If you’re starting your day in Edinburgh at Edinburgh Castle, then you should continue down the hill and walk the Royal Mile. Easily one of the most famous walks in the British Isles, the Royal Mile is the mile long walk from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse where Parliament is housed.

How to Get to the Royal Mile:

As mentioned in our Edinburgh Castle post, we were dropped off in the middle of the city via charter bus. And we started the Royal Mile at Edinburgh Castle. I think this is how most people start walking the Royal Mile. Mostly because once you’re at Edinburgh Castle, it is all downhill until you reach the Holyrood Palace.

What You Will See and Do on the Royal Mile:

You will walk. And do a lot of walking on the Royal Mile. But it can be very interesting! If you’ve been a follower for a while, you know how much we LOVE Rick Steves and his free Audio Europe app. He has a free walking tour audio track for the Royal Mile in the app. This is what we listened to while we walked.

He pointed out some cool historical sites as we walked down the mile and gave us some much needed context and history in order for us to appreciate the walk more.

His tour starts out at Edinburgh Castle and walks you down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. You will make stops at the Writer’s Museum, St. Giles Cathedral, High Street, World’s End and Canongate Church as well as a few other stops.

Sum Up:

Walking the Royal Mile is definitely a must do while in Edinburgh. It is a free activity and is even better using Rick Steves Audio Europe App (which is also free) to give you a guided walking tour. Make sure you wear good shoes and pay attention to traffic. The sidewalks are very crowded because lots of people walk the Royal Mile, but there is also traffic that is on some of the streets and intersections. There are lots of fun shops and restaurants along the way. It took us about an hour to walk at a moderate pace without stopping too often.