EDINBURGH is one of the UK’s premier tourist destinations and offers all you would expect in terms of an immersive historical and cultural experience within a surprisingly compact central area.

Our flight to Scotland’s capital from Southampton was brief and painless, with a train direct to the airport at one end and a shuttle-bus at the other taking us direct to Waverley Station in the heart of the city.

We were using the chic Hotel Du Vin in Bristo Place as our base for exploring the historic centre.

It proved an ideal place to stay – just a short taxi ride from the station and a couple of minutes’ walk from the famous Royal Mile.

With Edinburgh Castle at one end, and the palace of Holyroodhouse at the other, it really is just a mile long, yet provides a full day’s sightseeing while being easily covered on foot.

On the way we stopped for the obligatory picture of Greyfriars Bobby, just yards from the hotel.

The bronze statue of a little dog commemorates the sentimental, though allegedly true, story of the faithful hound that kept a vigil by a grave in the nearby cemetery for years after his master’s death.

Next stop was the Castle, home to hundreds of years of Scottish history and a royal stronghold since the 12th century. We arrived just in time for the firing of the 1pm gun from the lower ramparts, a tradition dating back to 1861, when ships in the Firth of Forth used it to set their chronometers.

Highlights include the Royal Palace of the Stuart kings and queens, home to the Honours of the Kingdom – Scotland’s crown jewels – which are on display amid suitably tight security.

But on a fine sunny day, the real highlight is the view over the city from high up on the walls, taking in the Firth of Forth and, towering over it, Arthur’s Seat.

Like the rock on which the castle itself sits, Arthur’s Seat is a rugged extinct volcano.

Unlike the castle rock, it remains wild – though crowded with walkers – bringing a slice of wilderness almost into the city centre.

Continuing down the Royal Mile, we passed pipers and other street entertainers to reach Parliament Square and St Gile’s Cathedral, where John Knox preached reformation in the 16th century.

Outside is a heart-shaped pattern in the paving known as the Heart of Lothian, on to which passers-by spit for good luck. Needless to say, it’s probably best to avoid stepping on it.

Holyroodhouse, at the far end of the Royal Mile, home of Scottish kings and queens since the 15th century, may not be quite as grand as some royal residences, but makes up for it in interest.

An inevitable focus of modern guidebooks is the Queen’s chamber and the anteroom where David Rizzio, Mary Queen of Scots’ Italian secretary and alleged lover, was murdered in front of her by a gang of nobles.

Until quite recently a stain on the floor was claimed by some to be the indelible mark of the unfortunate man’s blood, until it was proven to be a fake and removed.

Our favourite bit was the Great Hall, where dozens of portraits commissioned by a Renaissance Stuart purport to memorialise his ancestors stretching back into the Dark Ages.

The Italian master who landed the job had no idea what any of them looked like, and seems to have used the same model for all of them, with fanciful costume changes to suggest the passing centuries, making the overall effect unintentionally hilarious… think Kind Hearts and Coronets.

• Hotel Du Vin, 19/11 Bristo Place, Edinburgh – call 0131 247 4900 or visit hotelduvin.com

• For more information on Edinburgh, and tourism in Scotland, go to visitscotland.com