Edinburgh is two plans of city stacked on volcanic rock. The Old Town runs down the Royal Mile from the Castle to Holyrood. The New Town, below, is Georgian geometry and a better night’s sleep. Both are walkable until the wind says otherwise.
In August the festivals take the city over — brilliant if that is why you came, exhausting if you wanted quiet closes and an easy dinner. The rest of the year the stone does the talking.
See
Arthur’s Seat
A hill in the middle of the capital. Go early. The summit is exposed and the paths are obvious in clear weather.
National Museum of Scotland
Free, and a better overview of the country than the castle’s ticket desk. The rooftop view is a quiet one.
New Town streets
Walk Dundas or Moray Place and into Stockbridge. This is the Enlightenment city, not a sideshow to the Mile.
A Forth viewpoint
South Queensferry for the bridges, or a train toward North Berwick if you want the coast in an afternoon.