Edinburgh’s one-mile-long street is a true marvel to witness by locals and visitors alike. So it comes as no surprise Conde Nast Traveller Spain chose to include our wee Royal Mile in their extensive list of most beautiful streets in the world.
Rua Augusta in Lisbon made it to the top of the list, and the streets of Agueda, another city in Portugal, took the second spot with its many streets covered in a sea of technicolour umbrellas. Well, that’s definitely made it onto our list of places to visit!
The respectable third spot went to our very own Royal Mile, one of the most well-known, and, of course, most beautiful, streets of Edinburgh.
The Royal Mile runs an exact one Scottish mile (1.8km) through the heart of Edinburgh Old Town, connecting Edinburgh Castle with Holyrood Palace. The famous street is home to towering tenement flats and tiny closes with plenty of spots to explore, and restaurants, museums and pubs to visit.
In fact, The Royal Mile was where the first “skyscrapers” of the world were built: those high tenement flats were once the highest buildings in the world. Well, that’s as far as skyscrapers could go in the 17th century, with some buildings reaching heights of ten stories high…
Things to do on The Royal Mile
So, if you’re in need of a break while wandering around the 400-year-old skyscrapers, check our one of our favourite wee wine bars called Piggs on Cannongate is the perfect place for romantic quality time, and just has the cutest décor that we are deservingly obsessed with. The small tapas bar offers a superb list of wines and beers, as well as a wide range of tapas, sandwiches, sharing platters and Spanish desserts.
If you’re after a proper old man’s pub, then The Jolly Judge is for you, with plenty of local beers to try. And if your favourite cuisine is Italian just like mine, you must try the lasagne (or any other dish for that matter) at Gordon’s Trattoria. We’ve also heard Mediterranean people say ‘it’s the best tiramisu they’ve ever had’.
And not to mention The Writer’s Museum, Camera Obscura, guided ghost tours or The People’s Story Museum, so visitors can spend a whole day on the street alone.
The Royal Mile is a magnificent place for exploration, admiration, history and a simple stroll that will just never get old. No wonder Edinburgh was named the best city in the world last year!