The Castle not only literally tops the city, but also tops the list of must-see places in Edinburgh, and even though the admission price is a bit steep, you will not regret buying a Edinburgh Castle ticket. In its 900+ years it has served as a royal residence, arsenal & gun foundry, state prison, treasury for the crown jewels and military barracks and all of this can be seen within the castle grounds. It is recommended that you allow a minimum of 2 hours, ideally more to visit the main attractions which include the Great Hall (armoury), the Royal Palace (birthplace of King James VI), the Stone of Destiny (returned to Scotland as recently as 1996) the Crown Jewels and plenty more. If you are at the castle for one o'clock you can witness the firing of the gun every day except Sunday.