Top 10 Free Things To Do and Attractions in Carnock

"One of the best ways to enjoy the stunning views of the city with your partner is visiting Camera Obscura, which means a dark room. The site is located behind the Edinburgh Castle and it is a Victorian Rooftop chamber with excellent views. It is one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh and accepts visitors since 1892."

"Weave your way through a world of illusions, and remember, nothing is what it seems. Venture through five floors jam-packed with over 100 illusions. You’ll need at least two hours to discover them all."

"View the world in a new way at the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions|© lindsay smith / Alamy Stock Photo"

"The unfinished acropolis is completely unmistakable - referred to historically as “Edinburgh’s shame”, but any notion of that is wholly absent should you take the journey up the stairs and experience the joy to be found at the summit. Panoramic views of the city, the undulating buildings contoured to the cities foundations. Rugged and beautiful, and uniquely Edinburgh."

"Edinburgh is built on Calton Hill, like Rome in Italy and Bergen in Norway. The top of Calton Hill is one of the best spots for a spectacular view of Edinburgh, especially at sunset. It is a much easier climb than Arthur’s Seat, taking less than ten minutes to reach the top from Regent Road."

"For the very best views of Edinburgh and beyond – and for some stunning photos by which to remember your visit – you must take a stroll up Calton Hill. It’s just a short walk from the East End of Princes Street. The walk itself is not too demanding, but absolutely worth the effort."

"Down underneath Edinburgh Castle is the Princes Street Gardens, a large public park which runs parallel to Princes Street, divided into the East and West gardens by The Mound. The gardens are the former site of the “Nor Loch”, a defensive lake that sat here until the mid 18th century, and was usually very badly polluted by everything that dribbled out of the medieval city. Today, the landscaped gardens are a rather nicer environment, particularly popular in the summer as a place to relax and take in the views."

"In the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, and at the very centre of Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Princess Street Gardens is another of Edinburgh’s important parks. Here you will see the world-famous Floral Clock and an array of public monuments such as the David Livingstone Statue and the Scott Monument, to name a couple. Please note this is a gated park and the gates are opened and closed according to the opening times."

"If you don’t want to venture too far out of the city, kids can also play in Prince’s Street Gardens in the shadow of the Scott monument – which you can climb, although at 287 often narrow and twisty steps, you might want to stick to the views from the Camera Obscura instead. At Christmas, the gardens turn into a Winter Wonderland including Christmas market, ice rink and ferris wheel, dubbed the Edinburgh Eye."

"Stand in awe at the massive 30 m tall Kelpie statues rising from the canal. Once you admire the world’s largest equine structures, make sure to enjoy the park’s 17 miles of pathways."

"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."

"In 1688 King James VII of Scotland (also King James II of England) ordered the construction of the Kirk of the Canongate and it was completed in 1691. Residents nearby had been using the Abbey Church but the King wanted to us that as a Chapel for the Order of the Thistle. The Kirk is architecturally unusual for Scotland with a Dutch-style end gable and a cruciform layout inside."

"Completed in 2002, the Falkirk Wheel is a modern engineering marvel, a rotating boat lift that raises vessels 115ft from the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Union Canal. Boat trips depart from the lower basin (eight daily March to October, three daily in winter) and travel into the wheel, which delivers you to the Union Canal high above. Boats then go through Roughcastle Tunnel before the return descent on the wheel."

"Admire the modern 21st-century rotating boat lift known as the Falkirk Wheel that rises 35m in the air transferring craft between the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals."

"The Royal Mile, so called because it covers roughly a mile between Edinburgh Castle and reaches down through the city centre towards Holyrood Palace (the Scottish Residence of Elizabeth II). A stroll down this main road, listening to the bagpipes and entering all the small shops which line its two sides is simply one of the best things to do in the Scottish capital."

"Onetime haunt of Mary, Queen of Scots, with a long history of gruesome murder, destructive fire, and power-hungry personalities, the…"

"After eating toast and cereal for 5 days, Hubby wanted a change of scenery and decided we were eating out for breakfast. Who was I to stop him?. The Caffeine drip is a quaint little restaurant in the basement, with a lounge/cafe on the main level."

"This is the other venue I haven’t yet been to on this list apart from popping my head in – Dirty Dick’s sits along Rose Street amongst plain bars and pubs, looking much like a plain pub itself. And indeed it probably is as close as you’ll get to a plain pub on this list. Except it’s got stuff everywhere."

"Offering traditional Neapolitan pizzas from the heart of Italy, Pizzeria 1926’s menu is fresh, simple and delicious. The generously sized pizzas are all under £10, and come with a range of interesting toppings such as baby octopus, Gaeta olives, baked potatoes, smoked buffalo mozzarella, croquettes, and spicy broccoli. Visit: 85 Dalry Road, EH11 2AA - pizzeria1926.com"