Victoria Street

Curving up from the Grassmarket is what many call the most beautiful street in Edinburgh: Victoria Street, a graceful arc of colourfully painted shopfronts stacked beneath a second-level terrace. It was built in the 1830s as part of a scheme to improve access to the Old Town, replacing the medieval West Bow — a steep zigzag once home to the sinister Major Thomas Weir, a respected preacher executed in 1670 after confessing to a secret life of witchcraft and crime. Today the street is known for independent shops selling everything from whisky and cheese to vintage clothing and curiosities. Its rainbow of painted facades has made it one of the most photographed spots in Scotland, and many fans believe it helped inspire Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books — J.K. Rowling famously wrote much of the early series in cafés around this neighbourhood. Take your time here; the second-storey terrace offers a lovely angle for photos. Follow the street up to the top, where it meets George IV Bridge. Turn right and head south; three or four minutes on, a small bronze dog stands on the corner, and he has a story.