This alley off Edinburgh's Royal Mile contains remnants of the city's seedier history.

The world’s first museum dedicated to the history of childhood opened in Edinburgh in 1955.

The tomb of one of Scotland's bloody historic villains is a magnet for bumbling desecrators.

This king penguin is a knighted brigadier of the Norwegian Army.

These steps offer a breathtaking view of one of Europe's most besieged fortresses.

The most loyal of little dogs, or a Victorian era publicity stunt?

A succession of eerily contemplative iron figures lead from a Scottish museum to the sea.

Anonymously sculpted and donated, these sculptures made from poetry books and pages are sprinkled around the city.

Protecting the dead from opportunistic body snatchers.

This small museum in a 17th-century building honors three iconic Scottish writers.

This otherwise ordinary close on the Royal Mile constituted the end of the world for Edinburgh’s poorest residents.

A statue in the heart of Edinburgh honors a bear that served in the Polish military during World War II.

A sweet symbol marks the place where torturous executions were once carried out.

A verdant 17th-century-style garden hidden along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

A labyrinthine network of chambers with a storied past hides below Edinburgh's South Bridge.

This obscure walkway links Edinburgh’s Old Town with one of the city's prime vantage points.

An American ghost town hides along a side street in Scotland's capital.

The taxidermy remains of the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell are on display in Edinburgh.

Summer in Scotland begins with a spectacularly wild and colorful event rooted in ancient pagan traditions.

This historic pub has maintained much of its 1906 decor, including a small sequestered room for women, where orders were slipped through a tiny window.

There are plenty of wonderful panoramic vistas in Edinburgh, but not many are hidden smack in the middle of the Old Town.

A book bound in the skin of an infamous criminal, along with countless other specimens.

Accessible only at low tide, the deserted island is dotted with World War II ruins.

A 18th century graveyard and its astonishing cortege of macabre iconography.