Of course, Edinburgh has an unfair advantage when it comes to looks. Few cities can compete with a skyline dominated by a castle perched on top of an ancient volcanic plug formed 350 million years ago. Then there is the elegant Georgian architecture of the New Town, the cobbled streets of the Old Town, the colourful shops and cafés of Stockbridge and the dreamlike atmosphere of the Water of Leith – and nothing beats the view over the city from Arthur’s Seat, even in the rain.
But beautiful cities aren’t necessarily friendly ones, and this is where Edinburgh really earns its double win. For all its grandeur, it has always felt remarkably down to earth. It’s the sort of place where conversations with strangers come easily, whether you’re squeezed into a pub on a rainy afternoon or asking someone for directions and ending up with a list of places you absolutely must visit before going home.
There’s something very liveable about it, too. Edinburgh has all the things you want from a city break – brilliant restaurants, independent shops, museums, galleries and a packed calendar of cultural events – without ever feeling completely disconnected from nature. One minute you can be walking along the Royal Mile, the next following a leafy path beside the Water of Leith or looking out towards the sea.
Glaswegians might have something to say about their easterly neighbour stealing the friendliest-city title, and we’ll leave Scotland’s great east-versus-west debate to the locals. But Edinburgh taking both the best and friendliest city crowns feels particularly fitting. Nearly two decades after my first visit, it remains one of those rare places that can still take my breath away – while somehow making me feel completely at home.