Travel to Edinburgh

Travel to Edinburgh

ORIENTATION AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Edinburgh is a glorious city for walking. Princes Street is the main thoroughfare in New Town, the northern section of Edinburgh. From there you can view the impressive stone facade of the towering Old Town, the southern half of the city. The Royal Mile (Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, High St. and Canongate) is the major road in the Old Town and connects Edinburgh Castle in the west to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in the east. North Bridge, Waverley Bridge, and The Mound connect Old and New Town. Greater Edinburgh stretches well beyond Old and New Town; Leith, 3.2km northeast, is the city’s seaport on the Firth of Forth.

Tourist Office: 3 Princes St. (473 3800), Waverley Market, on the north side of the Waverley Station complex. Books rooms for a £3 fee and 10% deposit, and offers excellent free maps and pamphlets. Bureau de change. Open July-Aug. M-Sa 9am-8pm, Su 10am-8pm; Sept. and May-June M-Sa 9am-7pm, Su 10am-7pm; Oct.-Apr. M-W 9am-5pm, Th-Sa 9am-6pm, Su 10am-5pm. In summer, look for the blue-jacketed Guiding Stars, who roam the city and can answer questions in several languages.

Budget Travel: STA Travel, 27 Forrest Rd. (226 7747). Open M-W 10am-6pm, Th 10am-7pm, F 10am-5:30pm, Sa 10am-5pm.

Rnancial Services: Thomas Cook, 52 Hanover St. ( 226 5500). Open M-F 9am-6pm, Sa 9am-5:30pm and Su llam-5pm. American Express, 139 Princes St. (718 2505 or (08706) 001 600). Open M-F 9am-5:30pm, Sa 9am-4pm.

Bi-Gay-Lesbian Resources: Pick up Gay Information at the tourist office or drop by the Edinburgh Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals Centre, 58a Broughton St. (478 7069). Emergency: 999 or 112; no coins required. Police: 5 Fettes Ave. (311 3131). Hospital: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Old Dalkeith Rd. (emergencies 536 4000, otherwise 536 1000).

Internet Access: easylnternet Cafe, 58 Rose St. (220 3577). £1 per 30min. Open daily 8am-llpm. Internet Cafe, beside Platform 1, Waverley Station. £1 per 20min. Open M-F 7:30am-9pm, Sa-Su 8am-9pm.

Post Office: (556 9546), in the St. James Shopping Centre, New Town. Open M 9am-5:30pm, Tu-F 8:30am-5:30pm, Sa 8:30am-6pm. Postal Code: EH1.