Mentioned by Culture Trip
The Most Beautiful Churches in Edinburgh
"The Canongate Kirk is a relatively simple building at the bottom of the Royal Mile. The church has many royal connections: in 1952, recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch to visit while her granddaughter, Zara Philips, married here in 2011. Take a look at the coats of arms on the front two pews - these are the Royal Pew and the Castle Pew, reserved for visitors from the Royal family or Edinburgh Castle."
"The modest Canongate Kirk was built in 1688 and completed three years later. It was founded for the residents of Canongate that had previously worshipped in the Abbey Church, until King James II converted the Church into a Chapel for the Order of the Thistle. Since the church is very bare, with practically no statues or paintings, the most eye-catching aspect of the temple is its blue benches on a maroon coloured carpet."
"Address: Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH1 2EP, Scotland, UK Tel: +44 (0)131 229 1142 St. Cuthbert's stands alongside the West Princes Street Gardens and just up from the Royal Lyceum Theatre, where it was built on the remains of six previous historic churches. Visitors will be able to admire a stunning marble pulpit, colourful stained-glass windows, war memorials and an Italian Renaissance-style interior."
"Situated at the foot of the Castle and nestled amidst its churchyard and an abundance of greenery is St Cuthbert’s. It is widely believed that a church has been standing in this spot since 850 AD, making it technically Edinburgh’s oldest building. The architecture and decoration of the church is particularly ornate, which made it a source of some controversy when it was first designed."
"Many years may have passed since Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent film came out, but floods of visitors still descend on Scotland's most beautiful and enigmatic church – Rosslyn Chapel. Built in the mid-15th century for Sir William St Clair, third prince of Orkney, its ornately carved interior – at odds with the architectural fashion of its time – is a monument to the mason's art, rich in symbolic imagery. Hourly talks by qualified guides are included with admission."
"On Day 2, venture outside of the capital to see some of Scotland’s other historic sites, such as Rosslyn Chapel (a fifteenth-century chapel that is also one of the settings in The Da Vinci Code). Overnight in Edinburgh."
"Address: 28 Manor Place / Palmerston Place, Edinburgh, EH12 5AW, Scotland, UK Tel: +44 (0)131 225 6293 Designed by George Gilbert Scott, the Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin is located on the western side of the city centre. Construction of the cathedral began in 1874 and whilst the nave was opened just five years later, the twin spires on its western side were not actually completed until 1917. Highlights include impressive neo-Gothic architecture, well-preserved stained-glass windows, murals and an outstanding art collection, as well as daily choral services."
"St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral is a short walk from Princes Street towards Haymarket. Its spires are visible from most places in Edinburgh, especially looking west from Princes Street. Not only does this cathedral offer a place of stillness in the bustling Scottish capital, there are also opportunities such as learning to be a stonemason in the Cathedral Workshop or a Cathedral Chorister at St Mary’s Music School."
"The neo-Gothic St. Mary's Cathedral is a striking building set in large grounds. Designed by George Gilbert Scott, it was consecrated in 1879. St. Mary's is the largest ecclesiastical building to be built in Scotland since the Reformation."
"Address: 61 York Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3JD, Scotland, UK Tel: +44 (0)131 556 1798 This popular Roman Catholic church dates back to 1814, being designed by James Gillespie Graham. Each month on the third Tuesday, look out for the organ and choir recitals. The adjacent Cafe Camino provides a rather tempting menu, offering bacon sandwiches, freshly made soup, lunchboxes for children, a choice of beverages (including coffee, tea, wine, beer and cider) and tubs of locally produced ice cream."
"St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, originally called the Chapel of St Mary’s, held its first masses in August 1814. The Cathedral houses the National Shrine of St Andrew, Scotland’s patron saint, and even has an underground passage leading to a priest’s house in York Place. It wasn’t until the 1970s that passers by could see the Cathedral in its full splendor when tenements in front of the building were demolished."
"Also dating back to the 1800s, Old St Paul’s has since been renovated multiple times – the nave extended and the chancel floor raised with marble. Nearly all of the many panes of stained glass, ornaments and vestments were made possible by fundraising or donations. Unusually, the gargoyles at Old St Paul’s are located inside, not on the exterior of the church as is common on buildings of this period."
"Address: East London Street, Edinburgh, EH7 4BL, Scotland, UK Mansfield Place Church is to be found within the New Town area, standing close to the bus depot and the King George V Park. Built in 1872 by Robert Rowand Anderson, this old church has had many uses over the years and once even functioned as a nightclub. Today, it is owned by the Mansfield Traquair Trust, a conservation group who have actively restored the building over a number of years."
"Not many food options are more Instagrammable than a tropical açaí bowl or a multicoloured poké bowl. At Hula Juice Bar you’ll have all the most photogenic options on the menu including an epic healthy drinks menu - fresh juices and smoothies, milkshakes, turmeric lattes, matcha lattes and more. Smoothie bowls, poke bowls and lunch bowls take up most of the menu because they’re that good!"
"Get your brunch fix at Hula Juice Bar in Grassmarket, which serves up smoothie bowls, sourdough sandwiches and colourful salads to Edinburgh’s health foodies."
"With possibly the finest views of Edinburgh Castle from any of the city’s hotels, The Rutland Hotel, at the west end of Princes Street, is an intimate boutique hotel with 12 rooms and 8 serviced apartments (four two-bedroom and four one-bedroom). Comfort is at the heart of The Rutland Hotel’s service, with each elegant room featuring Arran Aromatics toiletries, bathrobes, hair stylers, and premium coffee. The Kyloe Restaurant and Grill serves award-winning gourmet steak, while fantastic burgers and hot dogs are the piece de resistance at The Huxley, where an impressive selection of wines, spirits, and cocktails are served until the small hours."
"Best for Night owls and groups of friendsIn a nutshell A Tunnock’s teacake’s throw from the main tourist sights and shopping of Edinburgh city centre, this hotel benefits from a cluster of trip-making bars and restaurants on the doorstep. You’ll love the buzz of The Huxley, the people-watching ground-floor pub, and staying in to dine at Kyloe steakhouse is never a bad idea. Then there are the rooms, castle-view suites and apartments: all firmly in the four-star bracket, but overlooking Shandwick Place and with an in-the-thick-of-things vibe.Don’t miss A subterranean tasting tour of Edinburgh Gin Distillery, located below the hotel."
"A bright, contemporary West End hotel complete with a popular steak restaurant and its very own gin distillery. The 4-star exceptionally rated Rutland Hotel offers an unassuming style and seems to be effortlessly hip without even trying. Herringbone flooring, baroque mirrors, and retro furnishing combine beautifully to give the bedrooms an interior design magazine feel, whilst bathrooms are sleek with white metro tiling, slate floors, and walk-in showers or Jacuzzi baths."
"And when Dan and I craved some good old fashioned greasy and unhealthy pizza, Novapizza was the ultimate answer. No doubt, it more than satiated our need!. As simply a restaurant with vegan options in Edinburgh, we expected an “eh” pizza with vegan cheese that doesn’t really taste like cheese and a minuscule amount of vegetable toppings since we’re “veggies”…"
"NovaPizza is a vegan and vegetarian Italian restaurant in Edinburgh. It serves ‘cruelty-free’, tasty food and when you look over the menu, there’s plenty of variety available too. In particular, you might like to try the Vegan chocolate dessert, Nutella pizza or the vegan calzone."
"A photo posted by Sara Puhto (@saggysara) on Aug 8, 2016 at 1:04pm PDT. This cute little restaurant in the New Town is the first Italian vegetarian and vegan pizzeria in Edinburgh with a special menu dedicated just to vegan food."
"An independent family-run Italian restaurant is not that uncommon in Edinburgh, but what sets Tempo Perso apart from the others is that many of their ingredients are imported directly from the owner Marcus Iacobelli’s own family farm in Italy. Now it’s hard to get more authentic family-run than that. Following the motto “simple is beautiful”, Tempo Perso further enhances its dishes with locally-sourced and top-quality Scottish ingredients."
"Osteria Del Tempo Perso ("the lost time eatery") is a delightfully cozy new Italian restaurant on the corner of Bruntsfield Place. Patron Matteo Iacobelli has another restaurant with the same name located in Lazio, and he is clearly passionate about bringing an authentic Italian experience to Edinburgh. The interior is warm and welcoming."