Edinburgh mini: The best place in town

Before sunset in Edinburgh you can see a lot of people walking up the hill to the east of the New Town called Calton Hill. Photographers carrying their tripods, couples with cheese and wine, people bemused about when the so called Blue Hour starts, Calton Hill is a good tip from insiders, and probably the best place in town.

The Blue Hour begins when the sun starts setting and the city changes its light from day to night. If you follow Princes Street going east you get straight to the entrance of the Calton Hill public park and there`s no way you can miss it. Then you can choose to take the direct way by climbing just a few steps, or if you`d like to go for a walk you can take the Hume Walk which leads you around the hill and offers very picturesque views in every direction. The panoramic views from Calton Hill have astonished and inspired visitors for centuries. Landmarks of Edinburgh can be seen from a bird’s eye view: Arthur’s Seat with the cliffs behind Holyrood Palace and the Parliament, Leith and the Firth of Forth, Princes Street in its New Town grid and the Royal Mile climbing up towards the Castle. The skyline of the New Town in front of Arthur`s Seat is seen on the left, while on the right side the view swivels to the port and the Firth of Forth.
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CTR Travel Writing Team Edinburgh 2012
Kathrin Lotholz and image by Miriam Steimer