Edinburgh or bust

If you have suddenly woken up to the fact that one of the world's greatest arts festivals starts tomorrow and you want to go, what do you do? Hasn't Edinburgh been staked out for months by busloads of tourists, legions of luvvies and barrages of corporate bookings? Haven't the well organised and well-heeled already snapped up all available tickets and accommodation?

Not at all, according to the Festival Box Office (0131 226 4001). Tickets are still available for many of the official festival's events. And, of course, the official programme is hardly the sum of events on offer - what with the fringe festival, the film festival, the jazz festival, the book festival and the military tattoo at the castle.

Besides this, Edinburgh is a small and accessible city of enormous charm, a pleasure to visit for its own sake. You can easily walk from one main festival venue to another, provided you do not mind a few gradients. (Edinburgh was built, like Athens, on seven hills.) Architecturally, it is a treat. The layered ranks of ancient buildings covering the slopes between Princes Street and the Royal Mile produce skylines of pure drama, while the grey stone castle looks as if it has grown, like a massive carbuncle, from its rocky pinnacle. Between the old city and the Firth of Forth, the New Town displays all the crisp elegance of Georgian urban pretension, while the rugged slopes of Arthur's Seat to the east provide a stirring backdrop to the city's romantic and bloody past.

Where to stay

During the festival the city's population doubles from just under 500,000 to one million - which puts into perspective the demand on hotels, guest houses and B&Bs. Yet latecomers need not despair. There are still beds to be had within reach of the festival, although the tourist office advises people against just turning up and hoping for the best.

In central Edinburgh the majority of hotels and guest houses are already booked up, but seven miles south-west of the city centre, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton campus, Currie (0131 449 5111 ext 4260) still has a few vacancies. Prices for single rooms range from pounds 18.50 to pounds 39.50 per night.

For the adventurous, or impecunious, camping is a good alternative. Edinburgh has three campsites: Silverknowes Caravan Park, Crammond (0131 312 6874, pounds 5.25 per night for a small tent); Moreton Hall Caravan Park, off the city bypass (0131 664 1533, until 25 August pounds 11 per night per tent, after that pounds 8 per night); and Little France Caravan Park, off Dalkeith Road (0131 666 2326, pounds 9 per night for a small tent).

Or stay outside Edinburgh and make day trips. Glasgow (with its wealth of free museums) is a 50-minute train journey away: moderately priced hotels include The Town House, 4 Hughenden Terrace (0141 357 0862) at pounds 62 per night for a double room, and The Ambassador Hotel, 7 Kelvin Drive (0141 946 1018) at pounds 49 per night for a double room. Details of B&Bs from the tourist office (0141 204 4400).

To the south, the seaside town of Dunbar is on the east coast railway line about 25 minutes from Edinburgh. Standard B&B accommodation here ranges from pounds 13 to pounds 17 (tourist information: 01368 863 353). The big disadvantage about staying here is that the last train from Edinburgh is at 9.15pm; however, there is an hourly bus service which runs until 11pm.

If you have a car, head south to the Border countryside and Peebles, a 30-minute drive from Edinburgh. The Cringletie House Hotel in Peebles charges pounds 49 per person for bed and breakfast (double room). Information about B&Bs from the tourist office (01721 720138).

Escape the luvvies

See the one o'clock gun fired from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle (open daily 9.30am-6pm, adults pounds 5.50, senior citizens pounds 3.50, children under 15 pounds 1.50). The castle itself is overwhelmingly military, but it does house Scotland's Crown Jewels and there is a charming chapel dedicated to the 11th-century queen and later saint, Margaret. Don't miss the tiny graveyard dedicated to generations of soldiers' dogs.

Potter down the Royal Mile, the street that runs downhill from the castle to the Palace of Holyrood House. With its glorious jumble of medieval turrets and pointed roofs, it slopes in a maze of attendant courtyards, passages and winding stairways. Among the many notable buildings en route are the Museum of Childhood and John Knox's house.

Wander through the Grassmarket, a medieval square with a dark history in the shadow of the Castle rock. A St Andrew's cross at the east end marks the spot where hundreds of Covenanters were hanged in the 17th century. During the19th century, the bodysnatchers, William Hare and William Burke, dug up corpses and strangled prostitutes here. In sharply contrasting sentimentality, outside Greyfriars Kirk, just off the Grassmarket, is Greyfriar's Bobby. The small statue of a Skye terrier was errected in 1872 as a tribute to the dog which faithfully kept watch over his master's grave.

Take in the views from Calton Hill. With its collection of monuments, this is a grand folly that makes for a great skyline. The most eyecatching building is the National Monument which looks like the ruin of a Greek temple. Built as a memorial to soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars, it was supposed to be an exact replica of the Parthenon but funds ran out after the first 12 columns were put in place.

Get a taste of Scottish nationalism. At the foot of Calton Hill, the Old Royal High School is the potential home of a devolved Scottish Parliament; since the last general election, the pressure group Democracy for Scotland has held a vigil here.

Cool off at the Murrayfield Ice Rink, Riversdale Crescent (0131 337 6933).

How to get there

Edinburgh airport is eight miles from the city centre. The bus trip into town costs pounds 3.20. BA return flights from Heathrow start at pounds 74, from Manchester at pounds 78, Birmingham at pounds 83 and Southampton at pounds 139 (call 0181- 897 4000 for more details). British Midland (0345 554554) flies from Heathrow with return fares starting at pounds 74, and from East Midlands Airport with reutrn fares starting at pounds 75.

Waverly railway station is in the city centre (0131 556 2451). A BR supersaver return from London costs pounds 60 (journey time about four hours 40 minutes); from Manchester costs pounds 30 (about four hours); and from Birmingham costs pounds 50 (about four hours 40 minutes).

St Andrew's Bus Station is close to the city centre. National Express (0990 808080) departs at 11.30am and 10.30pm from Victoria Coach Station in London (journey time about eight and a half hours, pounds 25 return); at 10.30am from Manchester (about eight hours, pounds 23.50 return); and at 1pm and 10.30pm from Birmingham (about seven hours, pounds 40 return). Silver Choice (03552 30403) departs at 10am and 10pm from Victoria Coach Station in London (pounds 24 return).