Ambitious art

In November 2014, up to 100 graffiti artists from all over Scotland were welcomed by the city to channel their talents into what will be Scotland’s largest street art project. This combines permanent, storytelling artwork by local artist Chris Rutterford with an ever-changing tableau of graffiti. The first project was a colourful revamp of The Arches on East Market Street.

New food

Despite its prime location in the cobbled Old Town, Angels with Bagpipes is free from the tourist twee found on the Royal Mile. The menu sees classic seasonal produce transformed into beautifully presented, modern Scottish dishes. Try the rabbit loin with black pudding and pancetta, smoked salmon with crowdie (Scottish cream cheese) or Ayrshire pork belly.

Street fashion

Victoria Street in Edinburgh’s Old Town boasts an attractive selection of shops with colourful facades. The Old Town Bookshop sells antique books, prints and maps, while Clarksons is the place for Celtic-style jewellery, made in its workshop. If you want tailoring and tweeds, stop off at Walker Slater (above).

Silver screen

Quentin Tarantino declared his love for Edinburgh’s independent cinema The Cameo after Pulp Fiction was shown there in 1994 - and easy to see why. It’s one of Scotland's oldest cinemas and has retained much of its charm, screening classics, art house films and new releases.

Quirky escape

Click the image above to watch a video

Stockbridge, towards the north of the city, exudes the charm of a self-contained village, with cobbled streets, Georgian buildings and an original stone archway to the meat market. Today the area is perfect for a stroll, with coffee shops, wine merchants, bakeries, pubs, a record store and cheesemonger.

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