Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is Scotland's most visited attraction — and one of the oldest inhabited fortresses in Europe. The castle towers on the Castle Rock, a 340-million-year-old basalt plug of an extinct volcano, and dominates Edinburgh's skyline from every direction. A fortress has stood here since at least the 12th century, and the castle has been the site of countless sieges, battles, and intrigues.

What you must see

• Crown Jewels (Honours of Scotland): The Scottish Crown Jewels — crown, scepter, and sword — are older than the English ones and are among the oldest regalia in Europe. Next to them lies the Stone of Destiny (Stone of Scone), on which Scottish (and later British) monarchs have been crowned for centuries. Retrieved from Westminster Abbey in 1996, in a ceremony that moved all of Scotland.
• Mons Meg: A giant siege cannon from the 15th century — six tons heavy, capable of firing 150-kg stone balls over 3 km. An engineering marvel of its time.
• One O'Clock Gun: Every day at exactly 1 pm (except Sundays and holidays), a cannon fires on the battlements — a tradition since 1861, originally serving ships in the harbor to calibrate their chronometers. The bang is heard across half the city and regularly startles tourists.
• St Margaret's Chapel: The oldest surviving building in Edinburgh (circa 1130) — a tiny Romanesque chapel on the highest point of Castle Rock. Simple, yet moving.
• National War Museum: Within the castle complex, free with a castle ticket. Scottish military history from the Highland clans to World War II.