Edinburgh failed to make Time Out’s sixth annual list of the World’s 50 Best Cities when it was released this week, but our friends along the M8 in Glasgow came in at number 30 on the list.
For many years the east/ west debate about whether Edinburgh or Glasgow is Scotland’s best city has raged, so we’ve taken a look at reasons why the Capital is the best, in our humble opinion.
For a start, Glasgow doesn’t have the history Edinburgh has, and of course the Capital welcomes the world’s biggest arts festival every August, with millions of tourists flocking here every year testament to both. And despite Glasgow’s dominance on the football field over the years and the popularity of Celtic and Rangers, Edinburgh still has the country’s largest sports stadium, with 67,000 able to pack into Murrayfield to roar on the Scotland rugby team.
Scotland’s parliament sits at Holyrood, and it would be remiss to forget the biggest advantage Edinburgh has over Glasgow, chippy brown sauce! Why use just vinegar when our special sauce mixes traditional brown sauce with vinegar to create a unique and perfect accompaniment to fish and chips?
5. Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to Edinburgh every August to join locals in enjoying performers at the world's largest arts festival in the city, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Photo: Jane Barlow/ PA
6. Hogmanay
Nobody does Hogmanay like Edinburgh, with thousands of visitors joining locals for the Hogmanay street party at Princes Street every New Year's Eve to see in the bells and the spectacular fireworks display above Edinburgh Castle. As well as the street party, the Hogmanay celebrations also include the concert in the gardens at Ross Bandstand, which was recently headlined by Pulp (above), the Torchlight Procession through the old town and the Night Afore concert in the gardens. Photo: Kevin Quinn
7. Trams
Bare with me on this one. Yes a lot of Edinburgh's residents were deeply unhappy when the trams were first being constructed, ripping up our streets and causing years of disruption, which felt like it would never end. But with the second section of the tram line to Newhaven due to open this summer, surely we will see the full benefits of this expensive project, with the tram already handy for those living in the west of the city to quickly get into the city centre for some shopping or work, or to catch a train at Waverley or Haymarket, as well as making it quicker and cheaper to get to the airport to catch a flight. Photo: National World
8. Boxing legend
While most of Scotland's most popular boxers over the years have come from Glasgow, the country's king of the ring was of course the late, great Ken Buchanan, who sadly passed away recently aged 77, with his funeral taking place at St Giles Cathedral. Leither Ken became the undisputed world lightweight champion in 1971, ending his career with 61 wins from 69 fights. He is pictured above at the unveiling of his statue in August 2022, which will remain outside the St James Quarter looking down the road at his beloved Leith. Photo: National World