18 Iconic Buildings to Explore in Edinburgh

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is a tourist attraction located in Outlook Tower on the Castlehill section of the Royal Mile close to Edinburgh Castle. The original attraction was founded by entrepreneur Maria Theresa Short in 1835 and was exhibited on Calton Hill. Outlook Tower has been a museum since the late 1890s and is currently home to many interactive exhibits, including the original Camera Obscura.

The City Art Centre is an impressive nine-storey former warehouse located in the heart of Edinburgh. Originally constructed between 1899 and 1902, it was converted into gallery use in 1980. it has a collection which include historic and modern Scottish painting and photography, as well as contemporary art and craft. It is an exhibition based venue with no permanent displays.

Located in the heart of Edinburgh's historic Old Town - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - The City Chambers has enviable views of the city's skyline, providing an enchanting backdrop your event. The current building was originally built as the Royal Exchange, which was funded by subscription and commissioned in 1753.[2] It was designed by John Adam with detail alterations by John Fergus.

Craigmillar Castle is one of the best preserved castles of its period in Scotland. Built at the beginning of the 14th century by the Preston family, it had an L-shaped tower, a wall with buildings inside, attractive gardens and a fish pond. It is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Scotland. The central tower house, or keep, is surrounded by a 15th-century courtyard wall with "particularly fine" defensive features.

Dundas Castle is one of Scotland's most beautiful and historic castles. Now an officially recognised 5 Star Exclusive Use venue, the Castle is the stately home of Sir Jack Stewart-Clark and his wife Lady Lydia . The tower house and the adjoining Tudor-Gothic mansion are listed separately as Category A buildings, and the grounds are included in Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

The world's first major steel structure, the Forth Bridge represents a key milestone in the history of modern railway civil engineering and still holds the record as the world’s longest cantilever bridge. It is considered as a symbol of Scotland , and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed by the English engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker.

The Georgian House, built in 1796, is a house-museum located on No 7 Charlotte Square. It shows how the wealthiest residents of the New Town lived. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular tourist attraction, with over 40,000 visitors annually. Admire the stunning collections of period furniture, paintings, porcelain, silver and glass, and gain a fascinating insight into both the upstairs and downstairs elements of 18th-century society.

Gladstone's Land is a surviving 17th-century high-tenement house situated in the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular tourist attraction. it is now a house-museum that explores in detail how the city’s residents lived in the Old Town over 400 years ago. Currently, six of its rooms are open to the public and all include original items from the 1600s, antiques and period decoration.

Holyrood Abbey served as a royal residence from the start. Edinburgh Castle was an imposing fortress but was less private than the abbey. The abbey church was used as a parish church until the 17th century, and has been ruined since the 18th century. The remaining walls of the abbey lie adjacent to the palace, at the eastern end of Edinburgh's Royal Mile. The site of the abbey is protected as a scheduled monument.

John Knox House on Edinburgh's Royal Mile is a well-known tourist attraction, described by one architectural historian as 'improbably picturesque'. The house itself was built from 1490 onwards, featuring a fine wooden gallery and hand-painted ceiling. Investigate the ground floor and you can see the remnants of medieval ‘luckenbooths’, or locked booths, once rented out as shops.

Kellie's Castle is a castle located in Batu Gajah, Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. The unfinished, ruined mansion, was built by a Scottish planter named William Kellie-Smith. According to differing accounts, it was either a gift for his wife or a home for his son. Kellie's Castle is situated beside the Raya River, which is a small creek to the Kinta River. Whether your interest lies in nature, gardens, arts & crafts, fine interiors, ornate plasterwork or furniture, you’ll find much to inspire y

Lauriston is a late 16th-century tower house, extended in 1824. The interiors hold a collection of 18th-century Italian furniture, Derbyshire Blue John, carpets, clocks, porcelain, tapestries, and decorative art. The substantial grounds, Lauriston Castle Gardens, operate as a local park. The castle was bequeathed to the Edinburgh Corporation and hosts the Lord Provost's annual Garden Party. The house is a Category A listed building and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and De

Newhailes House is a Palladian style country house which stands in 80 acres of parkland on the edge of the small town of Musselburgh in East Lothian, Scotland. Originally named Whitehills, it is a Category A listed building which is now occupied and maintained by the National Trust for Scotland. Visitors will see the remarkable library wing, imposing Italian marble fireplaces, gilded eagles over the drawing room windows, Chinese wallpaper and an impressive art collection.

Palace of Holyroodhouse, also known as Holyrood Palace was originally built by James IV of Scotland between 1501 and 1505, as a Gothic palace adjacent to the 12th-century abbey. It has served as the principal royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century, and is a setting for state occasions and official entertaining. Queen Elizabeth II spends one week in residence at Holyroodhouse at the beginning of each summer, where she carries out a range of official engagements and ceremonies.

Roslin Castle is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located around 9 miles south of Edinburgh, on the north bank of the North Esk, only a few hundred metres from the famous Rosslyn Chapel. There has been a castle on the site since the early 14th century, when the Sinclair family, Earls of Caithness and Barons of Roslin, fortified the site, although the present ruins are of slightly later date.

The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7 September 2004. The formal opening by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 9 October 2004. Enric Miralles, the Spanish architect who designed the building, died before its completion.

Summerhall is an arts complex and events venue in Edinburgh, Scotland. Formerly home to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies of the University of Edinburgh, it is now a major Edinburgh Festival Fringe visual and performing arts venue. It also hosts events for the Edinburgh Science Festival and Edinburgh International Magic Festival and provides a home for arts practitioners year round; its many rooms are used for art exhibitions, drama and music performances, libraries, small museums,ar

The Mound is an artificial steep hill that connects the Edinburgh New Town and Old Town in the city centre. It was formed by dumping around 1,501,000 cartloads of earth excavated from the foundations of the New Town into Nor Loch which was drained in 1765 and forms today's Princes Street Gardens. Some of Edinburgh's most notable buildings and institutions have their premises on the Mound, including the National Gallery of Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy, the spires of New College and so mor