People renting accommodation in Edinburgh know about its famous landmarks – Edinburgh Castle, the royal Mile, Mary King’s Close and more. Alongside the city’s arts program, they ensure the city is buzzing with visitors all year round. But did you know that, for a short time each year, the Doors Open Days program allows visitors access to places of interest not normally open to the public?

Similar to the Heritage Days program that operates south of the border, Doors Open allows visitors the opportunity to “explore some of Edinburgh’s most architecturally, culturally and socially significant buildings,” entirely for free (charity donations welcome). Visitors have the opportunity to walk around stately homes, gardens, observatories, private collections and other attractions that are either not open to the public, or only accessible for a fee. We at Serviced City Pads provide serviced apartments across Edinburgh that are located within some of the main attractions’ areas.

Edinburgh is one of a number of cities across Scotland and Europe with a Doors Open Day program. Jointly organised by the Cockburn Association (the city’s civic trust) and Edinburgh Trams, properties in 2009 included heritage landmarks, civic sites, castles, museums, gardens and follies.  Participating venues included St Andrew’s House (home of the Scottish government), 19th century Drumsheugh Baths (home of the oldest swimming club in Edinburgh), Lauriston Castle and the Nelson monument. All venues had behind the scenes tours, exhibitions, talks and activities – many of them aimed at children.

A stay in one of our luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh is a must for families. For the ultimate cultural experience, we at Serviced City Pads strongly recommend you download the Doors Open brochure (due out in August) and book one of our Edinburgh serviced apartments this autumn.

Wherever you rent serviced apartments in Edinburgh, you are within easy reach of the dramatic Water of Leith. Focus is usually on the cultural and architectural attractions of the town – the castle, museums and university. But there is another part of Edinburgh that those renting accommodation in Edinburgh’s city centre rarely see – the beautiful green spaces and woodlands of its river landscape.

Practically every ancient city in Europe has a river at its heart, and Edinburgh is no different. As well as being sited on the Firth of Forth, it has its own river, flowing through the centre of the city. What is more, you can book apartments in Edinburgh with us at Serviced City Pads, and travel the entire length in just one short stay. By bicycle or on foot, the Water of Leith is just 24 miles from stem to stern. The entire route is accessible by car, and it has good bus and rail links.

The river begins its journey at the picturesque Colzium Springs in the Pentland Hills. From here, it passes beautiful Cairns Castle, Balerno (where it picks up the Water of Leith Walkway), Juniper Green, Dean Village, near Edinburgh city centre and more. It passes numerous historical and natural points of interest, before ending at the port of Leith.

We at Serviced City Pads can think of nothing better than a ramble along this beautiful river walkway, followed by a warm soak in the bathroom of one of our luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is a city that thrives on activity – it is, after all, built on two extinct volcanoes (the castle sits on one; Arthur’s seat crowns the other.) Whether you have booked accommodation here for pleasure or business, you have made the right choice by choosing Edinburgh serviced apartments. Instead of the usual dull hotel fitness gym, you can explore the wide blue yonder – there are plenty of activities to get the pulse racing.

For example, we at Serviced City Pads have apartments that are ideally situated to take advantage of the numerous walking tours on offer. You can choose from history rambles, Witches and Ghosts walks. Some of the best ghost walks start from St Giles Churchyard. History-and-Mystery buffs should try visiting Edinburgh’s fascinating Underground City, which recreates the life of the subterranean community which once lived there – complete with bow-fronted shops.

For the more energetic, a climb to the top of Arthur’s seat will blow the cobwebs away. Others prefer to scale the Scott Monument – 287 narrow spiral steps which are rewarded with some superb city views. Staying firmly on Edinburgh’s favourite subject of “yet more hills”, an even more breathtaking experience can be gained from climbing Jacob’s Ladder.

If you’ve rented accomodation in Edinburgh with extreme activities in mind, retail therapy isn’t the only option. EICA Ratho, a disused quarry with one of the largest indoor climbing walls in the world, also boasts an aerial assault course – suspended 100 foot above ground level.

Whether you have booked Edinburgh luxury serviced apartments for business or pleasure, we at Serviced City Pads guarantee the experience will take your breath away.

If you enjoy taking active breaks, then booking luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh town centre is an excellent idea. You are in the midst of a rugged and beautiful landscape where you can do anything, from rock-climbing to cross-country hiking and mountain-bike trails. Edinburgh combines the challenges of the wilderness with the comforts of an urban landscape. Hardly surprising, then, that it’s also the home of the Rat Race.

This isn’t a comment on Edinburgh’s commercial strategies. It’s an extreme adventure sports’ challenge, started here in 2004 and now played out worldwide.

Described as a way of “bringing adventure sports out of their wilderness and mountain homes, and using these pursuits to uncover adventures in urban locations,” Rat Racing is tremendously popular in the UK, with everyone from school teachers to stressed-out City execs taking part. Celebrity enthusiasts include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who took part in the inaugural Edinburgh event and now writes for the sport’s magazine “Ratmag.”

Essentially, a Rat Race allows people who are locked in a city environment to take part in sports activities traditionally seen as wilderness pursuits, and serviced apartments in Edinburgh are perfect accommodation solutions at this time.

Teams of Rat Racers take part in professionally organised sports events like kayaking, abseiling, mountain biking and cross-country orienteering (reinvented as city navigation), burning off stress and calories in equal measure. Challenges include kayaking, mountain biking, abseiling, and cross-country racing.

To us at Serviced City Pads, Rat Racing sounds like an excellent way for companies to introduce team-building events. Why not get a team together for the 2010 Rat Race? We have serviced apartments in Edinburgh that would easily accommodate a group – at reasonable rates.

How would you get the best apartment for you and your family in a jungle where there are many people who are promising heaven on earth? A search on the internet shows that there are a lot of serviced apartments in Edinburgh and this will give you a lot of headaches if you want to use any of these.

It is thus important to stick to the basics as this is one of the surest ways through which you will get the best results. How would you make sure that you are using the basics for the guaranteed results? One sure way of doing so is using companies such as Serviced City Pads which has a list of the reputable serviced apartments in Edinburgh.

Why you should use these apartments

There are a number of serviced apartments in Edinburgh and getting the right one is guaranteed if you make use of Serviced City Pads. If you get it right, then some of the benefits which you are assured of is a convenient service, unlike is the case in some certain hotel environments.

Convenience remains one of the greatest advantages of luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh. This is because if you have selected any of the serviced apartments in Edinburgh, you know what you want, one can come and go as one pleases, doing what one likes and when one likes.

Apart from this, thee is also more space and privacy. Accommodation in Edinburgh offers a wide range of amenities without hurting the purse, something we all look at especially with what is happening to global economies at the moment.

When we build or purchase houses, there are certain luxuries we look at and these are usually sacrificed if we were to go and stay for a week or two months away from home. This is made worse if we are to make the hard choice of staying in a hotel where there are some rules which you may not be comfortable with.

Worse still, the service in a hotel comes at a cost and this is one reason why many no longer enjoy their holidays. Is there a way out of this? Definitely, there is a way and with the rise of luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh, you can enjoy the luxury away from home.

One should also mention quickly that luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh are priced at a cost which is significantly lower than what hotels ask for. This makes the choice of the apartments in Edinburgh even more appealing.

What adds to the glitter?

Apart from the reasonable pricing, the luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh, as the name suggests, offers the luxury we all long for. The onus is on the holiday maker or tourist to locate the best players in the industry, and in this case, it is Serviced City Pads which can link you with the best apartments in Edinburgh.

After booking, all will be in order and what you do is walk in and find fully-furnished apartments in Edinburgh with all the necessities for your enjoyment. You can now control everything, who comes and who goes. A world of difference from hotels.

How would you look for accommodation in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland? By virtue of its being the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh attracts millions of visitors every year. These visitors have different missions and each has to get the most appropriate type of accommodation in Edinburgh.

If you want to visit this city, we at Serviced City Pads are more than happy to help. We have deep experience in this area and this will make you get the most appropriate type of accommodation. There are important facts which you should bear in mind when looking for apartments in Edinburgh. There are huge numbers of tourists who frequent this city.

It has to be mentioned that unlike is the case with other cities, tourists frequent this city throughout the year – not only in the summer. This makes the issue of apartments in Edinburgh something you should be conscious of throughout the year. It is then important to make sure that you have made an advance booking to avoid the disappointment which may follow.

What types of places are there to stay?

Being the capital of Scotland, there are a number of options for those who are visiting this city. These include the hotels, the lodges and of late the serviced apartments in Edinburgh.

The latter has transformed the way we live abroad as it has tried by all means to make sure that we continue to enjoy the comfort of our homes away from home. Another reason has been the reasonable pricing.

A major reason for people to rent luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh is because of its history and location. Another is its ghosts – Edinburgh is one of the UK’s most haunted cities, with numerous ghost tours and paranormal investigations taking place night after night, throughout the year.

However, those who make the city their regular haunt will know that the best time for a budding ghost hunter to book serviced apartments in Edinburgh is earlier in the year, when the city has its annual Ghost Festival. In 2010 the award winning Mary King’s Ghost Fest will take place in March. Accommodation in Edinburgh will be in high demand at this time, but most people will head for the hotels. Book luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh by the Royal Mile district, and you’ll be right at the centre of things – and there’ll be no queues for breakfast, either.

Mary King’s Close is one of many mediaeval streets which disappeared underground during the 16th Century. Made famous by Living TV’s Most Haunted, Doctor Ciaran O’Keeffe will be paying a return visit during the festival. Other highlights include the ‘Paradox Experience’ at Blair Street Vaults, and night-time rambles around Mary King’s Close and the Vaults. Various paranormal groups will be conducting their own tours, showing members of the public a few tricks of their trade.

The city has a number of walking tour operators offering ghost walks. One of the best known is City of the Dead Tours, who will be organising a Victorian Séance.

Edinburgh Ghost Fest offers something for all the family and we at Serviced City Pads have plenty of serviced apartments in Edinburgh.

Ever since they were made famous on Living TV, people have been booking into serviced apartments in Edinburgh’s South Bridge Vaults district to explore these tunnels for themselves. Invariably they head for the terrifying, and tragic, Mary King’s Close – where Yvette Fielding and her team once did a Halloween Special.

Even if you’re cynical about ghosts you will still find a stay here a fascinating experience, purely from a historical point of view. There is far more than just Mary King’s to see, so rather than book into a hotel, why not rent one of our luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh, and book onto a few history walks instead?

The Vaults are open to all, and a guide isn’t obligatory – although the labyrinth of tunnels is so extensive and steeped in history you’ll probably need one. Mary King’s Close has tours all to itself – and it still takes an hour or so to trawl through.

Renting serviced apartments in Edinburgh near the Royal Mile puts you right at the centre of things. Wander along and you will see numerous little Closes and Wynds, shelving steeply away from the main street – Mary King’s being just one of them. In Mediaeval times, Edinburgh’s streets followed the contours of the steep hill, up from the docks. At this time, it was one of the most crowded and plague-infested cities in Europe. In the 1560s, King James had the Flodden Wall built, a network of tenement blocks evolved.

Today, those same tenements are rented out as luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh – a good opportunity is never wasted! So why not book hotels in Edinburgh online with us at Serviced City Pads, and head underground?

When people rent luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh for a city break, one of the first places they head for is the historic Castle. Whilst they are there, they may well come face-to-face with some of the previous incumbents. The Witches Well is a good place to start…

Then again, the parts of Edinburgh you can’t see are just as interesting. Rent serviced apartments in Edinburgh near the Royal Exchange, and a whole hidden city lies beneath your feet. Mary King’s Close is just one attraction that draws thousands of tourists every year – some say Yvette Fielding’s screams can still be heard!

From mediaeval times until the 1800s an entire community lived beneath Edinburgh, driven underground by poverty and the Plague. In their time, the Vaults were home to murder victims, body snatchers, victims of the plague and starving children. Paranormal investigators and members of the public alike have heard anguished cries, felt cold little hands touch theirs and watched the ghostly apparition of “Mr Boots” drift across their line of vision.

TAPS, Most Haunted, Ghost Hunters International, The World’s most Terrifying…, these are just a few TV programs who have filmed in this city.

Invariably, they leave with plenty of material, because Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities in the world. In fact, a major tourist industry has grown around it, with people booking into hotels in Edinburgh, guest houses and serviced apartments in Edinburgh’s most spooky districts, just so they can be frightened to death.

We at Serviced City Pads have accommodation near some of the spookiest places in Edinburgh. Our luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh could well make this city your regular haunt.