my husband and I will be in Edinburgh arriving late July 1 and departing the morning of July 6 so we have 4 full days. What are our ten things we must see and/or do? Thanks, Shelby

PS If ten is too much...what are our musts?

Without knowing what your interests are, it is a little hard to advise you. I enjoyed touring the castle, walking from the castle to Holyrood Palace (touring Palace, Abbey and grounds), wandering around the Old Town looking in the shops, visiting the National Portrait Gallery, shopping for a sweater, shopping in general, tasting some local beers and scotch, and taking one of the walking tours - I did the haunted one (can't remember the name of the company). When you get there, stop at the Tourist Office and you'll find brochures for the walks. Also pick up a city guide, there will probably some outdoor concerts in July.

Here's the link to the Fodor's destination page for Edinburgh:
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/scotland/edinburgh/

Have fun!

If I were taking an anonymous Amurrican visitor (sorry about the assumption) I would take them to see..

1. the Castle

2. The Mile, with all the bitties off it- the closes down to the sides, Victoria Street, Greyfriars Bobbie and the Parliament (that's a full day's walk)

3. Arthur's Seat

4. South Queensferry and Cramond

5. The New Town

6. Mary King's Close (OK it's on the Mile, but it's a visit in its own right)

7. The National Museum of Scotland

8. If they were going no further, I'd take them to the Whisky Experience, and then Royal Mile Whiskies

9. The Botanics

10. And lastly, I'd go on a traditional music based pub crawl.

I'd bring you to Glasgow for a day

Yes to Sheila's replies except for the whiskey.
St Mary's Close tour was a haunting experience, ;-).
BTW, I LOVED Edinburgh.
We were fortunate to be there in August when all the Festivals were going on. I think that just enhanced my whole experience.

Sheila's list is good - You might add/subtract individual things depending on your specific interests. W/ 4 full days, you could do that whole list plus a few more. Maybe even a day trip to Stirling or St Andrews. Or a 1/2 day to Linlithgow.

I would start with one of the on-off bus tours. It will give you an idea of what you want to see. Traveling by bus takes you up to the door of most attractions. Buy castle tickets with your bus ticket so you don't have to wait in line at the castle.

If you want to get out of town a little bit, but not drive consider going to Rosslyn Chapel. It is an easy bus ride.

Going over the Firth bridge towards Fife is memorable.

I cannot recommend the Museum of Scotland highly enough. It is a beautiful building, centrally located and will tell you more about the Scottish role in history than you knew you could absorb. One of the great features is that it focusses as much on the lives of ordinary people as it does on the lives of the rich and titled, rare enough in any museum.

Just across the road from Greyfriars, if I recall correctly, and not far if I don't.