Scotland's cities are made for walking. Distances are short, and the streets are packed with history and architectural detail - and occasionally, interesting characters as well.  This section is designed to showcase Scotland's cities with a carefully roadtested selection of walks that any tourist or local can do, given a couple of hours to a day to spare. More will be added in due course. City maps should be used in conjunction with these walks - they can be found in local bookstores or petrol stations.

GLASGOW

Highlights: Necropolis, Cathedral, Tolbooth, Merchant City, George Square, Royal Exchange Square & Gallery of Modern Art, Buchanan St, The Lighthouse, Princes Square, Central Station, St Vincent St Church, School of Modern Art, Garnethill & Charing Cross.

Route: Starting at Queen St Station, visit George Square with its Italianite City Chambers. This is the main civic square in Glasgow where public functions are often held. The city chambers are open to the public daily (tel: 0141 221 9600 for details). Walk around the back of the city chambers, with its powerful archway and pop in to the Italian centre on John St to the south, home of some expensive couturiers and a sheltered outdoor café. Further east one comes to High St – Glasgow's original medieaval street. Head north towards the cathedral, which is accompanied by the modern Museum of Religion – Salvador Dali's painting of St Johns Christ on the Cross can be seen here. Glasgow has the only mainland cathedral in Scotland to have survived the Protestant reformation, and though small and unpreprosessing, this cathedral retains a medieaval charm and is still worth a visit. Behind the cathedral rises the striking skyline of the 19thc Necropolis – take a wander up this hill and marvel at the large tombstones and statuary in this old cemetery. As we head south back down High St, things start to get a little shabbier, but at Glasgow Cross, we come across the remainder of Glasgow's old buildings – the Tolbooth, dating from 1627, and the Trongate, dating from 1529. If you want to see a bit of real Glasgow character, head east along Gallowgate towards the Barras – Glasgow's famous weekend flea market, where all sorts of things can be bought – from turn of the century bric-a-brac to pirated software and music. Back at Glasgow Cross, we head north up Albion Street, west along Wilson St, and North along Brunswick St to Hutcheson's Hall, the local HQ of the National Trust for Scotland. At the western end of Ingram St is the Gallery of Modern Art with its statue of the Duke of Wellington outside, famous for his choice – especially after the pubs close – of traffic cones as headgear. Royal Exchange Square has some cafes to sit outside in the sunshine; but should it be raining, head for Princes Square on Buchanan St, an indoor mall where ladies who lunch can be spotted hanging out listening to the pianist or peoplewatching. At a small lane off the southern end of Buchanan St can be found the Lighthouse, a converted newspaper building with temporary art exhibitions and the best views of the city centre from its lighthouse-like tower. From here, head south towards Argyle St and admire the ironwork of Glasgow Central Station spanning the street. This handsome Victorian building is nice inside too, and it is said that if you stand on the concourse for long enough, everyone you know in Glasgow will walk by at some point. Head west out of the station and and walk north up Hope St, then west along St Vincent St. This grid pattern of streets on a hill is Glasgow's central business district, and many of the streets have attractive buildings with detailed upper stories. All the streets are worth a look but St Vincent St perhaps shades it. Make sure to look up from time to time, but avoid bumping into the Glasweigans who don't seem to notice their city's architecture at all! At the top of the hill, you will come across the tower of St Vincent St church, built by one of Glasgow's most famous architects, Alexander 'Greek' Thompson. Head north along Douglas St and you will arrive at the Glasgow School of Art, masterwork of Glasgow's other famous architectural son, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Tours can be taken around this building, one of the first major works of modern architecture. It is worth taking a detour along Hill St to the Tenement House, the NTS's preservation of a traditional Glasgow home, and to look out over the trench of the city centre motorway at Charing Cross to the Mitchell Library, Charing Cross Mansions, and towers of the university and Park Circus. From here it is a walk of 1km back along Sauchiehall St towards Queen St station, passing the Royal Concert Hall at the top of Buchanan St.

Highlights: Kelvin river walk, Botanic Gardens, Park Circus, Kelvingrove Park, University tower and museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Westbourne Gdns & Dowanhill.

Route: From Buchanan St, take the underground to Kelvinbridge. This underground is one of the oldest in the world, but is very small – a single loop between the city centre, west end, and Govan on the south side, means that one cannot get lost on the 'Clockwork Orange' as it is affectionately known. Head south following the River Kelvin immediately exiting the underground and climb up to street level at the roadbridge 200 yards south of the station. Cross the road and you will be at the entrance to Kelvingrove Park. Head uphill towards the buildings of Park Circus, the nicest set offices in Glasgow. The Glasgow youth hostel is also located here. Continue south back down to the river and head towards the red sandstone birthday cake of Kelvingrove Museum. This is an eclectic collection of Victorian artefacts and old and modern art, with free entry and organ recitals every Sunday. There is a myth that the building was built 'back to front', with the main entry facing the river, and on discovering the mistake, the architect committed suicide by jumping off the top – but like many Glasgow myths, this is untrue, despite what Glasweigans will swear to the contrary. From the art gallery, keep heading downstream to another bridge across the Kelvin and the southern gates to Glasgow University (these gates are closed on Sundays: you will have to retrace the river upstream to Kelvin Way before you can find a way in on Sundays). Two buildings especially are worth a look – the library and the main building. The main university building is unmistakable, a large gothic pile in dark brown sandstone with a great, lattice-work topped tower. At the front of this building is a flagpole above the river, providing a great viewpoint over Kelvingrove park, Park Circus, and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The main building has a number of museums of its own – the Hunterian, anatomy, and zoology collections – but the main draw is the chance to ascend the university tower that is open to the public once every week (call 0141 339 8855 for details). Wander inside the main building into the peaceful cloisters, and out past a life-sized bronze Tyrannosaurus Rex to University Avenue and the library. This is the large, glass & stone building to the north of University Avenue, one of the few successful post-war buildings in Glasgow. A door is oddly built ten feet up the side wall, but on entering the museum in the library all is revealed – the door is part of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's house, which has been rebuilt into the corner of the library. From the top of University Avenue, it is possible to head west along University Gardens, down some steps immediately beyond the Geology building onto quaint, cobbled Ashton Lane, and exit near Hillhead Underground station on Byres Road. Cross Byres Road and head west uphill again on Roxburgh St. This is one of the leafiest, genteel, yet handily located parts of Glasgow, and if you take the time you might see quite a bit of wildlife. If you continue up the hill from Roxburgh St, you will find yourself at the junction of a number of roads. Take Dundonald Road, and at the Orthodox Cathedral, head past the red sandstone terraces to Kensington Road and then immediately right to exit onto Westbourne Gardens N. At the end of this steet head north on Westbourne Gdns W and then east onto Great Western Terrace, a fine Greek Thompson terrace. At the end of the terrace, head north onto the busy main road and cross it, heading north on Kirklee Road until you get to the Greek-style Glasgow Academy. Heading east from here will bring you to the botanic gardens, a place which in early summer is full of students relaxing on the grass, and at weekends with families enjoying the facilities. A large greenhouse called the Kibble Palace houses tropical plants and goldfish, and is the warmest place in Glasgow on most days. On the north side of the Kibble Palace, a discreet path takes you back down to and across the Kelvin river. Follow this downstream under three road bridges, and you will be back at Kelvinbridge Underground where you started. This short but interest-packed walk will take between an hour and a half to all day, depending upon how much time you spend in the various museums and gardens on the way!

Other Glasgow Highlights: Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow Tower, People's Palace, Caledonia Rd Church, Victoria Park Fossil Grove, the Burrell Collection, Hampden Scottish Football Museum.

EDINBURGH

Highlights: Calton Hill, Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, Scottish Parliament, Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh University, National Museum of Scotland, Greyfriars Bobby, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Castle.

Route: From Waverley station, head up onto Princes St. The incredible urban vista of Edinburgh Castle on its rock above Princes St greets you, and it is tempting to head west along Princes St Gardens towards the castle. However, exercise discipline and we will come back to this street later. Start by heading east along Princes St past the Balmoral hotel and Scottish Register office – perhaps popping in on Calton graveyard, site of an old prison – towards Calton Hill, with its crown of monuments. You can climb the Nelson monument for a small fee, but the view from the hill is fine enough. The collection of Greek columns behind the Nelson tower were intended to be an Acropolis style monument commemorating the battle of Waterloo, but the money ran out and only thirteen columns were built. This hill has an unsurpassed view down Princes St, Scotland's premier thoroughfare, as well as to the castle, Arthur's Seat, and north past Easter Road across the Firth of Forth. Head back down Calton Hill to St Andrews House, a fine 1930s building that is home of the Scottish Office, Westminster's base in Scotland. For five years in the 1990s, a caravan sat opposite, manned 24 hours a day by volunteers campaigning for governmental devolution. Devolution has now happened, and a new Scottish Parliament is being built at Holyrood, where we go next. Simply head for the obvious construction project at the bottom of Arthur's Seat, the miniature mountain in the heart of Edinburgh. This new parliament on a constricted site was designed by Catalan architect Enrico Miralles, and is cause of current controversy over spiralling cost estimates. Hopefully once it is finished, the Scottish people will realise they are getting a parliament, not a millennium dome: and it will come to be focus of some pride. Opposite the parliament site is Holyrood Palace and Abbey. This is the fulcrum of central Edinburgh, as it sits at the base of all three of the central hills – Calton, Holyrood Park, and Castle Hill. Holyrood Palace is the Queen's official home in Scotland. It is much less grand than Buckingham Palace, but is older, built in a renaissance Scottish style, and can be visited by tourists when the Queen is not in residence. The ruined Abbey sits in the palace grounds. One thing that Buckingham Palace doesn't have is a mountain in its back garden. Holyrood does, and this is where we go next. Walk east and then south on a rising path through Holyrood Park towards the 823ft high summit of Arthur's Seat. This hill gives an incredible panorama over Edinburgh and the surrounding area – from here we can see Fife, the Forth Bridges, the Pentland Hills, and Berwick Law way to the east. A more adventurous route is along the top of the Salisbury Crags cliff, and indeed, there are many routes – fortunately not muddy – in this lump of rocky moorland. At some point however, you want to head down to Holyroodpark Rd, Salisbury Road, and head north along Causewayside, continuing west at Melville Drive onto the park known as The Meadows. This is often full of locals playing football, students relaxing on the grass, and during the festival shows set up their tents here. Walk to the top of the Meadows onto Meadows Walk, and hang left on Laurieston Place, admiring George Heriot's School – one of half a dozen very distinctive old private schools gracing the Edinburgh skyline. This is just inside the old city wall, of which one of the few remaining fragments lines the walk north down the vennel to the Grassmarket. Take this street at the city wall (Heriot Place) for a sudden view of the castle looming above. We drop down to the Grassmarket, a wide, pub-lined street, popular with students and festival goers alike. The purest line from here would be to head from the middle of the Grassmarket up the steep steps of Castle Wynd to the castle esplanade, but I recommend a short detour up the rising, curving street to the east of Grassmarket – Candlemaker Row. At the top of this street sits a small statue of a terrier, memorial to a faithful dog known as Greyfriar's Bobby. Opposite is the striking modern building of the National Museum of Scotland – it is worth crossing over to this to Chambers St and having a look at the buildings on either side. To the north is the Sherrif Court, to the south, Edinburgh University. This is a dignified classical building, rather hemmed in by its neighbours, and sorely in need of a wash. You can go inside to the rather gloomy courtyard. The other building on the south side of Chambers St is worth visiting – the National Museum of Scotland. The old museum has a modern, self contained extension, that should be visited as much for the building's fun spaces as for the exhibits it holds. After visiting the museum, head north along King George IV Bridge with the stirring sight of the Bank of Scotland on the Royal Mile above you. Head west up the Royal Mile to the castle esplanade, with armed sentries on guard. Edinburgh Castle remains headquarters of an army regiment to this day, but the most interesting buildings can still be visited by tourists. During the festival this is partially obscured by the temporary seating put up for the tattoo, but for the rest of the year the esplanade provides a grand panorama over the rest of Edinburgh. This is the third hill in our trinity, Castle Rock, a steep black crag on three sides topped by the castle, falling in gentler slopes on the fourth side towards Holyrood Palace. This slope between castle and palace houses all of older Edinburgh and is known as the Royal Mile, covered in the next walk. Return to Waverley Station any way you wish (all ways are good), and put your feet up for a well deserved rest!

Highlights: Princes St Gardens, Scott Monument, National Art Gallery, Charlotte Square, Dean Bridge, Moray Place, Royal Circus, St Mary's Cathedral, George St, National Portrait gallery, St Andrews Square.

Route: Start by heading north from Waverley Station to St Andrews Square. At the eastern end is the gilt edged headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland, founded in the 17th century. Continue north with a dramatic view down Dublin St to the Forth and fields beyond, and take a look in at the National Portrait Gallery on Queen St. This atmospheric gothic Victorian building is full of statuary, giant paintings of national scenes, and portraiture. Head back up to St Andrews Square, and head west along George St towards Charlotte Square, the spine of the new town. Now mainly commercial, this would one time have been the main residential street for Edinburgh's richer natives. Make sure to look down each intersection at the changing panoramas of the old town, especially down Hanover St to the classical art galleries on the Mound. Here we see embodied the early 19thc ideal of the new town, rational, planned, and classical; butting up against the organic, complex, spine of the old town, a fascinating contrast. At the western end of George Street we come to Charlotte Square. Each side of the square is of interest, but perhaps the finest house is the West Register House. Return to Charlotte Square, and head north down Glenfinlas Street to Ainslie Place and continue downhill to Moray Place. It is worth circumnavigating the entire circuit of Moray Place, one of the finest streets of townhouses in Britain. From here it is worth taking Darnaway Place to Heriot Row, north down the hill of Howe St, and through the Royal Circus to the cobbled Kerr St. Head along the riverside on Saunders St to a footpath alongside the Water of Leith. We follow this for the next mile and a quarter, a green and peaceful walk close to the centre of Edinburgh. Underneath a giant stone bridge is the hamlet of Dean Village, a charming old remnant of what lay hereabouts before Edinburgh expanded. Follow the river upstream under another roadbridge and past a couple of weirs to a footbridge with a sign over it saying 'Gallery of Modern Art'. Cross the footbridge and ascend the steep steps to the back of the Gallery. A nice place to sit on a sunny day is the grass in front of the Gallery, or better still, the grass in front of the other classical building on the other side of the road. From here head north along Belford Road, and hang right along Ravelston Terrace, then north along Dean Path to Queensferry Road. A leafy street above, Belgrave Place, has a fine view down towards Fettes College. Head along this and Belgrave Crescent to Dean Bridge, where you can look down to Dean Village where you were walking a short time ago. From here it is a short distance along Queensferry Road back to the west end of Princes St, perhaps taking a sneaky diversion up Randolph Place round the back of West Register House and back to Charlotte Square. Once on Princes St, Calton hill is in front of you, the shops of Princes St on your left, and the Castle to your right. The view is even better from the Scott Monument, at the Waverley Station end of Princes St. This is the largest monument to a writer anywhere in the world. If you fancy a look, be aware that the steps are very narrow at the top!