Edinburgh: inspiring capital

It's one of the world's great cities and renowned as a centre of learning and discovery; studying here is a stimulating and inspirational experience.

Edinburgh offers a unique city environment. It's culturally diverse, historically significant, socially alive, environmentally aware, politically central and visually stunning.

A great city for student life

Edinburgh is a great city for student life. Students make up one fifth of the city's population, so you'll find a huge choice of places to hang out with friends and meet new people, and plenty of amenities catering for diverse interests and tastes.

There's a wide range of live music in local pubs to major venues, a diverse club scene with something on every night and numerous bars and cafes for socialising.

The city also boasts excellent shops, including independent retailers, retro and second hand stores and there's a wide range of theatres, galleries and museums.

And of course Edinburgh is world-famous for its festivals, devoted to theatre, film, books, music, science and politics, which attract 1.4 million visitors to the city each year.

The perfect night out

‘Edinburgh is the UK's place to visit for the perfect night out' according to an Amstel/Virgin Radio poll. We think that's due to the huge choice of venues, restaurants, pubs and clubs on offer.

There are around 400 pubs, from 'Old World' to contemporary designer bars; the club scene offers a full spectrum of sounds (techno, indie, house, electro, hip-hop and soul) provided by resident and international guest DJs; there's a huge range of places to eat and a wide variety of cultural opportunities and arts events taking place, from the high brow to the low key.

City of sport

Edinburgh is also a city for sport. You'll find athletics at Meadowbank Stadium, swimming at the Commonwealth Pool, two top Scottish Premier League football teams, world-class rugby at Murrayfield, skiing and snowboarding at Hillend, climbing at The Edinburgh International Climbing Arena and an array of top golf clubs.

Green spaces

To top it all, Edinburgh is lucky to have significant and magnificent green spaces: the impressive extinct volcano, Arthur's Seat, and its associated park, lie at the heart of the city. If that wasn't enough, Edinburgh has 112 public parks and more trees per person than any other British city.

You're also within easy striking distance of some of the world's most beautiful wild landscapes, from the Trossachs in the west and the Highlands in the north, to the Borders in the south.

Plus, the weather is fair and temperate; the same annual rainfall as Rome and New York, which you might not expect from a Scottish city!

Stunning architecture

The centre of Edinburgh has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in recognition of its stunning urban landscape in the medieval Old Town and the Georgian New Town. In addition, the city encompasses some striking modern architecture including the parliament building and the Museum of Scotland.

All images credited to Inspiring Edinburgh.

• Feedback
• Print page