Edinburgh is a truly European city with many influences from the European continent. It is often referred to as the “Athens of the North” because of the classical Greek architecture of many of the New Town buildings – for example, the National Monument on Calton Hill.
Edinburgh (and Scotland) was part of the Auld Alliance with France for many years in its history. The French King Charles X took up residence with his family at Holyroodhouse for several years in the early 1800’s.
The walks in Edinburgh take in some interesting buildings and monuments with links to Europe. For example, in Leith, Leith harbour was the main Scottish port for trade with Flanders, France and Germany, Our walk highlights many of the interesting buildings there from this era.
Edinburgh had the highest percentage of people in Scotland who voted to remain in the European Union in the 2016 Brexit referendum (74%).
