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

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

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

Edinburgh's oldest statue hides within a parking lot behind the city's iconic cathedral.

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

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

The final resting place of soldiers' loyal canine companions.

A six-ton wedding present for the King of the Scots.

Overlooked by many, the two famous Scottish warriors guard the main gate of Edinburgh Castle.

This cannonball embedded in the side of an Edinburgh house once served a surprisingly pedestrian purpose.

A rare and unique example of an 18th-century door latch calls this restaurant home.

The fountain marks the area where hundreds of accused witches were burned at the stake.

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

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

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

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.

Small sculpted heads of prominent phrenologists mark the outside of their former headquarters.

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

Near the former site of numerous witch burnings, this lavish Edinburgh mainstay pays homage to Scotland's brutal history.

This early version of the guillotine was used to execute the man responsible for its construction.

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.