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Edinburgh is situated on top of a series of extinct volcanoes, the tallest of which, at 825ft, is Arthur's Seat. Located in the heart of the city, in Holyrood Park, it is one of Edinburgh's most distinctive landmarks.

If looked at from certain western angles, the rock is said to look like a crouched lion. However you will more likely view the rock from the Old Town part of Edinburgh, where the most obvious feature is the prominent ridge known as the Salisbury Crags. The volcano is geologically fascinating for although Arthur's Seat has been extinct for over 350 million years, you can actually still see evidence of some of the lava flows that erupted eons ago! In fact, it is supposedly this landmark that led the Edinburgh scientist James Hutton to first develop the study of geology. The name Arthur's Seat is often assumed to refer to the legendary King Arthur. However, the gaelic name for the volcano is Ard-Na-Said, meaning "Height of Arrows", and so the name is more probably a corruption of "Archer's Seat". There are several paths to the top of the volcano which, although fairly arduous, are well worth it for the views are magnificent. It is said that on a clear day you can see right to the hills of the Highlands!

Like many of the UK's major cities, Edinburgh has a thriving art scene, a clear example of this being the excellent City Art Centre. This is one of Edinburgh's more unusual art galleries, and so is definitely the gallery for anyone looking for something a bit different.

Located on Market Street in the Old Town, this six-story building was originally home to The Scotsman newspaper. However, since 1979 it has been the venue of the hugely successful City Art Centre. An eclectic art gallery, the City Art Centre prides itself on appealing to as wide a base as possible - and so the exhibitions can range from 19th century Scottish Art to Star Trek! The City Art Centre is open from 10am to 5pm Mondays to Saturdays. Admission costs around £4 for adults.

Edinburgh has plenty of excellent art galleries both traditional and more contemporary, non-commercial and commercial. The main non-commercial galleries are obviously the National Gallery of Scotland, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Gallery of Modern Art. But don't forget the Royal Scottish Academy, the Talbot Rice Gallery or the City Art Centre.

If you prefer contemporary art, there are several excellent galleries around Market Street in the Old Town, for example The Stills on Cockburn Street, or the Fruitmarket Gallery on Market Street. Commercial Galleries include the Bellvue Gallery on Bellevue Crescent, the Open Eye Gallery on Cumberland Street and the Ingleby Gallery on Carlton Terrace, all in the New Town.

George Street is one of the original streets in Edinburgh's New Town development. Named after King George III, George Street, along with Princes Street and Queen Street, was part of the original New Town development built by James Craig in 1766. These three streets run parallel to each other and George Street is the central one which links the two squares at either end, Charlotte Square and St Andrew's Square. George Street is a wonderful example of well preserved Georgian architecture with the added interest of statues of various famous Scots dotted along the way.