17th century streets hidden under Edinburgh were once a breeding ground for the black death.

These plaques located in a court preserve a small piece of Edinburgh's history.

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

Touching this 18th-century Scottish philosopher’s toe allegedly conjures good fortune.

A quartet of brightly colored mythical beasts stand sentry at this gateway.

This was once a hall in which a 16th-century royal banquet was hosted by King James VI of Scotland.

Possibly the world's smallest museum is home to one exhibit that sheds light on the capital city's dark criminal history.

The 16th-century church has the only stained glass windows that survived the Scottish Reformation intact.

Once designed as a natural history museum, this building is now home to a massive art gallery.

This Roman relic was discovered in Scotland by a mudlarking ferryman.

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

Tiny effigies of the victims of Edinburgh's famous Anatomy Murders.

Many of Edinburgh's more unsavory characters spent their final days behind this door while awaiting their executions.

The location of a citizen uprising that led to a gruesome act of mob justice.

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

Protecting the dead from opportunistic body snatchers.

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

The world's first experimental nutritionist is memorialized as the "Hippocrates of naval medicine."

These wooden pipes were crucial to providing water to Medieval Edinburgh.

A public art piece that barely gets recognized, but then that might be the point.

This small sculpture honors a shuttered bookshop that was the site of a fiery act of protest.

This extraordinary Viking artifact has traveled throughout the city.

An artistic interpretation of the history of a Scottish park, combining poetry with anthropomorphic animals.

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