📌 Old Town, City of Edinburgh
★★★
St Giles’ lies in a strategic position on the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. Parts of the building date back to 1124 when it was a smallish church, but only traces survive. Despite repeated burnings by English invaders during the Middle Ages, the church grew in importance through the following centuries and was finally given Cathedral status early in the 17th century (although it’s technically no longer one). Today it’s Scotland’s most visited… err… church, due to its location at the heart of Edinburgh‘s Old Town. The highlight has to be the Thistle Chapel; this intimate space belongs to the knights of the Order of the Thistle, appointed by The King, and is festooned with incredibly intricate ceiling stonework and wooden carvings. Any hint of a calm atmosphere can be somewhat lost when there are other tourists in all directions, so visit early or late in the day to see this beautiful building at its best, or attend a service.
🌍 Location
📌 High Street, Royal Mile, 5-min walk south of Edinburgh Waverley station
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 257736
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.949532,-3.190886
🚆 Edinburgh Waverley | 🚌 Numerous local buses | 🚋 Princes Street
🚗 Car parks / street parking nearby (both charge)
📝 Key info
⌚ Daily
🎫 Free
