Places jamesarvidson Wants to Go

A succession of eerily contemplative iron figures lead from a Scottish museum to the sea.

The 16th-century church has the only stained glass windows that survived the Scottish Reformation intact.

Protecting the dead from opportunistic body snatchers.

This otherwise ordinary close on the Royal Mile constituted the end of the world for Edinburgh’s poorest residents.

This 16th-century house tells the city's history through old artifacts and quirky tales.

Overlooked by many, the two famous Scottish warriors guard the main gate of Edinburgh Castle.

A library where thousands of books explain how to avoid another Great Recession.

A verdant 17th-century-style garden hidden along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

A sweet symbol marks the place where torturous executions were once carried out.

This obscure walkway links Edinburgh’s Old Town with one of the city's prime vantage points.

A labyrinthine network of chambers with a storied past hides below Edinburgh's South Bridge.

Formerly abandoned underground complex to keep royals safe from a nuclear war that never came.

A beautiful Greco-Roman structure houses a well once believed to have healing powers.

A secret garden in a picturesque Edinburgh village has inspired artists for centuries.

An American ghost town hides along a side street in Scotland's capital.

This allegedly haunted 16th-century tower house-turned-museum exhibits thousands of spectacular objects.

A book bound in the skin of an infamous criminal, along with countless other specimens.

Now home to a drinking establishment, this building has a macabre history.

Come for the oysters, stay for the priceless art honoring inventors across history and Scotland's favorite outdoor sports.

One of Edinburgh's oldest pubs hides a 19th-century skittles alley in the back.

This historic pub has maintained much of its 1906 decor, including a small sequestered room for women, where orders were slipped through a tiny window.

Near the former site of numerous witch burnings, this lavish Edinburgh mainstay pays homage to Scotland's brutal history.

Accessible only at low tide, the deserted island is dotted with World War II ruins.

A 18th century graveyard and its astonishing cortege of macabre iconography.