The colorful stairs are made with marble from the world's major quarries.

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

Macbeth's infamous "Great Birnam Wood."

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

This stately monument has been wearing a traffic cone hat for decades much to the delight of the locals.

Remnants of the 16th-century defensive wall still stand unassumingly within Edinburgh.

This Birnam-based garden honors the legacy of 19th-century children’s book author Beatrix Potter.

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

A hidden tunnel leads to a medieval queen's shrine buried beneath a parking lot.

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

Protecting the dead from opportunistic body snatchers.

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

The remains of a grand castle that may have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.

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

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 scattered trail of street art adds a pop of color to the city's stark structures.

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

A pagan tradition of draping trees with rags eerily lives on.

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.

The ruins of this gorgeous clifftop castle look like something from a fantasy novel.