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Guinness Six Nations cities: Edinburgh

Stadium Focus – Twitter (7)
Scotland’s capital city may be split into two parts – but rugby fans remain united behind their national team.

Scotland’s capital city may be split into two parts – but rugby fans remain united behind their national team.

Situated three miles east of the BT Murrayfield Stadium – the home of Scottish rugby – is Edinburgh Castle which separates the Old Town from the New Town.

And there are a host of things to do throughout the city during your stay.

There are a range of whisky tours, giving people a chance to sample the country’s most famous export, while there are a number of galleries and museums to visit.

Many of the eateries will be serving some of the classic dishes of Scotland, including haggis and deep fried Mars bars.

But if you’re into fine dining then Edinburgh is the place to be – it has four of Scotland’s nine Michelin-starred restaurants.

If you fancy travelling out of the middle of the city on the day before or after the match then Leith is well worth a visit, with attractions including the Royal Yacht Britannica, the former floating residence of the Queen and the royal family.

BT Murrayfield Stadium will stage to two matches in the 2020 Guinness Six Nations.

First up will be England on Saturday, February 8 when Gregor Townsend’s men will look to retain the Calcutta Cup.

Scotland will then play host to France on Sunday, March 8 and will aim to secure a fourth home victory on the trot against Les Bleus.

The ground was first used for rugby in 1925 and to make the opening Scotland faced off against England, then the back-to-back Five Nations champions.

It was a great day for the home fans as 70,000 packed in to see a 14-11 victory meaning the Scots had won their first ever Grand Slam.

The stadium as we know it today was opened in December 1995, with new stands built at the north and southern ends added while the west stand was demolished and rebuilt as part of a three-phase modernisation.

BT Murrayfield is to the west of the city centre and a 20-minute walk from Haymarket Station, known as The Murrayfield Mile.

Waverley station is also nearby and provides links to the stadium by bus, tram or taxi.

The trams run frequently on match days, with services going to BT Murrayfield from Edinburgh Airport, Ingliston Park and Ride, Edinburgh Gateway and Haymarket as well as other locations.

Four bus operators runs services which pass close to the ground.

The options include Lothian Buses’ 1, 2, 22, 30 at Westfield Road, 3, 25, 33, 38 at Gorgie Road, 12, 26, 31 at Corstorphine Road, Airlinks’ 100 at Corstorphine Road, First Bus’ 21A, 22, 38, 38A at Corstorphine Road and Scottish Citylink’s 900 at Corstorphine Road.

Ticket holders wishing to travel by car will find limited parking available near the stadium but it has to be pre-booked.

Otherwise there are park ride locations around the city with easy bus links to the ground.