Visited the castle on our first afternoon in Edinburgh. There was so much to see along the way that we barely had 2 hours to explore the castle before closing time.

The Edinburgh Castle stands on an extinct volcano and is made up of a cluster of buildings dating back from the 12th - the 20th centuries where it had gone from being a fortress, royal palace, military garrison and state prison. It's the birthplace of King James VI, the only son of Mary Queen of Scots, and houses the the nation's crown jewels, or the Honours of Scotland -- the Crown, Scepter and Sword, as well as the Scottish national symbol, the Stone of Destiny. This was the coronation seat of Scottish Kings, taken to England and returned in 1996 after only 700 years.