A European Informational Website
learn more
The Royal Mile is the popular name for the succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of Edinburgh's Old Town. As the name suggests, it was equivalent to a Scottish mile between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle Rock down to Holyrood Abbey. Although it is often said to be properly referred to as the "High Street" by locals, along the way, the actual name of the street changes from Castle Esplanade to Castlehill, to Lawnmarket, to High Street, to Canongate, and finally to Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is Edinburgh's busiest tourist street, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town.