Edinburgh on $55, $130 or $350 a day

Edinburgh Castle (£18.50 - the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny, the One O'Clock Gun). Book online. The castle is genuinely impressive - a military fortress perched on a volcanic plug used continuously since the 12th century. Allow 2 hours.

Walk the Royal Mile downhill: the closes and courtyards off the main street hide the real medieval city. The Real Mary King's Close (£18 - underground preserved 17th-century street beneath the Royal Mile - worth it). The Scottish Parliament visitor centre (free) at the bottom.

Grassmarket for dinner: the Bow Bar for real ales and Scottish whiskies (no food, but exceptional whisky selection). Dinner at a Grassmarket pub for £12-15. The Victoria Street curved medieval street at dusk is Edinburgh at its most atmospheric.

Arthur's Seat early (before 9am the hill is quiet). The climb from St Margaret's Loch takes 45 minutes to the summit - the view over Edinburgh, the Forth bridges, and the coast is extraordinary. Free. Pack layers - the summit wind is cold even in summer.

National Museum of Scotland (free - Scottish history from the Ice Age to devolution, the Dolly the Sheep exhibit, the Lewis Chessmen). A full afternoon in the best free museum in Britain. Lunch at the Grassmarket market stalls (£6-8).

Stockbridge for the evening: the Bailie Bar for real ales (pint £5.50), dinner at a Stockbridge bistro for £14-18. Walk back along the Water of Leith through Dean Village - a 19th-century mill village inside the city, completely free and completely unexpected.

Bus to Leith (£2). The Shore riverside walk and the Leith market (Saturdays only - best food market in Edinburgh). The Royal Yacht Britannia (£18 - the Queen's former yacht, better than it sounds: the Queen's sitting room, the royal bedrooms, and the onboard Rolls-Royce). Worth the money.

Walk along the Water of Leith back toward the city: Dean Village, Stockbridge, and back to the New Town - a free 5km riverside walk through the hidden Edinburgh. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery (free) on the way back.

Scotch whisky tasting: the Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile (£18 for the tour and tasting). Or: a self-guided tasting at the Bow Bar or the Devil's Advocate - choose three malts (£5-8 each) and learn to read a whisky by region and age. Cheaper and more educational.

Edinburgh Castle first thing (£18.50, pre-booked). The Crown Room (Scottish Regalia), the Great Hall, and the views from the esplanade. Coffee at the castle cafe. Then the Scottish Storytelling Centre for context on the city's literary history.

Lunch at The Witchery (£35-50 - the most atmospheric restaurant in Edinburgh, in a 16th-century merchant house on the Royal Mile, Scottish game and seafood). Real Mary King's Close (£18) in the afternoon. Walk the closes and wynds of the Old Town.

Whisky dinner: The Scotch Whisky Experience (£18 tour) then dinner at The Grain Store (£40-55, modern Scottish cuisine in a Grassmarket warehouse). Afterwards: the Bow Bar for a nightcap Speyside single malt.

Tram or taxi to Leith. The Royal Yacht Britannia (£18) then a walk along the Shore. Lunch at The Kitchin (1 Michelin star, Tom Kitchin - book ahead; the £35 lunch menu is the best value in Edinburgh's fine dining).

Afternoon walk: Cramond village (bus from Princes Street) and the Cramond Island causeway walkable at low tide (check tide times - the island is accessible for 4 hours either side of low tide, free, extraordinary sea views). Or: Portobello Beach (bus £2) for the Victorian promenade and fish and chips.

New Town dinner: 21212 (1 Michelin star, £55-70 for the tasting menu) or The Honours (Martin Wishart's brasserie, £35-50). A cocktail at the Bramble Bar afterward (consistently voted one of the best bars in the UK).

Train to Stirling (55 min, £14 each way): Stirling Castle (£18 - better than Edinburgh Castle for history - the Battle of Bannockburn, Mary Queen of Scots, the Scottish Parliament before Edinburgh), then the Wallace Monument (£12). Or: direct bus to St Andrews (2h, £11 each way) for the Royal & Ancient Golf Course and the cathedral ruins.

Explore Stirling or St Andrews - both fully walkable in an afternoon. St Andrews has the best fish and chips in Scotland (the Anstruther Fish Bar in nearby Anstruther is the pilgrimage destination).

Return to Edinburgh. Farewell dinner in Leith or the New Town. A final whisky at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Queen Street (membership required but guests can visit with a member - ask your hotel).

Private guided tour of Edinburgh Castle with an historian - the hidden stories of the Scottish Crown Jewels, the royal apartments, and the 1000-year military history. Then a private guided walk of the Old Town closes and Mary King's Close with a dedicated guide. Breakfast at the Balmoral Hotel (the iconic station hotel, the clock is always 2 minutes fast to help passengers catch their train).

Lunch at The Witchery by the Castle (the private dining turret - one of the most extraordinary dining rooms in Britain, a 16th-century tower with tapestried walls and candlelight even at noon). Afternoon: private whisky masterclass at the Scotch Whisky Experience or a private tour of a Speyside distillery (Glenfarclas or Balvenie - 3h drive, chartered car).

Dinner at Restaurant Martin Wishart in Leith (1 Michelin star, £95-120 for the tasting menu - the finest dining in Edinburgh; reserve weeks ahead). Nightcap at a private members bar in the New Town or the Balmoral Hotel bar.

Chauffeured day trip to the Scottish Highlands: Glencoe (the most dramatic glen in Scotland - the site of the 1692 massacre, the Three Sisters peaks, and the lost Macdonald village), then Loch Ness and the Great Glen. A private naturalist guide explains the geology, history, and Highland ecology.

Lunch at a Highland inn on the loch shore. Afternoon: the Cairngorms National Park or the historic Castle Grant. Return via the Speyside whisky trail - Glenfarclas for a private cask tasting.

Return to Edinburgh. Dinner at 21212 (Paul Kitching's 1 Michelin star restaurant on the New Town - theatrical, innovative, extraordinary - £95-120 for the full experience). Reserve well ahead.

Tee time at Muirfield (East Lothian, 45 min from Edinburgh by car - one of the oldest and most demanding links courses in the world, host of multiple Open Championships). Or: St Andrews Old Course ballot (free entry but highly competitive) or Carnoustie (£240 for visitors). All require a handicap certificate.

Lunch in the East Lothian countryside: the Michelin Bib Gourmand pubs of Dirleton and Gullane. Afternoon at Tantallon Castle (the clifftop red-sandstone castle ruin above the Firth of Forth, £9).

Farewell dinner at The Kitchin in Leith (Tom Kitchin's Michelin-starred flagship, the full tasting menu £90-110, a celebration of Scottish produce at its finest). One last Scotch at the Balmoral bar.