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Welcome
to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
is situated between the Pentland Hills
and the South Coast of the Firth of Forth
and is the capital of Scotland. A recent
census put the population at around 450
000 people and growing. There is evidence
of human settlement in Edinburgh dating
from 1000 BC - making the city one of
the longest continuously inhabited places
in Northern Europe.The City of Edinburgh
is 100 square miles in area and is twinned
with Dunedin, New Zealand - Florence,
Italy - Kiev, Ukraine - Munich, Germany
- Nice, France - San Diego, USA - Vancouver,
Canada and Xian, China. The city lies
in the shadow of an extinct volcano called
Arthur's Seat which at it's peak rises
to 822 ft. Edinburgh has a number of nicknames:
"Auld Reekie", "Festival
City" and "The Athens of the
North" due to the amount of fine
architecture in the city. Scots speak
English with a Scottish accent, so understanding
the locals should not be to difficult
and visitors to the city can be sure of
a warm welcome and expect a safe and pleasant
stay.
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Facts
about Scotland
Country: Scotland
Continent: Europe
National Population: 5 500 000
National Capital: Edinburgh
Edinburgh Population: 450 000
Local Time: GMT
(5 hours from Eastern Standard Time)
(8 hours from Pacific Standard Time)
Official Language: English
Currency: Pound Sterling (GBP)
1 = 100
pence
Religion: Protestant, Roman Catholic,
Jewish, Muslim, Hindu. |
Contacts
Scottish Tourist Board
23 Ravelston Terr.,
Edinburgh EH4 3EU,
Tel.: 0131 332 2433,
FAX: 0131 315 4545
19 Cockspur St.,
London SWIY 5BL,
Tel.: 020 7930 8661,
FAX: 020 7930 1817
Tourist Information Centre
Waverly Market, Princes Street, Edinburgh
Tel. 0131 557 1700
Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board
Site
www.edinburgh.org
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Arriving
in Scotland
Passports
& Visas
Entering Scotland
U.S., Canadian, New Zealand, and Australian
citizens, even infants, need only a valid
passport to enter Great Britain for stays
of up to 90 days.
Entering the United Kingdom from outside
Europe, a traveller 17 or over can take
in ;
(1) 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos
or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco;
(2) one litre of alcohol over 22%
volume or two litres of fortified wine,
sparkling wine or other liqueurs;
(3) two litres of still table wine;
(4) 60 ml of perfume and 250 ml
of toilet water;
(5) other goods to a value of £145
(no pooling of exemptions is allowed).
HM
Customs and Excise
44 York Place,
Edinburgh, EH1,
Tel.: 0131 469 2000 |
People
Edinburgh
has a pretty cosmopolitan feel to it,
partly due to the influx of Tourists (particularly
in the Summer season) and with people
in general moving to the city from other
parts of the UK for employment opportunities
and quality of life.
The locals have been described as stand-offish
as opposed to the natives of Glasgow (it's
rival), who come across as more helpful
and friendly, but it's hard to generalise,
so judge for yourself. There is certainly
a feeling of Scottishness amongst the
Edinburgh people, and in the atmosphere
of the city itself.
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Climate
The Scottish
climate is not renowned for being the
most consistent in the world, but when
it's nice it's nice and when it's unpleasant
it's generally wet.You may spend a summer
week in Scotland and experience nothing
but low clouds and drizzle. On the other
hand, you may enjoy Mediterranean-like
weather even in early spring and late
autumn. Scotland has few thunderstorms
and little fog, but there are often variable
winds. Generally speaking though, Scotland
is two or three degrees cooler than southern
England.
Tip of the day ;
Bring an umbrella with you.
Average Temperatures
January
43-34°F (6-1°C)
February 43-34°F (6-1°C)
March 47-36°F (8-2°C)
April 52-40°F (11-4°C)
May 58-43°F (14-6°C)
June 63-49°F (17-9°C)
July 65-52°F (18-11°C)
August 65-52°F (18-11°C)
September 61-49°F (16-9°C)
October 54-45°F (12-7°C)
November 49-40°F (9-4°C)
December 45-36°F (7-2°C) |
Health
No particular jabs are necessary for visiting
Scotland.
Pharmacies
A pharmacy -- or chemist, is identified
by its sign, a green cross on a white
background.
Boots (48 Shandwick Pl., west end
of Princes St., Tel.: 0131 225 6757)
is open Monday-Friday 8 AM-9 PM, Saturday
8 AM-7 PM, and Sunday 10-5 PM
Hospitals
Western General Hospital
Crewe Road, Edinburgh, -
Tel. 0131 332 2525
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
Little France, Edinburgh. EH16 4SA with
Accident & Emergency Dept.
- Tel. 0131 536 1000
Dentist
For a dental emergency, go to the
Edinburgh Dental Institute,
39 Lauriston Place,
Tel.
0131 536 4900
open Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.
Emergencies: Tel.
999 in an emergency to summon the
police, an ambulance, or
firefighters. |
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Currency
Britain's
currency is the pound sterling,
which is divided into 100 pence (100p).
Notes are issued in £50, £20,
£10, and £5 values. Coins
are issued in £1, 50p, 20p, 10p,
5p, 2p, and 1p values.
Scottish coins are the same as English
ones, but Scottish notes are issued by
three banks: - the Bank of Scotland,
the Royal Bank of Scotland, and
the Clydesdale Bank.
Exchanging Money
Most city-center banks have a bureau de
change (usual banking hours are weekdays
9:30-4:45). The bureau de change at the
Tourist Centre, Waverley Market, is open
daily. There are also bureaux de change
at Waverley Station and Edinburgh Airport.
Banks can also be used to exchange currency,
although shop around for the best rates.
Other
Exchange Services
International Currency Express
-- Tel. 888 278 6628 for orders, www.foreignmoney.com
Thomas Cook Currency Services --
Tel. 800 287 7362 for orders, www.us.thomascook.com
Banks
The city has branches of all major UK
Banks and Building Societies and most
of the towns of the Lothians have at least
one branch of the major Scottish banks.
Opening hours are normally between 9.30am
and 3.30 or 5.00pm.
Value-Added Tax
The British sales tax, VAT (Value
Added Tax), is 17.5%. The tax is almost
always included in quoted prices in shops,
hotels, and restaurants. As in other European
countries, non-EU residents are entitled
to a refund of the VAT paid on goods taken
home with them.
Global Refund is a VAT refund
service available Europe-wide at 130,000
affiliated stores. In participating stores,
ask for the Global Refund form (called
a Shopping Cheque). Have it stamped like
any customs form by customs officials
when you leave the European Union. Then
take the form to one of the more than
700 Global Refund counters -- conveniently
located at every major airport and border
crossing -- and your money will be refunded
on the spot in the form of cash, check,
or a refund to your credit-card account.
Post Offices
Post Offices, which normally open
between 9am and 5pm Monday-Friday and
9am until 12am on a Saturday, can be found
throughout the city.
Business Hours Info
Banks are usually open Monday to
Wednesday 9:30am to 3:45pm and Thursday
and Friday 9:30am to 5 or 5:30pm.
Shops are generally open Monday
to Saturday 10am to 5:30 or 6pm; - on
Thursday stores are open to 8pm.
Offices are open Monday to Friday
9am to 5pm. |
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Mail
Airmail letters to the United States and
Canada cost 43p, postcards 37p, aerograms
38p. Letters and postcards to Europe under
20 grams cost 30p. Within the United Kingdom
first class letters cost 26p, second class
letters and postcards 19p.
If you're uncertain where you'll be staying,
you can arrange to have your mail sent
to American Express. The service is free
to cardholders; all others pay a small
fee. You can also receive letters at any
post office by labelling them with your
name and "Poste Restante" and
addressing them to the post office of
your choice.
The
post office in the
St. James Centre
(St. Andrew Sq., Tel. 0131 556 0478)
is the most central and is open Monday
9-5:30, Tuesday-Friday 8:30-5:30, and
Saturday 8:30-6.
Other main post offices in the city center
are at
40 Frederick Street and
7 Hope Street
Many newsagents also sell stamps.
Online
http://pol.royalmail.com/
At Postcodes On-Line you can find any
Postcode or Address within the UK from
our database of 27 million addresses.
To search for a Postcode, use Postcode
Finder.
All you need to do is enter the address
details.
To search for an Address, use Address
Finder.
All you need to do is enter a Postcode.
...
Information Centre
The Edinburgh and
Scotland Information Centre
3 Princes St.,
Tel.: 0131 473 3800 -
FAX: 0131 473 3881
May, June, and Sept., Mon.-Sat. 9-7, Sun.
10-7; July and Aug., Mon.-Sat. 9-8, Sun.
10-8; Oct.-Apr., Mon.-Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-6
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Telephones
Area & Country Codes
The country code for Great Britain is
44. The city code for Edinburgh is
0131. When dialing a Scottish or
British number from abroad, drop the initial
0 from the local area code. For
instance, if you were calling Edinburgh
Castle from New York City to ask about
opening hours, you would first dial
011 (the international code), 44
(the Great Britain country code), 131
(the Edinburgh city code), then 668-8800
(the number proper).
Directory & Operator Information
To call the Operator, dial 100
Directory inquiries (information),
192
International directory inquiries, 153
International
Calls
To make international calls from Scotland,
you must use the international access
code 00 + the country code + area code
+ number. For the international operator,
credit card, or collect calls, dial 155.
The country code is 1 for the United States
and Canada, 61 for Australia, and 64 for
New Zealand.
Long-Distance
Calls
For long-distance calls within Britain,
dial the area code (which usually begins
with 01), followed by the telephone number.
The area code prefix is only used when
you are dialing from outside the city.
In provincial areas, the dialing codes
for nearby towns are often listed in the
phonebox.
Public Phones
There are three types of public pay phones:
those that accept only coins, those that
accept only phone cards, and those that
take British Telecom (BT) phone cards
and credit cards. For coin-only phones,
insert coins before dialing (minimum charge
is 20p). Sometimes phones have a "press
on answer" (POA) button, which you
press when the caller answers.
For
phone card telephones, buy BT (British
Telecom) cards from shops, post offices,
or newsstands. They are ideal for longer
calls, are composed of units of 10p, and
come in values of £3, £5,
£10 and more. An indicator panel
on the phone shows the number of units
you've used and at the end of your call
the card is returned.
Online
www.bt.com/directory-enquiries/dq_home.jsp
Welcome to BT Directory Enquiries, this
free reliable service allows you to find
people & organisations in the UK.
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Useful
Info & Numbers
Lothian and Borders Police Force Headquarters
- Fettes Avenue, Edinburgh, EH4 1RB.
-- Tel. 0131 311 3131 --- Fax. 0131 311
3038
Police Information Centre - 188
High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1QS.
Tel. 0131 226 6966
Edinburgh Airport Police Room -
Almond Avenue Edinburgh,
EH12
0AL. -- Tel. 0131 333 2724
Emergencies - Tel. 999 in
an emergency to summon the police, an
ambulance, or firefighters.
Hospital - The Edinburgh Royal
Infirmary, Little France, EH16 4SA --
Tel. 0131 536 1000
Dentist - For a dental emergency,
go to the Edinburgh Dental Institute,
39 Lauriston Place, - Tel. 0131 536 4900
-- open Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.
Doctor - In a medical emergency,
you can seek help from the Edinburgh Royal
Infirmary, Little France, Edinburgh. EH16
4SA - Tel. 0131 536 1000
Medical attention is available 24 hours.
Chemists - There are no 24-hour
Chemists in Edinburgh. The major Chemist
is Boots, 48 Shandwick Place - Tel. 0131
225 6757 -- open Monday to Wednesday and
Friday 8am to 6pm, Thursday 8am to 7:30pm,
Saturday 8am to 7pm, and Sunday 10am to
5pm.
Cyberia Cybercafe - For checking
on your mail or sending messages, head
to the Cyberia Edinburgh, 88 Hanover St.
Tel. 0131 220 4403 -- e-mail:
edinburgh@cybersurf.co.uk
Web 13 - Also try Web 13 at 13
Bread Street, -- Tel. 0131 229 8883
e-mail: queries@web13.co.uk
Laundry/Dry Cleaning - Try Sundial
Launderette, 7-11 East London St. ; Tel.
0131 556 2743 --
open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm, Saturday
8am to 4pm, and Sunday 10am to 2pm.
For your dry-cleaning needs, check out
Johnson's Cleaners, 23 Frederick St. ;
Tel. 0131 225 8095 --
open Monday to Friday 8am to 5:30pm and
Saturday 8am to 4pm.
Luggage/Storage/Lockers - You can
store luggage in lockers at Waverley Station,
at Waverley Bridge
Tel. 0131 550 2333 -- open Monday to Saturday
7am to 11pm and Sunday 8am to 11pm.
Post Office - The Edinburgh Branch
Post Office, St. James's Centre, is open
Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm and Saturday
9am to noon. For postal information and
customer service, - Tel. 0131 550 8232
Toilets - These can be found at
railway stations, bus terminals, restaurants,
hotels, pubs, and department stores.
There are also Public Toilets which are
perfectly safe and clean.
Safety - Edinburgh is generally
very safe and is in fact one of Europe's
safest capitals for a visitor to stroll
at any time of day or night. But that
doesn't mean crimes don't occur, so be
streetwise and don't flash the cash, or
jingle the jewellery.
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