being a visitor in Edinburgh

things to do

There are many things to see and do in Edinburgh if you are here for any longer before or after the conference. The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh are designated a World Heritage Site, and Edinburgh is UNESCO’s first ‘City of Literature’. Popular attractions include Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Scottish Parliament, the National Museum of Scotland (where you can see the world’s most famous sheep, Dolly), the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, the Royal Yacht Britannia, Holyrood Park, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Water of Leith Walkway, Rosslyn Chapel and ghost tours. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery has recently been refurbished and is free to visit, as are all of Scotland’s other national museums.

currency

The currency in Scotland, as in the rest of the United Kingdom, is pounds sterling. The three Scottish banks (Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland) each issue their own banknotes. It is possible to use all of these, in addition to the banknotes issued by the Bank of England, throughout Scotland, but these notes are not always recognised south of the border. Please bear in mind that it can also sometimes be difficult to exchange Scottish bank notes in bureaux de change outside the UK. If you would like to exchange your Scottish bank notes for English ones (although the Scottish ones look very nice) before you leave Scotland, most banks will be able to do this.