The Athens of the North may be shaped by its Enlightenment past, but it’s also facing the future head-on. This storied city, which plans on becoming net-zero by 2030, loves to think ahead. Major projects abound, with billions of pounds at play. There’s the Liberton Community Campus, transforming an existing high school into a Passivhaus community hub, and the massive West Town project, which envisions 7,000 new homes across 83 hectares of newly developed city land. But while Edinburgh focuses on the business, tourists are continuing to enjoy its pleasures. The city is the second-most visited in the UK after London. The draw? Cinematic views, among the freshest air in Europe (#4 for Air Quality), an array of sights (including its famed castle), and a happening citizenry that puts on the world’s premier Fringe Festival each year. This vibrant showing is buoyed by a reliable inflow of students who flock to the city’s #4-ranked universities. Visitors, meanwhile, are finding an increasing number of hotels ready to host them. Between 2014 and 2024, the city added 23% more hotel rooms. As of writing, 17 more hotels are in the pipeline to 2028. That goes nicely with news that the Tour de France will begin in the city in 2027.