Edinburgh

Edinburgh is built on three extinct volcanoes, giving it a vertical drama that few cities of half a million inhabitants can match. The Old Town and the New Town together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, but the difference between their two characters is enormous — Gothic towers and narrow closes give way to elegant Georgian boulevards the moment you cross Princes Street. August brings the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, three weeks of the world's largest arts festival during which the city is physically unrecognisable from the crowds. Outside the festival season, Edinburgh operates at slower, more accessible rhythms — and outside the festival season the city is considerably quieter and easier to explore than its reputation suggests.