Maria Regina di Scozia e la Storia Scozzese
Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587 — the most tragic and most internationally famous figure in Scottish history, Queen of Scotland from six days old, briefly Queen of France (as wife of François II), and claimant to the English throne): Mary's life in Edinburgh (1561-1567 — the six years she spent at Holyroodhouse after returning from France as a widow, during which she married Lord Darnley (murdered 1567), witnessed the murder of her secretary Rizzio, gave birth to the future King James VI of Scotland/James I of England, and was forced to abdicate) is the most dramatic personal narrative associated with Edinburgh.
- 1
Holyroodhouse — Mary's Apartments and Rizzio's Murder
The Palace of Holyroodhouse (official Scottish residence of the British monarch, open to public when not in use) contains the surviving apartments of Mary Queen of Scots — the supper room where her secretary David Rizzio was stabbed 56 times by Lord Darnley's men in 1566 is preserved with a brass marker on the floor indicating where Rizzio fell.
- 2
Mary Queen of Scots Experience — Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle (6km from Edinburgh city centre, free entry) is the 'other Edinburgh castle' where Mary Queen of Scots spent six weeks recovering from grief following Rizzio's murder — the 'murder plot' against Lord Darnley (Mary's husband) may have been hatched here; the castle is almost never crowded and offers better preserved medieval interiors than Edinburgh Castle.
- 3
Linlithgow Palace — Mary's Birthplace
Linlithgow Palace (25km from Edinburgh, 20 minutes by train, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots in 1542) is the best-preserved Renaissance royal palace in Scotland — the fountain in the courtyard (1538, the oldest surviving pre-Reformation fountain in Scotland) ran with wine during celebrations; the Great Hall is 30m long with a spectacular oriel window.
- 4
Scottish Parliament — Enric Miralles' Controversial Masterpiece
The Scottish Parliament Building (Holyrood, opened 2004, designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles, who died before completion) is Scotland's most architecturally ambitious modern building — the debating chamber features upturned boat-hull ceiling beams; the MSP office windows reference Raeburn's painting of the Reverend Walker skating; guided tours (free) run when Parliament is not in session.
- 5
National Museum of Scotland — Free, 20,000 Objects
The National Museum of Scotland (Chambers Street, free, open daily) contains Dolly the Sheep (first cloned mammal, 1996, stuffed after her death in 2003), the Lewis Chessmen (12th-century Norse walrus ivory chess pieces found in the Hebrides in 1831), and the John Muir conservation collection; the rooftop terrace offers one of Edinburgh's best views of Old Town.
- 6
Arthur's Seat — Edinburgh's Extinct Volcano
Arthur's Seat (251m, Holyrood Park, 30-minute walk from the Royal Mile) is an extinct volcanic plug that offers a 360-degree panorama of Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth, the Pentland Hills, and the Fife coast — 2 million visitors climb it annually; the hill gives Edinburgh its dramatic visual contrast between volcanic rock and Georgian architecture, a combination unique in European cities.