15 Edinburgh Fun Facts That Will Make You Want To Visit!

Edinburgh is such an underrated city to visit and these fun facts of Scotland just make it even more unique!

There are so many interesting Edinburgh fun facts that will make you want to book your next trip there ASAP!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

15 Crazy Fun Facts About Edinburgh

1. Edinburgh Fun Facts – The Proper Pronunciation

Before diving into the more mind-blowing Edinburgh fun facts, you have to learn how to properly pronounce its name. 

To my surprise, the name of Scotland’s capital city isn’t Edinburg (like iceberg)…

Instead, you roll the burgh part, so it kind of sounds like you’re saying borough. Or if you want to say it like a Scott, pronounce it like bruh! So it becomes Edinbruh!

2. Edinburgh Went From Auld Reekie to Greenest City in U.K.

In the 17th century, Edinburgh’s reputation earned the city the nickname Auld Reekie, meaning “Old Smokey”.

This nickname may have been unwanted but was definitely warranted. The air quality was awful in Edinburgh that a thick layer of fog hovered above the city.

The thick fog was caused by the densely populated city centre burning coal for fires.

On top of the fog, there was also a horrid stench that blew in from Nor Loch (the lake that used to border the city). It didn’t always waft unpleasant smells, but over the years the lake had become a dumping ground for waste and dead bodies… 

Fast forward a few centuries and Edinburgh Scotland really turned it around.

In stark contrast to its dirty, stinky past, Edinburgh is now ranked the number one greenest city in the UK, with the most green spaces (112 parks) and the least pollution. How ironic is that! 

3. Nicknamed Athens of the North (Auld Greekie) – Facts About Edinburgh

In 1760 when the industrial revolution was happening in Europe, Edinburgh took a different approach.

Edinburgh started to expand outside the walls of Old Town, but wanted to grow as an intellectual hub instead (and to move away from its Auld Reekie nickname). 

Edinburgh wanted to be seen as the idea epicentre for philosophy, economics, and medicine. Essentially, modelling themselves after Athens in Greece.

When visiting the city today, you’ll notice some of that Greek influence even today. Head to the National Monument of Scotland, where 12 columns resemble the Parthenon in Athens.

And throughout the city, even the statues are seen wearing togas!

4. Edinburgh Is Surrounded By Volcanoes – Fun Facts of Scotland

The top thing to do in Edinburgh is to hike up Arthur’s Seat, but did you know that it’s an extinct volcano!?

And you’ve probably also heard of Edinburgh Castle? Well the castle sits a top another extinct volcano!

Both volcanoes sit on either end of the Royal Mile (a street running all the way through the city). At one end sits Arthur’s Seat, where you can hike up for panoramic views. On the other side is Castle Rock which is the basalt rock that Edinburgh Castle is built on.

You don’t have to worry about being around these extinct volcanoes, being extinct means that there’s zero chance of erupting. 

P.S. Scotland country facts: there are actually three more dormant volcanoes throughout Scotland!

These volcanos have been dormant for over 350 million years. But when they were active, they helped form the landscape of the Edinburgh and Scotland we see today!

5. Edinburgh Fun Facts – There’s A City Hidden Underground

This is possibly the most interesting things about Scotland Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Old Town that exists today is not actually the oldest part of town. There was a city built before, and it’s still buried underneath!

Until 1985 this city was filled with rubble to keep out merchants and the poor.  But they’ve since cleared it out and you can book a tour to visit!

It’s a good place for a fright, filled with ghost stories from the past!

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6. St. Giles Cathedral Isn’t Actually A Cathedral

The official title of St. Giles Cathedral’s is The High Kirk of Edinburgh.

Even though it’s not technically a cathedral, it’s still a religious place of worship, just not a Catholic one.  

A church becomes a cathedral when it’s the seat of a bishop. The High Kirk was a proper cathedral during two short periods of its history. But it hasn’t had a bishop sit in the church since 1680, but the name just stuck. 

Today it’s a Presbyterian church, in fact, it’s known as the mother of Presbyterian churches.

7. Edinburgh Invented The First Security System

Some other interesting things about Scotland that you might not have known is that Edinburgh is where the first alarm system was invented!

In true Scottish fashion, locals love going out to pubs and having a good time. The only problem is that they would often come back quite drunk and accidentally walk into the wrong house. This small hitch eventually led to the invention of the first security system in Edinburgh!  

The security system was a simple mechanism: when stairs in a house, one step was made taller than the others, and only the true owner would know about it.  

So an intruder walking up the steps would trip on their way up. This would alert the owners that an unwanted visitor had entered their house.

But the coolest part is that you can actually see not one, but two examples of the first security system in Edinburgh!

Head to James Court (behind Gladstone’s Land) you’ll find an example of what a trick step looked like. Then head across the way to the Writer’s Museum to actually try it yourself (don’t worry they’ve clearly marked the trick step so you won’t be caught as an intruder!).

8. Organized The First Official Fire Brigade In Edinburgh

Another Edinburgh fun facts that Scotland should be proud of is that this is where the first fire fighting techniques were developed, and some we still use today!

James Braidwood realized you should go inside the building to get to the heart of the fire to put it out, and emphasized the importance of training men.  

Before, no one knew how to properly put out a fire and it was more of a community effort.  

Braidwood’s tactics worked so well that he was later hired to implement them in London as well.

At 60 years old, he was still putting out fires and was the head of the pack until a burning wall collapsed on him in 1861.

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9. Edinburgh Scotland Coined the Term “Sh*t Faced”

So we have Edinburgh to thank for some pretty important things in the world… but not this next one!

Along with the first security system and the invention of the fire brigade, they’re also proud to have coined the saying “Sh*t faced”.  

You know, the term that people use to refer to someone being blackout drunk?

Well, being “sh*t faced” it didn’t always have that meaning, although being drunk was a factor.

In Old Town Edinburgh, the plumbing system involved throwing everything out the window – and I mean EVERYTHING… Before throwing your waste out the window to the streets below, you’d yell out “Gardy Lou” to the warn people below so they would move out of the way. 

Unfortunately, when you’re drunk on the way home from the pub, you’re ability to swiftly dodge falling excrement is… sub-par to say the least. 

So the traditional warning of “Gardy-Lou” rings out and, instead of moving out of the way, you look up to see what you heard right in time to get literally… sh*t all over your face… but hey, at least you were warned first!

10. J.K. Rowling Wrote Most of Harry Potter Here

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter you’ll love these Edinburgh fun facts!

Even though the Harry Potter series takes place in England, they were actually written in Edinburgh. J.K. Rowling was living in Scotland at the time and took a lot of inspiration from her surroundings in Edinburgh.  

She spent most of her time writing at the Elephant House Cafe (which is now home to a mural for Dobby).

Greyfriars Kirkyard also has gravestones for several Harry Potter characters (such as Voldemort, the main antagonist).

Where Rowling’s daughter went to school even shares a lot of similarities with Hogwarts (like how it’s divided into 4 houses).

And it’s believed that the ghost story of Maggie Dickerson was the inspiration for Nearly Headless Nick.

11. The City Adopted A Dog

This is one of my favourite Edinburgh fun facts they are the only city to have ever adopted a dog!

When night-watchman John Gray passed away, he left behind his family, but also his beloved co-worker and friend Bobby, the Skye Terrier.

Bobby sat by his owner’s gravesite for the next 14 years, until he too passed away.  

But this story of canine love goes far beyond master and companion. Having lost his owner, poor Bobby was now homeless. So the city stepped up and adopted Bobby.

They paid for his license, bought him a brass collar, and even made him a shelter next to Gray’s grave.

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12. Edinburgh Is Home To One Of The Most Haunted Graveyards

Bluidy MacKensie’s ghost haunts locals and tourists who dare passing through Greyfriars Kirkyard.  

The poltergeist activity in the graveyard started fairly recently, in 1998 when unsuspecting homeless man unleashed the ghost of George Mackenzie from his mausoleum.  

Since then, over 500 ghost attacks have been reported (and some even documented with photographs).  Are you brave enough to enter the graveyard!?

13. The Royal Mile Isn’t A Real Mile

The Royal Mile is Edinburgh’s main street (remember, it stretches from one volcano to the other!?).

But did you know that the Royal Mile isn’t actually a mile!? It’s one mile and 107 yards long.

The Scots like to refer to this as a Scottish mile.

14. Haggis Isn’t Originally From Scotland

This is one of the fun facts of Scotland that they don’t actually want you to know about.

Scotland’s national dish, haggis, is a stuffed sheep’s stomach and it’s apparently not even Scottish…

There are two theories about when and where it originated from, and neither are from Scotland. It’s believed to either be from London or Scandinavia.

The first record of haggis in Scotland is from Robert Burns poem “Address to Haggis” from 1747. And by the 18th century, it was already considered a Scottish dish.

But a food historian recently discovered haggis in an English recipe book from 1615. That’s 171 years before it was first documented in Scotland! And to make matters worse, the word Haggis is of English origin, not Scottish.  

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But an even earlier theory for Haggis is from a Scottish butcher who claims the dish is Scandinavian. He claims that Norsemen brought the dish to Scotland during the ninth century. He says the word haggis comes from the Viking word meaning bag. In fact, there’s a very similar Scandinavian dish called Lungmos…

15. Interesting Things About Scotland: A Unicorn Is Their National Animal

Yes you read that right! Scotland’s National animal is in fact, a unicorn!

But how could a mythical creature be a national animal if it doesn’t even exist?  

Well most of Scotland’s history is based on fables and legends passed down from their ancestors. In Celtic mythology, unicorns are always represented as strong, powerful beasts. Just like the Scots, unicorns would fight to remain unconquered. 

Unicorns appeared on the royal coat of arms of Scotland as early as the 12 century.

So you’ll see unicorns everywhere throughout Edinburgh and Scotland.

You’ll notice that the unicorns are often depicted with chains around their necks. It’s believed that the chains show the power of Scottish kings, symbolizing that they were strong enough to tame the powerful beast. 

Bonus Scotland Country Facts! The Scottish Pound Is Different From The British!

Even though both Scotland and England are a part of the United Kingdom, and both use the Pound Sterling, they actually have different banknotes.

The difference is simply where the banknotes were issued. In Scotland, banknotes can be issued by three different banks where as in England, it’s only one (the Bank of England).

So what does this mean for you?

The good news is that there’s no difference in terms of monetary value, I assure you they’re worth the same amount. But legally speaking, only the issuing retail banks in Scotland are obliged to accept their own Scottish banknotes. So a vendor in England can be more reluctant to accept a Scottish pound as payment.

Did You Know These Edinburgh Fun Facts?

I learned most of these Edinburgh fun facts on my walking tour of Edinburgh from Sandeman New Europe, you should also think about going on one of their tours while you’re visiting… seriously free walking tours are the best, see why I love them! 

P.S. Need A Place To Stay In Edinburgh Scotland?

I stayed at an Airbnb for a month in Edinburgh just across from The Meadows. For shorter stays, I found these accommodations to stay at for every type of traveller.

Best Location & Price: Just down the street from the Royal Mile Motel One Edinburgh – Royal is a short walk to all the main attractions. See room rates & availability.

Modern & New Apartment: Stay in Edinburgh’s New Town at Golden Thistle Apartment to live like a local. It’s offers a beautifully renovated modern apartment with cafes and bars at your fingertips! See room rates & availability on Plum Guide.

Luxury: The Balmoral Hotel is Edinburgh’s finest hotel but nothing compares to it. J.K. even stayed here to finish writing the Harry Potter Series. Maybe you’ll get lucky and stay in the same suite! See room rates & availability.

See other accommodations on Booking.com in Edinburgh, or more apartments on Plum Guide.

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