Calton Hill

Calton Hill rises about a hundred metres at the east end of Princes Street and carries the collection of neoclassical buildings that earned Edinburgh the name Athens of the North. The National Monument, begun in 1826 as a copy of the Parthenon, ran out of subscription money after twelve columns and was left unfinished, acquiring nicknames including Edinburgh's Disgrace; it has stayed that way for two centuries and is now the hill's defining feature. The Nelson Monument, shaped like an upturned telescope, carries a time ball that drops at one o'clock daily, coordinated with the gun fired from the castle so that ships in Leith could set their chronometers. The City Observatory of 1818 is now an art space. Beltane fires are lit here each April.

What you actually see

• The unfinished Parthenon - twelve columns of a monument abandoned in 1829.
• The Nelson Monument - a telescope-shaped tower with a one o'clock time ball.
• The City Observatory - an 1818 building now used as a gallery.
• The city view - the Old Town skyline, Arthur's Seat and the Forth.

When to go

Year-round; sunset over the Old Town is the reason most people come and the hill is crowded then. It is free and open at all hours. Hogmanay and Beltane bring organised events that close it.

Honest expectations

The approach from Waterloo Place is a steep flight of steps. The hill is very exposed and windy. It is busy at sunset and during festival season in August, when the summit fills. The Nelson Monument charges and closes earlier than the hill.

Nearby

Princes Street and the New Town lie west; Holyrood and Arthur's Seat are south.