John Knox House

John Knox House is the best chance on the Royal Mile to stand inside a genuine late-medieval home. Halfway down the High Street, where the street narrows towards the old Netherbow Port, it is easy to spot: a jettied, gabled house with timber galleries and an outside stair, dating back to the late fifteenth century and among the oldest buildings in the Old Town. Its fame comes from John Knox, the Protestant reformer who led the Scottish Reformation, preached from St Giles' and famously clashed with Mary Queen of Scots. Tradition holds that he lived and died here in 1572; historians debate how long he actually stayed, and the house is honest about that. The other important resident was James Mossman, goldsmith to Mary Queen of Scots, who remained loyal to her and was executed for it after the siege of Edinburgh Castle in 1573; his initials and those of his wife are carved on the facade. Inside, a sequence of small rooms climbs through the house, with displays on Knox, Mossman and the turbulent religious politics of the time. The highlight is the oak-panelled room with its painted ceiling, and there are fine old fireplaces, timber floors and views of the street from the windows. The house is run together with the Scottish Storytelling Centre next door, a modern building whose cafe, bookshop and programme of storytelling events are worth a look in themselves. Tiqets lists the house as open most days of the week except Wednesday; check before you go. It is a compact visit, around an hour.

Why go: most of the Royal Mile is a facade of rebuilt and refaced tenements, and the great houses of the Old Town survive mostly as museums with modern interiors. Here you climb narrow stairs, duck under low lintels and get a real sense of how a prosperous family lived in the crowded sixteenth-century city. The story of the Reformation can feel abstract, but in these rooms it becomes personal: a reformer who thundered against the Catholic queen, and a goldsmith who died for her. It complements the bigger Royal Mile sights well. Visit St Giles' Cathedral, where Knox preached and where his supposed grave lies under a parking space in the square outside, then walk down here to hear the other side.

What to expect: the rooms are small and the stairs steep and narrow, so access for wheelchair users and anyone with limited mobility is restricted to the lower areas; contact the centre in advance. Labels and displays are traditional rather than high-tech, so it rewards visitors who enjoy reading and looking closely. Tiqets lists the entry ticket with an audio guide option. Children who enjoy history will like the creaking rooms and the costumes sometimes on display, but younger ones may be bored after half an hour.

Make the most of it: pair the house with the Scottish Storytelling Centre, which hosts storytelling sessions, exhibitions and events for adults and families, some of them free, and has a calm cafe for a coffee off the busiest stretch of the Royal Mile. Outside, look for the brass markers in the road showing the outline of the Netherbow Port, the old city gate, then continue downhill into the Canongate towards Holyrood. It is a natural stop on a Royal Mile walk from the castle to the palace. Ticket prices are modest by Edinburgh standards, and because the house is small, it rarely feels crowded even in summer, which makes it a welcome breathing space between the bigger, busier sights further up the hill.