Although the Royal Mile has been mostly taken over by chain pubs, cafes and restaurants. It still offers a gentle (if uneven) walk along side some great architecture. The numerous scottish gift shops really are quite simillar in selling tat. The Royal mile at night has some buildings lit up and looking lovely. There maybe sometimes a performer of some... more

I've always enjoyed the Royal Mile and it's cobble streets. It's got plenty of pubs to hide in when the traditional scottish weather starts and cafe's to sit outside in the sun. Yes it does have the odd tatty shop (and they don't claim to be anything else) but where else do you get your trinket souvenirs from on your... more

The main weakness of the Royal Mile is its lot of tatty shops selling cheap tartans and clan badges, which add nothing to the urban scenery. One first thing to enjoy is the vista down the Mile towards the Forth eastwards toward the shore at Portobello; it provides a great background to the historical environment. Then, the Royal Mile is... more

I was fortunate to work on the streets of the Royal Mile for a week (as a charity fundraiser) and the atmosphere was fantastic. Every shop keeper and stall vendor I spoke to were full of cheer and interesting to boot. The architecture is wonderful but it was the people that really created the beauty of this place. Even without... more

This was my FAVOURITE part of Edinburgh by far, it was alive with people, bag pipe players, street vendors and i even met Elena Davidson and got a photo with her! I heard it had a great ghost walk as well, but we never had time to get to that in one weekend. more

I visited Edinburgh as part of a 3-day drive thru we did of Scotland last easter. It is a good idea to park in the city centre below the castle, climb up the hill to the castle grounds and then start the walk from there. The views from the castle are amazing enough to begin with and then walking through... more

The Royal Mile is the street between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It is actually 1.7 miles in length. The street itself is not named the Royal Mile but actually several streets connected (Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street and Canongate). We traveled to Edinburgh the first week in August. A comedy festival was going on at the time. Much... more

Royal Mile deserves a walk everyday of your stay in Edinburgh. There is always something new to discover. With a castle on one end and Holyrood Place and a beautiful park on the other, there are dozens of things to from one end to the other. Be sure to stop at The Nutcracker Christmas Shop. They have the cutest christmas... more

Goes all the way from the Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and is a reasonable walk. It is a Scottish mile (i.e. 1.8 kms long as opposed to a 'normal' mile of 1.5 km). The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (from the Castle to Holyrood) Castle Esplanade, Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand. Don’t... more