1. More bang for your buck. I'm not saying it's a bargain, but Edinburgh is a lot better value than London. 2. Art for arts sake. The Edinburgh International Festival (August 10-September 2), the cheaper, more informal Festival Fringe (August 5-27), and the Film Festival (August 15-26) are the largest outpouring of art and music in one setting anywhere in the world. 3. Fine Dining. For a great meal in the modern French tradition, there's no better place in Britain than The Kitchin (from Edinburgh's wunderkind chef, Tom Kitchin), which won its first Michelin star this year. If you're a fan of molecular gastronomy, Abstract will wow you. 4. Smart casual dining. Centotre is terrifi, as is the Forth Floor (as in the River Forth) in Harvey Nichols department store. 5. Taxi drivers know where they're going and they all sound like Sean Connery. 6. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh and drew much of her inspiration for the book from the 16th-century Old Town. It even looks like Hogwarts. 7. Great hotels, like the Scotsman, Prestonfield and the new Tigerlily (see Key Notes).
