6 Edinburgh Castle

Dating from the 12th century, this iconic castle dominates the Edinburgh city skyline, and was recently voted the top UK Heritage Attraction in the British Travel Awards. It is in Edinburgh Castle that Mary was presented to the Scottish people on her return from France. While it offered neither the beauty nor the comfort of other royal residences, it offered refuge, first in 1566 after the murder of Rizzio, and then in 1967 when her marriage to the Earl of Bothwell provoked her noblemen to take up arms against her.