Royal Mile

Although technically longer than a mile, The Royal Mile is a great introduction to the heart of Edinburgh City’s old town. With Edinburgh Castle at one end and Holyrood Palace at the other, the mile is packed with shops, bars, restaurants, churches and history for the entire length of the mile.
Plaques provide the stories of previous lives on the mile, its buildings, and the laneways coming off of it.
If you only have a day in Edinburgh, the mile is a great place to go. With free tours available, it is a thrifty way to learn the history and take in the charm of the area.

I walked from one end to the other of the Royal Mile taking in the Edinburgh Castle, retail shops full of tartans, plaids; all things Scottish. Visits to St Giles Cathedral and the John Knox House confirm the incredible history which underpins the significance of the City beyond its commercial centre. I highly recommend a trek along the Royal Mile even if you do so over a few days to get to grips with the significance of this historic mile.

This is a must seeyou cannot miss this
Perfect place to walk around for a few hours and get lost within the different closes (alleyways) and find many different interesting, gardens, pubs, etc within the city.

You will find many different places to eat and have a pint but I would recommend to leave a few blocks away to find a bit more reasonable prices.

Likewise with souvenirswalk and ask around.

I was looking at prices for whiskey bottles and it was more expensive here than at the airport since it's normally more expensive to buy at airports but for whiskey you can buy on the way out (if you fly out).

Whien my father studied music in Edinburgh, I was born. Soon, life would carry me to Canada. It would be 66 years until I would see Edinburgh as an adult.

What did I expect to find beside the hospital where I was born and my father's music School? ( Success in both areas.) I found gorgeous stone architecture, green grass, and January temperatures of 47 F at 56 degrees N! There was a wonderful Museum of Childhood, and a fantastic National Mueseum of Scotkand ( at a price every Scotsman can supportfree.) The Castle was exopensive but magnificent and as was the Museum of of the military, and the wonderful views of Edinburgh were very satisfying.

Our accomodations at the Fraser Suites was lovely, with the attached restaurant with great breakfasts and suppers were much enjoyed. It was just a few feet off the Royal Mile.

The downside? The Royal Mile is filled with shops all selling the same merchandise right diwn to the same price. . The presence of homeless was a sad reminder that Scotland suffers from a high level of drug/gambling/alcohol abuse according to a young social worker I sat next to on our flight from London to Edinburgh. One humourous note a mute beggar repeatedly approached tourists indicating he needed donations in order to eat. I spotted him in an unguarded moment on a side street having a lovely chat woth a friend on a cell phone. Ahem.

St Giles Cathedral, of Scottish Presbyterian Reformer fame John Knox ( " Give me Scotland ere I die" was conducting tours at a cost. As we happened to arrive at noon we were able to be part of a short serviceat no cost. ( Being a retired Canadian Pastor I have a hard time with churches charging admission!) The alley's off the ridge of the Royal Mile, called " closes" are well worth wandering. Given our short stay ee never visited other attractions.

It was worth going home, a closing of a chapter. A lovely city alive with pipe music. (Yes, as a wayward son I took up the pipes a number of years ago and have endured all the Pipe Jokes. " A gentleman is one who knows how to plays the Pipesbut doesn't." )

Old Edinburgh is beautiful and honest, well worth seeing and easy to walk. I cannot comment on how crowded the streets would be in the summer, but with fewer tourists the experience was much the richer for one from rural Canada.)

We weren’t into shopping so went into only a couple stores. The fun was people watching and watching fearless workmen working on scaffolding high above the street. There was a store’s with beautiful china teapots and teacups. There was a store with a whole cooked hog in the window. We went in a store that sold authentic kilts. The shopkeepers were very kind to let us look around even though we weren’t buying anything. We really enjoyed the architecture, the doorways, the “closes” (narrow little openings between buildings). We could have seen everything from the Hop On Hop Off bus only. We’re glad we spent about 4 hours walking around getting a sense of life in the city.

Love the Royal Mile, so many interesting shops and restaurants. Love the people entertaining on the street with bag pipes, get you photo taken with an owl, ect And the view at the castle is outstanding without having to pay to get into the castle which I don't recommend. When walking down the mile keep your eyes open for the little alleys between the shops which gives you a fantastic feel of Old Edinburgh. I'm Scottish from Glasgow and this still gets me everytime.
I love reading the intriguing menus outside of the restaurants but would only book for a special occasion as they are expensive. If your here for an experience though I would recommend giving one a go.

Start at either end of the Royal Mile,perhaps going down one side and up the other; and visit the tourist shops selling all manner of tartans and wool wear. Take some time exploring the alleyways on either side of the route. Before purchasing a bottle of the amber liquid, inspect the whisky shops to get the best bargain.It must be a malt that you go for! A visit to the Cathedral is well worth it. If you are lucky stop and admire a piper as he or she plays for the tourists, and please leave a token of your appreciation!.At the bottom of the mile is Holyrood House, which itself is worth a visit and of course the Seat of the Scottish Parliament.

I took a walk down the Royal Mile on a cold and very rainy January day as i just arrived in Edinburgh via Waverly train station. Obviously, different people like different things and what some see as nice, some see as not so.
I walked up and down the Royal Mile, and i couldn't see what all the fuss/hype was/is about as its nothing more than a long stretch of road that consists of Pubs, an abundance of Tourist Gift Shops and Old Buildings.
Don't get me wrong, if you like your architecture, then the Royal Mile is a great location for you to get your camera out.
From what i read prior to going to Edinburgh, i was intrigued in visiting the Royal Mile, but now i am a tad disappointed.

Our hotel was on Jeffrey, just off the Royal Mile, so we walked up and down this incredible street every day and never got bored. Many alleys leading off this main thoroughfare with interesting shops, and restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One shop had all different fabrics, wearable items (I purchased a beautiful pin), and knowledge of all the clan names. We gave our family names and the owners pulled out a book and told us all about the history. There's the Writer's Museum, focusing on the big Three (Scott, Burns, and Stevenson), but other Scottish writers also. Edinburgh Castle is on one end of the street and Hollyrood Palace (spent most of the day here) is on the other end. Princes Street is another colorful street, just one street over, and there are lovely parks and gardens and monuments all inbetween. Loved this area and can't wait to go back!
Reta H., Laguna Beach, CA USA

The Royal Mile is a very touristy area of Edinburgh but that can be fun if you want to buy Scottish gifts. It is also worth visiting Canongate Kirk (on the left as you walk down in the direction of Holyrood Palace) it is the church where Zara, the Queen's granddaughter married Mike Tindall and has an unusual interior for a church with prettily painted blue seats in a light filled room. To the left and right of the front entrance you can see cherry blossom trees originally planted by the Queen and Prince Philip in the 1950s. Entry is free although its nice to make a donation and volunteer staff are on hand if you have any questions. I would also recommend stopping for a light lunch at the cafe in the Parliament building on the right as you go down to Holyrood Palace. You wont pay a fortune here, everything was very reasonably priced and very pleasant, uncrowded and clean. The parliament building is free to enter but you will need to go through a security check. I would have liked to have seen more of the Parliament, it is often fully open to the public, but wasnt on the day we visited so we could only view the reception and a few meeting rooms in addition to the cafe.