43-45 W Nicolson St

Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm; Sun, 11.30am-5pm

lighthousebookshop.com

fiction and women in translation, and several festivals that the bookshop runs: First Date, a sexy romance festival in June, Book Fringe, which offers an alternative programme of events during the August festivals, and the Radical Book Fair in November, spotlighting some of the best radical fiction of the year.

FOOD & DRINK

The Beer Cave

43 Dalry Rd

Well stocked local favourite with a focus on European craft beer. IG: @thebeercavescotland

The Beerhive 24 Rodney St

A carefully-chosen selection of beers, wines and spirits with a local emphasis. thebeerhive.co.uk

Cork and Cask

136 Marchmont Rd

Thoughtfully sourced wine, beer and whisky. corkandcask.co.uk

Cornelius

18 Easter Rd; 128 Leith Walk

An Easter Road institution that’s also branched out to Leith Walk, Cornelius stock the very best wine, beer and spirits. corneliusbeers.com

George Mewes

3 Dean Park St

For all your cheese-related needs. They sometimes (at least once) give away samples and mulled wine when the Christmas queue is too long. georgemewescheese.co.uk

Great Grog

2 Dalkeith Rd

Specialist in local and international craft beers and wines. greatgrog.co.uk

I.J. Mellis

30 Victoria St; 6 Bakers Pl; 330 Morningside Rd

The OG of Edinburgh cheesemongers, Mellis focus on small scale farmhouse producers alongside a range of wines and artisanal foodstuffs. mellischeese.net

PROFILE:

GOOD VIBES

Head to Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store for exactly what it says on the tin: a friendly community record shop with the best vibes

Listen, sometimes the vibes are off, so where better to head for a little afternoon peruse than somewhere with the best vibes right on the tin. Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store is a wee record shop and studio space that opened in 2020: located in deepest Leith, right as Constitution Street winds towards The Shore, it’s a gorgeously sunny space filled with records and knick knacks and an incredible programme of events.

As with the best shops in Edinburgh, it’s entirely independently owned, run by partners in life and in business Fiona and Mike Bryant, who began to transform the old ship’s chandlery building into a studio space and decided to open the shop of their dreams on the ground floor. It’s impeccably designed and a delight to be in, but the aesthetics aren’t the only thing Good Vibes has going for it: their record collection is wonderfully curated, with big releases and undiscovered gems alike. They also have an incredible events programme, with the likes of Record Store Day and launch parties featuring lots of local acts and DJs. Having been closed through May and June while they do a big refurb, Good Vibes is reopening 10 July

with a big re-launch party planned 13 July, featuring a lineup of Scottish DJs through the day and live music from two of Scotland’s emerging talents – electro-pop duo Both Hands and indie artist Susan Bear – in the evening.

GOOD VIBES

151-153 Constitution St, Leith

Thu-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun, 11am-4pm

good-vibes.space

Lupe Pintos

24 Leven St

Specialist deli supplying Scotland with hard to find Mexican, American and Spanish ingredients, for all your hot sauce, bean and taco needs. lupepintos.com

Winekraft

6 Brandon Ter

Organic, biodynamic and natural wine shop, also stocks the crisps and olives you’ll remember from lockdown Instagram. winekraft.co

PLANTS

Broughton Street Flowers

87 Broughton St

Newly opened in the old Narcissus site, with a fresh coat of yellow paint, serving all your flower and plant needs. broughtonstreetflowers.com

Green Meadows

137 Buccleuch St

A modern take on a tropical plant shop with social and environmental sustainability at its core. greenplantshops.co.uk

Grow Urban

92 Grove St; 8B St Vincent St

A leafy haven for all your plant gifts inc. hand painted pots, cards by local artists and terrariums for your low maintenance plant gifting. growurban.uk

Moss & Fern

84 South Clerk St

Plants and gifts, including dried floral arrangements, art, prints and homewares. mossandfern.shop

Rose and Ammi Flowers

2 Gillespie Cres

Bespoke wreaths and beautiful pots. roseandammiflowers.com

BOOKS

Argonaut Books

15-17 Leith Walk

Leith’s community bookshop, with a diverse stock and programme of in-person events. argonautbooks.co.uk

Armchair Books

72-74 West Port

Family-run second hand bookshop with the city’s finest About

page, ‘staffed by Edinburgh’s finest book people who brave the shop’s untraceable noises and unique microclimate.’ armchairbooks.co.uk

Ginger and Pickles

51 St Stephen St

A thoughtfully selected range of kids books, with beautiful titles ranging from baby to young adult. gingerandpicklesbookshop.com

Golden Hare Books

68 St Stephen St

A cosy space filled with a finely chosen selection of writing, art books and children’s titles. goldenharebooks.com

The Portobello Bookshop

46 Portobello High St

A gorgeously designed, gorgeously curated seaside bookshop, complete with fiction, art books, and a stunning magazine collection. theportobellobookshop.com

Rare Birds Books

13 Raeburn Pl

Much-loved independent book shop championing women authors. rarebirdsbooks.com

Tills Bookshop

1 Hope Park Cres

A secondhand bookshop overlooking the Meadows specialising in rare and antiquarian books. tillsbookshop.co.uk

Topping & Company Edinburgh

2 Blenheim Pl

A veritable labyrinth of book rooms complete with book ladders and window seats, where you may be offered a complimentary tea. toppingbooks.co.uk

Typewronger Books

4a Haddington Pl

Edinburgh’s smallest bookshop and

Scotland’s only typewriter repair shop!

Selling books, independent publications, zines and associated merch. typewronger.com

RECORD SHOPS

Assai Records

1 Grindlay St

Staff-favourite specialists in vinyl, turntables and music merch. assai.co.uk

Avalanche Records

Waverley Mall

Indie record shop located just off Waverley Station, with an assortment of vinyls, CDs and T shirts. avalancherecords.co.uk

Slow Progress Records & Coffee

53 Blackfriars St

Lots of indie vinyl and a wee coffee shop located in the Edinburgh Old Town. slowprogress.co.uk

Thorne Records

125 Bruntsfield Pl

Well organised indie with a strong devotion to local artists and customers alike. thornerecords.com

Umbrella Vinyl

20 Valleyfield St

Specialists in second hand world music, collectibles and rare wax. umbrellavinyl.com

Underground Solu’shn

9 Cockburn St

Central Edinburgh mainstay for dance music, decks and DJ equipment. undergroundsolushn.com

VoxBox Music

21 St Stephen St

Indie record store focusing on secondhand vinyls, with books and music memorabilia. voxboxmusic.co.uk

ATTRACTIONS

Some are brought to Edinburgh by the buzz of the Fringe, some come for a shopping spree up the Royal Mile. Whether you’re wanting the lowdown on top attractions for your visit, or you’re a new resident who’s looking for the lore of your locale, the capital has a ton of landmarks that are informative, eye-opening, and oftentimes, downright eerie.

Words: Ellie Robertson

There has been some kind of fortification on the volcanic plug of Castle Rock for more than 1000 years, but the Edinburgh Castle we can see today was one of Medieval Britain’s most defendable strongholds – fortunately for us in modern times, the gates have opened and tours of the

fortress are now Scotland’s most visited paid tourist attraction. The castle walls are a crowning jewel of the capital’s skyline, and the daily firing of the One O’Clock Gun from the battlements has become an iconic part of the city’s soundscape every afternoon.

As well as displaying geological and archaeological samples from around the world, the National Museum of Scotland (Chambers St) contains an eight-storey wing detailing the country’s timeline, starting in the basement with prehistoric Scots, to postwar modernity right underneath the rooftop terrace. Other highlights include the taxidermied remains of Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to have been cloned from a single cell, and the Millenium Clock, a ten-metre high tower which, multiple times a day, comes alive with hellish scenes of gargoyles dancing around the sculpture and machinery.

A medical museum not for the faint of heart, Surgeon’s Hall (Nicolson St) offers an archive of anatomical parts, with Edinburgh’s grizzly history of Enlightenment-era surgeons and scientists having their work preserved in formaldehyde for all to see. For a standout attraction, see the pocket book bound in the skin of notorious graverobber William Burke.

Rumoured by some to be one of Britain’s most haunted locations, Mary King’s Close (2 Warriston’s Cl) is an alleyway buried hundreds of years ago, perfectly preserving Edinburgh’s Reformation-era undercity. Guided tours shine a lamplight on the gruelling conditions of the past, and the impact of the plague on all levels of the capital.

Greyfriar’s Kirkyard

Greyfriar’s Pl

Our own Père Lachaise, Greyfriar’s Kirkyard is a cemetery renowned for its gothic embellishments and interned elite. The legendary terrier who protected his owner’s grave for years is immortalised in the statue of Greyfriar’s Bobby, who vigilantly guards the cemetery on George IV Bridge.

Vault Tours

Mercat Tours, 28 Blair St + Auld Reekie Tours, 45 Niddry St

Auld Reekie Tours and Mercat Tours

both offer a thrilling exploration of the catacombs that rest under the Old Town. See the city from its darkest depths with this subterranean sojourn into the vaults where smu lers and witches hid from prying eyes.

Dynamic Earth

Holyrood Rd

If tunnels and tombs are too macabre, Dynamic Earth is Scotland’s alwayspopular, highly interactive science centre. Experience a simulated earthquake, place your hand on a real-life glacier and expand your horizons at the star-studded planetarium shows.

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

549 Castlehill

To see Edinburgh from a whole new perspective, this tourist attraction / learning centre contains six floors of mind-bending optical illusions, including holograms, a mirror maze and a vortex tunnel.

National The Mound

FKA the Scottish National Gallery – behind the huge, neoclassical columns facing Princes Street is a collection of fine art featuring works by Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

Scott Monument

Princes St

Built to commemorate the celebrated novelist Walter Scott, this imposing black spire is one of Edinburgh’s most iconic waypoints, not only for the excellent vistas offered on the structure’s viewing platforms.

Modern

73 & 75 Belford Rd

The artist formerly known as the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Modern One and Modern Two on opposite sides of Belford Road house contemporary multimedia art, and have hosted past exhibitions on everything from surrealism to claymation.

AN A TO Z OF EDINBURGH (FOR KIDS)

There’s tonnes to do in Edinburgh for kids – from festival programmes to dedicated play areas in the galleries and museums, city centre green space and easily accessible beaches. We’ve made an A to Z of kid-friendly activities to get you started

Words: Rosamund West

A is for Arthur’s Seat

Edinburgh’s very own city centre mountain (legally speaking it’s a hill), it’s an excellent first climb for small legs and offers spectacular views from the summit.

B is for Beaches

Head to Portobello on the bike routes or by bus, swim in the sea (at the Joppa end), grab an ice cream or a pizza slice.

C is for Castles

We’ve got a load of them. Edinburgh’s the obvious choice, but you can avoid the crowds at Craigmillar, Blackness or Tantallon.

D is for Dynamic Earth

Learn about the story of our planet in the city’s world-class science centre and planetarium.

E is for Engineering

And what better feat of engineering to gaze upon than the Forth Rail Bridge in South Queensferry?

F is for Fish and Chips

You’ll find some of the best in the world at Newhaven Fishmarket, L’Alba D’oro or Portobello’s St Andrews Fish and Chip Shop.

G is for Greyfriars Bobby

This tragic tale of a very loyal dog is a firm family favourite – you can visit his tombstone and leave a stick.

H is for Haha!

Which is the noise you will make at one of the very funny comedy shows for kids in this year’s Fringe programme.

I is for Ice Cream

You’ll find excellent options at Mary’s Milk Bar, Joelato, Crolla’s, Luca’s and Alandas – the city’s gelato renaissance means you can’t really go wrong.

J is for Jupiter Artland

A magical sculpture park just outside the city, this year featuring a new family of goats alongside the work by internationally-renowned artists.

K is for Kidzone

Pleasance have a dedicated kids crafting space – you’ll find other drop-in creative play spaces at galleries including Collective and Modern One.

L is for Licensing

Real talk: it’s best to check the rules around children before you sit down in the pub, as the licensing varies wildly between hospitality venues.

M is for Meadows

A massive central green space criss-crossed by cherry trees, great for a picnic and a run-around.

N is for Newhailes

Between Portobello and Musselburgh, a National Trust house with an attached adventure playground, called Wee Hailes.

O is for Ornithology

Word is there’s a peregrine falcon nesting on the Salisbury Crags. You’ll find families of swans, moorhens and coots in ponds across the city, and the very lucky may spot the Water of Leith kingfishers.

P is for Playparks

The best can be found in the Meadows, Leith Links, Saughton, Inverleith and Princes St Gardens.

Q is for Queen, as in Mary Queen of Scots

You can view the bloodstain of her murdered servant Rizzio in her former home of Holyrood Palace.

R is for Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Vast, beautiful gardens, a bus or walk from the city centre, home to world-leading scientific enquiry and many squirrels.

S is for Swimming

Edinburgh has many Victorian baths with family sessions, a Turkish bath at Portobello and the Commonwealth Pool for those who like their swimming pools to be less than 100 years old.

T is for (Edinburgh) Treasure Trail

A self-guided tour through the city’s Old Town filled with clues and historical facts, downloadable from the Visit Scotland website.

U is for Underwater Exploration

Something you can do at Deep Sea World by taking the train over the Forth Bridge to North Queensferry.

V is for Vaults

Edinburgh is full of spooky vaults that you can explore with a ghost tour. Head to Mary King’s Close to see the real subterranean vaulty city.

W is for Water of Leith

You can cycle the leafy walkway from Colinton Dell to Leith, stopping to explore Saughton Park, the National Galleries’ Modern site and Dean Village on the way.

X is for Xylophone

There’s one in the National Museum of Scotland playroom – probably.

Y is for Y did I decide to do an A to Z

Z is for Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo! It’s got giraffes, red pandas, predatory seagulls and much more besides.

GALLERIES

Edinburgh’s network of galleries range from the national collections to DIY artist-run spaces via internationally-renowned contemporary art spaces. In August, Edinburgh Art Festival takes over with a programme blending the galleries’ own exhibitions with an energising series of events and commissions

Words: Rosamund West

It doesn’t get much more central than Fruitmarket (45 Market St). Located next to the entrance to Waverley Station, the contemporary art gallery is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. This summer they’re presenting Songs About Roses (13 Jul-6 Oct), an exhibition by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, who’ll be working with materials collected from Ghana’s now obsolete British-built railway.

Opposite, City Art Centre (2 Market St) has a varied programme ranging from contemporary art to the Science Festival. You’ll find Edinburgh Art Festival’s early-career-focused Platform programme in there this summer, as well as Sanctus! (both 9-25 Aug), a new film installation by Renèe Helèna Browne exploring devotion in relation to portraiture, faith, and belonging.

Round the corner, photography focused Stills (23 Cockburn St) has been offering exhibitions and practical training in their Cockburn Street gallery since 1977. This summer they’ll be presenting an exhibition of contemporary photography from Ukraine (2 Aug-5 Oct).

Located within the University of Edinburgh’s Old College, law school and symbolic flashpoint for student and union protest, Talbot Rice Gallery (University of Edinburgh, South Bridge) presents a thoughtful year-round programme melding international artists and Scottish early-career residencies. Their next exhibition is the largest UK survey of the work of Ghanaian artist El Anatsui (29 Jul-29 Sep).

Nearby, Dovecot (10 Infirmary St) is a gallery built around a worldrenowned tapestry studio, with Chris Ofili’s major tapestry The Caged Bird’s Song on display until 5 October. As part of EAF, Dovecot also present a triptych of tapestries by Christine Borland at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (1 Lauriston Pl; until 31 Dec).

At the top of Calton Hill, with some of the best and most accessible views the city has to offer, Collective

gallery occupies the former City Observatory and City Dome. They’re celebrating their 40th birthday this year, and their summer show features figurative collage and paper sculptures from Scottish artist Moyna Flannigan, one of their early committee members.

In Fountainbridge, Edinburgh Printmakers (Castle Mills, 1 Dundee St) have two exhibitions in their gallery space (both 27 Jul-10 Nov).

Ade Adesina’s INTERSECTION combines objects, places and scenes from Adesina’s African roots, British culture, and encounters whilst travelling into visually captivating landscapes. Tayo Adekunle’s Stories of the Unseen re-examines stories about Blackness from a different perspective, challenging the narratives that we have been taught.

In Newhaven, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop (21 Hawthornvale) is a purpose-built studio system, workshops and exhibitions space with a forward-thinking education programme for children and adults alike. The summer show is Sequoia Danielle Barnes: Everything Is Satisfactual (9 Aug-1 Sep) as well as a new public commission by Jan Pimblett, Hybrids (12 Jul-6 Oct), and they’ll be running family drop-in sessions at the weekend

in August with their much-loved Sculpture Saturdays.

In Leith, Sierra Metro (13-15 Ferry Rd) is a small but perfectly formed gallery space, studio and coffee shop. For August they’re presenting a small soft space to land for brutal times, with Flannery O’kafka: For Willy Love and Booker T: Blue babies do whatever they want (10 Aug-15 Sep).

Bard (1 Customs Wharf) is a gallery and shop with a craft and design focus, and presents work from artist and activist Matthew Hyndman (9-25 Aug).

Edinburgh is home to a range of artist-run spaces, from established bricks and mortar galleries to more peripatetic work popping up in disused rooms across the city. Embassy (10B Broughton St Lane) has been around for two decades, but its rotating committee-based structure has kept it young. Keep up to date with their events via their Insta @embassygallery.

Sett Studios (127 Leith Walk) is an artist-run studios and gallery space, and for EAF they’ll be presenting a short residents exhibition U HAD 2B THERE ;-) (24-25 Aug).

Artist-run Agitate (6 William St) is a photography-focused gallery, events space, bookshop and studio. Dissenter Space (@ dissenter.space, 94

Ocean Drive) pops up in unexpected places with a radical programme of performance and exhibition – the last pop-up was in an empty Wagamama in decaying shopping centre Ocean Terminal. Keep an eye on their socials for upcoming performances.

At the more establishment end of the scale, Edinburgh is home to the various outposts of the National Galleries of Scotland, with the neoclassical columns of the National on The Mound forming the very centre of the city centre. They’re showing work by Irish Impressionist John Lavery this summer (20 Jul-27 Oct), alongside their permanent collections of Scottish art. Out west, the twin modern art galleries, Modern One and Two (75 and 73 Belford Rd) present a survey by Korean artist Do Ho Suh (until 1 Sep) and the much-anticipated Women in Revolt! (until 26 Jan 2025), respectively. The latter, subtitled Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990, has toured up from London, and promises to inspire with stories of collaboration, creativity and rebellion.

In the New Town, the Ingleby Gallery in the former Glasite Meeting House (33 Barony St) showcases work by internationally renowned contemporary artists including Katie Paterson and Peter Liversidge. They’re currently showing paintings by Los Angelesbased artist Hayley Barker, Rising Stone, part of EAF (until 31 Aug).

Nearby Dundas Street is home to a scattering of commercial art galleries with varying specialisms.

Finally, no visit to Edinburgh is complete without a trip out of town to Jupiter Artland (Bonnington House, Wilkieston), a magical sculpture park on the outskirts of the city which has been steadily growing year by year. This year’s exhibitions feature Laura Aldridge, who’s contributed a snail fountain to the permanent collection alongside her gallery show, and Andrew Sim, whose paintings of plants and rainbows interact perfectly with the ornate surrounds of the ballroom.

GIG SPOTS

Edinburgh has long been seen as the underdog in Scotland when it comes to its live music scene, especially when pitted against our pals in the west, and it’s hard to fight back with Glasgow recognised as a UNESCO City of Music. However, Edinburgh really does have a lot to offer in terms of its gig spaces. To give you a better idea of what to expect, let us talk you through the capital’s hot spots, from small sweatboxes to large concert halls.

Words: Tallah Brash

SMALL: 60-200 CAP OR THEREABOUTS

It would be rude not to begin proceedings with Sneaky Pete’s. Located smack bang in the City Centre’s buzzing Cowgate, this intimate 100 or so capacity space has been serving lovers of new music since 2008, picking up multiple accolades along the way, including the Grassroots Music Venue: Spirit of the Scene award in the 2019 Music Week Awards, alongside appearing in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs in the World list in 2021. Take that, Glasgow! Sneaky’s is a great spot for catching artists before they become massive, with Young Fathers, Future Islands and Self Esteem amongst the impressive roll call of artists who have played in the past. Other small grassroots venues to seek out in the city include Voodoo Rooms, The Jazz Bar, Legends, Bannermans, Banshee Labyrinth, Leith Depot, Leith FAB Cricket Club, and Lost In Leith

MEDIUM: 250-600 CAP

In the Southside of the city, Summerhall is an all-year-round multi-roomed arts venue. A former veterinary school, the venue houses a brewery, a distillery, multiple artists studios, the excellent Royal Dick bar, and two spaces dedicated to live music – the 450 capacity Dissection Room, and 150 capacity Old Lab. Sometimes you’ll even catch shows in their grand Main Hall, or smaller seated Anatomy Room. While you won’t find many live gigs there this August, during the other 11 months of the year they have a dedicated music programme hosting touring artists on the rise as well as local ones to watch. Dry Cleaning, Aldous Harding, Tune-Yards, The Chats, and Kathryn Joseph have all passed through its walls.

You’ll find a handful of other excellent mid-sized venues in the City Centre too, with The Mash House, Cabaret Voltaire, The Bongo Club, The Caves, and La Belle Angele all within walking distance of each other along a stretch of the Cowgate.

LARGE: 800+ CAP

If you head to the city’s West End, you’ll find the gorgeous domed Usher Hall standing proud halfway up Lothian Road. Sandwiched between two theatres, the Usher Hall is a versatile space used frequently for classical concerts as well as for more contemporary gigs, with a max capacity of 2200, shows can be all seated, or a mix of seating and standing. Over the years, artists like The Flaming Lips, Bon Iver, The xx, Mitski, Angel Olsen, Underworld, Paramore and Mogwai have graced its stage.

Other big guns across the city include The Liquid Room, The Queen’s Hall, Assembly Rooms and O2 Academy Edinburgh, while in the summer months you’ll often catch even

bi er shows at locations like Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street Gardens, The Royal Highland Centre and Murrayfield Stadium

GLASGOW

As we said at the top of this roundup, Glasgow is a UNESCO City of Music, so if someone you’re desperate to see live isn’t playing Edinburgh, you can get to Glasgow Queen Street Station by train in around 50 minutes from Waverley. Then, pick between smaller venues like The Hug & Pint, Broadcast, Nice N Sleazy, The Rum Shack, King Tut’s, Stereo, Mono and The Glad Cafe, or larger spaces like SWG3, O2 Academy Glasgow, SEC Armadillo, OVO Hydro or the world famous Barrowland Ballroom.

GOING OUT

Our top picks of club nights you can rely on for a night out in the capital

Words:

Cammy Gallagher

Tracks, Subway, Mondays

The bi est stage in Scottish Drag, hosted weekly from 9pm by Elizabeth Moore.

Trash, Hive, Tuesdays

Free entry, £1 spirit mixer, and a sticky dancefloor to get down to indie classics til late every week. No frills, no qualms.

Haptic, Sneaky Pete’s, Wednesdays

Serving sweet sounds and intimate parties out of Cowgate’s sweatbox monthly. Previous guests include Baltra, Vegyn, Nathan Micay.

Volens Chorus,

Sneaky Pete’s, Thursdays

A party collective sure to get you ready for the weekend. From hardcore to hip-hop – and everything in between – Volens Chorus has it covered. Previous guests include Wiki, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, Kush Jones.

La Beat, Argyle Cellar Bar / Leith Arches, Fridays

hitters to the Cowgate bi-monthly; everyone’s a winner at Miss World. Previous guests include Jamz Supernova, mixtress, Darwin.

Pulse, The Bongo Club / The Mash House, Saturdays

A no-nonsense techno crew combining contemporary sounds with classic character. Previous guests include Blawan, Perc, Rødhåd.

Samedia Shebeen

The Mash House, Saturdays

Take a trip around the globe, through Cumbia, Kuduro, Afrobeat, and more, in Samedia’s tropical joy machine. Previous guests include Toya Delazy, Vixen Sound, Tom Spirals.

Femmergy

Postal, Sneaky Pete’s, Sundays

Tasteful headliners and trendy residents delivered straight to your door every week. Previous guests include Ross From Friends, Yung Singh, Neffa-T.

The capital’s monthly soul club. Relive the 60s and 70s through the carefully curated collections of Leith’s funky triumvirate.

Pleasure, Cabaret Voltaire, Saturdays

A reliable weekly affair you can count on for all your house and techno needs. Previous guests include Call Super, Peach, Jasper James.

Messenger Sound,

The Bongo Club, Saturdays

Holding it down since 1987, Messenger is Scotland’s longest-running independent heavy-duty, high-powered sound system. Three stacks, two generations, one love. Previous guests include Jah Shaka, Levi Roots, Channel One.

Miss World, Sneaky Pete’s, Saturdays

Bringing your favourite UK bass big

An intersectional safe space dedicated to femme art and music. Have a boogie in maximal style with minimal trouble – venues include The Bongo Club and Summerhall. Previous guests include DJ Rawzi, Rianna, Sweet Philly.

GRDN

A home-cooked party and sound system built by friends, for friends held sporadically across the city. Join the WhatsApp group to be in the know of the next location.

Headset

Gay Garage, UK techno, and a guaranteed good crowd. Currently operating UK-wide, with local parties few and far between, it’s advisable to get down when Skillis is in town.

Previous guests include Batu, Debonair, Leonce.

GREEN SPACE

Like Rome, Auld Reekie is rumoured to have been built on seven hills (though there’s debate as to which hills count). Getting to the loftiest lookouts in town can be an uphill stru le, but if you prefer your scenery horizontal, don’t worry –the capital has green spaces for all.

Words: Ellie Robertson

Princes

Street Gardens, right across the road from a ¾ mile shopping promenade, is Edinburgh’s most central green space. Visitors to the city can step right out of Waverley train station and into the shade of the nearby Castle Rock. Rest your feet before tackling the steep streets of the Old Town, or have a wander through the gardens’ many attractions – the Floral Clock, the Gardener’s Cottage, and St Cuthbert’s Kirkyard are all under a ten minute walk from the comfort of your memorial bench. The Ross Fountain, a turquoise masterwork of Victorian sculpture, is a particular highlight, and don’t forget to snap a selfie with the statue of Corporal Wojtek, the ursine WWII veteran who retired out of the Polish Army into the Edinburgh Zoo.

For some Scottish wilderness right in the heart of the capital, Holyrood Park has crags, hills, even lochs, but it’s best known for Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano from which

the city’s best vistas can be seen. An 18th-century superstition offers eternal beauty to those who bathe their faces with the May Day morning dew of Arthur’s Seat. A more recent myth states students who don’t climb the hill during Freshers’ Week are doomed to a lacklustre love life for the duration of their degree. We don’t know about all that, but if you climb the beginner’s route from Queen’s Drive, just along from Holyrood Palace, you’ll find breathtaking views at the summit, and hundred-year old curses will be the last thing on your mind.

For a less monumental climb with just as many landmarks to see, Calton Hill is home to the National Monument of Scotland, an attempted replica of the Parthenon which ran out of funding after the first wall was erected, immortalising the incomplete facsimile with the nickname ‘Edinburgh’s Folly’. The Dugald Stewart Monument also features in the

foreground of most of Edinburgh’s most iconic skyline photographs, and the City Observatory – which houses art venue Collective – is a masterpiece inside and out.

The student quarters’ informal commons is The Meadows, a vast park covered in cherry blossoms, that fills up with picnics and parties the sunnier it gets. Bordered by the University of Edinburgh George Square campus, it’s also right on the doorstep of arts complex Summerhall, and a lot of the fresh air is shared with nearby public golf course Bruntsfield Links.

The Water of Leith Walkway is a scenic, cycle-friendly route through the city that follows Edinburgh’s 22 mile river. This will take you by and through well-loved local green spaces such as Craiglockhart Hill and Saughton Gardens, as well as offering stops at such photogenic hotspots as the historic Dean Village, or the mural-dappled Colinton Tunnel.

Wintertime visitors to the city might be acquainted with Christmas at the Botanics, the enchanting light show that illuminates Edinburgh’s darker months – but the Royal Botanic Garden is a year-round breath of fresh air, in no small part due to the world-leading herbarium of over three million specimens. If you’re interested in going a little further afield, and in seeing some Highland coos up close in the fur, take a trip to the Pentlands, or soak up culture, sculpture and otherworldly landscaping at nearby open-air gallery Jupiter Artland.

And though they might not be as central as Calton Hill, Castle Rock, Arthur’s Seat and Craiglockhart Hill, the remaining three heights that complete the Roman analogy – Braid Hills, Blackford Hill and Corstorphine Hill – are particularly popular for the annual Seven Hills of Edinburgh Race & Challenge.

AUGUST FESTIVALS

Edinburgh in August is almost a whole different city. With Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival all running their worldleading programmes, the city is filled to bursting with culture and tourists.

Words: Arusa Qureshi

It’s a funny old time to be making art, whether you’re a performance poet, an up-and-coming musician or an absurdist clown. Whatever the discipline, it feels harder than ever to create work and get it out into the world for people to enjoy and respond to, as the cultural ecosystem around us seemingly crumbles with cuts and closures. It’s partly for this reason that August in Edinburgh is such an intensely special and unique month, as creatives from across the globe gather to share their work and audiences are invited to experience a taste of what is possible when art is given the limelight and the space to flourish. Edinburgh Festival season brings about complicated feelings for many – it’s too big, too expensive and ultimately, too much – but it’s simultaneously incredible to live in a city where every nook and cranny is occupied by creativity of some description, and where every day for a month, you can stumble upon something that might change your outlook or mindset for the better.

With the programmes for the Fringe, EIF, Book and Art Festivals now officially out in the world, it’s that time of the year where we all start to make plans on what to see, stressing about all the things we’ll inevitably miss. There are far too many highlights across all programmes to be able to mention everything but naturally, there are some names already on our radar and well worth keeping in mind. This is just the beginning though – for more Edinburgh Festival recommendations, interviews, reviews and more, be sure to grab The Skinny’s August issue and Fest, the latter of which publishes four issues between the end of July and August. And keep an eye on all the weekly winners of the newly announced

Skinny-Fest Festival Awards (for festivals) – aka The Besties – which will celebrate the best work happening anywhere in the festivals. For the time being, here’s a taste of what to expect and what we’d recommend getting excited about across genres and disciplines.

COMEDY

One of the big changes across the Fringe landscape this year is the absence of Teviot Row House. The Edinburgh University students’ association building, and Gilded Balloon’s main venue, is currently closed for major refurbs and won’t be back up and running again until spring 2025. As such a mainstay of the Fringe programme, it’ll be odd to not spend any time in the building this August but thankfully, the folks at Gilded Balloon still have plenty to look forward to at their other spaces in the

Patter House on Chambers Street and the National Museum of Scotland. Michelle Brasier is back with her new show Legacy, which is about all the other women she might have been if she’d made different choices, and Shitty Mozart makes his UK debut with his chaotic one-man multimedia concerto. Chemo Savvy stars Grant Stott, Jordan Young and Gail Watson and is inspired by the experiences of late great Scottish comedy legend, Andy Gray, while social media star Christopher Hall talks about his life as a ‘boy who’s a bit girly really’ in Girl For All Seasons. We’re looking forward to being back in Teviot with the Gilded Balloon team next year as they celebrate their 40th anniversary year. Speaking of anniversaries, Craig Hill has a pretty big one this year. The Scottish stand-up will be celebrating his 25th show at the Fringe with the aptly titled I’ve Been Sitting On This For A While!, which you can catch at Just the Tonic Nucleus. Just down the road at Pleasance Courtyard, there’s everything from comedy debuts to Fringe favourites, including Garry Starr who returns to perform every Penguin Classic ever written in an hour, mostly naked, and Anna Akana, who is back after a stalking incident forced her into retirement for six years. Australian sketch comics Hot Department make their Edinburgh debut, as does acclaimed comedian and podcaster Kemah Bob. In Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip, the American writer, comedian and filmmaker does exactly what it says on the tin, with added original comedic songs, presentations and bits directed by BriTANick. Josephine Lacey presents a heartwarming insight into the relationship between mother and son in Autism Mama and Erin Farrington promises a seminar that will change your life with Think Better: Manifesting Money, Real Estate and Hot People

Underbelly has some big names returning this year, including Hannah

Gadsby, who is back at the Fringe for the first time since they won the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2017, and ALOK, who returns after a sold-out run at the Traverse in 2022. Another Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, Natalie Palamides, also returns, this time to the Traverse with her 90s rom-drom WEER. Elsewhere at Underbelly, we’re excited about Furiozo’s solo punk-rock comedy show Man Looking for Trouble, and The Duncan Brothers’ likely very silly Blood Sword. Assembly’s comedy programme also boasts some heavy hitters such as Trygve Wakenshaw, who’s back after a seven-year hiatus with his mime-clown-comedy show Silly Little Things, and American viral sensation Dylan Mulvaney, who brings F*GHAG to the George Square Studios. At the same venue, check out Dancefloor Conversion Therapy, which invites you

to Australian DJ and dance floor icon Jonny Hawkins’ afterparty, and Justice For Holly, from the writer of West End comedy, Death Drop, Holly Stars. Edinburgh’s year-round comedy hubs The Stand and Monkey Barrel both have so much to see throughout the year but they’re also known for bringing the best of the best to the Fringe annually. At the Stand, check out Mark Thomas’ trademark anti-Tory stand-up with Gaffa Tapes, Susan Morrison’s hilarious history tour through Edinburgh’s New Town, and local comic Gareth Waugh’s new show This Guy. Monkey Barrel have got Zoë Coombs Marr covering everything that’s ever happened in her life, 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee Dan Tiernan with his follow-up Stomp, and Erika Ehler with the brilliantly named I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That

I’ll Never F*ck With Again. For late-night fun, don’t miss Pi y Time, John Norris aka Mr Chonkers’ bizarre and beautiful mixed-bill show.

THEATRE

This year’s Edinburgh International Festival programme is full of some seriously impressive theatre, from award-winning companies to world premieres. This will be the second year under the helm of Festival Director and Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, and the theme chosen for 2024 is ‘Rituals That Unite Us’, which focuses on work responding to a desire for togetherness. Two major shows this year come from Scottish creatives: The Fifth Step, a new play written by David Ireland, directed by Finn den Hertog and starring BAFTA-nominated Scottish actor Jack Lowden; and the stage adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir, The Outrun, brought to life by Stef Smith, director Vicky Featherstone and the Lyceum. Elsewhere in the theatre programme, British company 1927 returns to the International Festival with their new production Please Right Back, which combines fantastical animations with bold storytelling to explore the effects of the criminal justice system, and Peruvian theatre company Teatro La Plaza’s take on Hamlet makes its UK premiere, with the stories of people with Down’s syndrome taking centre stage.

In the Fringe programme, you’re utterly spoilt for choice at Summerhall, which has some of the most boundary-pushing and innovative theatre around. Fleabag and Baby Reindeer super-producer Francesca Moody brings three new shows to the venue: the dizzying Weather Girl, Todd Almond’s modern love story in song I’m Almost There and Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair’s riotous comedy VL. Part of the Made in Scotland showcase, the National Theatre of Scotland and Grid Iron present June Carter

Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me, while Apphia Campbell tells the story of two generations of women activists in the stru le for black liberation in America in Through the Mud. Sh!t Theatre return with new show Or What’s Left Of Us, Fringe First winner Ben Target directs Fan/Girl, which is set against a backdrop of 90s football and pop, and Burnout Paradise features four performers on four treadmills. We’re also really excited about Down the Rabbit Hole Theatre’s The Disappeared, which tells the true story of a queer Latinx voice forced into exile, Precious Cargo, about the life-long impact of the Vietnam war, and Hyper, which explores trans people’s connection to hyperpop.

At the Traverse, you’ll find another fantastic programme thanks to highlights such as Virginia Gay’s gender-flipped retelling of Cyrano, the Ursula Martinez-directed Batshit, an intimate story of female madness, and My English Persian Kitchen, which features live cooking on stage. There’s also Fishamble’s In Two Minds, the UK premiere of Adam Rapp’s play The Sound Inside and the Dundee Rep co-pro A History of Paper, a musical by Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Williams. At Pleasance, don’t miss the compelling The Shroud Maker, which is inspired by a real-life character who sells shrouds for burying the dead in Gaza. There’s also Òran, which combines spoken word, lyrical storytelling and a electronic live score in a modern retelling of the classic Greek myth Orpheus; award-winning writer Yilong Liu’s new play The Book of Mountains and Seas; Crying Shame, which is described as a ‘cabaret-show-cum-wellness-journey all about loneliness’; and Boy in Da Korma, a solo show featuring live music, hip-hop and Irish trad.

Another show with music that is well worth your attention is A Giant on the Bridge at Assembly Roxy, by award-winning theatre maker Liam

Hurley and songwriter Jo Mango, also featuring Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow), Raveloe and Solareye. Also at Assembly, check out The State of Grace by Michaela Burger, which is part of the House of Oz programme; Solve It Squad, from the creators of Spies Are Forever and founding members of Team StarKid; and Leni’s Last Lament, about Hitler’s controversial filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl. At Just the Tonic at the Mash House, 3HAMS follows Max and Ry, two friends whose bond was forged through their shared stru le with eating disorders, while at ZOO Southside, Mexican musical Comala Comala offers a Day of the Dead-style theatrical experience. At the same venue, Lung Ha Theatre Company celebrate their 40th anniversary with their Fringe remounting of An Unexpected Hiccup, and You Heard Me, part of the Hear & Now Showcase, is a celebration of taking up space and refusing to be silenced.

MUSIC

This year’s Fringe programme has a sta ering number of musicals to

choose from, with topics ranging from pop culture to history. At Underbelly, Luke Bayer provides a blood-stained love letter to Broadway in DIVA: Live From Hell!, while you can enjoy a musical parody of the Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs with SILENCE! The Musical. At Assembly, there’s Mary, Queen of Rock!, a rock’n’roll retelling of the story of Mary, Queen of Scots; House of Cleopatra, a high-octane pop musical about the most powerful woman in the ancient world; and Who Do Ya Love?, the official KC and the Sunshine Band musical. Pleasance Courtyard have got Tit Swingers, a new punk gig musical about polyamorous queer pirates, and Pop Off, Michelangelo! at Gilded Balloon Patter House is an electropop comedy about Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

Also in the Fringe music programme, check out BirdWorld at Summerhall, which features a set-up of cello, drums, kalimbas and percussion spanning alternative, electronic, Afro-Cuban and contemporary classical music. At the Storytelling Centre, The Other is a multimedia performance exploring culture and

displacement with nine musicians, a dancer, a visual artist and a filmmaker, and Stumped is a brand-new miniature opera exploring deforestation. The Queen’s Hall also has plenty of music to explore in August, including the Ligeti Quartet, who perform music by Anna Meredith, and Seckou Keita, who is nicknamed ‘the Hendrix of the Kora’. The venue is home to numerous EIF shows too, including Iranian-American musician Mahan Esfahani, South London singer-songwriter Tirzah, indie-pop musician Bat For Lashes and post-punk icon Nadine Shah

Elsewhere at the International Festival, pianist Yuja Wang performs an eclectic programme of virtuoso masterpieces, and multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer-songwriter Jordan Rakei tours his highly-anticipated fifth studio album, both at the Usher Hall. The Philharmonia Orchestra is in residence at the EIF this year, with a performance of Verdi’s Requiem and the International Festival’s Closing Concert, Strauss’s Capriccio, with Malin Byström. The Philharmonia also present the UK premiere of Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my Mouth, a multimedia performance

conducted by Marin Alsop, with the National Youth Choir of Scotland.

At The Hub, jazz musician Domo Branch returns for a night of original music and improvisation, while award-winning Egyptian singer, musicologist and composer Mustafa Said also makes an appearance. Meanwhile, at the Playhouse, The GRIT Orchestra unites Scotland’s leading folk, jazz and classical musicians.

In opera, Carmen arrives at the EIF from Parisian opera house OpéraComique, with a new production brought to the stage by director Andreas Homoki, with Gaëlle Arquez as Carmen. And Scottish Opera presents a promenade performance of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex in the National Museum of Scotland’s Grand Gallery, supported by a 100-strong community chorus from across Scotland.

DANCE, PHYSICAL THEATRE & CIRCUS

In addition to theatre and music, the International Festival is a great place to see high-quality dance productions from world-class companies. This year, Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young

present the Scottish premiere of major new dance work Assembly Hall, which follows a group of mediaeval re-enactors as they gather for their Annual General Meeting. Aakash Odedra returns following his highly-acclaimed Samsara in 2022 with Songs of the Bulbul, which explores an ancient Sufi myth about a bulbul, a songbird common throughout Africa and Asia.

At the Fringe, Dance Base have once again joined forces with Assembly this year to create Assembly @ Dance Base. The 2024 programme includes 29 shows from 33 companies in the Grassmarket venue, with dancers and choreographers from countries and territories such as Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Belgium, Denmark, and Germany. Highlights include rising star of Australian dance Lewis Major, who brings two shows to Dance Base as part of the House of Oz programme – Triptych and Lien, the latter of which is a one-on-one ten-minute encounter that will never be repeated. Also at Dance Base, What Songs May Do… sees award-winning choreographer Mathieu Geffré and his company Rendez-Vous dance perform to the evocative songs of Nina Simone; Transhumanist is a duet between two male dancers; and Futuristic Folktales reimagines the tale of the first womb.

At Assembly Hall, you’ll find Ten Thousand Hours, Gravity & Other Myths’ new family-friendly acrobatic extravaganza, and ARI: The Spirit of Korea, which brings the 600-year-old folk song Arirang to life. Meanwhile, Assembly Checkpoint hosts Of the Land on Which We Meet, in which Na Djinang circus follows the journey of three contemporary Australian circus artists with distinct relationships to their land.

For more circus, head to Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows, where you’ll find Quebec City-based circus company, Machine de Cirque’s Ghost Light: Between Fall

and Flight, which sees Maxim Laurin and Guillaume Larouche perform a duet on a spinning teeterboard. Japan’s Cirquework make their UK premiere with YOAH and Circus Baobab, an exciting collective of artists from Guinea and the diaspora, also bring their debut Yé! to the Circus Hub.

At Summerhall, check out Cosmos by Ashtar Muallem, a Jerusalemite artist who humorously explores her life and spirituality; Show Pony by still hungry and Bryony Kimmings; B.L.I.P.S., a touching

AUGUST FESTIVALS

retelling about the chaos of psychosis; and Wen-Jen Huang’s Lost Connection, part of the Taiwan Season. At Zoo, you’ll find two of Scottish Dance Theatre’s most physically daring and dynamic works

– The Flock and Moving Cloud.

CABARET

The cabaret section of the Fringe programme is traditionally where you’ll find some of the best party-starters, and this year is no exception. Cabaret star Aidan Sadler is back with two helpings; Melody at Voodoo Rooms, which takes audiences through the top steps to surviving the apocalypse, and Big Gay Afterparty at Just the Tonic at The Caves, Aidan’s pop-up late-night cabaret with a rotating selection of Fringe performers.

At Assembly, These Are the Contents of My Head (The Annie Lennox Show) sees Salty Brine chart their way through Lennox’s debut solo album DIVA, while Skank Sinatra is cabaret queen Jens Radda’s reinvention of Sinatra’s classics through saucy modern twists. For ogre-inspired burlesque and drag, look no further than Swamplesque at Assembly Hall.

For more drag, check out Elle Barto: Itchy and Scratchy at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, which features New York drag queen Elle Barto reliving your favourite moments from film and television. At Pleasance Courtyard, you’ll find Polly & Esther by iconic Welsh mother and daughter drag-duo Polly Amorous and Esther Parade, and at Pleasance Dome, Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret is Olivier Award-winning West End star Janie Dee’s celebration of our world and confrontation of the climate crisis, via song and spoken word.

FILM & ART

The relaunched Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) takes place from 15-21 August this year, with

Photo: Lee Kun-Yen

a few new venues to be included as part of the programme, such as Summerhall and the Cameo. This year’s festival will be the 77th edition and though the full programme is still to be announced at the time of writing, it will open with Nora Fingscheidt’s adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s best-selling memoir, The Outrun. Elsewhere on the programme, Coralie Fargeat’s thrilling body horror The Substance will be the Closing Night film of the Festival’s brand new Midnight Madness strand, which runs throughout August.

The Edinburgh Art Festival is also back this year from 9-25 August, with the festival celebrating its 20th anniversary. There are numerous exhibitions to seek out across the city in venues such as Fruitmarket, the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Edinburgh Printmakers and more, but in addition, visitors are encouraged to take in some of the many performances and events that will be part of the programme over the month. A highlight of the festival is JUPITER RISING x EAF (17 August) at Jupiter Artland, which celebrates underrepresented artistic voices and champions queer and QTIPOC experimental practice. This year’s line-up includes Gemma RollsBentley, Sgàire Wood and Femmergy.

The Art Festival itself launches with a Birthday Launch Party at Custom Lane in Leith on 9 August, hosted by queer-led party series Ponyboy, with EHFM DJs providing music throughout the night. Also on the same day, EAF has invited Mele Broomes to create an Opening Performance that responds to the EAF24 Framework. Mele Broomes: through warm temperatures takes place at Custom Lane at 7pm.

At City Art Centre on 10 August, join artist Karol Radziszewski for an in-depth exploration of his exhibition Filo and then on 11 August, head to the Opening Provocation at Edinburgh College of Art. This year’s participants include Cooper Gallery, Falastin Film

AUGUST FESTIVALS

Photo: Eoin Carey

Festival, Haven for Artists, Lighthouse Bookshops, and Más Arte Más Acción. At Castle Terrace Car Park on 16 August, Prem Sahib presents performance work Alleus, a polyphony of live and pre-recorded voices. Also part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Remnants In-Conversation: How you re-assemble a city (13 August) features feminist architecture collective Voices of Experience, who discuss how we might imagine city spaces that encourage a culture of belonging for all.

BOOKS

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has some exciting changes this year, with new Director Jenny Niven presenting her first programme and the festival itself moving to the newly opened Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI). This year’s theme is ‘Future Tense’, with various events exploring how we can, or should, change our individual and collective futures featuring the likes of Martin MacInnes, Naomi Alderman, Joelle Taylor and Richard Holloway

Other big names included on the programme are Margaret Atwood, Lauren Groff, Lorraine Kelly and Karl Ove Knausgård. The Front List is a new partnership between the Book Festival and Underbelly, with a number of legends of stage and screen set to appear at the McEwan Hall. Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson will be in conversation with Jackie Kay about their comedy history and their new book Victor and Barry’s Kelvinside Compendium (10 August); cult favourite author of Heartstopper Alice Oseman will be chatting with Lauren James (13 August); Booker Prize-winning Salman Rushdie will be appearing live from his home in New York (17 August); and Richard Osman speaks to Ian Rankin about his new series (24 August).

This year’s EIBF will also mark the 200th anniversary of James Ho ’s

seminal work The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner with a series of events under the Justified Sinner 200 banner. Highlights include New Myths, in which Kirsty Logan, Esther Swift, and folk singer Kirsty Law reset the text in a contemporary Scottish cult, and Perambulations of a Justified Sinner, Grid Iron and Ray Interactive’s immersive walking tour through Edinburgh’s old town which features voiceovers from Louise Welsh. For after hours fun, head to the Spiegeltent for Back to Ours, a strand of evening and late night events ranging from performance to poetry, comedy to podcasting and more. The Big Friendship Fandango on 23 August is definitely one not to miss, with Michael Pedersen hosting special guests like Bee Asha & The Band Tees, Blindboy Boatclub, Greg McHugh, and Jack Rooke.

KIDS

There’s always plenty to see and do with the little ones at the Book Festival, with regular free events including Are You Sitting Comfortably? and Hip Hop Story Stop!, as well as opportunities to meet popular characters like the Gruffalo, Pikachu and Supertato. Other names on the programme with events especially for kids are Julian Clary, Emma Grae, Dr

Amir Khan, Big Manny, Nikita Gill, Joseph Coelho and Dean Atta. Children are also well catered to via the Fringe programme, with shows for babies, toddlers and older kids alike. At Pleasance, Monkeys Everywhere is bound to be a hit. In this all-ages show containing puppetry and clowning, audiences join Garry Starr as he tries to find a calmer place to be amongst the madness of the monkey business that fills his mind. Also at Pleasance Courtyard, Rosie and Hugh’s Great Big Adventure follows Rosie and Hugh the Hedgehog, who are best friends, with songs from CBeebies’ Nick Cope.

Staying with the animal theme, The Last Forecast at Dance Base is about Gael, a gecko-like creature who lives alone in harmony with the surroundings, until a stranger arrives. Blue Badge Bunch at Pleasance Courtyard is described as ‘the disability Taskmaster’, as kids are invited by comedian and host Benny Shakes to join teams to battle it out in a show where disadvantage is an advantage. Another top pick with a game show-style format is The Kids Always Win at Gilded Balloon’s Patter House, where Tom Whiston and Max Prentice ask grown-ups to compete against kids in a series of stacked decks and impossible scenarios.

Words: Laurie Presswood

GET ON YOUR FEET

A lot of Scotland’s most well-known scenery is over on the west coast – achievable in a day by car, but not realistic for the Edinburgh traveller using public transport. But fear not, there is plenty of beauty to be found in the lowlands and east coast. Close at hand are our very own Pentland Hills, which have a grade of walk for every level of outdoorsman. Harlaw

Reservoir makes for an easy, peaceful walk, while West Kip, East Kip and Scald Law will deliver views to those with more hiking experience.

If you want to get the full Scottish mountain experience, the south of the Cairngorms are achievable from Edinburgh by train – the stations at Blair Atholl and Dalwhinnie can act as starting points for walks of various difficulty levels.

Alternatively, for a slice of the outdoors that is readily accessible and

doesn’t ask much of your legs, visit Cramond Island, a tidal island in the Firth of Forth with a history of human occupation stretching back to the prehistoric era. Text CRAMOND to 81400 to get the day’s safe crossing times from the RNLI.

And of course, for a Scottish experience so quintessential we made it into a whole song, you can visit Loch Lomond by jumping on a train to Balloch (via Glasgow Queen Street). There are plenty of different walks here, including paths stable enough for a pram. Grab a picnic and choose the route which best suits you.

INFINITE ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES

For you sporty types, there’s all kinds of outdoors activities available within striking distance of Edinburgh. The dry ski slope at Hillend is so close it’s visible from the city – a sort of beacon

for thrillseekers with tough elbow skin. The Midlothian Snowsports Centre offers lessons in skiing and snowboarding, as well as the option to go tubing if all you really want is to launch yourself down a big hill.

It might surprise you to hear that East Lothian is great for surfing – in Dunbar in particular several companies have popped up offering lessons. Top spot Belhaven Bay is easily accessible by public transport, so just hop aboard the next ScotRail service to Dunbar – but do be sure to pre-book a ticket for your board.

For something a little less extreme, you can try paddleboarding or kayaking in any number of our still bodies of water – the Willowgate Activity Centre in Perth is a great place to sample a variety of activities, from paddle boarding and kayak city tours, to archery and axe throwing.

NIGHT-TRIPPING

If you’re after not so much a day trip but more of a night-trip, there’s only one place to go. Trains to Glasgow Queen Street rattle off every quarter of an hour – the journey should take around 50 minutes so check the arrival time before boarding to make sure you’re not on one of the long trains. Start off with a pizza dinner at Paesano in the West End followed by a pub crawl into town – Inn Deep, Bananamoon and the The Hug & Pint are all conveniently located along your route down Great Western Road. Finally, sample some of Glasgow’s famed nightlife on Sauchiehall Street before catching a bus back home at any half-hour mark throughout the night. Alternatively, you might want to organise your trip around a specific gig or clubnight – check out The Skinny's Music and Clubs listings to see what’s on in Glasgow this month.

WHERE ART THOU

There are galleries aplenty in Scotland’s largest city, but if you fancy something off the beaten track, the woefully underrated Dundee plays host to three exciting galleries that are well worth the trip alone. The V&A Dundee juts out into the riverbank like it’s about to break away and set sail to the Arctic Ocean. It’s Scotland’s first dedicated design museum – their exhibition on the history of the kimono runs through January 2025. Dundee Contemporary Arts is an industriallyconverted church which now houses a gallery, print studios, two-screen cinema, bar, restaurant and cafe. They’ve made a name for themselves hosting UK solo debuts for many up and coming artists – they have several more lined up for the rest of the year. Be sure to also check what’s on at Generator Projects, a small industrial unit behind the art school which hosts

some of the most surprising, and often tongue-in-cheek work Dundee has to offer.

WHISKY GALORE

You’re not exactly stuck for choice if you’ve come to Scotland hoping to tour a whisky distillery. There are a handful in Edinburgh itself, with the newcomer Port of Leith the UK’s first vertical distillery (it also has a top floor bar and restaurant with incredible views – best enjoyed at sunset). If you want to make a day of it, try the Arbikie Highland Estate, just south of Montrose. Not only do they offer the standard tour and tasting, the tour also takes in their crop fields, where the whisky you’ll soon be drinking began. To top it all off, Arbikie stands behind the gorgeous Lunan Bay Beach, Angus’s worst-kept secret. It’s perfect for walking, sunbathing, and swimming, but maybe not after that dram…

FOOD

GALLERIES

GREEN SPACES

INDIE SHOPS

VENUES

ATTRACTIONS

DRINKS

Artisan Roast

72-74 Leith Walk P39

Athletic Arms

1-3 Angle Park Ter P34

Bellfield Brewery

46 Stanley Pl P37

Bennets Bar

8 Leven St P34

Bing Tea

37 W Nicolson St P39

The Blackbird

37-39 Leven St P35

The Blue Blazer

2 Spittal St P34

The Bow Bar

80 West Bow P34

Bramble

16A Queen St P38

Cairngorm Coffee

1 Melville Pl P39

Campervan Taproom

112 Jane St P16

Carriers Quarters

42 Bernard St P35

Chancho

7 Bernard St P38

Cult Espresso

104 Buccleuch St P39

The Devil's Advocate

9 Advocate's Cl P35

The Dog House

18-24 Clerk St P37

Dreadnought

72 N Fort St P14

Fortitude

66 Hamilton Pl P39

George IV Bar

54 George IV Bridge P35

Hey Palu

49 Bread St P38

Hula

94A Fountainbridge

103-105 West Bow P39

Leith Depot

138-142 Leith Walk P37

Lost in Leith

82 Commercial St P37

Lovecrumbs

155 West Port P39

Lucky Liquor Co.

39A Queen St P38

Malt & Hops

45 Shore P35

Moonwake Brewery & Taproom

6A Tower St P16

Nauticus

142 Duke St P38

Newbarns

13 Jane St P37

Nótt

13 Crighton Pl P38

Paradise Palms

41 Lothian St P37

The Persevere

398 Easter Rd P17

Port of Leith Distillery

11 Whisky Quay P37

Porty Vault

243 Portobello High St, Portobello P37

Roseburn Bar

1 Roseburn Ter P17

The Royal Dick

1 Summerhall P38

Salt Horse

57-61 Blackfriars St P37

Sheep Heid Inn

43-45 The Causeway P17

Smith & Gertrude

26 Hamilton Pl P38

Smoke & Mirrors

159 Constitution St P38

The Source

4 Spittal St P39

Spry

1 Haddington Pl P39

Starbar

1 Northumberland Pl P37

St Vincent

11 St Vincent St P35

Teuchters Bar & Bunker

26 William St P35

Wee Vault

7A W Maitland St P38

Williams & Johnson

1 Customs Wharf P39

FOOD

£2 Pizza Slice

11 Albion Rd

26 South Bridge P25

71 Steps

22 Rodney St P22

Africano Wrap Place 4 Chapel St P25

Alandas

1 Forrest Rd P50

Alby’s

94 Buccleuch St P25

8 Portland Pl P25

Ardfern

10-12 Bonnington Rd P21

Bánh Mì Brothers

141 West Port P25

Bonnie Burrito

82 S Clerk St P25

Chennai’s Marina

54 Clerk St

192 Dalry Rd

23 Jocks Lodge P29

Chez Jules

109 Hanover St P29

Chotu

16 Haymarket Ter P22

Civerinos Slice

49 Forest Rd

5 Hunter Sq

47-49 Fi ate Ln P26

Crolla's

1 The Shore P50

Earl's Burger Co.

74 Raeburn Pl

124 Morningside Rd P26

Edinburgh Larder 15 Blackfriars St P22

Edinburgh Street Food Leith St P26

Eleanore

30-31 Albert Pl P29

The Fishmarket Newhaven 23A Pier Pl P26

The Gardener’s Cottage 1 London Rd P29

Greek Artisan Pastries

23 Bread St

32-34 Portobello

High St P26

Hank's

162 Fountainbridge P22

Harkness Pies

30B Raeburn Pl P26

Hobz

106 Leith Walk P22

Joelato

31 N W Circus Pl P50

Kampong Ah Lee

28 Clerk St P29

Kim’s Mini Meals 5 Buccleuch St P29

Kvasa

101 Leith Walk P22

L'Alba D'oro

7 Henderson Row P50

Lannan 29-35 Hamilton Pl P26

Lovecrumbs 155 West Port P26

Luca's 16 Morningside Rd P50

Mary’s Milk Bar 19 Grassmarket P26; 50

Montrose

1-7 Montrose Ter P30

Moo Pie Gelato 26 St Mary's St P26

Mother India’s Cafe 3-5 Infirmary St P24

Noto

47a Thistle St P30

The Original Mosque Kitchen & Cafe 50 Potterrow P26

The Palmerston 1 Palmerston Pl P30

Paz Taqueria 64 Thistle St P30

The Pitt 20 W Shore Rd P29

Pizzeria 1926 85 Dalry Rd P30

Polentoni

38 Easter Rd P29

Pomelo

27 Sciennes Rd P30

Preacher's 24-26 Lady Lawson StP25

Razzo Pizza Napolitana

59 Great Junction St P29

Roseleaf 23-24 Sandport Pl P25

Sabzi

162 Ferry Rd P30

San Ciro’s

148 Leith Walk P30

Sicilian Pastry Shop 14-16 Albert St P29

Singapore Coffee House

5 Canonmills P25

Skua

49 St Stephen St P30

Snax

118 Buccleuch St 15-17 West Register St P25

St Andrews

Fish & Chip Shop

280-284

Portobello High St P50

Taco Libre

3 Shandwick Pl

85 Rose St P30

Tipo

110 Hanover St P30

Twelve Triangles Kitchen

Table

22-24 Easter Rd P29

GALLERIES

Abbeyhill Colonies

Abbeyhill P15

Agitate

6 William St P55

Bard

1 Customs Wharf P55

City Art Centre

2 Market St P54

Collective City Observatory, 38 Calton Hill P54

Custom Lane

1 Customs Wharf P81

Dissenter Space

94 Ocean Dr P55

Dovecot

10 Infirmary St P54

Edinburgh Futures

Institute

1 Lauriston Pl P54; 82

Edinburgh Printmakers

Castle Mills, 1 Dundee St P54; 81

Edinburgh Sculpture

Workshop 21 Hawthornvale P54; 81

Embassy

10B Broughton St Ln P55

Fruitmarket

45 Market St P54; 81

Ingleby Gallery

33 Barony St P55

Jupiter Artland

Bonnington House, Wilkieston P50; 55; 67; 68-85

Modern One

75 Belford Rd P49; 55

Modern Two

73 Belford Rd P49; 55

National The Mound P49; 55

Sett Studios

127 Leith Walk P55

Sierra Metro

13-15 Ferry Rd P55

Stills

23 Cockburn St P54

Talbot Rice Gallery

University of Edinburgh, South Bridge P54

GREEN SPACES

Arthur's Seat

Holyrood Park P50; 66

Blackford Hill

Blackford Hill P67

Braid Hills

Braid Rd P67

Bruntsfield Links

Bruntsfield Links P67

Calton Hill

Calton Hill P66

Castle Rock

Castlehill P66

Colinton Tunnel

Colinton Dell, Lanark Rd P67

Corstorphine Hill

Clermiston Rd North P67

Craiglockhart Hill

Colinton Rd P67

Dean Village

Dean Path P67

Holyrood Park

Queen's Dr P66

Inverleith Park

Inverleith P51

Jupiter Artland

Bonnington House, Wilkieston P50; 55; 67; 68-81

Leith Links

Leith Links P51

The Meadows

Melville Dr P51; 67

Newhailes

Newhailes P51

Pentlands

Pentland Hills

Regional Park P67

Portobello Beach

Portobello P50

Princes Street Gardens

Princes St P51; 66

Royal Botanic Garden

20a Inverleith Row P51; 67

Saughton Gardens

Balgreen Rd P51; 67

Union Canal

Edinburgh Quay P16

The Water of Leith Walkway various P51; 67

INDIE SHOPS

Agitate

6 William St P39

An Independent Zebra

88-92 Raeburn Pl P39

Argonaut Books

15-17 Leith Walk P44

Armchair Books

72-74 West Port P45

Assai Records

1 Grindlay St P45

Avalanche Records

Waverley Mall P45

The Beer Cave 43 Dalry Rd P42

The Beerhive 24 Rodney St P42

Broughton Street Flowers 87 Broughton St P44

Cork and Cask 136 Marchmont Rd P42

Cornelius 18 Easter Rd 128 Leith Walk P42

Curiouser & Curiouser

106 Bruntsfield Pl

93 Broughton St P39

Flamingosaurus Rex

22 Bruntsfield Pl P39

George Mewes

3 Dean Park St P42

Ginger and Pickles

51 St Stephen St P45

Golden Hare Books

68 St Stephen St P45

Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store & Studios 151-153 Constitution St P43

Great Grog

2 Dalkeith Rd P42

Green Meadows

137 Buccleuch St P44

Grow Urban

92 Grove St

8B St Vincent St P44

Handsel

336 Leith Walk P39

I.J. Mellis

30 Victoria St

6 Bakers Pl

330 Morningside Rd P42

Lighthouse Bookshop

43-45 W Nicolson St P40

Logan Malloch

13 Leith Walk P39

Lupe Pintos

24 Leven St P44

Moss & Fern

84 South Clerk St P44

The Portobello Bookshop

46 Portobello High St P45

Rare Bird Books

13 Raeburn Pl P45

Red Door Gallery

42 Victoria St P39

Rose and Ammi Flowers

2 Gillespie Cres P44

Slow Progress

52 Blackfriars St P45

Thorne Records

125 Bruntsfield Pl P45

Tills Bookshop

1 Hope Park Cres P45

Topping & Company

2 Blenheim Pl P45

Typewronger

4a Haddington Pl P45

Umbrella Vinyl

20 Valleyfield St P45

Underground Solu'shn

9 Cockburn St P45

VoxBox Music

21 St Stephen St P45

Winekraft 6 Brandon Ter P44

VENUES

Assembly Checkpoint

3 Bristo Pl P79

Assembly @ Dance Base 14-16 GrassmarketP79; 85

Assembly George Square

George Sq P73

Assembly Hall Mound Pl P79; 80

Assembly Rooms

54 George St P61

Assembly Roxy

2 Roxburgh Pl P75

Bannermans

212 Cowgate P58

Banshee Labyrinth

29-35 Niddry St P58

The Biscuit Factory

4-6 Anderson Pl P15

The Bongo Club

66 Cowgate P58

Cabaret Voltaire

36-38 Blair St P58

Cameo Cinema

38 Home St P81

Castle Terrace Car Park

Castle Ter P68-85

The Caves

8-10 Niddry St S P82

Dance Base

14-16 GrassmarketP79; 85

Edinburgh Castle Castlehill P61

Edinburgh Futures

Institute

1 Lauriston Pl P82

Edinburgh Playhouse

18-22 Calton Sq P61

Gilded Balloon Patter

Hoose

3 Chambers St P70; 76; 85

Greyfriar's Bobby

George IV Bridge P50

The Hub

Top of the Royal Mile P77

The Jazz Bar

1a Chambers St P58

Just the Tonic Nucleus

138-140 Pleasance P70

La Belle Angele

11 Hastie's Cl P58

Legends 71 Cowgate P58

Leith Arches

6 Manderston St P14

Leith Depot 138-142 Leith Walk P58

Leith FAB Cricket Club

1 Leith Links P58

The Liquid Room 9C Victoria St P61

Lost In Leith

82 Commercial St P58

The Lyceum

30b Grindlay St P75

The Mash House

37 Guthrie St P58

Monkey Barrel Comedy 9-12 Blair St P73

Murrayfield Stadium Roseburn St P61

National Museum of Scotland Chambers St P70; 77

O2 Academy Edinburgh 11 New Market Rd P61

Pleasance Courtyard

60 Pleasance P70; 76; 80; 85

Pleasance Dome

5/2 Bristo Pl P80

Pleasance @ EICC 150 Morrison St P68-85

The Queen's Hall 85-59 Clerk St P61

The Royal Highland Centre Ingliston P61

Sneaky Pete's 73 Cowgate P58

theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall

Nicolson St P80

The Stand Comedy Club 5 York Pl P73

The Storytelling Centre 43-45 High St P76

Summerhall 1 Summerhall P58

Traverse Theatre

10 Cambridge St P73; 75

Underbelly Circus Hub

The Meadows P79

Underbelly Cowgate

66 Cowgate P73; 76

Underbelly Bristo Square

Teviot Pl P73; 76

Underbelly George Square

George Sq P71

Usher Hall

Lothian Rd P61

Voodoo Rooms

19a West Register St P58

ZOO Southside

117 Nicolson St P76; 80

VISITOR ATTRACTIONS

Blackness Castle

Blackness, Linlithgow P50

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

549 Castlehill P49

Commonwealth Pool

21 Dalkeith Rd P51

Craigmillar Castle

Craigmillar Castle Rd P50

Deep Sea World

North Queensferry P51

Dynamic Earth

Holyrood Rd P49; 50

Edinburgh Castle

Castlehill P48

Edinburgh Zoo

134 Corstorphine Rd P51

Forth Rail Bridge

South Queensferry P50

Greyfriar's Kirkyard

Greyfriar's Pl P49

Holyrood Palace

Canongate P51

Mary King's Close

2 Warriston Cl P49; 51

Modern Belford Rd P49; 55

National

The Mound P49; 55

National Museum of Scotland Chamber St P49

EDINBURGH’S ZOO

There’s more to Edinburgh than Greyfriars Bobby

You’ve all heard of the faithful terrier who sat by his owner’s grave for 14 years, but here are some of Edinburgh’s other famous animal residents

Wojtek

The most badass animal on our list, Wojtek was a brown bear from Iran who was adopted by the Polish army and joined them in their fight against Benito Mussolini’s Italy during World War II. Wojtek spent his well-earned post-army retirement in Edinburgh Zoo, and you’ll find a bronze statue of him, by sculptor Alan Herriot, in Princes Street Gardens.

Nils Olav

Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands, is a king penguin who resides in Edinburgh Zoo. He’s the only penguin with a knighthood, and is the colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard.

Dolly the Sheep

As the first cloned mammal ever to be created from an adult cell, Dolly’s birth was a huge scientific achievement for Scotland. You can see her on display in The National Museum.

Graveyard of Heroic Dogs

Greyfriars Bobby isn’t the only dog to be honoured in Auld Reekie. Within the grounds of Edinburgh Castle you’ll find an adorable pet cemetery where canine members of our armed forces are buried.

Two Naughty Elephants

An elephant, who was brought to Scotland from Sri Lanka in 1838 by the 78th Highlanders regiment, used to

live in Edinburgh Castle, and reports are he developed a taste for beer. The animal’s toes are now displayed in the National War Museum within the Castle. This wasn’t Edinburgh’s first elephant resident, though. In the early 18th century, an elephant used to live in an Old Town flat, much to the chagrin of the bakery downstairs, who had to contend with an unreasonable amount of elephant dung.

Bass Rock Gannets

The Bass Rock, off the coast of North Berwick, is home to the world’s largest colony of Northern gannets. Pay them a visit on a boat trip from North Berwick Harbour.

Seal Spotting on the Firth of Forth

The Firth of Forth is teeming with seals, and you’ll find hundreds of them chilling on Inchkeith Island, which you can visit on a tour aboard the Maid of the Forth, which also takes in the Forth’s three famous bridges: the Queensferry Crossing, the Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Rail Bridge.

Unicorns Everywhere

The unicorn is Scotland’s national animal and boy do we shout about it. You’ll find images of these mythical equines on statues and murals in parks, streets and historic buildings all over this fair city. Keep an eye out!