This cannonball embedded in the side of an Edinburgh house once served a surprisingly pedestrian purpose.

This monument is dedicated to a young boy who survived a disaster that forced Edinburgh to reevaluate its building codes.

This 16th-century close preserves an unusual piece of Edinburgh's transportation history.

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

There are plenty of wonderful panoramic vistas in Edinburgh, but not many are hidden smack in the middle of the Old Town.

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

Small sculpted heads of prominent phrenologists mark the outside of their former headquarters.

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

Anonymously sculpted and donated, these sculptures made from poetry books and pages are sprinkled around the city.

A series of three shiny letters mark the boundary of an old refuge for those being pursued by debt collectors.

The building where Mary, Queen of Scots was said to have bathed in white wine.

A British plaque explains that a house was built using the spoils of the first international golf bet.

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

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

This unusual statue overlooking the Royal Mile has an interesting backstory.

The bell that once tolled atop a lost Edinburgh gate now hangs for all to see.

This charming old building's loose connection with the Scottish Reformer is what saved it from demolition after it split apart.

Overlooking the burial ground is a tower designed to prevent thieves from snatching the recently deceased.

The colorful stairs are made with marble from the world's major quarries.

The fountain marks the area where hundreds of accused witches were burned at the stake.

These steps offer a breathtaking view of one of Europe's most besieged fortresses.

Many of Edinburgh's more unsavory characters spent their final days behind this door while awaiting their executions.

Tucked away in this local museum is a piece of sporting equipment that dates to the 16th-century.

This figure of a local merchant is said to reanimate and do a dance during Hogmanay.