Edinburgh’s top five views

Scotland’s capital is arguably the most handsome city in all of Britain, its architectural prowess complemented by ruggedly beautiful natural surroundings. You’ll frequently have your camera out as you enjoy Edinburgh, but there are certain vantage points that are worth seeking out, allowing you time to revel in the views.

ARTHUR’S SEAT

If you’re partial to a decent hike and don’t mind the prospect of mildly straining your limbs, testing your lungs and the wind in your face, this viewpoint is thoroughly rewarding. Capping one of the extinct volcanoes in Edinburgh’s cityscape, Arthur’s Seat is steeped in Arthurian legend and, along with the neighbouring Salisbury Crags, rises above Holyrood Park, home to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King’s official residence in Scotland. It’ll take you about an hour to walk the path scaling this 251m peak, which was described as “a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design” by Edinburgh-born author Robert Louis Stevenson. The city spreads before you, hugging the Firth of Forth, an inlet of the North Sea.

CALTON HILL

Conveniently located just around the corner from Waverley, the city’s central railway station, Calton Hill is an easier alternative, a short climb up a flight of steps. Not only does it look out towards the Firth of Forth and Arthur’s Seat, it grants a panorama of Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old and New Towns. Adding to Calton Hill’s allure and photographic possibilities are its monuments, which wouldn’t look out of place in Greece. They include the Dugald Stewart Monument, a circular temple-like structure dedicated to the 18th-century Scottish philosopher, and the National Monument of Scotland, with its impressive neoclassical columns. Not for nothing is Edinburgh dubbed “The Athens of the North”.

CAMERA OBSCURA

For a chance to gaze out over Edinburgh’s rooftops, and zoom in on some of those magnificent buildings with powerful telescopes, hit the rooftop of the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. Billed as the city’s oldest visitor attraction, and modified over the decades, it has been open since the mid-19th century and offers an eclectic array of hands-on fun and games across five floors of a tower next to Edinburgh Castle. Highlights include an interactive camera obscura session, when live street scenes of Edinburgh are projected into a darkened chamber, and dizzying optical illusions that’ll heighten the senses, from a Vortex Tunnel to a Mirror Maze.

PRINCES STREET GARDENS

Crowning a dramatic volcanic crag, Edinburgh Castle is a breathtaking spectacle from so many angles. You’ll get a particularly good view from halfway along Princes Street, a New Town thoroughfare that runs parallel with Princes Street Gardens, where top musicians perform open-air concerts, some coinciding with the city’s August festivals and the New Year’s Hogmanay celebrations. You’ll capture another postcard-worthy shot of the castle from the Grassmarket, a cobbled street-square in the Old Town lined with bars and restaurants. For more snaps, point your camera at the castle from the sandstone stairways off the Grassmarket like the Vennel Viewpoint and Granny’s Green Steps.

ROOFTOP BARS

You’ll have earned a drink by now. Rest those weary legs and sip a wee dram of whisky (or another tipple of your choosing) at one of the rooftop bars that have sprung up around Edinburgh in the past few years. Named after a Robert Louis Stevenson poem, Lamplighters is a smart option high up on the Gleneagles Townhouse, a boutique hotel facing St Andrew Square in the New Town. On a fair-weather day, Lamplighters’ terrace is a delight, looking out over a medley of statues, spires and domes. A few minutes walk from here, in the St James Quarter, the new W Hotel promises stirring views from its W Lounge, an all-day bar and restaurant.

+ Steve McKenna was a guest of Visit Scotland and Visit Britain. They have not seen, influenced or approved this story.

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+ For more details on visiting Edinburgh, see edinburgh.org

+ To help plan a trip to Britain and Scotland, see visitbritain.com and visitscotland.com