Holyrood Park is a large park home to a number of historic sites and landmarks accessible via a…read moretrail system, including Arthur's Seat, Hunter's Bog, Dunsapie Crag, St Anthony's Chapel, Duddingston Loch, and The Radical Road. I approached on foot the morning of Friday 19 July 2019, reaching a sign of the park and its trail system at approximately 9:31 a.m. There were a number of cars coming and going already. It was my first visit to the park, so I opted to walk and skip any hassle I might encounter with parking. I was happy with that decision as it was a quick look at the map to get my bearings and I was on my way without needing to find parking. For my final destination in the park for the visit, I chose to hike to the top of Arthur's Seat - remains of a volcano that was active over 300 million years ago. The trails were well maintained and well designed for handling a large number of hikers.

This hike was perfect!! Beautiful weather in June, over looked the city, not crowded at all, and…read moreeasy for a family to tackle together (just keep small ones away from the edges as some areas are steep drop offs abruptly).

Our last day we took a walk here, and The Meadows was the perfect place to get in steps and pass…read morethe time. This large, clean park is near the university with walking/running trails. It is surrounded by trees. If you look above the trees you'll see how modern architecture blends with the very old buildings. In the park is a playground for toddlers and a little older children. A short-game 36-hole golf course is here with a neat history listed on the signs. You walk on at no cost carrying a wedge and putter and practice/play as long as you want. We saw two girlfriends playing, and two businessmen in shirts and ties playing during their lunch hour. There is also a dog park. Take a walk here on the paved paths.

Ah the meadows. The name implies multiples of meadow, but it's really just one large field. The…read morearea is ringed by trees, there is a fenced-in dog and people park on the side, and ample room to laze about and look up at the clouds. You can see Arthur's seat in the distance, which is where we were headed when we decided to stop and sit. I found the place clean enough, but near my area of laze there were a multitude of cigarette butts. It didn't bother me too much, but I could have done without it.

I did return and it is still as beautiful and tranquil as ever and my luck was in when I came…read moreacross a beautiful swan nesting and I saw her eggs which was such a special moment.

Lovely local park with a big pond. Popular for dog walkers & more recently Portobello Parkrun which…read morehappens every Sat morning at 9.30. It's a free timed 5k run that involves 3 loops round the park. More info can be found on the Parkrun website

This is one of my favourite parks in Edinburgh, it is only small, but it is in a secluded area, so…read morenot many people come here. I generally come here to eat my fish and chips, or whatever eatery has attracted my business, to make sure that I don't get any sand in my food! It reminds me of St Andrew's Square, which I also love, but without the big statue, and with the bonus that there is a beach literally 2 minutes walk away! The park is a real sun trap and no matter what the time is, there is nothing blocking the sun out, so would be an ideal spot for lounging in the sun all day and picking up some rays. There isn't much to do for kids, which is good, which means you don't have to worry about kids shouting and screaming when you are chilling out, which sounds very scrooge-ish I know!

Out of the three loch's around Arthur's seat, Duddingston loch is my favourite. It's trickier to…read moreget to if you don't drive but once you're there you are greeted with breathtaking views of the loch and the bird sanctuary where swans, geese and ducks surround you, especially if you have food, they have no problem getting close, which is great fun for both adults and kids. Theres great attractions in the nearby village too, Dr Neil's garden, Duddingston kirk a 12th century church and Sheep's held Inn for food and drinks.

Nestled at the side of Arthur's Seat, Duddingston Loch is a great place to relax on a sunny day…read morewith a picnic ( make sure you pack enough for the birds though). Swans , geese, ducks and the more ruthless seagulls etc all gather here , bet they're the best fed birds in Scotland with all the attention they get from tourists etc. Benches surround the perimiter of the loch so you can sit and watch the world go by.. or the birds!

It's a hidden pocket garden with a gated entryway. I don't think a whole lot of tourists pass…read morethrough here unless on a tour. It's kind of obscure, and looks like someone's private garden. I love that it's maintained very well. You can thank the Mushroom Trust for that. On a cool November day, it was a nice little retreat from the Royal Mile. It's very quiet in there, and maybe due to the high walls of Canongate Kirk. It's a nice pass thru for locals walking through from neighboring businesses. It's lovely to pass by the manicured shrubs and to see falling autumn leaves. I think I saw an herb garden as well. The Canongate Mercat Cross is also there as you walk further into the garden. I'd be here daily if I lived or worked nearby. It's just one of those hidden gems that deserves a visit when on Canongate.

Absolute gem that we encountered by accident after tea at Clarindas. Definitely worth a stroll…read morethrough these beautifully manicured gardens. Great photo ops as well- and it's free! Felt like we were in the countryside in the middle of Old Edinburgh

This is a fairly large and other than dog walkers fairly underused park. The park is dominated by…read moretwo 11-a-side football pitches and a cricket pitch (though currently those football pitches are out of action due to building works). Both of these are generally underused and 9 times out of 10 you will find them completely empty - you're almost assured an 11-a-side pitch to yourself. If we decide to play a friendly match we almost always come down here and we've never had problems with other people being on the pitch. The only downside is that in wetter times water pools on the pitch which can be a bit of an issue when the ball ends up in these pools. The greatest highlight, especially in winter, is a small basketball court with goals and it is here that I spent most of last year playing 3-a-side football. They can get a bit crowded with more people, but for 3-a-side it cannot be beaten (think of it as a small Power League pitch). Their greatest asset is the surrounding walls which stop most of the balls going wide. All in all, this is probably what I miss most about where I used to live and we could visit here 2 or 3 times a week. The only downside is that you do get a few lads drinking or smoking down here, but we've given them a game on occasions and they seemed decent enough.

A head chilling stroll... Relaxing without chaos…read more.. An urban escape.

George Square Gardens is located just in the middle of some of the ugliest buildings in Edinburgh…read more(you know who you are Appleton Tower) However, this garden is well laid out and surprisingly big. If the Meadows are too crowded to be in then by all means come here to chill (just turn your back to the Library). There's a Labyrinth thingy on one side- it's not really a labyrinth more like a self-meditating maze and often I have seen people concentrating hard as they walk around it. I myself am probably too shallow to understand its meaning on finding my true self and so have instead raced friends to the end of it (each starting at a different side). During the Festival this Garden gets even prettier- they put large paper lanterns, a bar and wooden swings around and it's great to chill in with a great buzz of people!

If it weren't for the pigeons and the hordes of 14 year old Emo kids that clutter up this square in…read moreequally irritating measure, this would definitely be a 5 star review. It houses the oldest church in the city, The Tron Kirk, so it immediately has plenty to offer in terms of culture and heritage. On the opposite side of the square is the cheap and cheerful Tron pub (part of the Scream chain), but it's the side that links these two which is my favourite. Le Sept is an okay french restaurant, although it does do a good value 2 Course lunch menu for £9 which is excellent value for money given the location. But as you move along this side of the square it gets even better: Creelers is one of my favourite restaurants in the city. If you don't like seafood, you'd have problems here, but if you do then this place is almost on a par with Fishers. They also offer a similarly priced set lunch menu, and although theirs offers fewer options to choose from I'd say the quality is much better. But the best is next door, in the form of the lovely, if a little bikini unfriendly, Chocolate Soup. Part café, part patisserie, part heaven, you can't come to Edinburgh and not sample this place. Most tourists will have visited this square without realising what it's called, as you can't miss it: it's right on the crossroads of the Royal Mile and North Bridge.

Plain, nothing special... Is in the centre of town…read more.. Teens favourite hangout...