No, Loch Ness hasn't been piped down to Edinburgh in order that tourists needn't bother making the long journey north. Based on the work of Loch Ness expert Adrian Shine, the...

The Abbotsford may count the likes of Sainsbury's and Fopp among its neighbours these days, but it's been a no-nonsense drinking den since 1901: dark wood, bench tables, a fine...

Abstract is easily Edinburgh's most exciting and dramatic opening of 2007. First chef Loic Lefebvre endured a Gordon Ramsay televisual ordeal at the original Abstract in...

Probably the city's best-known joke shop. You can't miss it: just look for the oversized Groucho moustache and glasses above the front door. It also sells magic tricks and...

Like its sister hotel the Greenside, just along the street at No.9 (557 0022), Ailsa Craig boasts big, clean rooms that have retained their original Georgian features. Though...

Located in a former church, Alien Rock offers a 30ft (10m) surface, 40 top-ropes and 12 lead lines, with ten different walls and ever-changing routes. All equipment can be...

Tait sells its own collections, featuring Scottish gemstones mounted in platinum, silver and gold. Look out, too, for antique pieces, including traditional Scottish pebble...

Thanks to its prime site, bang on the Royal Mile, this contemporary café can get terribly crowded in August. But it's well worth trying for a table; the quality of food on...

When it opened in summer 2006, this central cocktail bar introduced a new aesthetic to Edinburgh (designer stools, white leather banquettes, a pop-erotic mural) and brought a...

Analogue deals in books on design and contemporary culture. As well as glossy tomes on fashion, illustration, graffiti and graphic design, there's a gallery space and...

Stowed away behind Edinburgh's finest graphic arts shop, this intimate space packs in works from Britain's hippest illustrators and designers. The gallery functions as an...

The family-run Ann Purna has a wholly vegetarian, South Indian-style menu and a relaxed and homely feel. It's very close to the George Square and Buccleuch Place buildings of...

A family-run Scottish design company, Anta sells a selection of hand-painted stoneware and textiles.

Apartment's success obviously depends on the food, but its status as an informal designer eaterie for middle-class Edinburgh hipsters also owes much to its location:...