Edinburgh Sights

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For the budget-conscious and/or avid sightseer, the Edinburgh Pass www.edinburgh.org/pass is well worth bearing in mind, offering a maximum of £155 worth of entry to 27 of Edinburgh's top attractions, a 90-page guidebook, retail and restaurant offers and discounts. All this, as well as free public transport around the city and airport transfers. A one-day pass costs £24, two days £36, three days £48. Can be purchased online or at Tourist Information Centers.

Cannons on the northern defenses of Edinburgh Castle

If you are staying in Scotland a little while, it might be worth getting a Historic Scotland Membership www.historic-scotland.gov.uk. Passes last for a year, and cost about £40 for adults and £30 for concessions (including full-time students). They provide unlimited access to about 70 paying sites in Scotland, including Edinburgh's Castle and Craigmillar Castle. You also get a lot of discounts for their shops, a quarterly magazine, and 50% off all English, Welsh and Manx historical sites.

• Edinburgh Doors Open Day www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/doorsopenday is an annual event, co-ordinated by the Cockburn Association, where many important and/or historic buildings across the city open up their doors to the public at no charge. Many of the buildings are not normally accessible so this can present a unique opportunity to see some of the city's lesser-known architectural marvels. It usually takes place on the last weekend in September. Brochures with details of the participating sites, opening times, access details etc., can be picked up from city libraries in the run up to the day, or downloaded from the website.

• The Scotish Museums Coouncil, 2 km (1 mile)

• Bore Stane, 18 km (11 miles)

• www.edinburgh.org/pass
• www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
• www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/doorsopenday