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St. Giles Cathedral

Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1RE, Scotland (Castle/Royal Mile/High St)
0131 225 9442
Website
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As featured in 3 days in Edinburgh
Ranked #23 of 174 attractions in Edinburgh
Type: Religious Sites, Landmarks/ Points of Interest
Fee: No
Recommended length of visit: <1 hour
Description: This is the main church of The Church of Scotland.
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519 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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Date Rating
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 23, 2013 NEW

Amazing building and a must see for any visitor to Edinburgh. Atmospheric, majestic, stunning! The very modern organ is a wonderful contrast with the ancient stones. But give the cafe a miss. Dismal place in a basement corrider, cold and draughty and seriously over-priced. £5.95 for one baked potato with filling. Once you have added a coffee and a cake... More

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See 7 more reviews by ChasRab for Edinburgh
Fleming Island, Florida
Senior Contributor
33 reviews 33 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 16, 2013

The interior of the church is much more attractive than the other cathedrals/churches that I have seen in the UK. The stained glass windows may be the best that I have ever seen anywhere. Allow some time to slowly walk around the church to admire them.

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See 7 more reviews by James M for Edinburgh
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
3 attraction reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 14, 2013

So beautiful and definitely worth a look! The cathedral is absolutely stunning, we wandered around for over an hour marvelling at the architecture and enchanting stained glass windows.

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See 2 more reviews by lilmisslaura_1 for Edinburgh
London, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
64 reviews 64 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 10, 2013

St Giles Cathedral (Edinburgh's High Kirk) is an imposing building and the stained glass in particular is worth coming back for again and again. But there's more! Not only do they welcome tourists to walk around all over the place (£3 discretionary donation, and another £2 if you wish to take photos, isn't that sweet?) all day; they also offer... More

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See 36 more reviews by RenateKriegler for Edinburgh
Hempstead, New York
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 10, 2013

The cathedral is really beautiful and worth seeing. We only stayed for about 10 minutes to look around, but I'm glad we did.

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See 3 more reviews by Mtette1 for Edinburgh
Preston, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
33 reviews 33 reviews
25 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 6, 2013

Doesn't look that impressive from outside when compared with the likes of Lincoln Cathedral, York Minster, St Paul's, Chester Cathedral etc. but inside it is a real surprise and incredibly ornate. A must see.

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See 9 more reviews by Stephen S for Edinburgh
Gilching, Germany
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
4 attraction reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 5, 2013

Make sure you're having a city guide booklet or similar with you. Without it you would not learn specifics about this place. You will notice that there a lots of secrets in the Cathedral you would not detect when "just walking in without being armed with a good guidebook. A must to every Edinburgh visitor. You may want to spend... More

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See 6 more reviews by KochMy for Edinburgh
Madrid, Spain
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 28, 2013

Is a beautiful catedral, and lots of time they do concerts there, incredible sound. If yo keep walking down you will find a chuch, this one is a restaurant, is great!

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See 9 more reviews by esther J for Edinburgh
Texas
Senior Contributor
39 reviews 39 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 23, 2013

This is an absolutely gorgeous church! You won't regret visiting, and you won't regret paying to take photos. We especially enjoyed talking with docent Norman Bryson, who was very knowledgeable, and friendly!

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See 3 more reviews by pugbee for Edinburgh
Pateley Bridge, United Kingdom
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 19, 2013

A gorgeous church which I entered with my dogs on a quiet weekend day. Many stained glass windows to admire and many quiet corners to pray or contemplate.

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See 7 more reviews by s_matyk for Edinburgh

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