One of the most popular cities in the United Kingdom and becomes a must visit city on tourist’s list

Before coming to the United Kingdom, as an Asian girl, the most common cities that I had heard of were London, Manchester, and Edinburgh. However, unlike the previous two cities, Edinburgh is the city I have been highly recommended many times as it provides a different impression of a United Kingdom city from London and Manchester.

This recommendation made me put it on the top of the travel list to visit instantly once I have time. When I finally know there is a chance to travel to Edinburgh, I look forward to this trip and find out why this city can earn that acclamation from people there before.

Once I stepped out of the train station, I instantly noticed why this city left such a fantastic feeling for visitors. But, of course, the first reaction that came to my mind was, ‘Am I in the United Kingdom?’.

Scotland’s capital city, unlike London or Manchester, emphasizes constructing a modern financial centre for people. The urban planning of Edinburgh has shown both the historical and contemporary image to tell its story to people who first visit this city.

The city is mainly divided into the Old Town and The New Town. The Old Town reflects historical elements with the Victorian style of architecture. At the same time, the New Town is full of modern-era buildings, shopping malls, and the city’s central business center.

When watching the YouTube video, the most common thing mentioned is the connection with Harry Potter. It is the birthplace of Harry Potter, where JK Rowling got inspiration and wrote the first series book. People will quickly find themselves situated as part of the story.

Initially, I needed to understand how a city in the modern era could provide the atmosphere that appeared in fantasy fiction. However, when walking along the notoriously Royal Mile, I could understand why people would see themselves living in the Harry Potter story.

Along the Royal Mile, the architecture is all in Victorian style made me feel like I lost track of time back in history. They not only play the role of keeping the historical element of the story but also revealing the sad history of Mary Queen of Scots. Unfortunately, this history has also created the myth of ghosts in the basement of these architectures.

“After the death of Mary Queen of Scot, a myth that she has become a ghost and living in one of the basements to wait to get revenge,” said the ghost-hunting tour guide, Katy.

“If you are lucky enough, you may be able to find her in one of these places.”

Although the Old Town is full of historical architecture, walking down towards the end of the Royal Mile, the architectures gradually become more modern. On one end is Edinburgh Castle to another is the Scottish parliament with a stylish style design appearance. This layout shows the city’s governance transition from the royal family to the local government, which is essential to the town and people.

After enjoying the time in history, it is time to return to modern times. It only took about 10 minutes to walk through the train station from the Old Town to the New Town. Compared to the Old Town, more modern styles of architecture and chain stores could be seen in other cities all over the country.

Still there are some unique features that can be found in the New Town in showing the historical elements. For example, surrounded by all the modern shops, a monument to remember a soldier or king or a historical event can be easily seen when shopping around the New Town.

The contrast of this scenario has increased the enjoyment of walking around in this area. Besides, unlike the Old Town, where the roads are narrow and steep, paths in the New Town are significantly more comprehensive, and the tram runs through this part of the city only. The complete differences in experience to what was given from the Old Town, I had a genuine feeling that has gone through the history from the Victorian era to the 21st-century society.

The history and unique style of architecture is not the only reason Edinburgh became the most popular city to visit in the United Kingdom. One of the famous places that the Asian Community knows about Edinburgh is Calton Hill, as it has appeared in music videos and movies.

In the beginning, this place is so popular to feature in movies and music videos because it is either rural or does not have many visitors, so it is convenient to do all the setups. However, when I arrived at the top of Calton Hill, I immediately found out the answer was not what I had imagined.

From the top, I could enjoy the whole view of Edinburgh, commonly seen on the postcard. Unlike walking across the city, where I can only see things on the go, from the top of Calton Hill, I can see every detail of the city by standing in the same spot, just like everything is under my control.

By enjoying the full view of the city from the top, I have found another reason why I fell in love with this city. However, every person in the city does not know each other and acts as an individual party. Nevertheless, they are closely connected to keep the city working together systematically.

Before coming to Edinburgh, when I was asked about my first impression of this city, I thought it would be men wearing a kilt. But imagine, if there is no one wearing a kilt and playing bagpipes if there is no one maintaining the hygiene of the street if there is no one defending the Victorian style of architecture if there is no one driving the public transport, how would this city become, and would it still be the favourite city to visit in the country?

After visiting a few cities in the United Kingdom, I hesitated before deciding to visit Edinburgh. Despite the positive feedback that I got through doing research, with these expectations, I am afraid that I would be disappointed in the end. However, after this trip, I am glad that I have started this journey, or else I would have regret for a long-time.