Edinburgh, Scotland

Location

Edinburgh is to London as poetry is to prose, as Charlotte Brontë once wrote. One of the world's stateliest cities and proudest capitals, it's built—like Rome—on seven hills, making it a striking backdrop for the ancient pageant of history. In a skyline of sheer drama, Edinburgh Castle watches over the capital city, frowning down on Princes Street’s glamour and glitz. But despite its rich past, the city’s famous festivals, excellent museums and galleries, as well as the modern Scottish Parliament, are reminders that Edinburgh has its feet firmly in the 21st century.Nearly everywhere in Edinburgh (the burgh is always pronounced burra in Scotland) there are spectacular buildings, whose Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian pillars add touches of neoclassical grandeur to the largely Presbyterian backdrop. Large gardens are a strong feature of central Edinburgh, where the city council is one of the most stridently conservationist in Europe. Arthur's Seat, a mountain of bright green and yellow furze, rears up behind the spires of the Old Town. This child-size mountain jutting 822 feet above its surroundings has steep slopes and little crags, like a miniature Highlands set down in the middle of the busy city. Appropriately, these theatrical elements match Edinburgh's character—after all, the city has been a stage that has seen its fair share of romance, violence, tragedy, and triumph.Modern Edinburgh has become a cultural capital, staging the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe Festival in every possible venue each August. The stunning Museum of Scotland complements the city’s wealth of galleries and artsy hangouts. Add Edinburgh’s growing reputation for food and nightlife and you have one of the world’s most beguiling cities.Today the city is the second most important financial center in the United Kingdom, and the fifth most important in Europe. The city regularly is ranked near the top in quality-of-life surveys. Accordingly, New Town apartments on fashionable streets sell for considerable sums. In some senses the city is showy and materialistic, but Edinburgh still supports learned societies, some of which have their roots in the Scottish Enlightenment. The Royal Society of Edinburgh, for example, established in 1783 "for the advancement of learning and useful knowledge," remains an important forum for interdisciplinary activities.Even as Edinburgh moves through the 21st century, its tall guardian castle remains the focal point of the city and its venerable history. Take time to explore the streets—peopled by the spirits of Mary, Queen of Scots; Sir Walter Scott; and Robert Louis Stevenson—and pay your respects to the world's best-loved terrier, Greyfriars Bobby. In the evenings you can enjoy candlelit restaurants or a folk ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee, a traditional Scottish dance with music), though you should remember that you haven't earned your porridge until you've climbed Arthur's Seat. Should you wander around a corner, say, on George Street, you might see not an endless cityscape, but blue sea and a patchwork of fields. This is the county of Fife, beyond the inlet of the North Sea called the Firth of Forth—a reminder, like the mountains to the northwest that can be glimpsed from Edinburgh's highest points, that the rest of Scotland lies within easy reach.

Edinburgh, Scotland Itineraries

45 Nights

Classic Europe Connoisseur

Departure Date
28 Apr 26
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Oceania Marina
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Civitavecchia
Destination Port Southampton
Itinerary
Civitavecchia, La Spezia, Saint-Tropez, Barcelona, Málaga, Cádiz, Casablanca, Agadir, Arrecife, Lanzarote, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santa Cruz de La Palma, Funchal, Madeira, Lisbon, Porto, La Coruña, Gijón, Bilbao, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Saint-Malo, Saint Peter Port, Le Havre, Cherbourg, Dunkerque, Zeebrugge, IJmuiden, Dover, Torbay/Paignton, Southampton, Edinburgh, Scrabster, Ullapool, Greencastle, Dun Laoghaire, Holyhead, Fishguard, Waterford, Ringaskiddy, Isle of Portland and Southampton

From £18,259pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

33 Nights

Jewels of Europe with Majestic Britain & Ireland

Departure Date
01 May 26
Cruise Line Scenic River Cruises
Cruise Type River
Ship Scenic Jewel
Region Danube
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Budapest
Itinerary
Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Killarney, Killarney, Killarney, Galway, Galway, Belfast, Belfast, Belfast, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Inverness, Inverness, Inverness, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, York, York, York, Bath, Bath, Bath, London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Cologne, Bonn, Rüdesheim, Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Schlögen, Dürnstein, Krems, Vienna, Vienna, Budapest and Budapest

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29 Nights

Majestic Britain & Ireland with Normandy and Gems of the Seine

Departure Date
01 May 26
Cruise Line Scenic River Cruises
Cruise Type River
Ship Scenic Gem
Region Seine
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Paris
Itinerary
Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Killarney, Killarney, Killarney, Galway, Galway, Belfast, Belfast, Belfast, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Inverness, Inverness, Inverness, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, York, York, York, Bath, Bath, Bath, London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), Paris, Les Andelys, Rouen, Rouen, Rouen, Honfleur, Honfleur, Honfleur, Caudebec-en-Caux, Vernon, La Roche-Guyon, Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Paris, Paris and Paris

From Please Call

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33 Nights

Jewels of Europe with Majestic Britain & Ireland

Departure Date
21 May 26
Cruise Line Scenic River Cruises
Cruise Type River
Ship Scenic Jasper
Region Danube
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Budapest
Itinerary
Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Killarney, Killarney, Killarney, Galway, Galway, Belfast, Belfast, Belfast, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Inverness, Inverness, Inverness, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, York, York, York, Bath, Bath, Bath, London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Cologne, Bonn, Rüdesheim, Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Schlögen, Dürnstein, Krems, Vienna, Vienna, Budapest and Budapest

From £14,764pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

33 Nights

Jewels of Europe with Majestic Britain & Ireland

Departure Date
21 May 26
Cruise Line Scenic River Cruises
Cruise Type River
Ship Scenic Jasper
Region Danube
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Budapest
Itinerary
Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Killarney, Killarney, Killarney, Galway, Galway, Belfast, Belfast, Belfast, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Inverness, Inverness, Inverness, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, York, York, York, Bath, Bath, Bath, London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Cologne, Bonn, Rüdesheim, Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Schlögen, Dürnstein, Krems, Vienna, Vienna, Budapest and Budapest

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

29 Nights

Majestic Britain & Ireland with Normandy and Gems of the Seine

Departure Date
21 May 26
Cruise Line Scenic River Cruises
Cruise Type River
Ship Scenic Gem
Region Seine
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Paris
Itinerary
Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Killarney, Killarney, Killarney, Galway, Galway, Belfast, Belfast, Belfast, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Inverness, Inverness, Inverness, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, York, York, York, Bath, Bath, Bath, London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), Paris, Les Andelys, Rouen, Rouen, Rouen, Honfleur, Honfleur, Honfleur, Caudebec-en-Caux, Vernon, La Roche-Guyon, Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Paris, Paris and Paris

From Please Call

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19 Nights

Northern Europe Discoverer

Departure Date
24 May 26
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Oceania Marina
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Le Havre
Destination Port Southampton
Itinerary
Le Havre, Cherbourg, Dunkerque, Zeebrugge, IJmuiden, Dover, Torbay/Paignton, Southampton, Edinburgh, Scrabster, Ullapool, Greencastle, Dun Laoghaire, Holyhead, Fishguard, Waterford, Ringaskiddy, Isle of Portland and Southampton

From £8,519pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

12 Nights

British Isles Immersion

Departure Date
31 May 26
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Oceania Marina
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Southampton
Destination Port Southampton
Itinerary
Southampton, Edinburgh, Scrabster, Ullapool, Greencastle, Dun Laoghaire, Holyhead, Fishguard, Waterford, Ringaskiddy, Isle of Portland and Southampton

From £6,089pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

26 Nights

European Quest

Departure Date
31 May 26
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Oceania Marina
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port Southampton
Destination Port Southampton
Itinerary
Southampton, Edinburgh, Scrabster, Ullapool, Greencastle, Dun Laoghaire, Holyhead, Fishguard, Waterford, Ringaskiddy, Isle of Portland, Southampton, Copenhagen, Warnemünde, Warnemünde, Tallinn, Stockholm, Stockholm, Kristiansand, Kristiansand, Zeebrugge and Southampton

From £10,879pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

33 Nights

Jewels of Europe with Majestic Britain & Ireland

Departure Date
12 Jun 26
Cruise Line Scenic River Cruises
Cruise Type River
Ship Scenic Jade
Region Danube
Departure Port Dublin
Destination Port Budapest
Itinerary
Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Killarney, Killarney, Killarney, Galway, Galway, Belfast, Belfast, Belfast, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Inverness, Inverness, Inverness, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, York, York, York, Bath, Bath, Bath, London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), London (Greenwich), Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Cologne, Bonn, Rüdesheim, Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Schlögen, Dürnstein, Krems, Vienna, Vienna, Budapest and Budapest

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

12 Nights

British Isles Enchantment

Departure Date
16 Jun 26
Cruise Line Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Seven Seas Grandeur
Region Western Europe
Departure Port Southampton
Destination Port Southampton
Itinerary
Southampton, Edinburgh, Invergordon, Scrabster, Bergen, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Tórshavn, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Belfast, Dun Laoghaire and Southampton

From £12,259pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

10 Nights

London (Greenwich) to Copenhagen

Departure Date
06 Jul 26
Cruise Line The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Evrima
Region Northern Europe
Departure Port London (Greenwich)
Destination Port Copenhagen
Itinerary
London (Greenwich), Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Invergordon, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Geiranger, Bergen and Copenhagen

From £13,300pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises