Edinburgh Castle

This is Scotland's most famous tourist attraction. The castle has had a rich and colourful history, withstanding numerous attacks from Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads in 1650, and William and Mary's army in 1689. It was also the birthplace of James VI of Scotland (who became James I of England in 1603), who was born to Mary Queen of Scots in a tiny room in the Royal Residence in 1566. It became the main castle of Scotland's monarchs in the Middle Ages; the buildings within the fortress include a 12th century chapel - Edinburgh's oldest building- and the Great Hall, completed in 1511.

Today, from its perch on top of an extinct volcano, it is home to the National War Museum of Scotland, hosts the Edinburgh Military Tattoo every August, and is still an active army base. In 1996, after 800 years in England, the Stone of Destiny (the coronation stone of Scottish monarchs) was returned to Edinburgh Castle. It and the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels) are on display there, as is Mons Meg, a giant siege gun given to James II in 1457. The view from the battlements provides a splendid panorama of the city.