The Scottish National Gallery on Princes Street and the National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street are both worth a look-in but it’s the Modern Art Gallery where you should really take your time. Housing a far-reaching collection with works by Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud and Oskar Kokoschka, the gallery is also set in extensive parkland and is home to a substantial library and killer gift shop.

This dormant volcano towers over the Edinburgh, providing a dramatic backdrop to the city’s Georgian town houses and monuments. Pack your walking shoes and climb to the top for panoramic views and a bracing hit of Scottish wind.

For those with less energy, the half hour stroll to the top of Calton Hill provides a small-scale version of Arthur’s views without the wind chill. The mound is also the setting of the annual Gaelic Beltane Fire Festival that celebrates with fire throwers and lashings of body paint.

For one month of every year, Edinburgh sheds its air of calm and turns intro tinsel town, welcoming a host of actors, dancers, artists, comedians and musicians to its streets. The Fringe is now the world’s largest arts fair; in the festival hosted 49,497 performances of 3,193 shows in 299 venues. Be sure to book travel and accommodation early to avoid disappointment.

Although it’s just a ten-minute stroll from the city centre, Stockbridge has a rural village feel about it and is packed with second-hand bookshops, delis, small cafés and pubs. The Sunday food market is the ideal way to while away the weekend, offering delicious artisan produce such as homemade jams, local cheese and gyoza.