The crown steeple
A stone ring of eight arches from the 1460s, best seen from Princes Street or the castle walls before you go in.
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That stone crown floating over Edinburgh's Old Town is not a tower in the ordinary sense but a ring of eight open arches meeting at a point, carved between 1460 and 1467 and still the first thing your eye lands on from Princes Street or the castle ramparts. Beneath it, St Giles' Cathedral sits exactly halfway down the Royal Mile, between the castle above and Holyrood below, so nobody who walks the street can avoid passing its door. It is among the oldest religious sites in the city, with roots in the 12th century, though most of what you see is 15th-century fabric wearing a heavy Victorian overcoat. The name misleads: since the Reformation of 1559 this has been the principal church of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, there is no bishop, and Scots call it the High Kirk. John Knox, the engine of the Scottish Reformation, preached here; and in September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II's coffin rested here for 24 hours before travelling to London, drawing a queue that wound for hours through the city. The interior is darker than many expect: heavy grey stone, Victorian stained glass that spills red and blue across the floor when the sun cooperates, and, tucked into the south-east corner, the small jewel of the Thistle Chapel. Robert Lorimer built it between 1909 and 1911 for the knights of the Order of the Thistle, and its ceiling is so densely carved you feel you have stepped inside a jewellery box; few people spot the angel playing the bagpipes among the carvings. Entry is free, with a suggested donation of around £10 for those who can, and nothing needs booking. Doors open Monday to Friday 10:00–18:00, Saturday 09:00–17:00 and Sunday 13:00–17:00 once services end, though parts close without warning for events and funerals; it is a working church first and a sight second. A 25-minute self-guided audio tour runs on your own phone for about £5.50, and guided tours pause from time to time, with notices on the website. There are no toilets in the building; the nearest public ones are in the National Library on George IV Bridge, two minutes away. For families: a ramp at the entrance makes it easy with a pushchair, though the Thistle Chapel is up four steps. Thirty to forty-five minutes is plenty, and it makes a welcome pause in the long haul down the Royal Mile, especially in Edinburgh rain that never asks permission. In August, festival month, the square outside fills with street performers and the Mile becomes a river of people; come early in the morning if you want any real quiet.
A stone ring of eight arches from the 1460s, best seen from Princes Street or the castle walls before you go in.
A tiny room with an astonishingly dense carved ceiling, completed in 1911 for the knights of the Order of the Thistle; look for the angel playing the bagpipes.
Nineteenth-century windows that colour the grey stone whenever the sun breaks through, topped by the modern-hued Robert Burns window of 1985 at the west end.
Parliament Square, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1RE
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Royal MileOne street connects a castle to a palace and drops about 70 metres in the roughl4 minutes walk4.8The exterior is the famous part, but entry is free and takes half an hour at most, and the Thistle Chapel alone justifies it. If your Edinburgh time is tight and you must choose, Edinburgh Castle comes first; drop in here on the way to or from it.
Largely yes: a ramp at the door and a level floor inside, with only the Thistle Chapel up four steps. There are no toilets in the building, so use the National Library's nearby first, and expect small children to last about twenty minutes.