Edinburgh
Scotland’s capital is a city like no other, home to ancient streets, gothic buildings, hidden pubs, secret shortcuts and some truly special cycling.
Overview
In Scotland’s gloriously charismatic capital, the Medieval Old Town sits side by side with the Georgian New Town, combining a one-of-a-kind history, heritage, culture, place and people, all crowned by the iconic Edinburgh Castle sat atop a dormant volcano.
The city is no stranger to brilliant drama, and despite cobbled streets, legions of bikes will descend on (and ascend up!) Edinburgh for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Champs as the start line of the Men Elite Road Race.
Spectator Guide
Find all you need to know about the Men's Elite Road Race start in Edinburgh by downloading our Spectator Guide below.
What to do
Edinburgh Castle
No visit is complete without a wander around the mighty and miraculous Edinburgh Castle.
The castle houses the Honours (Crown Jewels) of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny, the famous 15th century gun Mons Meg, the One o' Clock Gun and the National War Museum of Scotland.
In addition to guided tours provided by the castle stewards, there is an audio guide tour available in eight languages. The audio tour takes the visitor on a tour around the castle, explains its architecture, and tells its dramatic history.
Scotch Whisky Experience
Learn everything there is to know about Scotland’s most iconic export (other than the pedal-driven bicycle, obviously!) by taking a journey through a replica distillery where you’ll see how the magic is made from grain to glass.
You’ll also get to hear from whisky experts who will help you find - and fully appreciate - your perfect dram in The World’s Largest Whisky Collection.
National Museum of Scotland
This is one of the UK’s top 10 visitor attractions for a reason. Well, lots of reasons.
With breathtakingly diverse collections you can adventure through the history of Scotland, the wonders of nature, art and design, science and technology, and world cultures – all under one roof.
Bring Your Bike
More than 300km miles of bike routes and 100 miles of traffic-free cycle routes make this a great cycling city. Some must-cycle spots include the Old Town, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Arthur’s Seat, a favourite climb for locals. Getting out the city is glorious too, with gorgeous scenery and spectacular shorelines to explore.
Plan your visit
Make memories in Edinburgh, Scotland’s charming capital.
Plan your perfect trip at VisitScotland and Forever Edinburgh.
Fun facts!
11-time UCI World Champ, 6-time Olympian and Edinburgh’s favourite son, Sir Chris Hoy, was born in Murrayfield in 1976.
Edinburgh is the UK’s greenest city, with more trees per person than any other.
Edinburgh has been Scotland’s capital since 1437. Before that it was a small town called Scone.
The famous Royal Mile is actually 1 mile and 107 yards long - cycle it and see for yourself!
Upcoming events in this region
