City Art Centre
City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DE
0131/529-3993

Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill, at the western end of the Royal Mile
0131/225-9846
No place in Scotland is filled with as much history, legend, and lore as Edinburgh Castle, one of the highlights of a visit to Edinburgh. It is believed the ancient city grew up on the seat of a dead volcano, Castle Rock.

Edinburgh Zoo
134 Corstorphine Rd.
0131/334-9171
This zoo is Scotland's largest animal collection, 10 minutes from Edinburgh's city center on 80 acres of hillside parkland offering unrivaled views from the Pentlands to the Firth of Forth. It contains more than 1,500 animals, including many endangered species: snow leopards, white rhinos, pygmy hippos, and many more

Lincoln Monument
This monument was erected in 1893. It was dedicated to the thousands of American soldiers of Scottish descent who lost their lives in America's Civil War.

National Gallery of Modern Art
Belford Rd.
0131/556-8921
In 1984, Scotland's national collection of 20th-century art moved into a gallery converted from an 1828 school set in 12 acres of grounds a 15-minute walk from the west end of Princes Street. The collection is international in scope and quality though modest in size.

National Museum of Scotland (NMS)
Chambers St.
0131/227-4422
After being housed in several locations during the 1990s, the long-established Royal Scottish Museum and the National Museum of Antiquities were united in a single headquarters early in 1998. The resulting National Museum of Scotland, occupies an 1861 building near the Royal Mile that has been upgraded and enlarged with a postmodern wing.

Royal Botanic Garden
At the Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row
0131/552-7171
The main areas of interest are the Exhibition Hall, Alpine House, Demonstration Garden, annual and herbaceous borders (summer only), copse, Woodland Garden, Wild Garden, Arboretum, Peat Garden, Rock Garden, Heath Garden, and Pond.

Royal Observatory Visitor Centre
Blackford Hill
0131/668-8405
This center in a public park on Edinburgh's south side exhibits feature images of astronomical objects, Scotland's largest telescope, and antique instruments.

Royal Scottish Academy
The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL.
Tel: 0141 248 7411
This lovely classical building was designed by William Playfair in 1822. The Academy, founded in 1826, is based on London's Royal Academy and has both Academicians and Associates. It is in the forefront of art promotion in Scotland.

Scott Monument
In the East Princes St. Gardens
0131/529-4068
Looking more like a church spire than a monument to a writer, the Gothic-inspired Scott Monument is Edinburgh's most famous landmark, completed in the mid-19th century. In the center of the 200+ foot spire is a large seated statue of Sir Walter Scott and his dog, Maida, with Scott's heroes carved as small figures in the monument. You can climb 287 steps to the top for a spectacular view.